It’s season four of The World As I Like It To Be podcast and we are hard at work bringing the news of the  day.  Eric has also been using twitter a lot more (you may have noticed) so expect even more “breaking new” to appear on his feed @ericdsmall and perhaps on the @vtipent twitter feed.

This blog will remain a reference point to the podcast. Here we can delve deeper into the subjects discussed in the podcast and even update you on stories we may have discussed only a day or week ago.

On yesterday’s episode, we discussed the case against Donald J Trump.  One of the president’s henchmen, Lev Parnas, was interviewed on Rachel Maddow‘s show. He laid out a remarkable case of how he was fooled by the president, how his supporters are in a cult and that the real source of his power is William Barr.

Then Denise from California (@denisefromcalif) and I discussed the tension between the Warren campaign and the Sanders campaign.   Both appeared to lock arm during an MLK Day parade in what looked like a photo op. 

But there are signs the war with Sanders is only beginning.  Is there a visceral hatred for Bernie or is the Vermont senator simply getting the front runner treatment as did Elizabeth Warren  and Joe  Biden?

Finally in episode two, we discuss climate change.  The president, at Davos, says there’s nothing to worry about, even as extreme weather is destroying the world.   We have a lot to say about climate, how it is hurting California and its homeless and what legislature is going to do about it.

Check out yesterday and today’s podcast episodes right here:

Continue reading S4EP1 and 2: Impeachment, the race for 2020 and Climate change →

On The World As I Like It To Be podcast we complete our pre debate review for Thursday’s debate.  We covered in our last podcast reports Joe Biden may be looking to step down as president after one term.  The former vice president has since pushed back on that. None of this is helpful for his campaign.

Meanwhile Mayor Pete looks the stave off Elizabeth Warren’s attack against him by releasing the names of the businesses he consulted with in his younger years.  The mayor also has agreed to allow the media into fundraising events.

On the debate stage Warren is sure to be standing next to or near the mayor and he has continued to focus incoming fire on the senator.   For her part, Warren has begun hitting both the mayor and former vice president for their connection to wealthy donors.

On our last podcast we discussed the Bernie blackout.   In this episode I believe senator Klobuchar is in a similar condition and so do others.  The Minnesota democrat is rising in the polls and the media appears to be ignoring it.

Emerson College (which Fivethirtyeight gives an A-) has seen her Iowa polling enter double digits for the first time.  And Klobuchar has managed to keep herself in the game to the chagrin of many.

And contrary to what was said on the podcast, the inclusion of Andrew Yang means this debate will not be all white (which is great).

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has made the extraordinary decision to grant Donald Trump a hearing . The president has asked the high court to block Congress from seeing his tax returns.

The stunning outcome of the case will be made known in June, well after the impeachment trial has completed. WIll the Trump supreme court justices protect the president?

Continue reading S3E46: Judiciary votes to impeach. Labour loses bigly. →

On today’s The World As I Like It To Be podcast we discuss the exodus of Kamala Harris from the 2020 democratic race for president.  Denise from California has strong views on this and so do I.

Next week Thursday’s debate will have only six candidates and no persons of color.   Harris has said she has departed the race due to lack of funds and, as previously reported, a SuperPAC supporting Cory Booker has shuttered due to its inability to raise funds on his behalf.

Meanwhile, Politico reports Andrew Yang, contrary to our podcast, will qualify for the debate next week Thursday bringing the total to seven.  The report notes the DNC has not acknowledged this yet.  

Meanwhile Tulsi Gabbard whom, as we mention in the podcast, has only one more qualifying poll to make it in the debate, has reportedly said she will not participate in the next debate even if she does qualify.

Bernie Sanders scored a big progressive endorsement as the Center For Popular Democracy has announced its support for the Vermont senator instead of Warren.

Meanwhile, nationally, a new Monmouth University Poll (which Fivethirtyeight.com gives an A+) has Biden at the top of the pack with Sanders and then Warren. Mayor Pete has not moved in the polls, behind in fourth place.

Mike Bloomberg, who has used his billionaire dollars to carpet bomb the air waves with ads, has entered the poll for the first time at 5 percent.  This is on par, if not better than, candidates like Amy Klobuchar, Andrew Yang, Tom Steyer and Tulsi Gabbard who have been campaigning for months.

Want to know what we think?  Check out our podcast below:

Continue reading S3E45:Harris falters, the Bernie blackout and contested convention →

Thing are moving fast and furious on the impeachment of Donald Trump.  Yesterday the speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi told reporters the House would proceed with articles of impeachment. 

On last week Thursday’s The  World As I Like It To Be podcast we discussed what we learned from the two week impeachment hearings by the House intelligence committee run by Adam Schiff.  

We learned, from the mouths of the people who were there, that Donald Trump tried to bribe the Ukrainian president with a quid pro quo.

We learned that the ambassadors found out about it, were horrified by it and ultimately would not go along with the “drug deal” the administration was cooking up.  

We learned the administration tried to get the ambassadors not to testify, but they did so anyway.

The hearing ended with Adam Schiff concluded he would write up a report for the judiciary committee so that they could take the lead post Thanksgiving.

Last week’s podcast is here.

Continue reading S3E44: Impeachment – Don’t Mess With Me Edition →

On last Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s podcasts we discussed the 2020 debate with Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Mayor Pete Buttiegeg and the rest of the very large field.

December will be the last debate before the Iowa caucus.   According to polls, Warren’s support  in Iowa and nationwide appears to be softening after the last 2020 debate.  Meanwhile, nationwide Biden still looks strong. 

