Matters of Policy & Politics
302 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 10 hours ago - ★★★★★ - 351 ratingsMatters of Policy & Politics is a Hoover Institution podcast devoted to matters of governance and balance of power at home and abroad. It is hosted by Hoover fellow Bill Whalen.
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Episodes
The Hornet’s Nest Over The Door
March 11, 2022 21:33 - 57 minutes - 52.7 MBCalifornia’s governor delivered an 18-minute State of the State oration notable for its many omissions, including underperforming public schools and Sacramento’s notorious “boom or bust” revenue stream. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, join Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss how market volatility may upend state budgeting, the latest on K-12 ethnic studies, the fu...
Did Europe Take The Red Pill?
March 11, 2022 02:15 - 53 minutes - 48.6 MBHas the war in Ukraine and a reliance upon Russian fossil fuels prompted western European nations to reconsider their respective energy strategies? Bjorn Lomborg, a Hoover visiting fellow and environmental researcher, discusses ways for developed nations to reduce energy independence and battle climate change without necessarily devastating economies and lifestyles.
Ukraine’s George Washington – Or Martyr
March 03, 2022 04:06 - 51 minutes - 47.5 MBRussia’s invasion of Ukraine begs questions of flawed military strategy, bad geostrategic gambits, plus how information true and false flows amidst a hostile invasion. Paul Gregory, a Russian-fluent Hoover research fellow, offers insight into how to interpret news coming out of Eastern Europe, the makeup of Ukrainians and Russians – and an update on his 16-year-old granddaughter (of Ukrainian descent) presently trying to stay out of harm’s way in Kyiv.
“Nothing Is Over Until We Decide It Is”
February 25, 2022 03:55 - 49 minutes - 45.4 MBGas prices soar in California, San Francisco voters lash out at three members of the county’s Board of Education, and a gubernatorially-declared “state of emergency” in the Golden State nears its second anniversary. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, join Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss economic “pain at the pump,” whether the San Francisco recall is a harbinger ...
Schools Are “The Other”
February 18, 2022 03:11 - 58 minutes - 108 MBOnly two months into 2022 and already a turbulent year for K-12 education: voters recalled three members of San Francisco’s Board of Education; parents and schools districts at odds over student masking; questions of funding priorities are moving ahead, and on and on. Austin Beutner, former Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, discusses lessons learned from his tenure as the head of the nation’s second-largest school system during the pandemic, plus his plans to go to t...
Headbangers’ Ball
February 11, 2022 00:54 - 51 minutes - 46.8 MBEach year, California lawmakers fail to implement single-payer healthcare and curb homelessness – 2022 being no exception to the rule. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, join Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss why this annual exercise in futility, the easing of mask mandates, the challenges in fast-tracking new housing construction, and adding more yellow school bus...
The Problem Was Not The President
February 08, 2022 01:59 - 1 hour - 60.6 MBThis past weekend marked Ronald Reagan’s 111th birthday. Peter Robinson, the Hoover Institution’s Murdoch Distinguished Policy Fellow and a Reagan White House speechwriter, discusses the late president’s relevancy in this day and age – in the American heartland, on the global stage, and within a Republican Party whose current infighting contradicts Reagan’s “11th Commandment” of intraparty civility.
Immigrant Superpower
February 03, 2022 01:48 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBOn the back-burner in an otherwise ambitious first year of the Biden presidency: a dramatic overhaul of America’s immigration policies, a new pathway to citizenship, a revamp of family-based immigration, and additional diversity visas. Tim Kane, a Hoover Institution visiting fellow and author of the newly released The Immigrant Superpower: How Brains, Brawn and Bravery Made America Stronger, discusses America’s immigration conundrum past, present, and future and what policy changes might str...
The California Bowl
January 28, 2022 01:13 - 1 hour - 58.5 MBA state assembly committee advances a single-payer healthcare scheme without debate, California’s public employees unions dodge a political bullet, Nancy Pelosi plans to stick around the House for at least two more years, and what does Sunday’s Rams-49ers clash say about the Golden State’s notorious north-south divide? Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, join Hoover senior writer Jo...
