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 59 episodes available.

Politics with Paul episodes:

July 08, 2025 Politics with Paul #48: Is Split Ticket Voting in US Elections Dead? Will it Make a Comeback?
Is split-ticket voting is US elections dead? How do we measure split-ticket voting? What impacts our analysis of it? What does split-ticketing look like from historical data and how did it shape up in the 2024 election? Is there any cause for concern? And: Will split-ticketing make a comeback?
Today we explore not only data behind split-ticketing but the more descriptive aspects of how we study it and some philosophical implications behind it. Is split-ticketing really on the decline as much as some political observers have said? And how different - or similar - is it to years past? What does it all mean? What does the future hold? Let's find out.
Buy 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 Split Ticket Voting
(1:52) Straight-Ticket Voting vs. Split-Ticket Voting
(8:32) How Do We Measure Split-Ticket Voting?: Geographical Units
(13:43) How Do We Measure Split-Ticket Voting?: Election Results
(17:31) Factors Complicating/Limiting Split-Ticket Voting Analysis
(24:05) Historical Data on Split-Ticket Voting: My Analysis
(29:34) Historical Data on Split-Ticket Voting: Ballotpedia Analysis
(36:28) Split-Ticket Voting in the 2024 Election
(38:57) Final Thoughts: Will Split-Ticket Voting Make a Comeback?
...more
46min
July 01, 2025 Politics with Paul #47: Will We Ever See a Competitive Third Party?
Polling consistently indicates that large majorities of people believe a third major party is needed because the Democratic and Republican Parties do not adequately represent the American people. Despite this, third parties rarely win any elections, even at the local and state levels.
Why do we not see 3rd parties be more regularly competitive in US elections despite immense dissatisfaction with the Republican and Democratic Parties? Have we had 3rd parties that were competitive in the past? What makes a 3rd party competitive? Will we soon see a 3rd party become a regular contender for big-time elected offices in the near future? All this and more are on tap for today’s episode.
Buy 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) Today's Topic: A Competitive 3rd Party?
(2:20) What is a "Competitive" 3rd Party?
(4:12) Analyzing Public Opinion on the Need for a 3rd Party
(15:31) The History of 3rd Party Victories
(26:54) Why Parties Even Exist and Duverger's Law
(31:12) What are Today's 3rd Parties and Their Membership?
(34:31) Obstacles to 3rd Party Competitiveness
(45:37) Final Thoughts: Is There Potential for a 3rd Major Party?
(50:40) Closing and My Media
...more
52min
June 24, 2025 Politics with Paul #46: Efficient vs. Deliberative Government - Can it Be Both Swift and Thoughtful?
Is it better to have an efficient government or a deliberative government? Can a government be both swift-acting and thoughtful in responding to the needs of citizens? Constituents often lament government as inefficient, taking too long to respond to crises before or when they arise. They also often decry government action as not taking into account their wants and opinions.
Today's episode explores this seeming dichotomy between efficiency and deliberation. What makes a government efficient or deliberative? How did the Founding Fathers view this debate? How does this debate shape our conversations about the function of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches today? Are efficient and deliberation inherently at odds?
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) Today's Topic: Efficient vs. Deliberative Government
(1:59) Defining Efficient and Deliberative Governments
(6:21) The Founding Fathers and Efficiency vs. Deliberation
(19:43) What Factors Influence the Need for Efficiency vs. Deliberation?
(27:20) Case Studies in Efficiency/Deliberation: Executive Branch
(38:31) Case Studies in Efficiency/Deliberation: Legislative Branch
(50:10) Case Studies in Efficiency/Deliberation: Judicial Branch
(59:22) Final Thoughts: Are Efficiency and Deliberation Inherently at Odds?
...more
1h 9min
June 17, 2025 Politics with Paul #45: The Types of Polarization...And How Any of Us Can Become Polarized
Most people can see that American politics is rife with polarization. It's led to countless examples of enmity, strife, harsh rhetoric, broken relationships…and violence. But what many people don't realize is that polarization takes on multiple forms, and thus manifests and foments in different ways.
And one of the most unfortunate truths is that there is one particular type of polarization that any of us can display.
