A collection of several of our best Political Junkie episodes, covering noteworthy political moments and featuring some of Ken’s favorite interviews.
The drama and tension we saw last week during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court — beginning with emotional accusations against him by Christine Blasey Ford — reminded many of the contentiousness of another committee hearing 27 years ago. Then, Anita Hill went before the same …
We remember the life, career, and legacy of John McCain, the Arizona Republican senator who died last Saturday at the age of 81. We speak with four people who knew him well: Mike Murphy was McCain’s chief strategist during his bid for the GOP presidential nomination in 2000. Alan Simpson, the Wyoming Republican served together …
The almost surreal news conference in Helsinki between President Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin was the big story of the week, and we’ve got it covered. Amanda Sloat of the Brookings Institution reviews Trump’s relationship with NATO allies and discusses the reaction in the aftermath of Helsinki. Michael Steele, the former chair of the Republican …
Maine tried something this week that has never been tried before. It became the first to hold a statewide primary using a system called “ranked choice voting” — in which voters don’t simply indicate their choice on the ballot but “rate” the candidates in order of their preference. Rob Richie of FairVote.org explains the system and weighs …
It was a big primary night Tuesday in California, and KQED’s Scott Shafer has all the key results. The big takeaway: Democrats didn’t get shut out of some key House races because of the state’s unique “Top Two” system; it looks like there will be a Democrat and a Republican in all seven congressional districts …
As the 1968 presidential candidates left their conventions and moved into the general election, the nation was watching to see what would happen. Would Richard Nixon, the Republican, hold onto his lead and become the 37th president? Could Hubert Humphrey, the Democrat, unite the party in time to give himself a chance to win? And …
A half-century later, 1968 remains etched in our collective memory, a year of tremendous hope and utter tragedy. This week we take the second of three looks at that iconic year, focusing on the chaotic Democratic convention in Chicago. Ted Van Dyk, Hubert Humphrey’s top adviser, talks about how the vice president was boxed in …
Fifty years since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, and what have we learned? What lessons has he taught us — and what lessons were ignored. Wornie Reed, a professor at Virginia Tech who was with King in the 1963 March on Washington, assesses the slain civil rights leader. The trauma of 1968, which …
A half-century later, 1968 remains etched in our collective memory, a year of tremendous hope and utter tragedy. This week we take the first of three looks at that iconic year. Gary Eichten, a longtime reporter and host for Minnesota Public Radio, talks about Eugene McCarthy, his lonely challenge to President Johnson, his strong showing …
It’s the 200th episode of The Political Junkie! And so this week, we thought we would explore the question: What makes a political junkie? Are you a political junkie, and why? And so, we hear from Democratic pollster Anna Greenberg, political analyst Stu Rothenberg, former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.) and Sacramento Bee editorial cartoonist Jack …