Tag

politics

Oct 09
Love15

Karen Howard

By Author, Personal Growth, Podcast, Politics No Comments

This week on Here’s What We Know, our guest is Karen Howard, the brilliant author behind the book, Upset is Optional and Executive Director of the Organic and Natural Health Association. Listen in as she shares her wisdom on personal growth, professional journeys, and societal reflections.

This episode is sponsored by:

(Be sure to tell them Gary sent you so you can save 20%!)

In this Episode:

  • Meet Karen Howard as a powerhouse in natural health advocacy and an insightful author aiming to help us control our reactions to life’s challenges.
  • Discover the essence of Upset is Optional, focusing on maintaining control over one’s reactions.
  • Explore parenting insights deeply tied to overcoming adversity.
  • Hear how 9/11 significantly pivoted Karen’s career trajectory.
  • Learn life lessons & parenting tips for teaching children to follow their passions rather than societal expectations.
  • Dive into Karen’s extensive involvement in government policy-making.
  • Understand how political engagement has evolved with an emphasis on voting knowledgeably about candidates and issues.
  • Learn the value of open-mindedness in decision-making processes & educate oneself to actively participate in democratic processes and remain open to evolving perspectives.

Quotations:

“When things happen to you, you learn from them and then you have a choice. You can either carry it with you as pain your entire life. And I was not the love child, I was the accident child. You make that story up or you can flip it around and you can create a totally different story. And it’s really all within your power.” ~ Karen Howard

“I succeed when I love my work and when I know that I’m serving seven generations.” ~ Karen Howard

“do what you love. We say that, and I don’t know if we really mean it or if we’re helping them understand what that means. Because I could love to eat ice cream all day long and that really wouldn’t serve any purpose.” ~ Karen Howard

“I think teaching our kids to be brave and understand themselves, they don’t always have to jump. They’ve got good advisors, their parents are there to help, is something we need to be more mindful of instead of go get your degree, get your graduate degree, then you’re gonna make a six-figure income, you’re gonna buy the house. Those expectations can cause a lot of stuff.” ~ Karen Howard

“Expectations are really the original form of all suffering.” ~ Karen Howard

“Being able to figure out how to be your best self and what might be holding you back, you know, in terms of all the things that we get upset about now. Are they really worth the effort?” ~ Karen Howard

“I think that politics has always been, it’s a sport, know, and I think people forget that. The difference I think now is that the stakes are so incredibly high and people are so connected that they, for probably more than any other time in our history, feel like they have a vested interest in it. So that’s the good side, you know, that people are getting upset and actually awake instead of not voting.” ~ Karen Howard

“Don’t vote just because of TikTok.” ~ Karen Howard

“People need to be more judicious in what they read and what they learn and in their effort to be participants.” ~ Karen Howard

“Being an observer and being able to pick and choose where you want to insert  ‘X word’ is wise and sometimes it’s just better not to say anything.” ~ Karen Howard

“ It’s real that these people lived, breathed and what happened to them is part of our DNA. And I love that. I love that story. And that I have the ability to leave a legacy not in what is in my will, but through my work, through my kids, and through their kids, that to me is meaningful and that’s reason to be on the planet and even to continue to vote.” ~ Karen Howard

Bio:

Originally from Springfield, MO, Karen spent the last 40 living years in Washington,DC working as Congressional Committee staff, lobbying for health care issues, and working for a variety of professional and trade associations. She have experienced a monumental shift in her outlook since the fateful events of 9/11 in 2001. This cataclysmic event left an indelible mark on her sensibilities, prompting her to seek a more purposeful existence. Thus commenced her extraordinary journey towards healing and self-discovery.

For a decade, Karen collaborated closely with naturopathic physicians, leading the way as their Executive Director. She ventured to Ecuador, immersing herself in the wisdom of native healers.

It was during that time that she was introduced to Bob Duggan, the visionary behind Tai Sophia acupuncture school. Pursuing a master’s degree under his tutelage, Karen learned to cultivate a state of well-being through mindful language and actions. 

Karen invites you to explore Bob’s final body of work—an enlightening collection of ten practices that have empowered her to navigate life’s tumultuous waters with grace and bid farewell to unnecessary suffering. The stories she shares are intended to guide you in honing your ability to listen to your body, adjust your response to external influences, and experience your power to shift how you respond to what we commonly refer to as stress. Karen’s sincerest wish is that you derive immense benefit from Bob’s teachings and tap into the profound wisdom residing within your own body. Remember, upset truly is optional.

