Rational Radio Daily with Steele and Ungar

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"Donald Trump will be the great, unwitting unifier of the Democratic Party." Nov 16, 2017

Show notes

Saturday Night Live ran a skit this past weekend featuring the “fresh faces” of the Democratic Party who promised “fresh, new ideas”. Those fresh faces included House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, former VP candidate Tim Kaine, Vice President Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders and others. The skit reflects a growing opinion that the Democrats have an age problem when it comes to their party leadership. Bob Shrum, campaign adviser to Al Gore and John Kerry and a veteran of presidential politics, said the critique is misguided, but talked about the need for fresh blood and new ideas in the Democratic Party. Gordon Chang, author of “The Coming Collapse of China” and “Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes on the World”, discussed some of his major takeaways from President Trump’s Asia trip.

"I don't think the American public understands the size and scope of these kinds of cyberweapons." Nov 15, 2017

Show notes

The New York Times' story, “Deep Security Breach Cripples N.S.A.”, is one with massive implications. A group of hackers called ‘The Shadow Brokers’ worked its way into the National Security Agency’s databases, stole cyberweapons used by the U.S. to spy on other countries, and then leaked those cyberweapons on the internet. Morgan Wright, an expert on cybersecurity, cyberterrorism, identity theft and privacy, talks about just how serious and dangerous this situation is. Seth Hanlon, former special assistant to President Obama for economic policy, shares his thoughts on the latest developments with the GOP's House and Senate tax plans.

"This man [Moore] should not be a United States senator. Period." Nov 14, 2017

Show notes

At a press conference today, Beverly Young Nelson accused Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. The allegations led to a new flood of criticism against Moore. Senate Majority Leader (R-Ky.) affirmed his belief in Moore's accusers and floated the idea that a write-in campaign is “an option”. Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele unequivocally stated, “This was the final nail.” Dr. Evelyn Farkas, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, explains the national security concerns over President Trump’s continued denial that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election.

"Bills alone do not transform the [VA] system." Nov 11, 2017

Show notes

Congressman Jack Bergman (R-MI 1) is a former three-star Marine general, the highest ranking military official ever elected to the United States Congress. Congressman Bergman joins Michael Steele and Rick Ungar to celebrate Veterans Day and the 242nd birthday of the Marine Corps and talk about what the House Veterans Affairs Committee is doing to help our vets. The guys discuss the emerging cracks in the "House of Steele", the GOP House majority that Michael built as RNC chairman.

"Millions of middle-class households will pay higher taxes under this [House GOP] plan." Nov 10, 2017

Show notes

Now that House and Senate Republicans have released their tax plans, the GOP is ready to begin the hard push for its first major legislative victory of the Trump presidency. Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-Pa. 13), a member of the House Budget Committee, joined Rick Ungar and guest co-host Rick Tyler to discuss his issues with the House GOP's tax proposal. Boyle said the tax plan fell short in many ways and doesn’t address problems like wage stagnation and the deficit. The Ricks also reacted to the Washington Post's report on Roy Moore’s alleged sexual misconduct with minors. Will this sink his campaign for Alabama’s senate seat?

"The American people are getting sick and tired of the politics of division." Nov 09, 2017

Show notes

The Democrats won big in elections across the country Tuesday night. DNC Chairman Tom Perez attributed those wins to party unity, a strong ground game and solid candidates up and down the ticket. Perez joined Steele & Ungar to discuss the Dems’ winning formula for 2017 and how that will inform their strategy for 2018 and beyond. Amber Phillips of the Washington Post reviews some takeaways from Tuesday night and how those results will affect both parties as they look ahead to the 2018 midterms.

"It's very difficult for authoritarian societies to modernize." Nov 08, 2017

Show notes

11 of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent business and political leaders, including Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the wealthiest men in the world were arrested and detained over the past weekend under orders from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb described the arrests as a crackdown on corruption in the government, stating that they are “merely the start of a vital process to root out corruption wherever it exists”. Were these arrests really an attempt to eliminate corruption or was it merely a way for the Crown Prince to rid himself of potential political opponents? Ambassador Gerald Feierstein, director of the Center for Gulf Affairs at the Middle East Institute, explained the palace intrigue rocking Riyadh. Mikhail Zygar, a Russian journalist and filmmaker, joined us to talk about Russian politics, the influence of the Bolshevik Revolution on Russia 100 years later and his new book, “The Empire Must Die: Russia's Revolutionary Collapse, 1900-1917”.

"What Democrats are counting on is for this to be a wave election." Nov 07, 2017

Show notes

Just one year out from the 2018 midterms, the electoral landscape is as unpredictable as we've seen in some time. While polls project an advantage for the Democrats in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races, the 2016 election drove home the fact that polls can be misleading or wrong. The Democrats continue to suffer from political infighting and a lack of strong messaging while the Republicans struggle to define themselves in the era of Trump. Jim Antle, politics editor for the Washington Examiner, shares his perspective on where the two parties stand right now.

"If we were what "the media" says we are, we wouldn't have 25 or 30 million readers every month." Nov 04, 2017

Show notes

Alex Marlow, editor-in-chief of Breitbart News Network and host of Breitbart News Daily on SiriusXM Patriot (Channel 125), joins Rick and guest co-host Kirsten Haglund to talk about and celebrate the two-year anniversary of Breitbart News Daily and how Breitbart has influenced the national political conversation. We hope you enjoy this Rational Radio Daily Double for you on Freaky Friday!

"These divisions in the weeks to come could be very ugly and very painful." Nov 04, 2017

Show notes

A.B. Stoddard, associate editor and columnist at Real Clear Politics and the host of No Labels Radio on SiriusXM POTUS (Saturday at 10 a.m. ET and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET), joined Rick and guest co-host Kirsten Haglund to preview her interview with freshman Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) and discuss the news of the day. Congressman Dan Donovan (R-N.Y.) jumped on with us to explain why he disagrees with and would vote against the GOP's current tax plan.

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