The Scrum

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The Sanders-Warren Peace Pact Crumbles — Plus, Pushback For Marty Walsh's BPS Plan Jan 16, 2020

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For months, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders were amiable rivals, vying for left-leaning voters and the Democratic presidential nomination without directly attacking each other. So much for that! After Peter Kadzis and Adam Reilly size up the end of the Sanders-Warren detente, Peter chats with Kristin Johnson, a/k/a @krissycabbage, about why she and other Boston education activists are skeptical of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s big new push for public-school equity.

Every #FITN Democrat Wants The Union Leader's Endorsement. So Who'll Get It? Jan 10, 2020

Show notes

In 2016, then-publisher Joe McQuaid and the New Hampshire Union Leader aggressively called out then-candidate Donald Trump, accusing him of insulting the intelligence of Granite State voters and then opting not to endorse a Republican for the first time in a century. So what will they do for an encore? For starters, in just a few weeks, they’ll try to play kingmaker (or queenmaker) in the Democratic race.

McQuaid — who’s now editor at large, but will decide the paper’s endorsement along with his son, publisher Brendan McQuaid — sat down with Peter Kadzis and Adam Reilly to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the Democratic candidates, Trump’s takeover of the GOP, and the issues that matter most to New Hampshire voters. Listen closely, and you’ll hear some tantalizing clues about who might get the Union Leader’s coveted nod before New Hampshire votes.

A Veteran Sizes Up The Afghanistan Papers — Plus, Where Impeachment Goes Next Dec 20, 2019

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The Washington Post’s Afghanistan Papers report was a deeply depressing read, establishing beyond a shadow of a doubt that the war was mismanaged from the outset and misrepresented by military and political leaders. So how did that expose read to the men and women who actually served there? Adam Reilly talks it over with Erik Edstrom, an Army vet and Bronze Star winner and author of the upcoming Un-American: A Soldier’s Reckoning Of Our Longest War. Plus, after watching nearly every minute of the House’s impeachment proceedings, Peter Kadzis offers his thoughts on where the process goes next — and what the political fallout will be.

Can Elizabeth Warren Bounce Back? Dec 08, 2019

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For the better part of 2019, Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign seemed to be doing everything right. But then, about two months ago, her poll numbers started dropping instead of climbing — and the decline was precipitous.

So what went wrong, exactly? And what will it take for Warren to rebound? This episode of the Scrum starts with insights from the Washington Post’s Annie Linskey, who may know Warren better than any other journalist and says healthcare policy played a key role in Warren’s decline. Next, Adam Reilly and Peter Kadzis talk with UMass Boston political scientist Erin O’Brien about whether other factors might be at play (gender, maybe?) and what it would take for Warren to regroup.

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Spilka Speaks! Plus, Kadzis On Impeachment Nov 26, 2019

Show notes

It was a very Beacon Hill way to end 2019 — a flurry of legislating on various important topics that left observers saying 1) “Good job!” and 2) “What in God’s name took so long?”

In a conversation with WGBH News State House correspondent Mike Deehan, Senate President Karen Spilka talks about the Legislature’s big achievements; how she’d answer critics who question its pace; the state of Governor Charlie Baker’s agenda and the Senate GOP; and Deval Patrick’s presidential campaign (spoiler: she’s not overly enthused). First, though, Peter Kadzis shares some deep thoughts on possible presidential impeachment after watching a whopping 35 hours of testimony last week.

Can't get enough of local and national politics? Subscribe to The Scrum, WGBH News' politics podcast, with Adam Reilly, Peter Kadzis, and an ever-expanding roster of guests.

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Has Charlie Baker Launched His Own Political Party? Plus, Deep Thoughts On Deval 2020 Nov 19, 2019

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If you follow Massachusetts politics, you know that moderate Republican activist and commentator Ed Lyons is a Charlie Baker superfan who really, *really *doesn’t like President Trump. In this episode of the Scrum, Lyons talks with Adam Reilly and Peter Kadzis about a provocative thesis he floated recently in Commonwealth magazine — namely, that Baker is in the process of creating a de facto third party here in Massachusetts. First, though, Kadzis and Reilly size up Deval Patrick’s presidential launch — which (among other things) kept this episode from coming out last week, as originally scheduled.

About Last Night: What The 2019 Boston Elections Actually Mean Nov 06, 2019

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Does Michelle Wu’s ticket-topping win mean she’ll run for mayor? Is a city council comprised mostly of women and people of color a purely symbolic development, or something more? And what’s next for Dudley (a/k/a Nubian) Square? Peter Kadzis and Adam Reilly size up these storylines, and a few others, with Sue O’Connell of NECN and Yawu Miller of the Bay State Banner. It’s both the #bospoli fix you want *and* the #bospoli fix you need.

What's At Stake In The Allston-Brighton Boston City Council Race? Oct 24, 2019

Show notes

There are plenty of interesting subplots when it comes to this year’s Boston City Council elections. Will Michelle Wu top the at-large ticket, paving the way for a mayoral run? Will the council end up majority woman, and/or majority person of color? And what’s going to happen in District 9, a/k/a Allston-Brighton — a neighborhood where the pace of change has been dauntingly fast of late?

In this episode, Peter Kadzis and Adam Reilly tackle the latter topic in a conversation with the two candidates vying to represent District 9, which just happens to be where the WGBH mother ship is located: legislative aide Craig Cashman and neighborhood activist Liz Breadon, who finished first and second in an extremely close preliminary race back in September. Take a listen.

"The Urgency Has Just Grown So Much": Michelle Wu Talks Development And Representation Oct 16, 2019

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Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu has been everywhere over the past few months — campaigning against fare hikes at the “T,” calling out the Boston Herald for some questionable cover art, and now calling for the abolition of the very powerful, deeply entrenched Boston Planning and Development Agency.

Peter Kadzis and Adam Reilly talk about why she thinks the BPDA needs to go, what it would take to actually make it happen, and whether Mayor Marty Walsh’s defense of the agency passes muster. Also discussed: how the role of a Boston City Councilor has changed during Wu’s six years in office, and what the implications of an majority-female Boston City Council would be.

Marty Walsh: "I Still Have A Lot Of Governing Left In Me" Oct 09, 2019

Show notes

The last time Marty Walsh sat down with the Scrum, he was wrapping up his first year as mayor. Now, as he approaches the six-year mark, Walsh finds himself in an unusual position: after winning a second term in a landside in 2017, he’s mentioned as a possible candidate for governor and US Senate — but he’s been forced to play defense after scandals at City Hall, and some political observers speculate that he’s just not enjoying his job as much as he used to.

In a wide-ranging interview at City Hall, Walsh spoke with Peter Kadzis and Adam Reilly about (among other things) his political future, Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu’s push to abolish the Boston Planning and Development Agency, and how his own battle with alcoholism informs the way he thinks about opioid addiction.

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