Kickass News

My guests today are Fred Barnes and Mort Kondracke. Fred Barnes is the co-founder and executive editor of The Weekly Standard and Mort Kondracke served as the executive editor of Roll Call and former Washington bureau chief for Newsweek.  For over ten years, they co-hosted the popular weekly political show The Beltway Boys on Fox News. Today they still regularly appear as political commentators on Fox News, and they recently teamed up to write the first ever biography exploring the legacy of the late Congressman, quarterback and self-proclaimed bleeding heart conservative, Jack Kemp.   According to them, Jack Kemp may well have been the most important American politician who never made it to the White House and in their words, he’s a model of how politics ought to be. We’ll talk about how Jack Kemp’s pro-football career influenced his leadership style, and how he became the backbone behind President Ronald Reagan’s economic policy. We’ll also discuss his crusade to help America’s underprivileged and bring A

My guest in this podcast is former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. From 2007 until just this year, she represented Minnesota’s 7th district in Congress and in 2012 Michele Bachmann ran for the Republican nomination for President. In Congress, she served on the House Financial Services Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence which oversees the CIA, the NSA, and other intelligence agencies. She has been a strong supporter of the Tea Party movement from it’s earliest days and founded the House Tea Party Caucus when she was in Congress. On this podcast, she’ll talk about the Tea Party’s role in the Republican party today and her thoughts on the GOP field in 2016. As a former tax attorney, she’ll also share her ideas on how to simplify the tax code, and talk about her grave concerns about Russia, Iran, and Syria, and America’s shrinking role in the world under President Obama. Plus she’ll reveal how one of her foster children’s 11th grade homework assignment led to her career politics. For m

  Mike Pesca hosts Slate's The Gist podcast 5 days a week and he's a weekly panelist on Slate's Hang Up & Listen podcast.  Before that he was a national desk correspondent for NPR covering sports, culture and politics.  He's won two Edward R. Murrow Awards for Excellence in Electronic Journalism, and he has a loyal following of fans who tune in daily to heir his "spiel" of the day. Today, he'll talk about the House Speakers race, money in politics, and the filibuster.  Plus he'll go off on his one man boycott of Starbucks, The Tea Party and his disdain for the phrase "no problem."   If you enjoyed this episode then check out Mike Pesca's weekday podcast called Slate's The Gist.  You can listen on iTunes or go to www.slate.com For more information, visit www.KickAssPolitics.com, and if you enjoyed the show and would like to help keep us on the air, then please help us reach our fall fundraising goal by donating at www.gofundme.com/kickasspolitics. Also, we’d appreciate it if you would take our listener su

Just in time for BRIDGE OF SPIES, Dr. Vincent Houghton comes on the show.  Vince is historian and curator of the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC and host of SPYCAST, a popular weekly podcast covering all things espionage.   On today's show, he'll talk about the true story and the real people behind the U-2 spy plane incident and the movie BRIDGE OF SPIES.  Plus he'll talk about the greatest spy who ever lived, Cold War espionage, America's spy history from the Revolutionary War through the CIA, and he'll reveal some of the coolest spy gadgets in the collection at the International Spy Museum.   You can learn more about the International Spy Museum by going to www.spymuseum.org, and be sure to check out Vince's podcast on iTunes called SpyCast. For more information, visit www.KickAssPolitics.com, and if you enjoyed the show and would like to help keep us on the air, then please help us reach our fall fundraising goal by donating at www.gofundme.com/kickasspolitics. Also, we’d appreciate it if y

David Axelrod joins me on the show from Politicon in Los Angeles.  In his 40 year career in politics, he has advised over 150 Democrat campaigns.  He's the campaign wizard behind President Barack Obama's victories in 2008 and 2012 and he served in the White House as Senior Advisor to the President.  Today he's founder and director of the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago and he now has his own podcast called The Axe Files.   On the podcast, he talks about his very first campaign, his early days covering notorious Chicago politics for the Tribune, his 23 year friendship with Barack Obama, and his love of the political process. We also discuss the healthcare act and the president’s relationship with Israel.  Plus he reveals why he almost sat out the 2008 election, why he shaved his mustache and at least one reason why he says Donald Trump isn’t so bad.   If you enjoy this episode, be sure to subscribe to David's new political podcast The Axe Files on iTunes.  You can also purchase his fasci

