On this final episode of Politics of Truth we'll wrap up the 2020 election with two of our favorite returning guests, Washington Post National Political Reporter Bob Costa and Mark McKinnon, a veteran political advisor, former musician, and co-host of Showtime's The Circus.

We try to make some sense of the electoral warfare being waged on the results of the presidential election, and who it's playing to. We also consider the historic turnout numbers across the country combined with razor thin margins in so many races, and unpack the tribal allegiances behind what look like Democrat/Republican splits.

Then we look ahead to the 2 upcoming special elections for Senate seats in Georgia, which will determine the balance of power for the next two years and make or break important parts of any Biden agenda.

Finally, Bob updates us on his daughter Hallie's battle with cancer and the inspiring will she's been showing during her recent treatment.  

Thank you all for joining us on this journey. We've had a great time bringing you these conversations and this show has been a bright spot for many of us amidst the craziest year any we'll ever go through.  

Politics of Truth is brought to you by Osiris Media. Executive Producer is Adam Caplan. Produced by RJ Bee. Edited, mixed and mastered by Brad Stratton. Art by Mark Dowd. To discover more podcasts that help you connect more deeply with the music you love, check out osirispod.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week CNN's Doug Heye takes over hosting duties for Bob on Politics of Truth. 

Doug's first guest is ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl. Jonathan has covered four presidents and has become a recognizable face in the last few years for his lively barbs with various Trump White House press secretaries. Jonathan shares this inside perspective in his recent best-selling book "Front Row at the Trump Show," and he and Doug discuss how White House reporters have to do their jobs differently when confronted by an administration who views them as the enemy.

Later Doug speaks with Susan King, Dean of the UNC School of Media and Journalism, about the next generation of reporters that she works with every day inside and outside the classroom. Susan describes the challenges and opportunities presented by new media technologies, and why her students leave her feeling optimistic about the future of our news industry. 

Thanks for listening, and please remember to vote on November 3rd. 

Politics of Truth is brought to you by Osiris Media. Executive Producer is Adam Caplan. Produced by RJ Bee. Edited, mixed and mastered by Brad Stratton. Art by Mark Dowd. To discover more podcasts that help you connect more deeply with the music you love, check out osirispod.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bob's guest this week is Pete Rouse, former Counselor to President Obama and a man whose government experience is so widely respected that he's known as "the 101st Senator".  

Pete describes how Barack Obama decided to run for President in late 2006, and shares his insider insights on Obama's leadership style and Presidential legacy.  

He also explains his surprising role in reuniting the Grateful Dead, and tells the remarkable story of his mother's life journey from Japan to rural Alaska to the Yale faculty.  

At a time when a competent government can feel beyond reach, Pete is a welcome reminder of the exemplary public servants committed to making our country better.  

Please remember to vote on November 3rd.

Politics of Truth is brought to you by Osiris Media. Executive Producer is Adam Caplan. Produced by RJ Bee. Edited, mixed and mastered by Brad Stratton. Art by Mark Dowd. To discover more podcasts that help you connect more deeply with the music you love, check out osirispod.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Bob welcomes back Bob Costa of the Washington Post, and the two of them speak with the legendary Bob Weir, founder and guitarist of the Grateful Dead and many other musical endeavors across five decades.  

In this episode Bob Weir explains what he misses most about being on the road performing, and how he and his bandmates are safely rehearsing to prepare for an eventual return. He also shares what the state of California means to him and whether he'd consider running for local office, as people have been asking him for years.   Finally, the Bobs discuss the political relevance today of some old Grateful Dead tunes, and which characters from those songs they think about during these challenging times in America.  

Enjoy the show, and please remember to vote on November 3rd.

Politics of Truth is brought to you by Osiris Media. Executive Producer is Adam Caplan. Produced by RJ Bee. Edited, mixed and mastered by Brad Stratton. Art by Mark Dowd. To discover more podcasts that help you connect more deeply with the music you love, check out osirispod.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bob's guest this week is JD Scholten, the Democratic candidate for Congress in Iowa's 4th district. JD grew up on his family farm near Sioux City and travelled the world as a pro baseball player before taking an unexpected turn into politics in 2018.  

Without any political experience JD took on longtime incumbent Steve King, who for 15 years has been the face of white nationalist immigration policy on Capitol Hill.  Scholten lost that race by three points but he gave King his closest contest to date, piling his underdog campaign into a Winnebago RV, visiting all 39 counties, and earning 25,000 more votes than there are registered Democrats. Scholten hopes to build on that foundation in his 2020 race against Randy Feenstra, who defeated King in the primary.  

JD explains how his agricultural district has been hit hard by the trade war, and why a promise to his grandmother that he’d save his family farm pushed him to run for office.  Scholten also discusses his choice to run a campaign independent from the national party and why that’s important to him. 