Guest Contact Info:

Website: https://upsetisoptional.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karen.howard.75641

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenhoward1761/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-howard/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@karenhoward857

Oct 02
Love12

Luppe B. Luppen & Hunter Walker

By Author, Podcast, Politics No Comments

This week on Here’s What We Know, we have a groundbreaking conversation with two esteemed guests, Hunter Walker, an investigative journalist and former White House correspondent, and Luppe B. Luppen, a lawyer and a prominent social media presence and writer. Together they discuss their book, The Truce: Progressive, Centrist, and the Future of the Democratic Party, offering listeners an insider’s account of political dynamics within the Democratic Party.

This episode is sponsored by:

(Effortless solution to your junk removal needs!)

In this Episode:

  • Access to Insider Stories
  • The Relationship Between Barrack Obama and Joe Biden
  • Obama’s Role in the 2020 Election
  • The Standard Bearer of the Democratic Party
  • Kamala Harris & Missteps
  • Likability and Sexism in Politics
  • Attacks and Double Standards in Politics
  • Tension Over US Support for Israel’s Campaign in Gaza
  • Fractures with the Progressive and Centrist Coalition
  • The Importance of Key Voters Groups of Biden
  • The High School Drama of Politics
  • Writing a Book Together
  • Unvarnished Understanding of Political Players
  • Election Insights
  • The Goal for Biden and Trump: Just Win, Baby

Quotations:

“Democrats recognize these questions. They know that the central thing we confront in The Truce, which is who’s going to lead this party after Biden and how are they going to do it, is in dispute. And they are, I think, eager to litigate that conversation.” ~ Hunter Walker

“One of the most interesting conversations we were able to report in the book was that late in the wee hours after Trump’s election, at 1:30 in the morning, Biden was in the Naval Observatory, the vice president’s residence, and he called the White House and we spoke to people in the room who heard him say to Obama, we told you, boss, people just don’t like her right, and referring to Hillary Clinton. And essentially, Biden was participating in what may be history’s greatest I-told-you-so moment with his former boss. So Obama was clearly haunted by that.” ~ Hunter Walker

“I think that of Obama fundamentally as a pragmatist, as much as he has the real ability to inspire his audience to tap into those sort of loftier rhetorical notes of idealism as a politician and as someone who is an operator within democratic politics, I think he is very pragmatic and calculating.” ~ Luppe B. Luppen

“Democrats have won the popular vote, right? If you look at issue after issue, whether it be abortion, gun control, public education, or health care, the values of the public are progressive. And that becomes more and more true as Generation Z takes the stage and as the country becomes more diverse. And yet our electoral result doesn’t always go that way. Right? And so that’s one of the questions we confront in this book.”  ~ Hunter Walker

“The salience of this compromise that was forged with progressives is that you do not see a progressive challenger in this Democratic presidential primary where Joe Biden is weakened, where there is a foreign policy crisis that is almost designed to put strains on the coalition he built and make progressives feel like they need another option.” ~ Luppe B. Luppen

“I tend to think that as a woman of color going into politics, you have to know how much better you’re going to have to be and how much more intense the opposition that you’re going to have to face is.” ~ Hunter Walker

“Unfortunately, in the world we live in, it’s impossible to pull apart questions of likability and political promise from sexism and racial attitudes.” ~ Luppe B. Luppen

Bio:

Luppe B. Luppen is a lawyer and a writer in New York City. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he graduated from Stanford University (2005) and Washington & Lee School of Law (2008).

Hunter Walker is an investigative reporter and author based in Brooklyn, New York. He has written for notable publications such as Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and The Atlantic. Walker spent five years as a White House Correspondent for Yahoo! News during the Trump administration and has covered politics for outlets like Business Insider and the New York Observer. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.

Guest Contact Info:

Luppe B. Luppen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nycsouthpaw/

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@nycsouthpaw

X: https://x.com/nycsouthpaw

Hunter Walker

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrhunterwalker/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunterwalker/

Mar 27
Love13

Dr. Luke A. Nichter

By Author, Education, Politics One Comment

This week on the Here’s What We Know Podcast, join us as we delve into the tumultuous year of 1968, a pivotal moment in American and global history, with our special guest, an esteemed historian and professor, Dr. Luke A. Nichter. He is a New York Times bestselling author or editor of eight books, including, most recently, “The Year That Broke Politics: Collusion and Chaos in the Presidential Election of 1968,” which was chosen as the Best Book of 2023 by the Wall Street Journal. As an expert on presidential history, Dr Luke brings a wealth of knowledge about the seismic shifts that occurred during this era. He also mentioned that there is talk about using AI for transcribing historical recordings which could revolutionize our understanding of past presidencies by providing deeper insights than ever before possible.

This is such an enlightening episode filled with insights into one of America’s most dynamic years while emphasizing the importance of preserving our country’s rich history for future generations. Tune in now!

