Cuckoo 4 Politics 😎

By Michael Desrosiers

Discussing political perspectives on various ISSUES THAT MATTER with citizens of the world. So grab your favorite libations , get ready for some lively conversation and let’s learn something together.... more

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The podcast currently has 67 episodes available.

Cuckoo 4 Politics 😎 episodes:

December 19, 2022Raw & Uncut - Our Takeaways from the ‘22 Mid-Term Election PT 2
“Growing up, there was an idea that some people just were not going to serve in public office,” says Sam Jean, who returns to resume the discussion about the results of the US midterm elections. This week, he and Michael discuss the “celebrification” of American politics. It’s evident in candidates like former football player and recent Republican candidate for the state of Georgia, Herschel Walker, and former news anchor Kari Lake who recently ran on the Republican ticket for Governor of Arizona. Taking leaves out of Donald Trump’s playbook, these candidates trade charisma for competency.
This is only successful, Sam and Michael point out, because Republican voters like candidates who behave in a mean, mocking manner toward the Democratic party. This voter base sees themselves as victims under the thumb of liberal policy and conspiratorial liberal media. So, they prioritize the satisfaction they feel in seeing liberals “get owned” over sound policy and practices. They present Florida governor Ron DeSantis as another example of this, a figure whom, Sam points out, has never actually had to prove his mettle.
Also part of the discussion is the state of Louisiana which is the only state to vote to maintain slavery and involuntary servitude as a means of punishing criminals. This brings up issues of privatized prisons and for-profit incarceration. Michael’s closing statement analyzes the new lines along which voters are divided.
Quotes
“The problem that Republicans ran into is when people are accustomed to having a right, and having that right taken away in the way that it was taken away, the real life ramifications don’t play out well.” (4:43-5:05 | Sam)

“When we were growing up, there was an idea that some people just were not going to serve in public office. ‘Oh, this guy can't run for public office, because he's not smart enough, or this guy can't run for public office because he's got too many scandals.” (19:00-19:21 | Sam)

“There's a significant portion of the Republican base, who feel that conservatives are victims. That conservatives are being victimized by this wild, lawless, liberal society, and its agents in the media. And so they say that they're victims. Kari Lake speaks to that.” (22:14-22:39 | Sam)

“All he's doing is smacking liberals around, they need a good smacking. And Republican voters love that. My thing about Ron DeSantis, however, is you don't know a candidate until the candidate has to deal with an adverse situation, something they're not prepared for, some crisis. How does the candidate deal with that? How does he or she handle that? And I have not seen Ron DeSantis be put in a position to do that.” (32:26-32:57 | Sam)

“As we know, they call it the prison industrial complex because private prisons were being fabricated or created, in order to incarcerate more people in order to go to the nearest bidder as far as to make goods.” (38:13-38:29 | Michael)

“In short, the people have spoken and Americans prefer a divided government. However, the division seems to transition not just from left or the right. It's becoming literally more black and white, female versus male, and those who have a higher college education versus those who reach a certain level in education.” (49:04-49:25 | Michael)
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53min
December 09, 2022Raw and Uncut - Our Takeaways from the ‘22 Midterm Elections PT 1
“I told you that you can’t pay attention to certain narratives,” says returning guest Sam Jean on this episode of Cuckoo 4 Politics. As it turns out, Sam was correct about his midterm predictions, and that the much-publicized Republican Red Wave turned out to be a drip. Sam attributes this and other false beliefs to fake news and fear campaigns put out by the Republican Party. Many people also believed that their hometowns would reach crime levels comparable to major cities like New York and Chicago, and that Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul was attacked by a man he met on Grindr.
These falsehoods and the likes, Sam and Michael argue, proves that Republicans have no real issues which they plan to address. What is more, they discuss issues in a one-size-fits-all narrative and as Sam explains, politics are too local for such an approach. What is worse, such extreme views can be enough to drive independent people away from voting.
Perhaps ironically, Donald Trump made Sam a believer. Find out why, as well as the real story behind the presence of litter boxes in school classrooms (and it's far more concerning than Republicans’ fear that students are identifying as cats).
Quotes
“When you're looking at congressional races, the voters decided that they weren't buying what Republicans were selling.” (3:44-3:51 | Sam)

