Party Politics

Latest Episodes:

104: Jon Lovett Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

This week on Party Politics, co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer are joined by a very special guest and “celebrated raconteur”! Former Obama speechwriter and Pod Save America host Jon Lovett discusses his take on the political climate going into the 2020 Presidential Election, and the strengths and weaknesses of the major Presidential candidates.

Ahead of his live Houston show, Lovett shares his views on Texas politics, how humor continues to play a role in the political world, and much more!

Make sure to check out his podcast Lovett or Leave It, and get tickets to his live show in Houston on May 2.

TOPICS

2020 Presidential Election and the Democratic Primary
Strengths and weaknesses of major candidates
Jon Lovett’s views on where the primary electorate is
Joe Biden taking on Trump in the 2020 election
Texas turning “purple” after 2018 Midterms and how it will impact the 2020 election
The return of the Republican turnout machine
Humor and politics
1600 Penn & the Obama Administration
Partisan new media
Cable, podcasts, video casts, etc., influencing partisanship?

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Tweet us using #PartyPoliticsPod or email partypoliticspod@houstonpublicmedia.org. Party Politics is produced by Sophie Moll, the audio engineer is Todd Hulslander and our digital editor is Alvaro ‘Al’ Ortiz.

103: Biden announcement Apr 26, 2019

Show notes

After months of deliberation, former Vice President Joe Biden finally announced his decision to throw his hat in the ring for the 2020 Presidential Election.

This week on Party Politics, co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer analyze who are the front runners for 2020 and discuss whether Biden has a real shot of winning the Democratic nomination.

Jay and Brandon also discuss ideological shifts in the Democratic Party and how they could impact the 2020 election.

NATIONAL

2020 Presidential roundup – Congressman Seth Moulton is in; Elizabeth Warren’s answer on student debt
President Trump cancels Iranian oil sanction waivers
Mueller report fallout, Treasury misses deadline for Trump tax returns
House Oversight Committee v. President Trump on financial records

TEXAS

MJ Hegar announces Senate run
Dallas and San Antonio municipal roundup
Texas House votes to legalize the farming of industrial hemp
Debate on property tax and school finance bills
End of Confederate Heroes Day?
End of Daylight Savings Time?

102: Mueller Report Apr 18, 2019

Show notes

Following the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, Party Politics co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer break down the redacted version of the report and discuss what the findings reveal about the investigation into the Trump campaign.

Jay and Brandon analyze the takeaways and missing pieces of the report, and evaluate how it differs from Attorney General William Barr’s summary. What comes next for the Trump Administration? How will this impact American politics moving forward?

NATIONAL TOPICS

2020 Presidential rundown
Nancy Pelosi asks Capitol Police to review protection for Representative Ilhan Omar
Trump Administration ponders sending undocumented immigrants to sanctuary cities
Interior Department opens ethics investigation of new Secretary David Bernhardt
President Trump offers Pope Francis his condolences over the devastating fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral

TEXAS TOPICS

Texas Senate aims to undermine Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller’s overseeing of fuel pump regulations
Texas House and Senate fundraising roundup
Governor Greg Abbott criticizes Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick warns he’s willing to use the nuclear option
Texas House passes “born alive” abortion bill
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton denies information to U.S. House inquiry on voter purge
“Save Chick-fil-A” protest at Texas Capitol

101: Border crisis Apr 12, 2019

Show notes

President Donald Trump is tightening his grip on immigration by proposing big policy changes, including cutting aid to Central America and a more aggressive stance against people seeking asylum. How will the Administration respond after a federal judge blocked his asylum proposal earlier this week?

Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer break down the resignation of Kirstjen Nielsen at the Department of Homeland Security and the politics of immigration policy.

National topics

2020 Presidential roundup: Eric Swalwell, Tim Ryan, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders… and are we still waiting on Joe Biden?
Herman Cain to the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors?
Tax Day is around the corner – but will we ever see the president’s taxes?
Trump cancels baseball deal with Cuba

Texas topics

President Trump visits Texas to announce executive orders to boost energy sector
Dennis Bonnen’s home menaced by pro-gun activist; Texas House Speaker abandons “constitutional carry” bill
Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Patrick and Speaker Bonnen propose 1 percent sales tax increase to cut property taxes
Ted Cruz jinxes Texas Tech?

100: 100 Episodes Apr 04, 2019

Show notes

This week on Party Politics, we celebrate our 100th episode with a live podcast event recorded at the University of Houston’s coffee shop The Nook.

Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer share their favorite moments from the past 100 episodes, including President Trump’s greatest wins and losses since his inauguration.

Brandon and Jay take questions from the audience, analyze the biggest shifts in American politics and the impact on our culture and society. They even predict which candidates they think will be on the ticket for the 2020 Presidential Election!

Brandon and Jay’s top moments in politics over 100 episodes:

Jay’s Top 4:

Donald Trump becomes the social media President. Roosevelt had radio, Reagan had TV, and Trump has social media
2018 Texas midterm elections and the massive shift in politics across the country. Suburban voters move leftward, Nancy Pelosi is back as House Speaker, and a return to divided government
“Betomania” and the return of Texas Democrats. Texas inches back to becoming a two party state powered by Beto O’Rourke and an increasingly more moderate state. How structural is this shift?
Local government vs the State. How local control and population shifts have caused an increasingly widening division between the state and local government

Brandon’s Top 4:

President Trump goes unilateral on executive orders and Supreme Court nominations.
#MeToo and #TimesUp: Roseanne Barr fired, John Conyers and Al Franken resign
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus steps aside
George H.W. Bush passes away

99: Mueller report Mar 29, 2019

Show notes

This week on Party Politics, co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer discuss the results of the most anticipated investigation since Watergate.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has delivered his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election to Attorney General William Barr.