This episode is sponsored by:

(Be sure to use code “Gary20” to get 20% off your order!)

In this Episode:

  • Hear about the revolutionary nature of 1968, both domestically and internationally.
  • Discover how media coverage brought the Vietnam War and political unrest into living rooms across America.
  • Comparisons between past conflicts like Vietnam and more recent ones such as Iraq.
  • Explore Lyndon B. Johnson’s complex legacy as president during these transformative times.
  • Hear insightful conversations about whether John F. Kennedy would have escalated or withdrawn from Vietnam had he not been assassinated. 
  • Discover why the treatment of vice presidents has been scrutinized throughout history.
  • Listen to Dr. Luke as he shares personal stories and anecdotes while teaching history to college students.
  • Discover the role technology could play in transcribing historical presidential tapes for greater public access.

Quotations:

“Americans, we often put ourselves, we think we’re the middle of the world and there’s nothing else going on that’s nearly as important.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“Young people especially will surprise you by what they know, but also what they don’t know. And sometimes they know things very differently than you and I would.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“I think just kind of by definition, to reach the office of the presidency, you’ve got to be an interesting person.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“When I see a new political book, you know, on a shelf and I reach for it, you know, there’s that little voice in my head that usually says, well, what’s the author’s take? Do they have an agenda? Do they have a favorite?” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“I think we’ve lost so much historical empathy about history because we’re such in a rush to judge historical figures by our own standards that we’ve lost a connection with history and really what history is.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“These things in politics, while presented nobly, you know, are often driven by partisan concerns.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“Historians, we’re not supposed to care about counterfactuals, you know, or concern ourselves at all with what ifs.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“Often in history, you have two sides and I tend to come down somewhere in the middle.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“Early on in the Republic, the best path to becoming president was to be secretary of state, perhaps. And then there’s a phase where maybe becoming a senator is the way to become the president. You know, there’s a joke made that in the Senate, we have a hundred would-be presidents at all times. And then there’s a period that it’s the governor of a state, especially a large industrial, important state with a big population.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“Presidents have always desired to bypass the media, whether it’s print, whether it’s radio. whether it’s television and speak directly to the American people.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“I think there’s always been a degree of nepotism as long as there’s been politics. The two have always gone back together.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“On each side of the political aisle, you have about 20% that are activists that you gotta watch out for. And so you do get a student either on the right or the left occasionally who’s there to make a point.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“The bigger concern, I would say, now. is that students are afraid to actually say what they think in classrooms. Not because of me. They’re not worried about being judged by me. They’re worried about being judged by their peers.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“College should really be free for all of ideas. You should be going down the intellectual rabbit hole and learning about yourself and situating yourself in the world that you live in.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“I really try to be transparent with my reader. I mean, I really try to separate facts.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“One of the things I do as a historian is, if you’re gonna write about history, you better make friends with archivists.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“My goal is to drive the creation of new knowledge.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

“The more that I learn about history, the more I realize I have to learn about history.” ~ Luke A. Nichter

Bio:

Dr. Luke A. Nichter is a Professor of History and James H. Cavanaugh Endowed Chair in Presidential Studies at Chapman University. His area of specialty is the Cold War, the modern presidency, and U.S. political and diplomatic history, with a focus on the “long 1960s” from John F. Kennedy through Watergate. He has been a Visiting Fellow at the Norwegian Nobel Institute, an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow at the Massachusetts Historical Society, a Visiting Scholar at the University of Michigan’s Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies, a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Rothermere American Institute, and a Hansard Research Scholar at the London School of Economics.

He is a New York Times bestselling author or editor of eight books, including, most recently, The Year That Broke Politics: Collusion and Chaos in the Presidential Election of 1968 (Yale University Press). It is the first rigorously researched historical account of the most controversial election in modern U.S. history to have cooperation from all four major sides – Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Nixon, and George Wallace. Luke interviewed approximately 85 family members and former staffers, in addition to extensive archival research and access to new evidence that dramatically changes our understanding of the election. This work was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship.

Luke’s last book was The Last Brahmin: Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. and the Making of the Cold War (Yale University Press). It was the first full biography of Lodge – whose public career spanned from the 1930s to the 1970s – based on extensive multilingual archival research. This work was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar Grant. He is also the author of Richard Nixon and Europe: The Reshaping of the Postwar Atlantic World (Cambridge University Press), which was based on multilingual archival research in six countries, and is now at work on a book tentatively titled LBJ: The White House Years of Lyndon Johnson.

Luke earned his Ph.D. in History from Bowling Green State University, and lives in Orange, California and Bowling Green, Ohio.