Following the Reagan Library Republican debate, I talk with conservative author, radio host, and speaker, Michael Reagan.  He also happens to be the son of the late President Ronald Reagan.  He says the 2016 GOP candidates need to stop trying to imitate his father and repackage the Reagan legacy to better match their own political brands.  Instead they should embody Reagan's spirit and his leadership qualities. He says if conservatives want to win in 2016, they need to focus on the future of the party instead of looking back nostalgically to the 80's and the Reagan era.  He also says that many conservatives seem to misunderstand Ronald Reagan and he questions whether the icon of the conservative movement could get elected in the era of the tea party and strict insistence on conservative "purity" from less moderate factions of the Republican Party.  Plus for the first time, Michael Reagan will tell the story of how the morning after losing the 1976 Republican nomination to President Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan

In the past month, the murder of a Syrian Archeologist by ISIS terrorists and their senseless destruction of two temples at the UNESCO World Heritage site at Palmyra sent shockwaves through the archeological community, and drew media attention to what very well may be the biggest threat to the word’s shared cultural heritage since World War II. The maniacs of the so called Islamic State are blowing up historic monuments and looting and selling priceless ancient antiquities in what is now their second biggest revenue source only behind oil. In this podcast I talk with the men who are leading the charge to rescue some of the most important treasures of the ancient world before it’s too late. Dr. Amr Al Azm who served as Director of Scientific and Conservation Laboratories at the General Department of Antiquities and Museums in Syria and as Head of the Centre for Archaeological Research at the University of Damascus. Now he’s an associate professor of Middle Eastern history and anthropology at Shawnee State Uni

Following President Obama’s decision to normalize relations with Cuba and re-open the U.S. embassy in Havana, I talk with two men who bore witness the brutality and economic collapse of Cuba under Fidel Castro.  They both escaped to the U.S. as young boys, but their fathers weren’t so lucky, and they’ll tell their stories in today’s episode.     My first guest is Carlos Eire.  Today he’s a history and religion professor at Yale University and a best-selling author who won the 2003 National Book Award for his memoirs, WAITING FOR SNOW IN HAVANA: CONFESSIONS OF A CUBAN BOY, which he followed up with LEARNING TO DIE IN MIAMI: CONFESSIONS OF A REFUGEE BOY.       And in the second half of the podcast, I’ll talk with Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado.  After coming to America as kid, he became a broadcast journalist at the spanish-language network Univision and the first Cuban-American member of the White House Press Corps.  Now Tomas Regalado is Mayor of the city Miami, and he is personally dealing with the afterma

Just in time for the Senate debate over President Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, Senator Lindsey Graham comes on the show to talk about why the deal is bad for America & the Middle East and how he intends to prevent Iran from getting a nuke.  Plus we talk about the GOP primary, Trump, and the advice Senator John McCain gave him about running for President.     For more information, visit www.KickAssPolitics.com, and if you enjoyed the show and would like to help keep us on the air, then please show your support at www.gofundme.com/kickasspolitics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson is founding partner at the polling firm Echelon Insights.  She's also the co-host of the political podcast The Pollsters and author of a new book called The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials Are Leading America (and How Republicans Can Keep Up).       She'll talk about what separates millennials from previous generations and how their values and priorities are shaping their politics.  Kristen warns that if Republicans write off millennials now, they may never get them back.  She'll outline a plan for winning young voters with a conservative message that addresses their priorities and relates to their values.  Then she'll talk about who in the 2016 field "gets it" and who doesn't.  Plus she'll share some broader polling data on the Trump phenomenon, the Hillary email scandal, and the issues that may drive the 2016 election.     For more information, visit www.KickAssPolitics.com, and if you enjoyed the show and would like to help keep us on the air, then please sh