Brandon and Jay discuss the report and analyze the politics of the summary presented by the Attorney General. Will the public ever see the report?

NATIONAL TOPICS
-2020 Democratic Presidential candidate roundup
-Supreme Court hears case on gerrymandering
-Green New Deal goes down in the Senate
-Obamacare under attack – again
-Jimmy Carter is officially the longest-living U.S. President

TEXAS TOPICS
-Texas Legislature debates budget and school funding
-Harris County sues petrochemical company over massive fire at Deer Park facility
-Abortion bill rankles Texas Democrats
-Texas Education Agency suspends HISD Superintendent search

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Tweet us using #PartyPoliticsPod or email partypoliticspod@houstonpublicmedia.org. Party Politics is produced by Don Geraci, the audio engineer is Todd Hulslander and our digital editor is Alvaro ‘Al’ Ortiz.

98: Beto O'Rourke Mar 21, 2019

Show notes

This week on Party Politics, co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer break down the new realities of the presidential race as the Beto O’Rourke campaign ramps up. Jay and Brandon analyze O’Rourke’s political leanings and discuss the challenges he faces as he takes on the other candidates who want to lead the Democratic ticket in 2020.

Will O’Rourke’s past come back to haunt him? Is he liberal, moderate, or progressive? How long can he dominate social media? How long can he continue to raise money?

NATIONAL TOPICS
-Trump vetoes Congress bill to rebuke national emergency declaration
-Trump v. John McCain
-2020 roundup – Joe Biden run? Does Elizabeth Warren want to abolish the electoral college?
-College admissions scandal
-California Congressman Devin Nunes sues Twitter

TEXAS TOPICS
-Massive fire at Deer Park petrochemical facility
-Joaquin Castro’s potential race for U.S. Senate challenging John Cornyn
-DPS director takes blame for data errors in voter review
-Texas House Appropriations Committee passes $115 billion budget plan
-Native American inmates win right to long hair in Texas

Episode 97: Lizzie Fletcher Mar 14, 2019

Show notes

This week on Party Politics, co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jay Aiyer chat with Lizzie Fletcher, the newly-elected Representative for U.S. House District 7 (D-Houston), which encompasses parts of western and northwestern Harris County.

Congresswoman Fletcher gives us a look at an "average week" on Capitol Hill, discusses Harvey recovery funds, and what her priorities are going forward. Plus, she dishes on her go-to Houston ‘Tex-Mex’ and her favorite Houston Rodeo memories!

NATIONAL
-Freshman class of the 116th Congress
-Style vs. substance on legislation
-Hurricane Harvey Recovery Fund
-Co-chairing the Task Force on Trade, Chairing Subcommittee on Environment
-Democrat Coalition Caucus

TEXAS
-Texas’ political demographics
-Mass transit in Houston
-Congressional District 7’s issues
-March 2020 primary in Texas
-Congresswoman Fletcher’s personal preferences

Episode 96: Public education Mar 07, 2019

Show notes

Earlier this week the Texas Senate unanimously passed their first piece of legislation on school finance reform, addressing one of Governor Greg Abbott’s emergency items for the current legislative session.

The bill passed in the upper chamber would cost $4 billion over the next two years and provide $5,000 annual pay raises for full-time classroom teachers and librarians.

As the bill heads to the state House of Representatives, reactions across the political aisle seem to be at odds, with many raising concern on the bill’s ability to provide property tax relief.

This week, Party Politics co-hosts Jay Aiyer and Brandon Rottinghaus discuss the political implications of the bill and the obstacles it will face as it passes through the lower chamber of the Texas Legislature.

NATIONAL
-2020 Presidential update
-Congress blocks Trump’s national emergency at the border
-Jared Kushner’s security clearance
-Trump’s speech at Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)
-Ivanka Trump jokes about her dad at Gridiron Club dinner

TEXAS
-Representative Victoria Neave sued over unpaid property taxes
-Update on special election in Texas House District 145
-2020 U.S. Senate roundup
-Proposed legislation to loosen anti-marijuana laws

Episode 95: Michael Cohen Mar 01, 2019

Show notes

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, testified before the House Oversight Committee and described the President as a con man, as well as a racist and disloyal person. His explosive testimony came in the aftermath of Cohen’s own plea deal for lying before Congress.

Will Cohen’s testimony matter in the ongoing investigation of the President? Should his testimony even be considered, in light of his own conviction? What are the political implications for Democrats and Republicans? Party Politics co-hosts Jay Aiyer and Brandon Rottinghaus break down the testimony and look at the impact it might have for Trump.

NATIONAL TOPICS
-2020 Presidential roundup! Who’s in and who’s out
-North Carolina 9th Congressional District gets a redo
-Joaquin Castro’s resolution passes the U.S. House and rebukes the border wall
-Trump and Kim Jong Un’s summit ends with little progress
-The President invites Americans to set aside Fourth of July for a celebration

TEXAS TOPICS
-Governor Greg Abbott sets record on fundraising
-Senator John Cornyn quotes Benito Mussolini - U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reacts
-The Texas Legislature discusses billion dollar figures for funding of public schools
-A federal judge orders Texas to end effort to purge voter rolls

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Tweet us using #PartyPoliticsPod or email partypoliticspod@houstonpublicmedia.org.

Party Politics is produced by Don Geraci, the audio engineer is Todd Hulslander and our digital editor is Alvaro ‘Al’ Ortiz.

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