“What I try to convey to conservatives is you can have legitimate reasons for not liking a political figure, candidate, whatever. You don't need to make stuff up about them… The problem is, they’re putting people’s lives at risk..” (17:50-18:12 | Sam Jean)

“Liz Cheney is not going to make it through a Republican primary.” (28:20-28:24 | Sam)

“But Michael, all politics is local. You can't look at something nationally, and say, ‘Oh, it's going to apply here. It's going to apply there. It's going to apply there in the exact same way.” (31:40-32:00 | Sam) SM Quote
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49min
December 02, 2022The Hispanic Voter - Conservative or Liberal?
“It’s complicated,” says Geoffrey Gordan who, along with his wife Elizabeth, returns to the show to discuss contemporary politics from the point of view of residents of hotbed states like Arizona. The question of the day is what compels Latinos to vote for either Republicans or Democrats. Right away, as he explains, there is the difference between Hispanic and Latino. Elizabeth points out the difference between Latinos who have lived in America for generations and those who have recently arrived–a distinction made by many Latinos themselves.
What many Latinos do share is a strong Christian faith, and therefore find many of the issues supported by the Democratic Party, particularly abortion and gay rights, are difficult to reconcile.
What is ironic, as Geoffrey points out, is that newly arrived Latinos are joining the Evangelical sect of Christianity in droves. This is the same faith shared by many anti-immigration Republicans.
Quotes
“Many Hispanics have a very strong faith based family structure, and they have for years, whether they started out as Catholics. And a lot of the things center around family, faith and country. And that, to their core, is who they are.” (11:46-12:15 | Geoffrey)

“I do think there's another factor in the Hispanic conversation. And I think it's the classic wet foot dry foot immigrant view, where the immigrants who came, quote unquote, the right way, or in the case of Hispanics, those Hispanics who have been here for generations and generations, do look down on other newer immigrants.” (16:41-17:10 | Elizabeth)

“In a segment of the Hispanic population, they do not have that foundational grounding in the civil rights movement, because they've been accepted into white society. They are the Hispanic white population. And so for them, civil rights, that ability for people to live their lives is not as ingrained. They have not been on the receiving end of anti Hispanic racism, because they pass. Unless their name is Garcia, which, some of them it is, but even then, if you're Garcia, but you speak perfect English and you look white, Okay, no problem.” (22:22-23:12 | Elizabeth)

“The irony is the base of the of the Republican Party, which is Evangelical, has so much animosity against immigration, and illegal immigration. But it's literally the people that are coming here, especially over the last 20 years, that are growing the church.” (28:31-28:52 | Geoffrey)
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41min
November 03, 2022The Mid-Term Elections - Conversation w/ Arizona Voters Part 2
“We don’t like to talk about these things because they’re not sexy,” says Elizabeth Coleman Gordan, of the work required to actually implement change in communities. She and her husband Geoffrey, join Michael for part two of their conversation about the political climate in Arizona as the mid-term elections approach. Michael and Geoffrey both agree that too many people expect instant gratification, and aren’t realistic about the political process.
Several of the most pressing issues of the day are discussed. The hypocrisy of the way we both shun immigrant populations, while relying on their labor. The factors that led to inflation and supply chain issues that, despite Republican talking points, have nothing to do with Joe Biden. And why the overturning of Roe v. Wade may be what tips Arizona elections in the Democrats favor.
As a biracial couple, Elizabeth and Geoffrey discuss their experience of raising three young men through the Trump era, why America needs to put in some hard work, and how their predominantly white area has been shifting more towards diversity.
Quotes
“Honestly, when people are accepting aid, or they know someone who's accepting aid, it's because well, they're one of the good ones. But those people getting aid, that other kind of aid, they're not one of the good ones. Folks, in so many ways, if you were on the island from Lord of the Flies, you 100% would have killed that little Piggy boy. Really, you would not have been one of those supportive, cooperative, loving, great and kind people. You would have massacred each other and it's sad to see it.” (34:18-35:02 | Elizabeth)

