The Bridge by OR360

The Bridge by OR360

By Alex Titus, Ben Bowman, & Reagan KnoppNewsEducationGovernmentPolitics
Download on the App Store

The Bridge by OR360 episodes

  • Conservative journalist Matthew Foldi gives the insider scoop on Kevin McCarthy’s Speaker Race and the GOP Congress | EP 90

    Matthew (Matt) Foldi is a conservative journalist and activist with a plethora of political experience at the national and local level. He is one of the youngest elected officials in Chicago history, served as the Rapid Response Director for Speaker the House Republican Super PAC, and ran for Congress in 2022 with -- garnering endorsements from GOP heavyweights like Donald Trump Jr. and Speaker Kevin McCarthy.


    We bring in Matt to give us a rundown in terms of why the GOP red wave failed to materialize, an inside look on Rep. Kevin McCarthy's historic vote to take the House Gavel. Matt also discusses what the GOP Congress has in store for 2022 and 2024 and gives his insights into when candidates on the GOP side of the aisle will begin announcing for President.

    49 min
  • How to think about Oregon’s housing and homelessness crisis with John Tapogna | EP 89

    How to think about Oregon’s housing and homelessness crisis with John Tapogna

    John Tapogna is a well-respected figure in the Oregon policy scene. He served as president of ECONorthwest, a prominent economic consulting firm, from 2009-2021. He now serves as a Senior Policy Advisor. Previously, John worked for U.S. Congressional Budget Office and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Chile.


    This episode is about a recent paper that ECONorthwest published called “Postcard from the Future: What Portland can learn from the implementation of Los Angeles’s Measure H?”

    We hope this provides a framework for thinking about housing and homelessness policy issues that the state must grapple with. In the first half, we talk about which specific interventions are most effective (and which aren’t)—and in the second half, we talk about the six specific recommendations for policymakers to avoid the missteps from LA’s measure.

    50 min
  • The wild story of when Kate Brown and Peter Courtney ran against each other, with guest Rick Metsger | EP 88
    Rick Metsger served for a decade in the Oregon State Senate before being nominated by President Barack Obama to serve on the board of the National Credit Union Administration. In this episode, we talk briefly about Rick's tenure as a State Senator and about the vetting process he went through before being appointed to his post in the Obama Administration.
    The bulk of the episode is Rick telling the wild story of the time when Kate Brown, then-Senate Democratic Leader, competed with then-Senator Peter Courtney for the position of Senate President. The caucus election had a significant, long-lasting impact on Oregon's political landscape for decades--including setting Kate Brown on the path to the governorship.
    Rick was a member of the Senate Democratic Caucus at the time of this election. He interviewed 15 former colleagues in the Senate (Democrats and Republicans) before writing an essay that reveals the behind-the-scenes dynamics that ultimately led to Peter Courtney's ascension to the Senate Presidency--a role he held for two decades. We also ask him about why he chose to reveal this story publicly today (including conversations in Caucus Meetings, which were considered confidential).
    44 min
  • The State of Gun Safety Policy w/ Moms Demand Action Chapter Leader Hilary Uhlig | EP 87
    Hilary Uhlig is the volunteer Oregon Chapter Leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, an organization that advocates for gun safety legislation. Moms Demand Action, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and Students Demand Action are three component groups of Everytown for Gun Safety, a national nonprofit. 
     
    In this episode we talk about the state of gun safety in Oregon, including the passage of Measure 114, a significant (and controversial) ballot measure that creates a new permitting system for gun ownership and bans the sale of magazines over ten rounds. We talk about how the measure works and the current legal challenges that are playing out in court. We also talk about some major policies that have passed recently in Oregon and what policies the organization is working toward moving forward.
    37 min
  • Nigel Jaquiss tells the most shocking story in modern Oregon political history | EP 86
    Nigel Jaquiss is one of the top political reporters in Oregon. He has helped the Willamette Week, an alternative newspaper, punch above its weight class in breaking multiple major political stories over the last 25 years. Before entering journalism, Nigel worked as a crude oil trader on Wall Street--in this episode he talks about why he made a significant career change, his view on the role of journalism in politics, and how his role at WW has changed over time. 
     
