Arena Talks

In this episode, Buffy and I discuss her upbringing in a trailer park in a small, conservative California town and her early work in the Bay Area following college (2:21); the triumphs of her work on the Affordable Care Act legislation and the GOP’s current attempt to dismantle it (5:42); the dynamic of her being a progressive community activist who then worked on the Clinton campaign (16:22); her decision to run for office shortly after the birth of her first child (18:58); the importance of childcare for economic equality and a leveled playing field for women in the workforce (22:01); her efforts to advocate for children’s rights in California (24:35); and her experience completing an Iron (Wo)Man despite having never before done a triathlon (27:11).

In this episode, Lacey and I discuss the historic primary turnout that saw a 244% increase over the past gubernatorial race (1:19), how the Sandy Hook shooting influenced her decision to get into the arena and work to quell gun violence (4:58), what drove her to leave the Republican party and run as a Democrat (7:46), why too many New Jersey politicians, led by Governor Christie, have fallen short in making necessary progress across the state (8:56), how social media has rallied local activism and reenergized the Democratic base in the wake of the November election (13:23), and why Mahatma Gandhi serves as an inspiration to her own political ambitions (16:46).

In this episode, Ken and I discuss his time as an Electronic Warfare Aircraft Commander (or an E-WAC, as Ken would say) in the United States Navy and how it informed his notion of duty (5:54), his work with Team Rubicon leading veteran volunteers (9:12), his response to the proposed federal budget increasing military spend at the expense of other programs (17:44), his thoughts on the experience of incumbent Bob Gibbs in Congress (19:05), his daughter’s preexisting condition and how the proposed healthcare bill will affect the residents in his district (22:05), the role of charter schools and public infrastructure in the Ohio education system (27:27), and how society needs to rethink its response to the opioid epidemic (34:08). Ken’s daughter makes her debut toward the end to warn her dad that church is in half an hour.

In this episode, Andy discusses living on a cattle ranch for two years (8:30), Rep. Tom MacArthur’s role in the healthcare repeal (13:10), advising President Obama and General Petraeus on Iraq and Afghanistan policy (22:27), the Mount Sinjar massacre in Northern Iraq (31:40), redistricting reform (38:30), and his relationship with Ambassador Chris Stevens, who was killed in the 2012 Benghazi attacks (40:00).