“Infrastructure isn’t sexy. The solutions aren't going to be easy. The solution for infrastructure is almost always going to be some kind of attack so that you can rebuild or increase infrastructure. The solution to the water problem is, ‘Hey, guess what, nobody gets to have lawns. You need to have either rocks or fake grass because we can't be spending money on lawns.” (38:51-39:21 | Elizabeth)

“For me, there's this concern that we're not going to be able to do hard things. Doing hard things takes practice. And if we get out of the practice of putting our heads together, as citizens, as constituents, as legislators, and doing hard things, then we're not going to be in a position 20 years down the road, 40 years down the road, where other nations are willing to do the hard things, to really put in that time. America has always been known to put in the hard work, even despite all of her issues, she has been known to put in this hard work.” 42:39-43:18 | Geoffrey)
Links
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1h
October 27, 2022The Mid-Term Elections- Conversation w/ Arizona Voters - Part 1
“There are significant concerns with respect to our democracy,” says Geoffrey Gordan, on this episode of Cuckoo for politics. This episode begins a new series where Michael talks to residents of state’s to get their take on the political climate. Today, he welcomes Geoffrey and his wife Elizabeth Coleman Gordan, residents of Arizona, a state with a large independent base. They explain there is ‘a trifecta’ of elections that will take place in November: governor, senator, and secretary of state. And they are very concerned about the integrity of democracy, and about the consequences of electing people who continue to support Trump and repeat his more divisive and dangerous rhetoric.
They discuss the measures being taken to complicate the mail-in voting process as a method of discouraging or disqualifying certain demographics from participating. Another method of influencing election outcomes is to rezone voting districts, which is something they experienced with their own issues. Michael asks the couple their views, as residents of a border state, on the border crisis, and whether it’s truly a crisis at all.
As midterms fast approach, the only thing to rival the tension is the passion of dedicated citizens like Elizabeth and Geoffrey. Join the conversation to hear more.
Quotes
“In a lot of ways, the rhetoric has not changed or lessened in any way since Trump has left office. In fact, I think it's become more strident. And it's concerning. I'm terrified that the folks who are going to be in these high offices are still talking about ‘the steal’ and that the election was stolen from Trump.” (6:50-7:15 | Elizabeth)

“Here in Arizona, we have the trifecta: the race for governor, the Secretary of State, and our Senator, who are all Trump endorsed election deniers.” (8:29-8:50 |Geoffrey)