What are the different types of polarization? Why is it important to understand the different types? How do we measure them? How long has America been polarized? And which particular type of polarization is one that can, unfortunately, be exhibited by any one of us? All this and more is on tap for today's episode.
It's time for us all to take a step back and reevaluate how we approach politics.
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 of Today's Topic: The Types of Political Polarization
(2:00) How Long has America Been Politically Polarized?
(12:11) Why it is Important To Distinguish Between Types of Polarization
(14:17) How Do We Measure Polarization?
(17:44) Type 1: Partisan Polarization - Not just Democrats and Republicans
(27:01) Type 2: Ideological Polarization - Liberal vs. Conservative
(38:24) Type 3: Issue Polarization - Views on Singular Issues
(45:18) Type 4: Affective Polarization - Our Feelings About Others
(52:27) Why Affective Polarization is the Most Insidious...and Can Affect Any of Us
(1:04:35) Final Thoughts: Tips for Stopping Ourselves From Being Affectively Polarized
...more
1h 15min
June 10, 2025 Politics with Paul #44: The National Debt—And a Balanced Budget Amendment to the US Constitution?
The national debt has ballooned to $36 trillion. Just about everybody agrees that it's a major issue...but yet we have significant trouble tackling it. We agree that the deficit and debt are not sustainable forever, but we often have much different ideas on how they need to be lowered. It's a complicated issue to sufficiently address because of a variety of financial, structural, and political factors.
What is the history of the national debt? What makes up our national debt? How is it viewed as a campaign issue? Why is it so difficult to cut spending? Is a Balanced Budget Amendment to the US Constitution on the horizon? All this and more is on tap for today’s episode.
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: The National Debt
(1:43) Deficit vs. Debt: What's the Difference?
(4:15) A Brief History of the National Debt
(14:05) How the Budget is Made for the US Government
(20:45) What Makes Up Our Debt?
(23:39) National Debt as a Campaign Issue
(26:29) The Political Difficulty in Balancing Budgets
(32:28) Is a Balanced Budget Amendment to the US Constitution in the Future?
(36:41) Final Thoughts and Closing
...more
41min
June 03, 2025 Politics with Paul #43: Recall Elections - When Voters Kick Elected Officials Out Early
Recall elections are a unique democratic process allowing citizens to remove elected officials before the end of their term. The mechanism has existed since before the independence of the US, but didn't become popularized until the beginning of the 20th century. Many state and local-level officials have been subjected to recall campaigns, but some political observers have increasingly called into question the reasoning behind such efforts.
Today's episode explores the history of the recall in America, how recall elections work, how recalls even get on the ballot, and the normative and philosophical questions behind their use. Are political recalls being overused as partisan or ideological tools? If they are, does that mean they shouldn't be used?
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 Recall Elections
(2:03) What is a Recall Election?
(4:13) Historical Origins of Recall Elections
(8:36) Which Elected Officials Can Be Recalled?
(14:50) The Process of Recall Elections
(24:09) Prominent Past and Present Recall Efforts
(29:50) Consideration: Normative Implications of Recall Elections
(35:03) Consideration: When Should We Be Able to Have Recalls?
(36:37) Consideration: Where and Which Officials Should Be Able to Be Recalled?
(38:51) Consideration: Why (What Reasons) Should We Be Able to Have Recalls?
(42:14) Consideration: How Should We Have Recall Elections?
(45:06) Final Thoughts and Media
...more
48min
May 27, 2025 Politics with Paul #42: Knowledge Gaps in Politics Part 2 - Protecting Yourself Against Manipulation
Everybody has knowledge gaps when it comes to politics, no matter how much we know. There is just too much information to pay attention to, and not all of it is good. Unfortunately, that leaves the door open for political actors to try to exploit our biases or lack of understanding.
Fortunately, however, there are ways to protect yourself against these attempts to manipulate our behavior and thought processes. Today covers some of the ways you can protect yourself by decreasing engagement with clickbait/ragebait, tips for researching political info, healthy skepticism about political arguments, and how to disagree in a more effective and healthy fashion. With these tools, we can better protect ourselves from manipulation by those with vested political interests.
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: Protecting Against People Trying to Exploit Political Knowledge Gaps