    We also talk about the story that won him the Pulitzer Prize in 2005: one of the most shocking stories in modern Oregon political history. Nigel broke the news of former Governor Neil Goldschmidt's repeated sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl in a dramatic, horrifying story called "The 30-Year Secret". Our younger listeners are likely not familiar with this story, so we asked Nigel to re-tell it and explain its significance for a younger audience. Our older listeners may have forgotten some of the jaw-dropping details. 
     
    There is no contemporary equivalent in Oregon politics to Neil Goldschmidt in power or stature. He was Portland mayor, a cabinet secretary in the Carter Administration, and a popular governor. Even after he left office, he wielded tremendous political power, as Nigel describes in the podcast. Exposing his sexual abuse rocked the political world and changed Oregon politics forever. 
     
    In this episode, we do not cover the woman who was raped by Goldschmidt as a young teenager, Elizabeth Lynn Dunham. Dunham's name was withheld by WW until she died in 2011. To learn about who she was and the troubled, heartbreaking life she lived--and the lifelong impact of Goldschmidt's abuse--we recommend you read her obituary (also by Jaquiss).
    46 min
  • Republican Recap, Jimmy, Alex and Regan debrief the 2022 election cycle | EP 85
    Jimmy Crumpacker returns to the Oregon Bridge to break down the 2022 election, highlighting everything from homelessness, and crime in Portland to crypto to commodities. 
    Folks may remember Jimmy Crumpacker as a candidate for Oregon's 2nd Congressional District in 2020, running as a staunchly conservative Republican (he had a popular ad that labeled him as a "Trumpbacker") to replace retiring Congressman Greg Walden. In a tight four-way race, he finished behind eventual winner Congressman Cliff Bentz, Knute Buehler, and Jason Atkinson.
    43 min
  • Gratitude from The Oregon Bridge podcast (and a sports teaser) | EP 84
    It's the week after Thanksgiving, and we're taking a break from politics! This week, Ben and Reagan offer some thoughts on what they're grateful for, metrics on how the podcast is doing, highlights from their Thanksgiving, news from the weekend's sporting events, and a few other hot topics. 
     
    To all of our listeners, viewers, and supporters--thank you. We love creating this podcast and we're grateful for your continued support.
    16 min
  • Why did the red wave miss Oregon? An election debrief with John Horvick | EP 83

    John Horvick is one of the top pollsters in Oregon. In this episode, John provides expert analysis to help explain the results of the election—and the implications for Oregon’s future. We talk about why the red wave didn’t hit Oregon, how national factors impacted Oregon results, the importance of candidate quality, and bright spots for both parties. We cover the governor’s race, congressional races, the legislature, and what the results from Portland mean about how voters are feeling. 

    As always, we highly recommend following John on Twitter for poll results, political analysis, and interesting historical comparisons: @Horvick. 

    55 min
  • The government’s role in growing Oregon’s news ecosystem, with the Agora Journalism Center | EP 82
    This week’s guests are Regina Lawrence and Andrew DeVigal from the Agora Journalism Center at the University of Oregon. We talk about the state of Oregon’s news and information ecosystem—and some of the innovative ideas from across the state. This conversation is about journalism, but specifically for a more politics-focused audience. 
    If you haven’t yet, we highly recommend you read Agora’s recent report (or at least the Executive Summary!): Assessing Oregon’s Local News & Information Ecosystem 2022. Oregon’s information ecosystem plays a huge role in our politics—if you care about a healthy civic culture, you should care about access to state and local news.
    56 min
  • Secretary Shemia Fagan on election integrity and how Oregon counts ballots | EP 81
    This week, we are excited to have Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan as our guest! We all knew that there were going to be many close races this election--from the top of the ticket on down, so we thought it was important for our listeners to understand how Oregon's election system works. In this episode, Secretary Fagan explains her role and the protocols that county elections follow to ensure ballots are counted accurately. We also discuss what she sees as the greatest threat to election integrity in Oregon, how the roles of the Oregon Secretary of State vary from the roles in other states, how the audit function of her office works, and her advice for how to make state government work better. Secretary Fagan also gives a tip for how to manage the anxiety of election night--you'll want to keep this in mind for next cycle! As a bonus, after the pod was recorded, Ben Morris shared that about 10,000 folks were on the SOS results website on the primary election night--so you can bet there were a lot more on November 8th!
    50 min

About The Bridge by OR360

From the publisher's feed

OR360 Media presents The Bridge, a podcast hosted by Alex Titus, Ben Bowman, & Reagan Knopp.