My guest today is Ronald Bailey.  He's an award-winning science journalist for Reason Magazine and an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute.  In his new book THE END OF DOOM: ENVIRONMENTAL RENEWAL IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, he says the sky ISN'T falling, and in fact, the world is becoming safer, cleaner, and healthier than ever before.  On this podcast, he'll present the proponderance of scientific data debunking a wide range of environmental alarmist myths about overpopulation, world hunger, the "energy crisis," GMOs & pesticides, deforestation, the "cancer epidemic," endangered species, and more.   He'll reveal how activists parading as "scientists" completely ignore the scientific method and overwhelming data when it contradicts their wild theories.  Why?  Because sensational predictions of environmental apocalypse and misinformation campaigns against things like vaccination mask a radically anti-capitalist agenda, and doom has become a powerful fundraising tool for some of the world's biggest environm

Welcome to the preview station for KickAss Politics with Ben Mathis!  My guest today is Arthur C. Brooks, best-selling conservative author and president of the American Enterprise Institute.  He has a new book called THE CONSERVATIVE HEART: HOW TO BUILD A FAIRER, HAPPIER, AND MORE PROSPEROUS AMERICA.  He says conservatives need to stop just being against things and start being FOR people.  He talks about his journey to from a french horn player and a liberal ex-patriot living in Barcelona to economist, best-selling conservative author and head of A.E.I.  He believes conservatives must become better at delivering their message and relating to everyday Americans if they're going to grow the party and he has some advice for the 2016 candidates.  He also says Republicans need to correct the impression that they are against entitlements and a social safety net and they need to make fighting poverty and lifting up people a moral priority.   This is just a sample episode as part of the KickAss Politics preview sta

In the summer of 2009, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was a darling of the Tea Party and a leading contender for the GOP nomination in 2012 until it all came crashing down in a bizarre sex scandal and an even more bizarre attempt at "damage control."  His speechwriter Barton Swaim had a front row seat for the fiasco and he writes about it in his new book THE SPEECHWRITER: A BRIEF POLITICAL EDUCATION.   He'll discuss the scandal as a case study in how NOT to do damage control.  He'll also talk about the former Governor's legendary cheapness, his obsession with Rosa Parks, and what it's like to be a speechwriter for a politician who loves bad writing.  Plus Barton will talk about what it's like to work in the political spin room and his observations about politicians in general.   For more information, visit www.KickAssPolitics.com, and if you enjoyed the show and would like to help keep us on the air, then please show your support at www.gofundme.com/kickasspolitics.   Learn more about your ad choic