(2:14) Recap of Last Episode: What is an Exploiter and How Do They Exploit Knowledge Gaps?
(4:18) Reexamining Our Biases
(11:25) The Outsized Impact of Clickbait and Ragebait
(23:30) Healthy Skepticism in Political Discourse
(33:17) Tips for Researching Information Effectively
(47:19) Disagreeing Better in Politics
(59:08) Final Thoughts and Closing
...more
1h 2min
May 20, 2025 Politics with Paul #41: Knowledge Gaps in Politics Part 1: How They are Exploited
We all have gaps in our political knowledge regardless of how well-versed we are in politics. Unfortunately, that opens the door for those with a strongly vested interest in political outcomes to exploit knowledge gaps. How exactly do these exploits happen? What determines an “exploiter”? How are our biases preyed upon? How do artificial intelligence, the fragmentation of mass media into silos, and more factor in? Today talks about the most common ways and reasons our knowledge gaps are exploited. Next week will look at how we can counteract some of those attempts to exploit.
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 Knowledge Gaps in Politics
(2:44) Who is Exploiting Political Knowledge Gaps?
(5:32) The Concerning Power of Biases in Political Discourse
(19:42) The Rise of Artificial Intelligence and How it is Exploited
(25:47) Fragmentation of Mass Media and Competing for Consumers' Attention
(35:03) Oversimplification of the Complexity of the Political Process
(42:05) Challenges in Researching Political Issues
(50:26) Final Thoughts and Closing
...more
55min
May 13, 2025 Politics with Paul #40: Are Congress and State Legislatures Productive...or "Do-Nothing"?
We often lament our Congress as a “do-nothing” body, but are they truly unproductive? What about state legislatures? “Productivity” in legislatures is often thought of as simply how many bills they get passed or whether they address certain issues. However, “productivity” is not a clearly defined term, and there are some complications that arise when trying to define it.
Today’s episode of Politics with Paul delves into both data and philosophical considerations of the productivity of Congress and state legislatures. How often do congressional and state legislative bills get passed? Why do so many bills die so early in the legislative process? Is the failure of so much legislation a good or bad thing? How should we define “productivity”?
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 Legislative Productivity
(2:27) 4 of the Key Differences Between Legislative Processes
(13:07) Statistics on the Success of Congressional Bills
(21:19) Statistics on the Success of State Legislative Bills
(30:38) 4 of the Major Reasons Why Bills Often Die So Early
(42:35) Is it a Bad Thing That So Many Bills Die Early?
(47:13) How Should We Define “Productivity” in Legislatures?
(54:47) Final Thoughts and Closing
...more
58min
May 06, 2025 Politics with Paul #39: Open Primaries w/ Guest Sila Avcil
New Mexico is the latest state to shift away from a closed primary in its elections, the primary election type where only members of a party can vote in that respective party's primary. Now, voters not affiliated with a party can vote in either the Democratic or Republican Primaries for the first time in the state's history.
Playing a major role in that shift is today's guest Sila Avcil, the executive director of New Mexico Voters First and New Mexico Open Elections. She discusses the effort to implement semi-open primaries, including why this specific format, nitty-gritty details of New Mexico's state legislative process, her case for the open primary, and whether this could trigger more states to move away from the closed primary. Thank you to Sila for coming on the show!
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 Open Primaries
(2:13) Sila Avcil's Journey to Open Primaries
(5:24) How Long has New Mexico Been a Closed Primary State?
(7:49) Criticisms of the Closed Primary System
(11:55) Response to Arguments From Closed Primary Advocates
(19:15) What Kind of Open Primary is New Mexico Now Going to Have?
(24:37) Does New Mexico Now Have Sila's Ideal Primary System?
(27:18) Is NM's New Primary System the End Goal or Just One Step?
(29:46) Will We Start Seeing More Competitive Elections in NM?
(34:42) The Legislative Process of the Open Primaries Bill: the Difficulty
(37:52) The Legislative Process: Allies and Opponents
(49:00) The Legislative Process: the Length of the Effort
(53:42) The Legislative Process: Comparisons to Previous Legislative Efforts
(1:00:28) Will Other Closed Primary Systems Follow New Mexico's Lead?
(1:03:41) Final Thoughts About Open Primaries
(1:05:00) Random Question of the Day: Places to Visit, and Closing
...more
1h 11min

FAQs about Politics with Paul:

How many episodes does Politics with Paul have?

The podcast currently has 59 episodes available.