Politics with Paul

By Paul Rader

Approachable, nonpartisan, and nonideological analysis of various political topics by nonpartisan political analyst, writer, researcher, and speaker Paul Rader.... more

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FAQs about Politics with Paul:

How many episodes does Politics with Paul have?

The podcast currently has 36 episodes available.

Politics with Paul episodes:

April 08, 2025 Politics with Paul #35: The John F. Kennedy Assassination and the New Files w/ Guest Jack Moore
The John F. Kennedy assassination has remained one of the most enduring, fascinating flashpoints in American history more than 60 years since it happened. Countless books, podcasts, TV shows, and more have spawned in the decades since. Yet there is still plenty of mystery and mystique surround the events…giving rise to some prominent conspiracy theories. The recent release of more files related to the murder of JFK has only further added interest to the mystery.
What makes the JFK assassination and its context so compelling? What do we definitively know about what happened. What's still unexplained? What do the newly released files tell us? What are some things you may not know about how it all happened? Here to talk about those topics and more on today's episode is Jack Moore, a former prosecutor turned baseball pitching coach and host of his own podcast, Moore to Consider. His passions include history, Constitutional law, and sports, and the JFK assassination has been a lifelong fascination of his.
Purchase my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
Matchmaker FM profile for booking me on your podcast: https://www.matchmaker.fm/podcast-guest/paul-rader-329e65
(0:00) Introduction to JFK Assassination Files
(1:46) Jack Moore's Fascination with JFK
(15:09) Theories on Oswald's Role
(26:12) The Single Bullet Explanation
(31:28) The Zapruder Film, Eyewitness Accounts, and JFK's Position in the Vehicle
(48:49) Lee Harvey Oswald and Possible CIA and/or FBI Links
(56:55) James Hostey's Investigation of Lee Harvey Oswald
(1:04:34) Oswald's Psychological Profile and the Lead-Up to the Assassination
(1:17:07) Newly Released Files and Their Implications
(1:23:01) More on Ruth and Michael Paine's Connections to Lee and Marina Oswald
(1:25:20) The Implausibility of a Second Shooter
(1:28:47) Oswald: The Lone Gunman or a Pawn? And Did He Want Celebrity Status?
(1:36:24) Was There Anything Jack Wishes Was in the New Files?
(1:50:44) Today's Random Question: Best Baseball Pitching Performances You've Witnessed?
...more
1h 57min
April 01, 2025 Politics With Paul #34: US Voting Policy Reforms Part 3 - Potential Future Changes
There's a lot that has changed about US voting policy over nearly 240 years: The expansion of voting rights, more times and methods that we can vote by, accessibility of voting, and so on. But now we look towards the future. What will be different about voting in US elections in the near and not-so-near future?
Today, we tackle the following topics as to where we will likely see at least a little change in the coming years: What offices we vote on, what times of the year we vote, what our primaries look like, early and absentee voting regulations, voter identification laws, and current and ex-felons' ability to vote. We examine some of the arguments surrounding these debates and where we see current legislation relevant to these changes being discussed.
Purchase my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
Matchmaker FM profile for booking me on your podcast: https://www.matchmaker.fm/podcast-guest/paul-rader-329e65
(0:00) Introduction and Today's Topic
(0:58) Future Changes to Who We Vote For
(11:12) Future Changes to When We Vote
(18:31) Future Changes to Primaries
(26:28) Future Changes to Early and Absentee Voting
(35:57) Future Changes to Voter Identification Laws
(43:02) Future Changes to Felons' Voting Rights
(50:14) Final Thoughts and Closing
...more
53min
March 28, 2025 Politics with Paul #33: Psychology and Viewpoints of Independents w/ Guest Lura Forcum
What do independent voters really think? My special guest today is Lura Forcum, president of the Independent Center, and she gives her insights into this question from research she's done and discussions she's had with other independents. Lura gives her take on what are common traits of independents, how cohesive a group they are, how they can address the polarization gap in America, and more. Big thanks to Lura for coming on the show!
Today's random question of the day: Would you rather be able to play every musical instrument or speak every language?
Purchase my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
Matchmaker FM profile for booking me on your podcast: https://www.matchmaker.fm/podcast-guest/paul-rader-329e65
(0:00) Introduction of Today's Guest: Lura Forcum
(1:38) Why Lead the Independent Center?
(4:23) What Makes an Independent? And Split-Ticket Voting
(8:14) Common Traits of Independents, and Nuances/Tradeoffs in Policy
(14:35) The Fluency Effect
(15:51) Is Our Conception of the Partisan Spectrum Flawed?
(18:50) How Cohesive are Independents?
(30:05) Major Misconceptions About Independent Voters
(34:02) How Many True Independents Are There?
(37:13) Is Polarization as Pervasive as We Might Think?
(43:48) How Independents Can Help Close the Polarization Gap
(49:50) Breaking the In-Group/Out-Group Dynamic
(58:02) Final Thoughts About Independents
(59:27) Random Question of the Day: Play Every Instrument or Speak Every Language?
...more
1h 4min
March 25, 2025 Politics with Paul #32: US Voting Policy Reforms Part 2 - Voting Access