The Biden Presidency After Year One
January 20, 2022 23:42 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBOn the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s inauguration, his administration’s struggles seem to lend truth to the adage: campaigning is easy, governing is hard. Tom Bevan, Real Clear Politics publisher/co-founder and a Hoover Institution media fellow, assesses the good, the bad, and the ugly of the first 12 months of the Biden White House.
Single Payer, Multiple Headaches?
January 14, 2022 02:36 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBA big news week in Sacramento includes Governor Newsom unveiling a record $286 billion budget proposal and a Democratic lawmaker offering a massive tax increase to cover the cost of a statewide single-player healthcare system. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, join Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss what Newsom’s spending blueprint says about California’s prioritie...
The Supreme Court Weighs In On Vaccine Mandates
January 08, 2022 04:22 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MBAn unusually long Supreme Court hearing (three hours in all) regarding two Biden Administration vaccine mandates raises thorny questions regarding federalism, states’ rights, and balance of power between the three branches of the federal government. John Yoo, a Hoover Institution fellow and UC-Berkeley School of Law professor, explains why conservative justices may strike down at least one mandate and the he previews two upcoming landmark cases involving Harvard’s admission practices and New...
The Future Of The Republican Party – A Report
December 17, 2021 03:29 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBWhat issues resonate with today’s Republicans? How has the party morphed since the rise of Ronald Reagan? What is Donald Trump’s influence upon next year’s GOP primaries and beyond? David Brady and Douglas Rivers, Hoover Institution senior fellows and Stanford University political scientists, and co-authors (along with Hoover senior fellow Morris Fiorina) of a survey of self-identifying Republicans, discuss their findings and reflect on what transpired politically in 2021.
Smash And Grab . . .Tax and Spend
December 11, 2021 02:38 - 52 minutes - 48.3 MBA pandemic, a recall election, a year-end crime wave and the question of how to invest a revenue windfall next year. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, join Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss what transpired in the Golden State in 2021, and what 2022 may offer in the way of policy and political developments.
Niall Ferguson (Still) Giving Thanks
November 23, 2021 14:00 - 53 minutes - 48.9 MBAs a celebrated historian and prolific columnist, Niall Ferguson has plenty for which to be grateful. Ferguson, the Hoover Institution’s Milbank Family Senior Fellow, explains why Americans should be giving thanks this holiday season. Note: this was first broadcast a few years ago, before the pandemic disrupted our lives and complicated our holiday planning.
Fuzzy Math & Turkey Brine
November 20, 2021 04:12 - 55 minutes - 50.5 MB“Diversity math,” the changing fortunes of Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris, a record revenue surplus in Sacramento, plus dubious outlooks for public pensions and high-speed rail. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, join Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss the latest in the Golden State, including what Lee’s cooking on Thanksgiving Day.
Inflation, The Fed And “Zero Dollars”
November 17, 2021 20:54 - 27 minutes - 25 MBIn a few days, the Congressional Budget Office will either back or buck President Biden’s claim that the Build Back Better plan – aka, “human infrastructure” – “costs zero dollars”. Michael Boskin, the Hoover Institution’s Wohlford Family Senior Fellow and the Tully M. Friedman Professor of Economics at Stanford University, discusses the measure’s fiscal impact, inflationary concerns, plus the significance of President Biden’s choice for chairman of the Federal Reserve – also expected soon.
Running Up The Score
November 03, 2021 00:59 - 59 minutes - 54.3 MBNever mind Virginia’s gubernatorial vote: California has its own education-related controversy in the form of a new diversity math curriculum. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen discuss whether a parental backlash will occur in the Golden State, needed updates to California's water policy and government technology/computers, plus recall movements in San Francisco, and finally poor sportsmanship on display in a high-school football game in Inglewood.
Veteran Fellows
October 22, 2021 18:50 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MBAs a younger generation of veterans transition from military service, how will they impact America’s communities? Jacquelyn Schneider, a Hoover fellow studying the intersection of technology, national security, and political psychology with a special interest in cybersecurity, discusses the Hoover Institution’s newly announced Veterans Fellowship Program (10 military veterans studying significant policy issues that will affect localities across America) and offers her thoughts on the younger...
