Elections

We're looking at the proliferation of political speech in this tumultuous presidential season, and its impact on voters.  We’ll examine how campaigns and voters are navigating this brave new world of media, including the vast and sometimes viral dimension of social media -- and explore its implications for our democracy.

GUESTS:

•  Lara Brown  - Graduate School of Political Management’s Political Management Program Director and an associate professor at George Washington University
 

We check in with Political Junkie Ken Rudin about some of the top stories in politics this month: After a caustic debate pitting Rand Paul against his fellow Senate Republicans, key provisions of the Patriot Act expire. On the primary front, Democrat Martin O’Malley and Republican Lindsey Graham declare their candidacies. And, as ISIS advances in Iraq Presidential hopefuls re-hash the Iraq war debate.

The U.S. census every ten years redistributes Congressional seats based on population changes.  While it may seem inevitable that this process would favor whichever party is in power, redistricting has been used over the years to stack the political deck. Some say this is harming the democratic process and that reform is in order.

GUEST:

Although top races got the attention in this year’s mid-term elections, voters in a majority of states also had a slate of ballot measures to consider. We’ll look at what some of the big topics were, from marijuana laws to the minimum wage, and how the results fit into the overall narrative for this year’s election. First, though, we'll look at a law in New Hampshire that prohibits 'ballot selfies.'

GUESTS:

When an unrecognizable number shows up on your phone during election season, chances are pretty good that the caller is someone taking a poll. On today’s show, turning the tables on pollsters. We’ll find out how they view polling accuracy and ethics for Election 2012.

Also today, the aging bunnies –  a group of Playboy centerfold models now in their 60s and 70s, reject the idea that they victimized, and remember a more tasteful time for the men’s magazine.

Listen to the full show and click Read more for individual segments.

The chairman of the Republican National Committee made a campaign stop in Nashua Friday. Chairman Reince Priebus was the first in a series of national GOP leaders who will visit the state ahead of next Tuesday’s primary.

In a cramped GOP office, Priebus rubbed elbows and talked up the role New Hampshire could play for his party come November.

"It’s a pivotal state in determining whether we can win the U.S. Senate and fire Harry Reid," says Priebus. "We need to win here in the midterm and pave the way for the future."

Ken Rudin is in New Hampshire, putting his seasoned eye on politics.  And this year, with Republicans hoping to take the U.S. Senate and congressional dysfunction weighing heavily on voters, we’ll explore the themes emerging in the 2014 midterm elections, both here and around the country.

GUEST:

Top Democrats rallied volunteers and worked the phones Monday in Portsmouth. Their goal was to call attention to the US Supreme Court’s “Hobby Lobby” ruling, which found a closely held company could not be forced to pay for all birth control procedures required by the Affordable Care Act.

Democrats hope Supreme Court rulings like the Hobby Lobby and the striking down of Massachusetts’s abortion clinic buffer zone law will motivate women voters, helping the party overcome certain challenges.

With summer officially here, it’s not just the weather heating up, but the political season as well. There are polls, ads, debates being scheduled, and big-name politicians coming in to support candidates. There's also already some drama, with one contender dropping out and another’s residency being questioned.  We’re looking at how the U.S. Congress, Senate, and N.H. Governor races are shaping up so far.

GUESTS:

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court came down on a decision that will change the way we fund elections.  In a 5-4 vote, the court removed a cap on how many candidates or committees a person can support per election cycle.  Although the amount is still restricted to $2600 per candidate, an individual can now gift that amount to as many politicians as he or she wants. Opponents of the ruling worry the decision may suppress ordinary voices: “where enough money calls the tune,” said Justice William Breyer, “the general public will not be heard.” But supporters like Chief Justice Roberts say that this case follows first amendment rights. “Integration and access are not corruption,” said Roberts, “they embody a central feature of democracy that constituents support candidates who share their beliefs and interests.

GUESTS:

• Greg Moore – state director of Americans for Prosperity, a conservative political advocacy group that promotes limited government, lower taxes, and more freedom
• Rob Werner –former national field director of Americans for Campaign Reform

CALLOUT:

• John Greabe - director of the Rudman Center at UNH Law School. He teaches constitutional law, civil procedure, federal courts and jurisdiction.

Mara Liasson will discuss the White House and upcoming elections, as well as how changes in both political parties over the past six years have affected such key issues as the Affordable Care Act, the debt-ceiling debate, and immigration reform.

GUESTS:

• Mara Liasson – national political correspondent for NPR. She joined NPR in 1985 as a general assignment reporter, later working as a congressional correspondent, and then the White House correspondent.

LINKS:

Conservative activist Andrew Hemingway is the first Republican to enter the race for governor.

The 31-year-old high-tech entrepreneur announced his candidacy in front of a group of supporters in Manchester Thursday night.

“I have the courage and innovative ideas to take on this state’s biggest challenges and to solve them. I ask for your support in this effort. I need your help.”

He seeks to unseat Governor Maggie Hassan as she pursues a second, two-year term.

Hemingway is the former chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire.

Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas and challenger Alderman Patrick Arnold will off face in their first debate Wednesday morning.

Congressional approval rating hit a new now of 10.5 percent this week. If you’ve found yourself yelling at the radio and TV news coverage of the government shutdown and plotting revenge at the next election, you may not have to wait until 2014.

Last month, two of Colorado’s Democratic state senators became targets of a successful recall after voting for more restrictive gun legislation, adding to the increasing number of recall campaigns launched over the past two years. 

Seth Masket is a political scientist at the University of Denver, and a regular contributor to Pacific Standard.  He spoke with us about his article “The Recall is the New Normal”. 

We look at what our nation’s most important document, the Constitution, says and doesn’t say about elections. There’s some debate over who should write the rules, the federal or state governments, also who exactly can cast a ballot and if voting is a right or a privilege.  We’ll talk with those involved in new civics program called “Constitutionally speaking”. 

Guests

TBA

After last night President Obama and Governor Romney have squared off three times along with one event starring the VP candidates.  Lots of issues have been covered from the economy to foreign policy and many times the tone was contentious.  We’ll look at who won these debates…who may have received a 'bump' from them and how we’ll continue to hear the themes that were raised up until election day. 

Guests

The AFL-CIO of New Hampshire held its annual Labor Day breakfast at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Manchester this morning.  More than three hundred working men and women gathered to hear from Governor Lynch, Employment Security commissioner George Copadis, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, and others. 

The event’s featured guest and keynote speaker was AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler, who says she came to New Hampshire not just to recognize New Hampshire’s workers, but to encourage them to get involved in the upcoming presidential and local elections.