The withdrawal from Afghanistan is not going as well as some hoped.  But did anyone ever think that extracting U.S. troops from a 20-year war was going to be easy?  And let the blame game begin.
This week’s show is mostly a personal essay about my relationship with Neal Conan, the longtime NPR broadcaster who died of cancer earlier this month.  In addition to being a good friend, he is probably more responsible for the success of the Political Junkie program than anyone else, as he included a Political Junkie segment on Talk of the Nation every week for seven years.
Music in this week’s episode
A Mistake by Fiona Apple
I Wanna Grow Up to Be a Politician by The Byrds

Episode #372:  Remembering Neal Conan

Essential political news, analysis and history with veteran political analyst Ken Rudin.

News

Politics

NPR’s David Folkenflik sorts out the brouhaha NBC News found itself in when it hired Ronna McDaniel as a paid commentator — a hire that lasted all of four days.  An all-staff mutiny followed her new employment, given her role as a Trump enabler in his effort to overturn the 2020 election.  David also weighs the advantages, if any, in hiring partisan voices in news organizations — a practice that goes back decades.
And we rerun an interview we had with Joe Lieberman back in August of 2017, where the Connecticut senator and 2000 VP candidate talks about his career, Al Gore’s decision to name him to the ticket, how he saw the Bill Clinton/Lewinsky scandal, and his almost appearance as John McCain’s running mate in 2008.  Lieberman died last month at 82.
PLUS:  Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his running mate, and the different ways Donald Trump has assessed his candidacy.  And the establishment choice for the U.S. Senate pulls out of the New Jersey Democratic primary.
Music in this episode:
Jersey Girl by Bruce Springsteen
Dirty Laundry by Don Henley
Isn’t Life Strange by The Moody Blues

Episode #412:  Old McDaniel Told A Lie

The announcement by Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat-turned-independent, that she would not seek a second term was hardly a surprise.  But it shook up a key Senate race in a body where Republicans are closing in on a majority.  Ron Hansen of the Arizona Republic lays out what’s ahead between likely nominees Ruben Gallego (D) and Kari Lake (R).
And Jacob Rubashkin, the deputy editor of Inside Elections, sums up the major results from Super Tuesday and looks ahead to next week’s Ohio Republican Senate primary, the winner to take on three-term Democrat Sherrod Brown.
Plus:  A highly combative Joe Biden and a highly caffeinated Katie Britt highlight the State of the Union.
Music in this Episode:
Deja Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
You Lost by Austin Archer
Tuesday’s Gone by Lynyrd Skynyrd
 

Episode #411:  A Sense Of Yuma After Sinema’s Departure

Mark Z. Barabak of the Los Angeles Times sets up Tuesday’s California Senate primary for the seat once held by Dianne Feinstein.  A race long dominated by three Democratic House members — Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee — the campaign suffered a jolt when a Republican, former Dodgers star Steve Garvey, got in the race.  Now there are accusations that Schiff, the acknowledged frontrunner, is trying to make sure his opponent in November is Garvey, considered the easiest to beat, rather than one of his Democratic House colleagues.
PLUS:  The age issue and Joe Biden.  And the sanity issue and Donald Trump.  In addition, Mitch McConnell announces he will be leaving the leadership position he’s held longer than any other senator in history.
Music in this episode:
I Can’t Explain by the Who
I Hate Myself for Loving You by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
California Girls by the Beach Boys
 

Episode #410:  California Girls (And Guys)

Yale Prof. Kathryn Lofton explores the whole Taylor Swift rumor mill lunacy and explains the pitfalls celebrities encounter as they decide whether to use their fame for political ends.
And Spectrum News New York political director Bob Hardt dissects the upcoming race to succeed George Santos in New York’s Third Congressional District.
PLUS:  The House GOP effort to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas blows up in Speaker Mike Jobnson’s face.  And a federal appeals court unanimously rejects Donald Trump’s argument that he is immune from prosecution for actions he took as president.
Taylor Swift button designed by SmithDigital.
Music in this episode:
409 by the Beach Boys
The Winner Takes It All by November Ultra
High Hopes by Frank Sinatra
Harding, You’re the Man by Al Jolson
Anti Hero by Taylor Swift
A Life of Illusion by Joe Walsh
 

Episode #409:  Swift Paranoia Taylor-Made For MAGA

We speak to two veterans of New Hampshire politics, former Republican state chair Fergus Cullen and longtime Democratic state lawmaker Lou D’Allesandro.  Cullen maintains that despite sizable dissatisfaction among Republicans with Donald Trump, Nikki Haley does not look like she is in a position to pose a threat to the former president.  And D’Allesandro acknowledges unhappiness with President Biden’s decision to remove N.H. from its perch as the “first in the nation” primary state.  But it shouldn’t be enough to threaten him in Tuesday’s contest.
Music heard in this episode:
Sitting On Top of the World by Cream
Last Dance by Donna Summer
Old Man by Neil Young

Episode #372: Remembering Neal Conan

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