Yes, Virginia, There Is . . . An Election
October 21, 2021 02:36 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBDoes an off-year gubernatorial race in the Old Dominion constitute a preview of next year’s midterm election? David Brady and Douglas Rivers, Hoover Institution senior fellows and Stanford University political scientists, discuss whether Virginia is a bellwether, President Biden’s declining poll numbers, and why some progressive columnists are forecasting a Democratic congressional wipeout next year.
The Little Dutch Boy
October 14, 2021 22:08 - 1 hour - 62.5 MBCalifornia’s bill-signing session concludes with hundreds of new state laws – many long on woke symbolism. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, discuss what this year’s legislative batch says about the Golden State, its war on fossil fuels, a new ethnic-studies mandate, Elon Musk’s decision to relocate Tesla’s headquarters to Texas, plus the Giants’-Dodgers baseball rivalry as a wind...
Matters Of Policy & Politics: Will The Conservative Majority Hold?
October 06, 2021 23:29 - 1 hour - 64.6 MBAs public and private-sector employees struggle with COVID vaccine mandates, the Supreme Court returns to in-person arguments, and Donald Trump seeks an end to his Twitter suspension. John Yoo, a Hoover Institution visiting fellow and UC-Berkeley law professor, discusses the legality of vaccine mandates, the High Court’s likely moves on abortion, gun restriction, and religious education in what might be a landmark session, plus the chances of Trump tweeting anytime soon.
Home Depot?
October 01, 2021 03:12 - 1 hour - 57.9 MBCalifornia Governor Gavin Newsom signs legislation meant to ease California’s housing crisis, but is it sensible – will it make homes in the Golden State more affordable? Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, talk with Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis about the Golden State’s housing conundrum, a new report on California’s economic health, and what to expect in the way of congr...
School Re-Openings – Following The Political Science
September 30, 2021 00:22 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBA new school year is underway, but what has the past year taught us about the political and policy clout of America’s teachers’ unions? Michael Hartney, a Hoover Institution national fellow, Boston College political scientist and author of a forthcoming book on the ascent of teachers’ unions, discusses the role that unions played during the past year’s school-reopening drama and what their agenda may resemble moving forward.
Matters Of Policy & Politics: A Recall Recap
September 16, 2021 23:10 - 1 hour - 60.5 MBThe election results are in and California’s governor has survived an attempt to recall him from office. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian (the co-author of "Why Company Headquarters Are Leaving California in Unprecedented Numbers") and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s California on Your Mind web channel, sit down with Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss how Gavin Newsom managed to keep his job – and the policy implications for the Golden S...
Business (Hostility) As Usual?
September 09, 2021 23:10 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MBA new study shows companies are leaving California at double the rate of the past three years due to taxes, over-regulation, and a high cost of living. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian (the co-author of that report) and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, sit down with Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss the plight of California’s business climate and the Golden State’s gubernatorial recall election.
Who Calls Whom The President Calls Upon?
August 31, 2021 00:13 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MBAn admission at a recent press conference that his staff pre-determines the order of reporters’ questions points to an odd facet of the Biden presidency: behind-the-scenes choreography on public display. Debra Saunders, a Washington-based columnist, past Trump White House correspondent, and Hoover media fellow, discusses the current presidency’s media relationship – and, harkening back to her days covering California policy and politics, Gavin Newsom’s recall prospects and why San Francisco-...
America After The Trump Presidency
August 26, 2021 05:13 - 1 hour - 62.8 MBDonald Trump’s gone (from office) but not forgotten as many of the elements that contributed to his political ascent – immigration, overseas entanglements, cultural divide – are as potent as ever. Victor Davis Hanson, the Hoover Institution’s Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow, discusses Trump’s presence in the political landscape and the prospects of “Trumpism” beliefs moving forward.
“The Slow Drift Back”
August 16, 2021 23:20 - 43 minutes - 40.2 MBTaliban forces take control of Kabul and the visuals coming out of Afghanistan – Americans hastily evacuated, US-friendly Afghans desperate to join the exodus – evoke memories of Saigon in 1975. Joe Felter, a Hoover research fellow and counterinsurgency advisor in Afghanistan during his Army service, explains what went wrong in that nation and the impact on US foreign policy.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
August 14, 2021 18:59 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MBAs California’s gubernatorial recall election approaches, will Democrats rally behind their embattled governor or will Republicans continue to enjoy an advantage in voter enthusiasm, as polling suggests? Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, sit down with Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss how California Gov. Gavin Newsom might try to rouse the Democratic faithful.
