CLR Show 1976. Air Date October 22, 2024.  Panelists Bill Arnone, John Cugini and Bill Mulligan discuss the 2024 presidential election from differing political perspectives and with an emphasis on issues that are too often overlooked by the media. The result is a consensus, not so much about who will be elected but the challenges that will continue to confront America, no matter who is. Must listening.

CLR Show 1975. Air Date October 18, 2024. Kamala Harris's appearance on Fox coupled with her various meetings with groups of well-known and not as well known republicans appears to signal a major realization on the part of her campaign, viz., that there is far more headway to be exploited among disgruntled republicans than was imagined earlier in the campaign. At the very moment Donald appears to be shutting down his campaign, Harris is on fire, doing a non-stop series of smaller event and interviews, and often several a day. Her campaign seems to sense, and the 'feeling' is getting stronger every day, that she is headed for victory and a much larger one than current polls would suggest. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach. 

CLR Show 1974. Air Date October 15, 2024. While all signs point to a Harris-Walz victory, it's critical to consider the consequences of a Donald victory. Chief among them would be immediate infighting between and among the various factions of the former republican party. Will they commit to quickly rebuilding as something reminiscent of the Regan era party, or commit to remaining a permanent party of Trump, complete with a gutting of the civil service, prosecution of political rivals and use of the military as Donald's private militia? And if they're to remain a permanent trumpian party, knowing full well this will mean a resounding defeat in the 2026 midterms, what purpose will free and free elections serve? And why sustain a Constitution that places too many obstacles in the way of unfettered control? To say nothing of the massive and inevitable civil unrest that will follow and the unknown response to it all by the strongest military in the world. Donald must be defeated. 

CLR Show 1973. Air Date October 11, 2024. The democrats have more ammunition to hurl back at the republicans––in the form of easily exposed and debunked republican lies about everything–– than any other presidential campaign in modern American history. It's now a question of refining and perfecting the messages that reveal those lies to all of America: that republicans are pro-police; that democratic scientists can make hurricanes effect only republican districts; that illegal Haitians are eating cats and dogs in Michigan; and that Donald actually cares about America. His only reason for running is to stay out of jail. And it's so easy to convincingly argue that he's guilty of everything he's been accused of. Barack Obama's appearance on the campaign train is a positive sign that the best of the democratic messaging is still to come. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.

CLR Show 1972. Air Date October 8, 2024. Remarkably––or maybe not so remarkably––the Trumpians are using the same 'patriotic' language as democrats to motivate their base. They speak of 'freedom' coupled with threats about the last chance to save the country. But their exhortations are rooted in Donald's worst fears, which he has cravenly melded with their own. Lofty words hide simmering racial animus, misogyny and, for many, unvarnished greed. These are among the many stepchildren of fear. We must––and can and will––counter Donald's fear based (don't jail me!) rants with hope for a greater America. We cannot be suckered into operating out of fear, lest we amplify the fear that drives and oppresses the Trumpians. We can and will win this election unified in the hope and belief that America's best days lie ahead––as they've always been, even when things seem darkest.  

CLR Show 1971. Air Date October 4, 2024. It may be a less than scientific observation, but good things coming in threes portend well for the forces of rationality and democracy in America. Consider: The Mets have made it to the second round of the playoffs against all odds; the longshoremen's strike that could have plunged us back to supply chain hell has been expertly sidestepped by 'incompetent' Joe Biden; and an asteroid the size of a school bus that could have nearly destroyed us is harmlessly circling earth as a second moon for another month until it is harmlessly flung into the far reaches of the galaxy. Not unlike what will happen to Donald Trump after November 5th. It's in the stars! With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.

CLR Show 1970. Air Date October 1, 2024.  October Surprises are a staple of American presidential politics. And the Israeli incursion into Southern Lebanon coupled with the east coast longshoremen's strike might count as a major one in some other campaign cycle. But the electorate is largely locked into its positions on the candidates. And the remaining undecideds will be far more influenced by Donald's and Jimmy's ongoing blatant lies than whether or when Joe Biden enforces the Taft-Hartley Act. That makes this evening's Vice Presidential debate far more consequential than it might otherwise be. In all likelihood, it will be the last opportunity for undecided Americans to witness a face to face between representatives of the two campaigns––and watch JD Vance lie about his reasons for lying.  

CLR Show 1969. Air Date September 27, 2024.  A constant lament of the rational is how Donald continues to lie so blatantly and continually with no apparent consequences among his fans. But there are consequences. It's just that they are cumulative and slowly accruing. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have not only pushed back against but effectively exposed lie after Trumpian lie, to the point where a presumed Trumpian strong suit like the economy is moving into the Harris column. And the same is true of immigration. That, and flailing Donald's inability to make any real headway with the remaining undecideds. All this will reach a tipping point within the last two weeks of the campaign and the Harris victory will be a very significant one. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.  

CLR Show 1968. Air Date September 24, 2024. Policy is being bantered back and forth between the Harris and Trump campaigns (with the Trump version typically a garbled reaction to the day's headlines) but the likelihood is that this election will be more about, and will be won by an embrace of, either love/hope or fear. The great irony is that the 'Christian' nationalist forces, historic purveyors of biblical love and hope, are now the merchants of fear, division and domination as embodied in Project 2025. Their goal: convince White America and a few others that 'our country' is being taken away from us and the only option is to seize it back from 'them'. The problem is, 'them' is bigger and far more 'positively' motivated––an altogether Christian characteristic. Donald's utter incapacity for the office is irrelevant: He is little more than a permission slip for those who see America's dismantling as the only pathway to their dominance.    

CLR Show 1967. Air Date September 20, 2024. The irrational inappropriateness of republican pronouncements and positions––everything from Donald Trump's criminal conviction to Mark Robinson's professed black neo-Nazi beliefs to JD Vance's admitted lies about Haitians eating dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio––would have been game enders for any other presidential or regional campaign in American history. On the surface at least, republican voters seem to be taking it all in stride, simply ignoring it all in the interest of preserving tribal cohesion. But there is a cumulative weight to these collective insanities and we are beginning to see signs that political gravity, and simple reality, may finally be starting to weigh down this bowdlerized version of a once-proud republican party. With Friday Co-Host, David Bach.