Politics of Truth is brought to you by Osiris Media. Executive Producer is Adam Caplan. Produced by RJ Bee. Edited, mixed and mastered by Brad Stratton. Art by Mark Dowd. To discover more podcasts that help you connect more deeply with the music you love, check out osirispod.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bob's guest this week is Chris Shiflett, the lead guitarist for the Foo Fighters who has multiple solo records including 2019's "Hard Lessons". Chris is also a podcasting veteran, having hosted his own show "Walking the Floor" since 2013. 

In this episode Chris describes how music created his social consciousness as a young kid and how playing music around the world exposed him to new perspectives that shaped his own political identity.  

Chris and Bob debate the failures of centrism and whether the Democratic Party is still an effective vehicle for real progressive change, as well as why Bernie Sanders is labeled "radical" for supporting policies that are mainstream across the developed world. 

They also get into how Chris joined the Foo Fighters, adjusting to life off the road, and what he's learned in seven years as a podcaster. 

Politics of Truth is brought to you by Osiris Media. Executive Producer is Adam Caplan. Produced by RJ Bee. Edited, mixed and mastered by Brad Stratton. Art by Mark Dowd. To discover more podcasts that help you connect more deeply with the music you love, check out osirispod.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bob's guest this week is legendary guitarist Warren Haynes of The Allman Brothers, The Dead, and Gov't Mule. When he became part of the Allmans, Warren had the surreal experience of getting to join his favorite band, and we've been fans of his music ever since.  

They discuss the Allman Brothers shows Warren played at Madison Square Garden just days before the Covid shutdown and what he's working on with touring life on hold. Warren also the roots of Christmas Jam, the annual benefit concert he hosts in his native Asheville which has raised millions of dollars for Habitat for Humanity.  

Finally Bob and Warren turn to the upcoming election, Warren's work with Headcount, and why he believes voting should be mandatory.  

Politics of Truth is brought to you by Osiris Media. Executive Producer is Adam Caplan. Produced by RJ Bee. Edited, mixed and mastered by Brad Stratton. Art by Mark Dowd. To discover more podcasts that help you connect more deeply with the music you love, check out osirispod.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bob's guest this week is political reporter Ben Jacobs, who's been doggedly covering Kanye West's bizarre campaign for president in The Guardian, New York Magazine, and other outlets. 

Despite having no campaign infrastructure and zero chance of victory, Kanye is paying Republican operatives to get him on state ballots and is skirting FEC deadlines to avoid disclosing whose interests he is serving. 

Ben's been digging into this story all summer and what he's uncovered about the shadowy operations of Kanye's newest marketing endeavor should concern us all. Enjoy the show and please stay vigilant as this surreal election season marches on.

Politics of Truth is brought to you by Osiris Media. Executive Producer is Adam Caplan. Produced by RJ Bee. Edited, mixed and mastered by Brad Stratton. Art by Mark Dowd. To discover more podcasts that help you connect more deeply with the music you love, check out osirispod.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode Bob speaks with country singer-songwriter Kendell Marvel, who's written chart-topping hits for Gary Allen, Jamey Johnson, Chris Stapleton and many others. Kendell wrote his first hit song, "Right Where I Need To Be" on the day he moved to Nashville in 1998, and after two decades as a writer and guitarist for big name acts, he's broken out as a solo artist with his records "Lowdown & Lonesome" and "Solid Gold Sounds."  

Kendell's dad taught him most everything he knows, gave him a guitar at age 5, and had him playing at bars with his buddies by age 10. He and Bob discuss his musical upbringing, his unique political views, and why he voices them on Twitter instead of in his lyrics.  

Politics of Truth is brought to you by Osiris Media. Executive Producer is Adam Caplan. Produced by RJ Bee. Edited, mixed and mastered by Brad Stratton. Art by Mark Dowd. To discover more podcasts that help you connect more deeply with the music you love, check out osirispod.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Bob speaks with author and political consultant Stuart Stevens, whose brand new book "It Was All A Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump" explain how the GOP and Trump came to represent each other so completely. Stuart has been an advisor to Republican candidates since the 1980s, culminating with him leading Mitt Romney's Presidential campaign in 2012, and his view from the inside about what he and others got wrong is honest and refreshing.

Stuart and Bob discuss when it all veered off course for the GOP (hint: 1964), how "the dark side" won, and why the future of America will be decided by the battles currently playing out within the Democratic Party.  

Finally they turn to the 2020 election and how sometimes the historical moment picks the right leader for that time, as may be happening now with Joe Biden.

Politics of Truth is brought to you by Osiris Media. Executive Producer is Adam Caplan. Produced by RJ Bee. Edited, mixed and mastered by Brad Stratton. Art by Mark Dowd. To discover more podcasts that help you connect more deeply with the music you love, check out osirispod.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.