Delta (Variant) For Dummies
August 06, 2021 18:24 - 58 minutes - 53.5 MBA new COVID variant raises complicated health-policy questions: should masking be mandated and proof of vaccination required to enter indoor spaces? What about the pace and imagination of research? Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University professor of medicine and epidemiological researcher, separates fact from fiction related to the COVID “Delta” variant.
A Recall Horse Race?
July 31, 2021 06:51 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MBWith polls showing Californians almost evenly divided on whether to recall Gavin Newsom, just how concerned should California’s governor be? Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, sit down with Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss the upcoming recall candidates’ debate, plus the role of special-interest money in the special election.
Naval Gazing
July 21, 2021 00:30 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MBThe U.S. Navy’s latest budget request, coupled with Chinese naval expansion, raises questions concerning America’s ability to project strength and respond to crises across the Pacific Rim. Admiral Gary Roughead, former Chief of Naval Operations and the Hoover Institution’s Robert and Marion Oster Distinguished Military Fellow, discusses America’s naval readiness, including doubts about a “fighting culture,” plus whether the military’s upper echelon has become too politicized.
Garbage Time In California?
July 10, 2021 02:24 - 1 hour - 67.4 MBWith only a week remaining for candidates to enter the race, California’s Sept. 14 recall election continues to take shape. Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, sit down with Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss the latest in the Golden State, including the gubernatorial challengers’ struggles in earning media attention.
Entitled To What?
July 07, 2021 20:18 - 54 minutes - 49.7 MBPresident Biden’s American Families Plan would take Washington in a new direction: expanding entitlements deep into the nation’s middle class. Daniel Heil, a Hoover Institution policy fellow, explains the ramifications should an additional 21 million Americans – and more than half the nation’s working-age households – become dependent upon the federal government.
Philadelphia Freedom
July 02, 2021 01:20 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBFor some Americans, July 4th has a special meaning. Lt. Gen H.R. McMaster, the Hoover Institution’s Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow, revisits his introduction to Independence Day as a Philadelphia native, reflects on times when the holiday found him defending freedom in the far corners of the world, plus his thoughts on how to educate young Americans on the roots of our wonderful republic.
The Post-Heath Attack Governor
June 28, 2021 16:28 - 1 hour - 56.3 MBShould he survive a recall election later this year, would California Governor Gavin Newsom preside more cautiously, having survived the political near-death experience, or push even harder to the left? Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, sit down with Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss the latest in the Golden State.
The Post-Heart Attack Governor
June 28, 2021 16:28 - 1 hour - 56.3 MBShould he survive a recall election later this year, would California Governor Gavin Newsom preside more cautiously, having survived the political near-death experience, or push even harder to the left? Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, sit down with Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss the latest in the Golden State.
Party Like It’s 2010?
June 25, 2021 01:46 - 49 minutes - 45.6 MBFive months into his presidency, Joe Biden’s poll numbers show slippage among independents. David Brady and Douglas Rivers, Hoover Institution senior fellows and Stanford University political scientists, assess Biden’s popularity, where Republicans and Democrats depart on COVID vaccines and immigration, plus whether a 2022 midterm election still 500 days away could or won’t resemble 2010’s referendum on the Obama presidency.
An Assault On Wealth
June 21, 2021 05:00 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBA proposed “patriot” wealth tax in Washington and the call for America’s most moneyed individuals to hand over part of their fortunes to Washington leads to questions of motivation: more revenue for federal spending, or a loathing of capitalism. Hoover Institution research fellow and economist David Henderson discusses the accumulation of wealth in America and whether the “assault” on high-profile billionaires is a mere attack or the early stage of a longer siege.
Sweet Home Alabama
June 03, 2021 00:40 - 53 minutes - 49.3 MBAlabama’s governor, Kay Ivey, has turned to the Hoover Institution for policy input on how to improve her state’s quality of living and economic prosperity. Stephen Haber, the Hoover Institution’s Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow and a member of the Hoover contingent advising Alabama officials, shares his thoughts on the building blocks for a futuristic American state – broadband-based education, cutting-edge university research, business incentives, better infrastructure, and access to ou...
