Politics of Truth

Latest Episodes:

Episode 16: Harry Reid Jul 22, 2020

Show notes

On this very special episode of Politics of Truth Bob is joined by Bob Costa, National Politics Reporter for the Washington Post and they're honored to welcome former US Senator Harry Reid of Nevada. Senator Reid served in the Senate for more than 30 years, including his final 8 years in office as the Senate Majority Leader, passing signature legislation like the Affordable Care Act and earning his reputation as a respected leader and fierce negotiator.

Bob Crawford and Bob Costa speak with Senator Reid about the legacy of Congressman John Lewis, this summer of protests against racial injustice, seeing Elvis perform in Vegas, The Grateful Dead, and the Democrats' chances of retaking the Senate in November.

Politics of Truth is brought to you by Osiris Media. Executive Producer is Adam Caplan. Produced by RJ Bee. Edited, mixed and mastered by Brad Stratton. Art by Mark Dowd. To discover more podcasts that help you connect more deeply with the music you love, check out osirispod.com.

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Episode 15: Campaign Music with Margaret Talev of Axios Jul 15, 2020

Show notes

Bob's guest this week is Margaret Talev, White House and Politics Editor at Axios and a CNN political analyst. Margaret is also a huge music fan who's paid close attention to the soundtracks of campaigns for as long as she's been on the trail.

Margaret and Bob discuss which campaigns have harnessed the power of music effectively, and why it's worked. There's also the inevitable awkwardness (and occasional lawsuit) when a campaign co-opts the music of a political opponent, as is happening now with the Trump campaign on multiple fronts.

Finally they examine Joe Biden's VP shortlist and which factors the campaign should consider most as they make their final choice.

Featured Music:

Chris Martin, "Til' Kingdom Come" (From Beau Biden's funeral)

They Might Be Giants, "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too"

The Rolling Stones, "You Can't Always Get What You Want"

Tom Petty, "I Won't Back Down"

Curtis Mayfield, "Move On Up"

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Episode 14: Renee Fleming on Neuroscience and Music Jul 01, 2020

Show notes

On this episode Bob speaks with legendary soprano Renée Fleming about her research with the Kennedy Center and NIH exploring the intersection between neuroscience and music, called the Sound Health Initiative.

Renée also explains what she's up to musically during this time, including a new musical collaboration and conversation with the Kennedy Center, bassist Victor Wooten, and neuroscientist Dr. Daniel Levitin.

Finally, Renée talks about being on Joe Biden's Artists Council and how musicians can strike the right balance when taking a stand for what they believe in.

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Episode 13: Dr. Peter A. Wish on Connecting with Voters Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

This week Bob speaks with Dr. Peter A. Wish, a psychologist who has advised candidates for Congress, Senate, and the Presidency on how to connect with voters.

Dr. Wish's latest book, "The Candidate's 7 Deadly Sins", details the biggest mistakes that candidates make when trying to connect emotionally. He explains the forces that dissuade candidates from being their most authentic selves, and why so few choose to project their most likable qualities to the voters whose support they need to win.

Then we turn to the November elections and how Biden, Trump, and down-ticket candidates can offer the optimistic messages voters overwhelmingly want during a time of such suffering and uncertainty.

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Episode 12: Chuck Morris May 27, 2020

Show notes

States have begun relaxing restrictions on a range of outdoor activities as the weather heats up and the Covid case numbers slowly come down in some areas. Regardless of the success of these "Phase 1" reopening plans live concerts, where I earn my living and experience some of my greatest joys, will be among the last things to come back as we knew them (though it's exciting to see some bands experimenting with drive-in concerts and other outside the box ideas)

So this week I speak with my good friend Chuck Morris, legendary concert promoter and longtime head of AEG Rocky Mountains, which has dominated the Colorado live music scene even as LiveNation and other behemoths have swallowed most of the industry whole. I intended to speak with Chuck about what we should expect for live music in the near future, but that'll have to wait for another episode because Chuck's amazing history in the music business was simply too hard to ignore. He's been right there at the start with some of the most successful bands of the last 50 years and those stories are worth sharing with you all.

In 1971, before The Eagles had even recorded a record, Chuck brought them to play some of their first ever gigs in Aspen and Boulder, starting a decades-long friendship spanning hundreds of shows together.

On U2's first trip to Colorado in 1980 Chuck took them to see Red Rocks, convinced that soon they'd be big enough to play that legendary venue. Just three years later, Chuck booked them at Red Rocks for a show that became U2's live album "Under A Blood Red Sky".

Chuck recently moved on from running AEG day-to-day to fulfil another dream; creating a Music Business Program at Colorado State University. It's simply the next remarkable chapter in the story of one of my favorite characters in all of music.

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Episode 11: Mickey Hart and Robert Costa May 20, 2020

Show notes

This week we've got a very special episode for you. Bob is joined once again by Bob Costa, National Political Reporter for The Washington Post, the host of Washington Week on PBS, and a long-time fan of our other guest, Mickey Hart.

Mickey is the legendary drummer and percussionist of the Grateful Dead, as well as countless other musical endeavors over more than 50 years in the business. It's great to have Bob and Mickey here together on account of their mutual admiration and some of the common experiences of reporters and musicians.

The discussion touches on music as a unifying force and its scientifically proven ability to enhance the healing of our minds and bodies. Also the force of rhythm, not only in music but in life; even more important to be mindful of as all of our daily rhythms are out of sync during this period of confinement. Yet we know this moment will propel new forms of creativity in music and beyond; we're already witnessing a real-time soundtrack of this global crisis streaming directly from artists at home across the globe. And we're all grateful for that.