Meanwhile the Associated Press is reporting a super PAC supporting Cory Booker has shut down.  The PAC, Dream United was founded by a former classmate of the Senator’s but had not raised the 10 million it set out to raise this year.

This could very well be the end of the road for the senator as he has not met the threshold for the next 2020 debate. Meanwhile Kamala Harris is working hard to make Iowa notice her as she has rolled out endorsements from 100 teachers.  

Meanwhile, Steve Bullock and Joe Sestak (remember them?) have officially ended their campaigns for president. The Montana governor, Bullock, has also said he will not run for the senate.

But on Tuesday’s podcast our focus is clearly on the mayor from South Bend, former senator Biden  and senator Elizabeth  Warren:

Then on Wednesday’s podcast we round out the debate with Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and the remain candidates:

Continue reading S3E42/43: The 2020 Debate and the fight against gerrymandering →

On Tuesday’s show we discussed CA 25 and the Young Turks’s Cenk Uyger’s entrée in the race, the state and local races as well as progressive propositions that won and failed.

Then, Denise from California and I discuss Steven Miller, the school shooting in Santa Clarita and then the tragic case of Rodney Reed.  Reed has been on a Texas death row for decades for murder. The case has racial overtones and got the nation asking the state to free Rodney Reed.  

Reed was supposed to be executed yesterday but over the weekend an indefinite stay was granted by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.  On today’s blog we will focus squarely on racism and hate in America in 2019.  We have spent a lot of time, even this season, discussing discrimination and racism.  And we will continue discussing it.

You cannot talk about the evil that caused two young people and the killer to lose they lives in Saugus High in Santa Clarita without discussing the most famous school shooting in Columbine, Colorado.  

As mentioned in the podcast, there is a book by David Cullen called Columbine.   In it, Cullen takes apart the myths surrounding the school shooters. He uncovers startling facts about the school shooters that, for some reason, has not made it into the mainstream.   

Listeners should know we are going to cover the post debate on Monday, after all the talking heads over the weekend have their say.  We we enjoy talking about what the commentators over the weekend have to say as much as the debate itself.

Listen here:

Continue reading S3E41: What Saugus High, Syracuse University, Steven Miller and Rodney Reed have in common? →

On Monday’s podcast we discuss the impeachment hearings and what to expect from the 2020 debate airing on MSNBC today.  The debate will be held in Atlanta and will debut for the nation the brand new Tyler Perry Studios.

Mayor Pete Pete Buttigieg is surging.  Reports are that he is at the top of the polls in Iowa and has now surged ahead 10 points in New Hampshire.  Both Iowa and New Hampshire are the first and second primary states. 

But the polls still look good for Biden in South Carolina.   Once again, African Americans are a factor in the democratic race.   If Biden loses support amongst blacks in South Carolina his run for president could be over.   Meanwhile, reports are California democrat Kamala Harris’ campaign is in trouble.   Some in California believe the senator should close up shop.  

So, tonight’s debate will be interesting.  In addition to Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Harris is Senator Elizabeth Warren. She is sure to come under attack for so called flip flopping on her commitment to Medicare for all.  I would expect Sanders to take a moment to further distance himself from Warren on this account.

Just a note: Fl. Mayor Wayne Messam, one of the 20+ candidates running in the 2020 democratic campaign for president, has suspended his campaign earlier today.   

Take a listen to Monday’s show for all of this and our medicare for all discussion:

Continue reading S3E40: The mayor pete debates and medicare for all flip →

On the blog, we discuss the news of Deval Patrick running for president in 2020.  Deval Patrick was asked if he would join the race earlier this year and decided not to.  Now, out of nowhere, after four debates, he has decided it is the right thing to do.

This is in contrast to Mike Bloomberg who has filed in Arkansas and Alabama, but has not officially declared he is in.

This appears to me to be coming from forces within the democratic establishment that are concerned about two candidates who want to take on the wealthy, 1% and one candidate who appears to be slipping in the polls.

Meanwhile today is the second day of impeachment hearings, and North Korea is not happy with Donald Trump!

We will resume our podcast after the November 20 debate!

Continue reading S18E39A: Deval Patrick makes it official! Is anyone watching the impeachmentS? →

On last week’s podcast we brought listeners up to date on all the important news of the week. From Donald Trump’s impeachment, to the resignation of Congresswoman Katie Hill to the democratic 2020 candidates.

On today’s  blog we provide an update on what’s been going on since the last podcast.  This includes reports Mike Bloomberg and former governor Deval Patrick’s rumored decision to running as 2020 candidates.

I also discuss the 2020 candidates on the republican side with reporting today about one candidate who is dropping out. And finally I provide an update on what I call the theocratic court.

I speculate many of the 2020 candidates already running are not going to last much longer.  The field is getting thinner and, as discussed below, many are running out of money to remain competitive.

Listen:

Continue reading S18E39: New 2020 democratic candidates? What trump knew & when he knew it! →

On Tuesday’s program we discussed the California fires and what to look for on Tuesday’s election.   A number of ballot initiatives were up, the governor’s races in Mississippi and Kentucky and the balance of power in the Virginia senate were closely watched races.

In the podcast, we discussed the significance of each.  You can listen below, but I also want to remind you to listen and download this podcast on your phone.  Simply search for The World As I Like It To Be Podcast in Apple iTunes store.  Don’t forget to subscribe so you can get the newest episodes as soon as they come out.

In addition, if you like what you hear, please support our show with a tip of as little as a dollar.  Every little bit helps.  Visit our store here for more information.

Continue reading S18E38: Election day matters →