How Secure Is U.S. Cybersecurity?
May 27, 2021 16:58 - 52 minutes - 48.4 MBWhile the Colonial Pipeline hack brought cybersecurity into the headlines, there’s an open question as to the efficacy of the “cyber” component of national security as the U.S. looks to update and modernize its nuclear arsenal. Herb Lin, the Hoover Institution’s Hank J. Holland Fellow in Cyber Policy and senior research scholar for cyber policy and security at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, discusses the challenges on the cybersecurity front.
Populism
May 20, 2021 00:22 - 53 minutes - 49.3 MBFrom ancient Athens to the America of today, democracies have borne witness to the rise of grassroots populism. Terry Moe, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the William Bennett Munro Professor of political science at Stanford University, discusses what it is to be a “populist” in this day and age – both in America and Europe – and whether Trump-brand populism, moving forward, is solely dependent on the former president’s participation.
“A Guy Called Lee"
May 15, 2021 04:52 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBIn boom-or-bust California, a $54 billion dollar budget deficit has given way to an unprecedented $75 billion dollar surplus (not counting another $26 billion in federal stimulus money). Lee Ohanian, a Hoover Institution senior fellow and contributor to Hoover’s “California On Your Mind” web channel, examines the Golden State’s choices of what do to with the windfall – most notably, a $600 “rebate” to some tax-filers – and recounts how he made international news for economic advice given to ...
Trump’s Facebook Time-Out
May 07, 2021 21:09 - 56 minutes - 52.1 MBAfter Facebook’s oversight board determined that the former president should remain suspended from the social network, what is next for Donald Trump and his social-media following? John Yoo, a Hoover Institution visiting fellow and UC-Berkeley law professor, examines the constitutionality of Facebook's and Twitter’s Trump temporary and permanent bans and whether the platforms will continue to enjoy federal legal protection as so-called “public squares.”
"We Don’t Have Any Voters In France"
April 28, 2021 23:55 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBA California governor faces a recall election later this year and among the challengers: a Hollywood celebrity with a Republican pedigree. Rob Stutzman, a Sacramento-based political strategist and co-communicator for the global story that was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2003 recall run, explains how the California political landscape has changed in the years since the rise of the “Governator” and whether Caitlyn Jenner or some other recall challenger has what it takes to “terminate” Gavin Newsom.
A School Choice Re-Opening?
April 21, 2021 22:32 - 53 minutes - 98.4 MBHas the past year of pandemic, virtual-learning and a sluggish re-opening of public schools changed America’s education debate as well as parental attitudes toward alternate forms of instruction? Paul Peterson, a Hoover Institution senior fellow and director of the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard, discusses COVID’s impact on the nation’s charter-school and school-choice movements and the clout of teacher unions.
Return To Normalcy?
April 15, 2021 21:22 - 53 minutes - 48.6 MBPresident Biden polls consistently, but not spectacularly, as Republican's struggle to counter the Democratic message of “go big.” David Brady and Douglas Rivers, Hoover Institution senior fellows and Stanford University political scientists, assess the “less is more” communications approach of the new White House and whether Democrats run the risk of a backlash in the 2022 midterm elections if they over-reach on hot-button issues such as immigration, gun control, voting rights and packing t...
An Immigration War Without End
April 08, 2021 18:39 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MBEight years ago, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush wrote a book, Immigration Wars: Forging An American Solution, offering a practical, nonpartisan approach to solving one of America’s most divisive matters – only to see a window for reform in Washington quickly close. The co-author of that book, Hoover fellow and Arizona Supreme Court associate justice Clint Bolick, explains why immigration reform remains elusive and what fixes are most sensible.
California Scheming
April 05, 2021 07:43 - 1 hour - 59 MBNew economic numbers show California’s unemployment improving but still well above the national average as the Golden State wrestles with its seemingly intractable woes – homelessness, unaffordable housing, educational inequality, etc. Lee Ohanian, a Hoover Institution senior fellow and weekly contributor to Hoover’s “California On Your Mind” web channel, explores what lies ahead for America’s most populous state, including an economic surge and a possible gubernatorial recall election this ...