Guest Contact Info:

Website: http://lukenichter.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-a-nichter-1190877/

Feb 28
Love14

Sean A Mirski

By Author, Politics No Comments

This week on the Here’s What We Know Podcast, our host Gary Scott Thomas had a fascinating conversation with Sean A Mirski, a lawyer, historian, U.S. foreign policy scholar, and author of the monumental book “We May Dominate the World: Ambition, Anxiety, and the Rise of the American Colossus.” Sean shares how he spent eight years crafting his book while juggling a demanding law career. His book unpacks nearly 100 years of complex policy across the entire Western Hemisphere with gripping storytelling as we deeply dive into the pivotal moments that shaped our nation’s destiny.

So if you’re up for a historical exploration filled with drama, strategy, and lessons for our times, tune in now and be ready to geek out!

This episode is sponsored by:

(Be sure to use code “Gary20” to get 20% off your order!)

In this Episode:

  • Explore how Sean’s time at the University of Chicago shaped him and touch upon his role as a visiting scholar.
  • Sean shares insights into his writing process and rigorous research involving primary sources, from dusty archives to Library of Congress documents.
  • The discussion delves deep into understanding history through human stories rather than dry facts.
  • Sean reflects on the importance of presenting balanced perspectives that respect historical complexities instead of one-sided narratives.
  • Sean emphasizes meticulous documentation and how easy it is to distort history without proper context or verification.
  • Impactful historical events involve political figures like President Abraham Lincoln, General Ulysses S. Grant, Secretary William H. Seward, President Theodore Roosevelt, Republican politician James G. Blaine, Major General Smedley Butler, and President James Monroe.

Quotations:

“There is kind of a rhythm to the story that helped me sort of keep it all in my head.” ~ Sean A Mirski

“There’s a secret thrill that I feel when I’m in the archives that I’m reading through these documents and sort of just the feeling of having one of these, you know, memoranda or messages in your hand and knowing sort of the historical weight that ended up, being attributed to it and the kind of consequences that it had. There’s just something fun about that for me that I really, I can’t, I guess, fully explain.” ~ Sean A Mirski

“There are a mix of both where there’s really kind of, I think, shades of gray and a lot of complexity because that’s just how we are as human beings, we’re messy.” ~ Sean A Mirski

“Human beings being the mortal creatures that we are, it just didn’t always pan out that way. There were always sort of indirect consequences. There were always things that sort of ended up backfiring or having perversions, you know, incentives that led to bad things happening.” ~ Sean A Mirski

“I think for every generation, it’s worth sort of revisiting the stories of the past because there’s always going to be things that you sort of discover and new insights you glean by virtue of the fact that you’re kind of looking at this history through a new lens that, you know, previous generations didn’t, didn’t have because they were just stuck in a different moment in time.” ~ Sean A Mirski

“It obviously leads to sort of sense of humility, I think, among historians to know that. There are always going to be other ways of telling the story.” ~ Sean A Mirski

“But one of the sort of lessons I at least took away from writing this book is that you’re never going to have a definitive answer to history, because even once you have all the documents in front of you, and even when you tell a story that’s entirely consistent with them, uh, there’s always going to be different ways of telling that story.” ~ Sean A Mirski

“And so I offer my book not in the spirit of this is right and no one can challenge it, but as this is one way to look at it that I hope is consistent with the historical materials, but there are other ways of looking at the same events and sort of coming to, you know, slightly different conclusions.” ~ Sean A Mirski

“One lesson I learned in sort of writing this and it certainly sort of affected the way I now read other history books is sort of never being a definitive yes or no, but always being more of a sort of here’s one version of the story that we can tell.” ~ Sean A Mirski

“That’s the main reason I wrote the book to sort of look at the example of the United States and say, well, Are there any lessons we can draw, right?” ~ Sean A Mirski

Bio:

Sean A. Mirski is a lawyer, historian, and U.S. foreign policy scholar who has worked on national security issues across multiple U.S. presidential administrations. A term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he currently practices national security, foreign relations, and appellate law at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, and is also a Visiting Scholar at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He previously served in the U.S. Department of Defense under both Republican and Democratic administrations as Special Counsel to the General Counsel, where he earned the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Award for Outstanding Achievement. He has written extensively on American history, international relations, law, and politics, including as author of We May Dominate the World: Ambition, Anxiety, and the Rise of the American Colossus (Public Affairs 2023), and as editor of the book Crux of Asia: China, India, and the Emerging Global Order (CEIP 2013). Earlier in his career, he clerked for Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. on the U.S. Supreme Court and then-Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and served as a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Named one of Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30,” he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Chicago.

Guest Contact Info:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-mirski-06779222/
“We May Dominate The World: Ambition, Anxiety, and the Rise of the American Colossus” Book Link: Amazon