Reforms to voting in US elections include monumental changes in access to voting. Much of this includes the expansion of voting rights (suffrage), removing restrictions to voting based on property ownership, race, gender, and age. Yet there are other major modifications to voting access that include the times we can vote and the candidate nomination process. Today's episode covers all these topics, including some developments in voting rights expansion that you may not have heard of, the development of primaries, and the emergence of early and absentee voting.
Purchase my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
Matchmaker FM profile for booking me on your podcast: https://www.matchmaker.fm/podcast-guest/paul-rader-329e65
(0:00) Introduction to Voting Policy Reforms
(1:09) Changes to Methods of Voting
(6:42) Development of Primaries
(13:26) Expanding Voting Rights: A Chronology
(15:12) Expanding Voting Rights: Removing Property Qualifications
(18:27) Expanding Voting Rights: The 15th and 19th Amendments
(24:03) Expanding Voting Rights: More Racial Minorities Gaining Suffrage
(27:16) Expanding Voting Rights: The 1960s and 1970s
(31:07) Changes to Accessibility of Voting
(32:58) Final Thoughts and Closing
...more
36min
March 18, 2025 Politics with Paul #31: US Voting Policy Reforms Part 1 - The Voting Process
There's a lot that we take for granted about how voting works in US elections these days, but there has been a lot of trial and error over time in administering them. Significant changes in how voting works have occurred over the 235+ years since the US Constitution was ratified. This series takes a look at many of the changes in US voting policy.
Today's episode covers how the voting process has been refined over time: WHEN we vote, WHO we vote for, and HOW our vote is counted. This includes how we came to decide when Election Day is held, the changes in which officials have been directly elected and appointed, and the technology improvements in counting votes. Some of the ways elections were administered in the olden days are bizarre to think about from today's point of the view.
Purchase my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
Matchmaker FM profile for booking me on your podcast: https://www.matchmaker.fm/podcast-guest/paul-rader-329e65
(0:00) Introduction and Today's Topic
(1:27) Changing When We Vote: Federal-Level Offices
(4:29) Changing When We Vote: State and Local-Level Offices
(9:52) Changing Who We Vote For: Federal-Level Offices
(15:02) Changing Who We Vote For: State and Local-Level Offices
(19:24) Changing How We Vote: How It Started
(21:19) Changing How We Vote: The Rise of Paper Ballots
(23:51) Changing How We Vote: The Secret Ballot and its Iterations
(29:38) Final Thoughts on How the Voting Process Has Changed
(32:22) Closing
...more
34min
March 11, 2025 Politics With Paul #30: How Should We Compensate Our Elected Officials?
How we pay our elected officials can be a touchy subject , especially when those officials themselves propose pay raises , but it's more important to discuss than most citizens realize. It's a difficult job and there are a lot of factors at play. How we compensate officials plays a big role in their efficiency, representativeness of voters, capability of performing their role, ability to hire staff, capability of devoting themselves to their role, and more.
Yet there is no easy way to determine what we should be paying elected officials or what benefits should be available to them. And being government officials, that means their pay comes from our taxpayer dollars. The level of compensation can also vary dramatically based on which elected position it is, what state and locality it is in, and more. Today's episode of Politics with Paul covers the factors that go into deciding elected officials' pay, examples of compensation that we already see, and the methods we use to decide how to compensate officials.
Purchase my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
Matchmaker FM profile for booking me on your podcast: https://www.matchmaker.fm/podcast-guest/paul-rader-329e65
(0:00) Introduction and Today's Topic
(1:41) Factors Influencing Compensation
(10:10) Elected Officials Compensation: Federal Government
(13:15) Elected Officials Compensation: State Government
(22:30) Elected Officials Compensation: Local Government
(26:27) Should Elected Officials Be Able to Receive Outside Income?
(35:38) General Arguments For and Against Raising Government Official Compensation
(41:54) What Methods Should Determine Government Officials' Salaries?
...more
55min
March 04, 2025 Politics with Paul #29: Gerrymandering w/ Special Guest Mary Noone
Gerrymandering, the deliberate redrawing of legislative district lines to unfairly benefit a party or politician, is a serious problem that negatively impacts Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike. It is often described as "politicians choosing voters" instead of the way it should be, "voters choosing politicians."
On today's episode, our guest Mary Noone, a seasoned campaign strategist and advocate, discusses her insight into the issue of gerrymandering, including how it impacts voter participation, how the courts have handled it, and steps we can start taking to mitigate the problem. Today's random question of the day: What superpower would you choose?
Purchase my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
Matchmaker FM profile for booking me on your podcast: https://www.matchmaker.fm/podcast-guest/paul-rader-329e65
(0:00) Introduction of Mary Noone and Today's Topic
(1:56) Examples of Gerrymandering Mary has Seen
