Plausibly Live - The Dave Bowman Show Podcast

An attempted kidnapping less than half a mile from home makes the news painfully personal. Dave Bowman discusses the arrest of an active-duty Marine accused of grabbing a 12-year-old girl on a Silverdale street his own son regularly walks. The girl escaped and took a photograph that helped identify the suspect, prompting a discussion of parental instincts, community vigilance, and the treatment of uninvolved family members on social media.

Dave also shares his frustration over a denied VA disability appeal, persistent errors in his medical history, and the daily limitations of a service-connected knee injury. In Washington, D.C., Democrats’ promised focus on affordability faces an early test as Robert Garcia signals investigations into Donald Trump and his allies. Dave argues that pursuing political opponents while household costs remain high could produce another backlash from dissatisfied voters.

Finally, opponents of Washington’s I-638 have conceded the vote while preparing to challenge the girls’ school sports initiative in court. What does winning an election accomplish if the fight over implementation is only beginning?

The election is over, and the question remains: now what? A conversation with his teenage son leads Dave Bowman into the difference between winning power and being right, and what happens when political parties sacrifice their principles to stay in charge.

On this episode of Plausibly Live, Dave examines congressional oversight, calls to impeach Pete Hegseth, and the Supreme Court appointment battles that could outlast the next two years. Along the way, HAL 9000 offers an unexpectedly familiar picture of a Republican Party insisting it still has everything under control.

Dave closes with a personal discussion of antisemitism and the responsibility to defend other Americans’ rights, regardless of who wins an election.

#PlausiblyLive #DaveBowman #Constitution #SupremeCourt #Politics

The election is over, and Dave Bowman has a few thoughts about what comes next. In a candid, unscripted edition of Plausibly Live, Dave considers the familiar cycle of midterm backlash, Congress’s permanent campaign, Washington State’s growing tax burden, and his expectations for another round of political confrontation.

But the moment that puts it all in perspective comes from an unexpected phone call. An old Navy friend, facing a difficult visit with a dying shipmate, stumbles across an early episode of Dave’s show and finds a welcome connection to their shared past. Their conversation brings Dave back to the relationships that deserve more attention than the daily political fight.

Along the way, Dave explains why he keeps a microphone in front of him: to leave his son, Ben, a record of his father’s thoughts, beliefs, humor, and life. There’s frustration with politics, skepticism about the people in charge, and a reminder to call the people you love while you still can. The sun is going to come up, and there’s still a life to live.

#PlausiblyLive #DaveBowman #Election2026 #Midterms #PoliticalCommentary

In 1876, America celebrated its centennial and then plunged into one of the most bitterly disputed presidential elections in its history. Samuel Tilden won the popular vote, Rutherford B. Hayes ultimately secured the presidency, and the struggle over twenty electoral votes exposed a nation still divided by the Civil War.

Dave Bowman joins Bill Mick to examine the violence, voter intimidation, competing electoral returns, and political maneuvering behind the Hayes–Tilden contest. From the Hamburg Massacre to the electoral commission’s partisan decisions, the story reaches far beyond the question of who would occupy the White House.

At the heart of the episode is Dave’s argument that the settlement surrounding the election amounted to a Faustian bargain. As Reconstruction ended and federal protection of Black citizens’ rights receded, the consequences extended across generations. Through the lens of history and literature, Dave and Bill consider the enduring cost of placing partisan victory above constitutional principles.

#DaveDoesHistory #ElectionOf1876 #AmericanHistory #Reconstruction #BillMick

For more of Dave on the 1876 election, check out his series, "1876"

https://thedavebowmanshow.com/2022/01/10/1876-the-series/

Dave Bowman opens the show from his Silverdale studio with little optimism about tomorrow’s elections. He argues that the real problem runs deeper than expected Republican losses: the erosion of shared American principles. Where parties once differed mainly on how to reach the same goals of individual liberty, honest government, and fiscal responsibility, he now sees one side as actively destructive to those ends—and the other as unwilling or unable to defend them.

The episode examines concrete examples. In California, heavily favored Democrat Xavier Becerra is treated as the de facto next governor while floating ideas like a mileage tax under the banner of “everything is on the table,” even as the state campaigns on affordability and continues to struggle with high-speed rail. In Wyoming, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Bextel’s moon-landing conspiracy claims go largely unchallenged by her own side or much of the local media. Bowman also highlights the tension around AI policy, noting Democrats’ vocal warnings about artificial intelligence as an existential threat while Democratic organizations accepted a large donation from Anthropic. A Michigan Democrat who lost a primary and later endorsed the Republican faces party condemnation rather than engagement with her concerns.

Bowman is equally critical of Republicans, arguing they were elected to advance specific principles and have largely failed to do so, leaving voters with little more than team loyalty. He rejects the idea that electoral outcomes validate ideas and insists that liberty, self-determination, and critical scrutiny of claims—regardless of the letter after a candidate’s name—remain the standards worth defending. The show closes with a reminder that personal relationships and clear thinking matter more than any single election result.