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Episode 10: Federal Disaster Expert Brent Colburn May 11, 2020

Show notes

The state-level responses to the coronavirus have shown incredible displays of leadership from some Governors and local officials as they respond to their local circumstances. But when it so clearly feels like the federal government is failing to step up amidst an unprecedented crisis, how can we parse what's being done for political reasons, and what's being done in good faith?

This week Brent Colburn joins us to share his considerable experience with federal disaster response. Brent is a top-tier communications expert who's served in senior roles at FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, HUD, and the Pentagon; many of the agencies coordinating to combat the pandemic today.

For more than a decade Brent worked on federal responses to crises including Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy. He has seen how our elected leaders' use of the bully pulpit to inform Americans and call us to action can determine our ability to come together in times of need.

Brent talks about the importance oftrustamong actors and agencies at all levels of society when coordinating a complex response, especially when a crisis hits everywhere at once.

It's easy to get confused and discouraged by news about the pandemic, but we hope you'll feel calmer and better informed after this discussion.

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Episode 9: Langhorne Slim and Chris Frates (CNN and Storyline) Apr 24, 2020

Show notes

As the coronavirus crisis continues to keep most Americans isolated at home, it's struggle to find balance between following the massive, global scale of a pandemic and the deeply personal challenges facing every individual and family. Each new day brings important public health and policy developments that require us all to act together and really come to terms with crucial questions about how we live as a society. At the same time, endless confinement at home with ourselves and our families during a moment of extreme stress can shine a spotlight on some of our own personal vulnerabilities that require attention and care. Balancing the deeply personal and the massively global nature of this moment hasn't been easy for anyone.

This week Bob spoke with two friends, one from the world of politics and the other from his life as a musician, about the practical and the personal dimensions of this crisis.

First is Chris Frates, veteran CNN reporter and host of Politics Inside Out on SiriusXM, who in 2016 founded Storyline, which tells the stories of people and organizations whose perspectives fall through the cracks of large media companies. They discuss how and whether to cover the White House daily Covid briefings as news, how Joe Biden can run an effective campaign in a time without rallies and door knockers to get out the vote, who he might select as his Vice Presidential running mate, and Chris' own challenges of running a small business during an economic crisis.

Next Bob speaks to his old friend, singer-songwriter Langhorne Slim, who just played a show with Bob and The Avett Brothers in the Dominican Republic in early March, days before our world changed. Slim lives in Nashville and he returned from the DR to a community that was about to be ravaged by a tornado, then by Covid. He's an unusually thoughtful and candid guy, and he digs into the personal difficulties that for so many are compounded by this crisis.

We also pay tribute to the legendary Gene Shay who passed away on Sunday from Covid-19 in his native Philadelphia. Gene was a towering figure in folk music for more than a half century, but he was also a personal friend of both Bob's and Slim's from the early days of their careers. RIP Gene Shay.

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Episode 8: Can Vote-By-Mail Work? Apr 17, 2020

Show notes

This week we zoom in on a subject a lot of folks have been thinking about as we follow the news during lockdown, and that's vote-by-mail. Even before COVID-19 we were likely to see an increase in absentee ballots in November. But after Wisconsin held their primary amidst a health crisis and social distancing restrictions, the whole country got to see the risks of a massive uptick in absentee voting across all 50 states, all of which administer their own elections differently.

How can states use the six months between now and Election Day to find common ground and avoid judicial fights that erode voters confidence in our elections and, worst case scenario, don't provide a conclusive and accepted result? And if you vote by mail in November, what should you know to make sure your vote is counted appropriately?

We dig into these questions with two guests who offer a few important questions of their own. The first is Ned Foley, constitutional law professor at Ohio State University and the author, most recently, of the book "Presidential Elections and Majority Rule". An expert on election law, Ned also wrote an opinion piece in Politico last week called "Why Vote By Mail Could Be A Legal Nightmare in November".

Next we speak to New York Times reporter Nick Corasaniti, co-author of a great piece in The Times titled "Why Republicans Are So Afraid of Vote-by-Mail" . Nick has been covering the fallout from Wisconsin's disastrous primary and what lessons we can learn to ensure the greatest voting access as possible during this unprecedented election year. Please check out Nick's ongoing coverage of this story; the stakes are too high not to.

Please stay safe out there, and enjoy the conversation.

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Episode 7: Marc Brownstein and Robert Costa Mar 31, 2020

Show notes

Our focus shifts from the 2020 campaign to the covid-19 crisis that's reshaping every dimension of Americans' lives, while reminding voters about the importance of political leadership in uncertain times.

First Bob speaks with Robert Costa, National Political Reporter for The Washington Post and host of Washington Week on PBS, about how life as a connected reporter changes in a disconnected world as millions shelter-in-place. How should we follow the changing messages coming from the White House as all 50 states respond to the virus? How can we plan for a resumption of normal activities when the effects of an economic shutdown are only starting to ripple across entire industries? And how will a Democratic nominee emerge from a primary process that's been stopped in its tracks by social distancing?

Bob also talks to Marc Brownstein, bassist for The Disco Biscuits and co-founder of the national voter registration organization Headcount, which has registered more than 600,000 new voters at concerts and festivals since 2004. The Disco Biscuits cancelled their shows the moment the virus took hold in the US and, like countless other musicians, are trying to adjust to a new paradigm without live events for a while. Marc explains how he used that moment as an opportunity to quickly launch a new product, LiveLessonMasters.com, which enables musicians (as well as wellness experts, chefs, and others) to link with fans for virtual lessons that foster a real connection between the artist and their supporters on an individual level.

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