(4:34) "Packing" vs. "Fracking": Is One Worse than the Other?
(9:32) How Do We Identify Gerrymandered Districts?
(14:34) Are Partisan Political Views Shaping Where People Move?
(16:41) The Effects of Gerrymandering on Voter Participation
(20:23) Have the Courts Handled Gerrymandering Sufficiently?
(27:31) Is There A State that Handles Redistricting Well?
(32:48) How Do You Make Sure a Redistricting Commission is Unbiased?
(34:44) Steps We Can Take to Make Gerrymandering Less Common
(39:17) Disincentivizing Gerrymandering for Politicians
(43:13) Final Thoughts on Gerrymandering
(45:54) Random Question of the Day: What Superpower Would You Have?
(49:13) My Links and Mary Noone's Links
...more
51min
February 25, 2025 Politics with Paul #28: Political Efficacy: How Well We Know and Impact Politics (And Think We Do)
Political efficacy - how well citizens understand politics (internal efficacy) and impact politics (external efficacy) - is a crucial aspect of American politics. Efficacy is needed to ensure government responsiveness and accountability, a well-informed electorate, electoral competitiveness, and helpful public discourse.
Unfortunately, however, there are many threats to political efficacy, and efficacy levels are arguably at some of the lowest they have ever been. Today's episode of Politics with Paul covers the nature of political efficacy, the ways efficacy is measured, the aforementioned threats to efficacy, why efficacy is so important to the health of our political culture, and some beginning questions and steps toward improving efficacy.
Purchase my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
Matchmaker FM profile for booking me on your podcast: https://www.matchmaker.fm/podcast-guest/paul-rader-329e65
(0:00) Intro and Today's Topic
(1:35) How We Define Political Efficacy in General
(5:57) Internal Efficacy: What it Means
(8:11) Internal Efficacy: How it is Studied
(12:00) Internal Efficacy: Threats to it
(21:52) External Political Efficacy: What it Means
(22:53) External Political Efficacy: How it is Studied
(29:38) External Efficacy: Threats to it
(37:06) Why Political Efficacy is So Important
(42:27) How Do We Start Raising Political Efficacy?
(50:42) Closing and Other Ways to Connect With Me
...more
53min
February 18, 2025 Politics with Paul #27: Separation of Powers, Its Debates, and How Trump Factors in
The separation of powers is a fundamental component to the American system of government. In general, the executive branch executes laws, the legislative branch writes laws, and the judicial branch interprets laws. But while the absolute basics are straightforward, there are many nuances to the debate as to what responsibilities and powers are within each branch's sphere, how each branch can and should check and balance the other two, and whether the separation of powers is being threatened by the actions (or inaction) or one or more branches.
Today's episode gives a rundown of what separation of powers is and why we have it. It also discusses various general debates as to what each of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches is allowed to do, whether one branch is taking too much power, whether the other branches are allowing another to take too much power, and how Donald Trump (particularly in his 2nd term) factors into the equation. Buckle up!
Purchase my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
Matchmaker FM profile for booking me on your podcast: https://www.matchmaker.fm/podcast-guest/paul-rader-329e65
(0:00) Intro and Today's Topic
(1:40) What is Separation of Powers and Why We Have it
(6:03) What the Separation of Powers Looks Like: Executive Branch
(8:34) What the Separation of Powers Looks Like: Legislative Branch
(13:28) What the Separation of Powers Looks Like: Judicial Branch
(16:57) General Challenges for the Separation of Powers
(17:55) General Challenges: Executive Orders
(21:58) General Challenges: War Powers
(31:38) General Challenges: Highly Partisan SCOTUS Nominations/Confirmations
(35:52) General Challenges: The "Political Question" Doctrine
(39:01) Donald Trump and Separation of Powers Debates
(41:45) Donald Trump and Executive Orders
(45:29) Donald Trump and Cuts in Federal Spending
(48:51) Donald Trump and Chevron Deference
(52:39) Final Thoughts and Closing
...more
59min
February 11, 2025 Politics with Paul #26: What Really is a Political Independent?
Voters identifying as "independent" are a fast-growing bloc of voters, yet there are a lot of misunderstandings about the label. "What is an independent?" seems like a straightforward question. Yet if you ask 5 different independents what it means to be independent, you could very well get 5 different definitions. Today's episode delves into how "independent" is defined, how many independents are registered to vote, and more.
Today's Random Fact of the Day that this episode also explores: Did you know that the US Senate, and some states' governors, used to be selected by state legislatures instead of a popular vote by citizens?
Purchase my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
Matchmaker FM profile for booking me on your podcast: https://www.matchmaker.fm/podcast-guest/paul-rader-329e65
(0:00) Intro and Today's Topic
(1:42) How Do People Define "Independent"?
(6:29) How Do States Register Voters as Independent?
(10:30) How Many Voters are Registered as Independent?
(14:51) Public Polling Data on Independents
(19:36) Famous Independent Candidacies
(26:01) Random Fact of the Day and Closing
...more
30min

FAQs about Politics with Paul:

How many episodes does Politics with Paul have?

The podcast currently has 36 episodes available.