Star Trek has been part of Dave Bowman’s life since childhood. Remembering Walter Koenig and Patrick Stewart brings him back to the characters, stories, and lessons that stayed with him through Navy service, fatherhood, and decades of watching the Enterprise explore the unknown.

A conversation with his son Ben opens a personal reflection on Chekov, Captain Kirk, and Jean-Luc Picard, from the humor of “The Trouble with Tribbles” to the historical warnings woven into the original series. Dave also remembers submarine leaders whose example inspired the same respect Patrick Stewart brought to the captain’s chair.

Then, The Next Generation episode “The First Duty” supplies the central question: what happens when loyalty to a team, political party, or personal ambition takes precedence over telling the truth? Dave applies Picard’s lesson to public leadership, voters’ responsibilities, and the Navy’s warning about longer deployments, drawing on his own experience to consider the consequences for sailors and their families.

A personal episode about growing older with Star Trek and the responsibility that comes with having the conn.

#StarTrek #PatrickStewart #WalterKoenig #Leadership #Navy #PlausiblyLive

Did somebody mistake an Eddie Murphy comedy for a campaign manual? Dave Bowman opens with The Distinguished Gentleman and Alaska’s two Dan Sullivans, examining an alleged election spoiler scheme, Trump’s demands for prosecution, and a similar namesake stunt in Washington state. Deliberately confusing voters deserves scrutiny regardless of which party tries it.

Then, baseball’s looming labor showdown has Dave questioning the arguments for a salary cap. With Milwaukee and Tampa Bay reaching the World Series, how convincing is the claim that smaller-market teams cannot compete? A lifelong baseball fan weighs competitive balance, ownership priorities, and the possibility of a lockout disrupting the 2027 season.

Finally, a tragic report about a woman who relied on ChatGPT for medication decisions prompts a personal admission: Dave has also sought AI guidance about an injury. His costly experience raises questions about leading prompts, reassuring answers, and the limits of a chatbot’s medical judgment.

Politics, baseball, and some hard-earned skepticism on Plausibly Live: The Dave Bowman Show.

#AlaskaSenateRace #MLBLockout #ChatGPT #TheDaveBowmanShow #PlausiblyLive

What does government by the people mean when voters approve an initiative and the fight immediately moves to court? On this episode of Plausibly Live: The Dave Bowman Show, Dave examines Washington’s battles over natural gas policy, taxes, girls’ sports, and the possibility of public power in Kitsap County. He explains why election coverage finally drove him to turn off the morning news, while arguing that frustration with the system makes voting more necessary.

The scrutiny extends to President Trump’s remarks about higher fuel prices and who actually benefits when Americans pay more at the pump. Drawing on a German journalist’s reflections after World War II, Dave considers the responsibility citizens carry when their own preferred leaders say things that deserve a challenge. From Olympia to Washington, D.C., this episode asks how much authority we surrender when party loyalty takes the place of independent judgment.

By Christmas 1776, George Washington’s army was running out of men and time. Months of defeat had driven the Americans across New Jersey, enlistments were about to expire, and Washington feared the Revolution was nearing its end. His response was an attack that depended on crossing an ice-choked river in a winter storm.

In this episode of Dave Does History, Dave Bowman follows Washington’s crossing of the Delaware and the Battle of Trenton, tracing how an exhausted army carried out an offensive after its timetable collapsed and two supporting crossings failed. Along the way, discover why Henry Knox’s artillery and John Glover’s boat crews mattered so much, how future president James Monroe nearly lost his life, and where the familiar story of drunken Hessians departs from the evidence.

Beyond the famous painting lies a consequential military gamble, undertaken by people who had no way of knowing whether American independence would survive. Join Dave to explore what happened on December 26, 1776, and why that morning’s victory gave a faltering Revolution another chance.

#DaveDoesHistory #AmericanRevolution #GeorgeWashington #BattleOfTrenton #RevolutionaryWar #AmericanHistory #HistoryPodcast

Doctors warned that Bowman’s newborn sister might not survive. Deanna lived for 49 years, becoming a Special Olympian, an enthusiastic storyteller, and a beloved presence whose friendships reached far beyond her family. On this deeply personal episode of Plausibly Live, The Dave Bowman Show, Dave remembers his sister and reflects on Down syndrome, disability, faith, and the worth of every human life.

The story begins in Denver in October 1973, where a ten-year-old’s world revolved around the Broncos, fourth grade, and beating a hated youth football rival. While Watergate and the Yom Kippur War dominated the headlines, a telephone call brought news that would change the Bowman family forever.

Drawing on Jewish teachings about the soul and the responsibility to help repair the world, Dave considers what makes a life meaningful and why a medical diagnosis cannot measure a person’s potential. A contemporary controversy over a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis gives that reflection particular urgency, but Deanna’s story remains at its heart.

“Once upon a time, there was Deanna.” Listen to discover the life behind those words and the memories her family carries forward.

#PlausiblyLive #TheDaveBowmanShow #DownSyndrome #DisabilityAwareness #FamilyStories #SpecialOlympics