Welcome to the preview station for KickAss Politics with Ben Mathis!  In the last podcast, we covered the broad strokes of President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran as well as the ramifications of this deal for the Middle East and for U.S. diplomacy.  In today’s podcast, we’ll focus on the one who has the most to lose in this deal - Israel.  Today’s guest is Danny Ayalon.  He’s the former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. and served as the Deputy Foreign Minister under the current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  He’ll discuss what the Iran deal means for Israel, how it may lead to some surprising alliances with Israel’s Arab neighbors, and we’ll discuss Prime Minister Netanyahu’s next move.     For more information, visit www.KickAssPolitics.com, and if you enjoyed the show and would like to help keep us on the air, then please show your support at www.gofundme.com/kickasspolitics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, we'll look at just what's in President Obama's nuclear agreement with Iran and what it means for U.S. prestige, Israel, and the Middle East.  Will it set Iran on a path torward a nuclear bomb?  Will it set off a nuclear arms race among other Middle East nations?  Will it set a dangerous precedent in U.S. foreign policy.  We'll discuss all of this with Michael Rubin.  He's a former Pentagon official specializing in Iran and a Middle East scholar with the American Enterprise Insititute.  He has written extensively on the subject of rogue regimes and Iran's nuclear ambitions, and he'll explain why this deal is not something to celebrate.     For more information, visit www.KickAssPolitics.com, and if you enjoyed the show and would like to help keep us on the air, then please show your support at www.gofundme.com/kickasspolitics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, I talk with Bruce Carlson, the host of the very popular podcast "My History Can Beat Up Your Politics."  Bruce takes the politics of today and puts it into larger historical context for listeners.  He says knowledge of the political history of America    is key to putting political devleopments into perspective, controlling heated partisanship, and creating better and more informed voters.  He'll share historical precedents for the 2016 election, give us a crash course in the "Lyndon Johnson treatment," discuss his favorite "what ifs" in American history, and give his two cents on the decision to knock Alexander Hamilton off the $10 bill.   For more information, visit www.KickAssPolitics.com, and if you enjoyed the show and would like to help keep us on the air, then please show your support at www.gofundme.com/kickasspolitics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest is John Tamny.  He is the editor of RealClearMarkets.com and the political economy editor at Forbes Magazine.  He’s got new book called Popular Economics: What the Rolling Stones, Downton Abbey, and LeBron James Can Teach You About Economics.  He’ll pull back to the curtain to explain how economics is one of the simplest and most basic disciplines to understand because according to him everyone is an economist.  He’ll explain how the Dallas Cowboys, and Paris Hilton are excellent examples of good and bad tax policy.  And how Monday Night Football and HBO's The Sopranos reveal the downside of anti-trust regulation.  He'll also explain why the U.S. should eliminate the dividend tax, why Americans should embrace free trade, and why he thinks it's time for us to go back to the gold standard.     For more information, visit www.KickAssPolitics.com, and if you enjoyed the show and would like to help keep us on the air, then please show your support at www.gofundme.com/kickasspolitics.   Learn more

Famed neurosurgeon, author and now Presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson comes on the podcast to talk about the GOP debate, his suprising political ascent, the issues that matter most to him, and some of the life lessons he's picked up along the way.  He'll tell us how his speech at the National Prayer Breakfast two years ago and his subsquent political rise interrupted his plan for a quiet retirement and why he feels compelled to run for office for the first time in his life.  Plus Dr. Carson will talk about what it's like to be the only vegetarian in the GOP Presidential field, how American's can improve their health, and how a fit of rage when he was a boy almost turned into a tragedy and changed the course of his life. For more information, visit www.KickAssPolitics.com, and if you enjoyed the show and would like to help keep us on the air, then please show your support at www.gofundme.com/kickasspolitics.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does it seem like America is straying farther from the original framework designed by our Founding Fathers?  Does it seem like the Federal government is increasingly encroaching on the rights of individuals and the states?  Do you think the President is expanding the powers of the Executive Branch into dangerous Constitutional territory? If so, then you are not alone.  Senator Mike Lee says he's spent the past 4 years in the U.S. Senate getting a crash course in how politicians, judges, and bureaucrats are slowly wittling away at the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  He says we're entering a period of Constitutional Crisis and he discusses it in his new book, OUR LOST CONSTITUTION: THE WILLFULL SUBVERSION OF AMERICA'S FOUNDING DOCUMENT.  He's coming on the podcast to talk about our Constitutional origins, how we've strayed so far from them, and how we can get them back.  Plus he'll tell us why Senator Harry Reid once locked him in a garage!  It's a true story.   For more information, visit www.KickAssP

Did you know that many of the 13 colonies were founded as tax havens from the British?  Or that our Founding Fathers declared independence from Britain because King George wanted to raise the 1-2% on colonial Americans to 3-4%?  Compare that to the 33% income tax that the average American pays today!  Did you know that the tax on your telephone calls was originally intended to be a "temporary tax" to pay for the Spanish-American War over 100 years ago?   How did taxes get so out of control between 1776 and now?  Grover Norquist, president and founder of Americans for Tax Reform has a new book called END THE IRS BEFORE IT ENDS US: HOW TO RESTORY A LOW-TAX, HIGH GROWTH, WEALTHY AMERICA and he is coming back on the show to explain America has strayed so far from our anti-tax, pro-liberty origins. He says the IRS has gotten out of control and he has a plan to roll back taxes and promote economic growth with the eventual goal of abolishing the IRS entirely.  He'll provide tips on how every American can reduce t