“Democracy requires us to first start on good faith. We will always have differences of opinion, we will disagree, but we have to be able to come together in good faith, to work out those differences within a democratic system and within the political system.” (27:15-27:38 | Geoffrey)
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39min
July 28, 2022 Just "Raw & Uncut" Feedback
“This is why I’m becoming more and more cynical every day. Because none of it is making any sense to me,” says Sam Jean, Michael’s friend, and frequent guest, about the constant hypocrisy and double standards practiced in the world today, by Republicans in particular. Republicans only need one example to paint all Democrats with the same brush, but the same rules never apply to them. Republican sex offenders in high political positions are the quickest to call other people sexual predators or dangerous to children. He discusses the double standards held by which white people and people of color are held to—including an example of Black families fleeing Ukraine only to be told to turn back.
Sam also considers that Trump supporters—separate from regular Republicans—meet the criteria for a cult. One major problem, he says, is many people only utilize one news source, particularly ones that are a feedback loop.
Join Michael and Sam to discuss why Sam was right about Dr. Oz, who makes Sarah Palin look like a Rhodes scholar, and the story behind the podcast’s name.
Quotes
• “I’m not sure if someone other than Will Smith had slapped someone, that they would have continuously played the slap over and over again.”(5:22-5:33 | Sam)
• “There’s also a lack of critical thinking going on. People are being told this is what’s happening, and they don’t even do the basics of trying to understand what it is they are claiming is happening.”(29:09-29:22 | Sam)
• “These people have been living under their version of the truth for so long that when the actual truth is revealed to them, they’re shocked.(30:11-30:20 | Sam)
• “It is now illegal for a pregnant woman to have an abortion, even in instances of rape in certain states. However, that same woman can easily purchase an assault rifle, carry a concealed pistol and pick her child up from a public school.”(55:17-55:33 | Michael)
• “The word ‘woke,’ most of the people who use it don’t even know where it came from… you don’t want to have a discussion about my position. That’s all.” (13:42-14:29| Sam)
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1h 3min
July 13, 2022 Raw & Uncut - The Supreme Court
“I thought we understood that a woman had the right to access an abortion,” says Sam Jean, longtime friend of Michael’s, who returns to the podcast to discuss the recent ruling by the US Supreme Court to overturn abortion rights at the federal level. Sam believes that Republicans are using the issue of abortion as a fundraising tool because this resonates with a large portion of their fanbase. Michael raises the question whether this issue is the last stronghold available to men as a means to control women, and explains that Evangelicals have historically been behind a lot of the attempts to overturn the rights of women, notably when they got President Ronald Reagan elected.
They discuss the differences in the line of questioning that Justice Jackson and Judge Amy Coney Barrett were asked during their respective confirmation proceedings, and the stoicism of Jackson versus the emotionality of Brett Kavanaugh. People of color, at a certain level of visibility and accomplishment, don’t have the luxury of indulging in certain behaviors that their white counterparts do.
Join the latest conversation between Michael and Sam to hear their shock at how little some Supreme Court Justices know the constitution, why Ted Cruz loves to be hated, and why all of these issues come back to fundraising.
Quotes
• “If I think about it, every country that’s equal to us- Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Japan– they all allow abortions. And now we’re going back to yesteryear?” (7:19-7:30 | Michael)
• “I’m just going to point out that nobody gets to tell a woman or a man what to do with their body. Nobody.” (13:59-14:09 | Sam)
• “It’s all politics, it’s performance, it’s theater, because they want to push this messaging. And this is where you have to give Republicans credit, they know the assignment. They know what they have to do.”(27:32-27:43 | Sam)
• “We in the black community, or minorities in general, any persons of color, we have to take a different stance because what we do represents not just us individually but represents an entire community.”(37:27-37:42 | Sam)
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46min
June 29, 2022 Raw & Uncut: What’s Up with Florida? Part 2
On this episode of Cuckoos 4 Politics, Sam Jean returns for the second half of the conversation about the many issues currently going on in the state of Florida. Conservative canvassers are going around to elderly and Hispanic communities, changing their party affiliation from Democrat to Republican. This leads to further discussion about how Republicans project their machinations onto Democrats as part of a strategy, including assuming that any election loss is a result of voter fraud, or of flooding the polls with Democrat-voting undocumented immigrants.
Another element of Republican strategy is one of demoralization, sending a message that there are more of ‘us’ than ‘them,’ so don’t bother voting against us. This is in lieu of any concrete plans or proposals. When one boogeyman doesn’t work, like Black Lives Matter, Republicans put the blame on ANTIFA. Sam also blames the media for its complicity in perpetuating the message.
Listen to the two friends discuss why Trump is still a likely Republican nominee despite being twice impeached, and further instances of hypocrisy on the part of Republicans.
Quotes
• “The strategy is, if they're accusing you of doing something, they’re doing it.” (7:13-7:18 | Sam)
• “It’s not designed to be true, it is just designed to be part of a message that is designed to keep them in power perpetually.” (13:02-13:10 | Sam)
• “There isn’t any symmetry in how the media treats messaging from Republicans, which become standard media talking points, and messaging from Democrats, which is always presented as ‘Democrats say.’”(14:44-15:02 | Sam)
• “Overall, Florida has bigger problems that will have more repercussions than this sole politician.” (29:11-29:17 | Michael)
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34min
June 15, 2022 Raw & Uncut: What’s up with Florida? Part 1
Florida has long been known for its sunny weather and hot climate, but as the midterm elections approach, things are really heating up. But are these issues that are putting Florida “on the map” really issues at all? Sam Jean, argues that Conservatives are creating false struggles in order to create a false sense of victory. Michael argues that as America evolves and changes, Conservatives are shadowboxing in a fight to keep it the same.
At best, argue Michael and Sam, Governor Ron DeSantis’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill is hypocritical, as laissez faire Conservatives are always demanding that the government refrain from interfering in personal matters. Worse, it puts teachers in an increasingly difficult position as they’re being used to represent issues they don’t believe exist, and they are forced to choose between protecting vulnerable children or abiding by their orders. At worst, they say, it makes a portion of the population feel they are not free to be who they are.
On this episode of Cuckoo 4 Politics, Michael and Sam discuss what’s really in the books Conservatives want banned, who is really responsible for voter fraud, and what election police will do with all the money they are being (over)paid.
Quotes
• “It has nothing to do with what the books say. It is just political posturing, and it’s making a certain segment of Conservatives, or Republicans, feel OK, and they feel that they’re winning.” (11:54-12:08 | Sam)
• “I thought we had gotten to the point where we wouldn’t have these discussions about gay people. I thought we were past this.” (14:36-14:45 | Sam)
• “Conservative teachers that I know are offended by this. They say the people who have written it have no idea what teachers do.”(18:10-18:18 | Sam)
• “Now it’s a thorny question. Is the teacher bound by policy, or is the teacher bound by telling the parent this is what your child has been discussing with me.” (19:18-19:35 | Michael)
• “It’s just amazing to me how a party that talks about individual rights, and limitation of government is going about trying to police every aspect of the lives of people while pretending that they’re not.” (21:17-21:36 | Sam)
• “The powers that be, that do Republican messaging, have indoctrinated voters to believe that they should win every election. When they win, it’s in spite of voter fraud; when they lose it’s because of voter fraud.” (26:02-26:23 | Sam)
• “If I’m being honest, the kind of voter fraud that becomes statistically relevant, and by statistically relevant I mean less than one percent, is people voting in places they don’t live.”(26:5-27:10 | Sam)
• “My thinking is, the overall mantra of the recurrent Republican brand can be summed up this way: prevent people from reading certain books, prevent educators from teaching about systemic racism, prevent women from making decisions about their own bodies, and, in the case of some groups, prevent certain types of people from voting in democratic elections. All in the pretext of not personal freedom, but rather denying the evolution of a nation that strives to be more a perfect union for all people.” (35:22-36:03 | Michael)
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37min
June 01, 2022 Raw and Uncut - State of Our Union P5 - What is Critical Race Theory Anyway?
“Racism is not just the product of individual bias or prejudice,” explains Sam Jean Esq., “racism can be embedded in legal systems and policies.” Sam, a former classmate of Michael’s when they both completed their undergraduate degrees at Eastern Nazarene College, also teaches graduate school and has made several media appearances on the subject of U.S. policy.
Critical race theory continues to ignite heated debate not only for its content and merits, but whether or not it should be taught in schools, particularly at the elementary level. Yet, as Sam explains, this theory is not new. It originated over 30 years ago, from a workshop organized by Kimberle Crenshaw, Neil Gotanda, and Stephanie Philips at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It examines the overlap between race, the law, and society.
In this episode, find out what Critical Race Theory actually is (as opposed to anti-racism, or the 1619 Project), why Sam views George Washington differently than he views Thomas Jefferson, and what we can learn from the way that other countries teach their children about the ugly parts of their country’s history.
Quotes
• “Racism is developed due to the fact it is structurally embedded in America’s institutions and its laws since the days of slavery.” (3:48-3:58 | Michael)
• “I don’t remember coming out of that classroom saying, ‘Ooh, I hate white people.’ I don’t remember us saying anything like that. We would have lunch together, move on, graduate, and still maintain our friendship. But today…” (8:38-8:50 | Michael)
• “What actual critical race theory is, if people were being objective about it is something that most people would agree with.” (10:38-10:47 | Sam)
• “People have done bad things. In order for those bad things not to happen again, we should all be informed what they were.” (19:08-19:16 | Sam)
• “And if somebody brings it up, ‘What about the children?’ The children should know.” (25:41-25:46 | Sam)
• “I think it’s a political tool. And it is useful. And one of the things I have to say, Republican and Conservative strategists, they understand their base. They understand the things that drive their people and one of the things that Republicans, Republicans don’t believe in,--OK, to a percent, when you poll them– they don’t believe that race is an issue.” (29:28-29:54 | Sam)
Links
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40min

FAQs about Cuckoo 4 Politics 😎:

How many episodes does Cuckoo 4 Politics 😎 have?

The podcast currently has 67 episodes available.