Political Junkie

President Obama told us about the state of the union... now it's time to hear about the state of the states. Political Junkie host Ken Rudin talks with the Washington Post's Reid Wilson about how several governors whose re-election prospects were iffy for 2014 have improved their standing with the stronger economy. With the passing of former Second Lady Joan Mondale, we hear from her niece, Lucy Mondale, about Joan's lifelong love of the arts ... and her enduring love affair with her husband, Walter Mondale. Last week, Rep. Henry Waxman, a California Democrat, announced his retirement. He and another retiring congressman are the last of the Watergate Class of 1974, the group of 75 Democrats who were elected to the House in November 1974 in the wake of the Watergate scandal. A member of that group, Michigan's Bob Carr, talks about what that congressional class was able to accomplish. And the "this day in history" feature has Pat Buchanan starting his war on the Republican establishment with a big win in the 1996 caucuses in Louisiana. Buchanan joins us to remember that moment.

The State of the Union is... strong. And so is this week's podcast. Former Clinton speechwriter Paul Glastris joins us with an assessment of President Obama's SOTU speech. And host Ken Rudin takes Paul back into history with memorable moments of past State of the Union messages. Later, Ken visits with Louisiana analyst John Maginnis about Sen. David Vitter's decision to seek the governorship of the Pelican State. Then Sacramento consultant Steve Swatt fills us in on California's comeback under Gov. Jerry Brown. Plus: a new trivia question, and "this day in history" brings us back to the Watergate scandal.

This week's Political Junkie show reviews President Obama's speech on NSA surveillance with Josh Gerstein of POLITICO. Host Ken Rudin then looks ahead to the president's State of the Union address, reuniting with his old pal, Neal Conan. Ken also visits with University of South Florida professor Susan MacManus about the upcoming special House election to fill the seat of the late Rep. Bill Young (R). Then Tulsa World reporter Randy Krehbiel fills us in on GOP Sen. Tom Coburn's early exit from the Hill. Plus: a new trivia question, and "this day in history" features former Tennessee Sen. and 2008 presidential hopeful Fred Thompson.

Continuing where he left off in 2013, Chris Christie remains the most talked about Republican in the country ... only this time he may not like what everyone is saying. The week's Political Junkie show focuses on the New Jersey governor and whether the "Bridgegate" scandal is a minor blip, or something more. Host Ken Rudin talks to Republican strategist Mike Murphy, who says that Christie is neither a clear frontrunner for 2016 nor damaged goods ... but he concedes that all the facts have yet to come out. And then we go to Iowa, where Des Moines Register pollster Ann Selzer gives us a snapshot of a very critical state, two years before the presidential caucuses. Plus: a new trivia question, and "this day in history" features former Illinois Sen. and 2004 presidential hopeful Carol Moseley Braun.

2014 is an election year, with control of the House and Senate at stake. Host Ken Rudin talks to political analyst Stu Rothenberg about what to watch for. And former Sen. Alan Simpson joins the program to talk about Liz Cheney's withdrawal from the Wyoming Senate race. And in the longer version of the broadcast, a farewell to some of the political giants who left us in 2013, with memories from those who knew them well. Bob Michel and Dick Gephardt on former Speaker of the House Thomas Foley; Tom Ridge and Stephen Hess remember Bill Scranton; and Cokie Roberts talks about her mom, Lindy Boggs. Plus: a new trivia question, and "this day in history" brings us back to former Georgia governor and senator Zell Miller.

Republicans in Congress were prepared to agree to a fairly innocuous budget deal with the Democrats with little fuss. But many conservatives were not willing to play ball, as outside groups lobbied against the deal and Senate Republicans voted against it... all of which made House Speaker John Boehner not a particularly happy man. Host Ken Rudin talks to Washington Post political reporter Aaron Blake about the week's political news, as well as with conservative strategist Keith Appell, who argues that Republican leaders have, once again, sold their souls. Plus: a new trivia question, and "this day in history" brings us back to Joe Wilson (of "You lie!" notoriety) coming to Congress.

Nelson Mandela's passing brought this week's Political Junkie show back to the mid-1980s, when Washington was split over how to deal with the South African government's apartheid policy. Host Ken Rudin talks with two former members of Congress who served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee back then. Democrats Howard Berman of California and Robert Garcia of New York share their part in calling for sanctions against Pretoria and battling the Reagan administration in the process. Plus: Mississippi politics, GOP and Tea Party candidates going head to head, trivia, and more!

We know for certain that President Obama pardoned a turkey this Thanksgiving. But is Healthcare.gov a turkey as well? Host Ken Rudin speaks with Washington Post reporter Reid Wilson about the mangled launch of the site and the Obama administration's hopes that it'll succeed before the midterms. Ken also talks to Janet Hook, congressional correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, about the ongoing House-Senate conference committee on the budget, and the teeny tiny agreement that's likely to come. Plus: trivia, Herman Cain, and more!

The word of the week is “nuclear,” and the latest Political Junkie show is all over it. First, host Ken Rudin talks with Cameron Abadi, an editor with Foreign Affairs magazine, about the accord signed by the United States and five other nations regarding Iran’s nuclear energy program. Then on to the Senate, where the majority Democrats, frustrated with Republican filibusters of President Obama nominees, reduced the number of senators needed to stop the gabfests from 60 to 51, employing what is called the “nuclear option.” John Pitney, a politics professor at Claremont McKenna College, discusses how the move has infuriated Republicans and endangers working relationships between the two parties – not that the relationship was so good to begin with. Plus trivia, this day in history, and more!

Political Junkie Ken Rudin talks with Wall Street Journal congressional correspondent Siobhan Hughes about the changing fortunes on Capitol Hill for Democrats since the ACA rollout. Ken looks back at the hidden talents of Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd. And with the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy approaching, we hear from John Shaw, author of a new book about JFK’s eight years in the Senate – a period of his career that very little has been written about. Plus: trivia, bad jokes, and more!

Host Ken Rudin welcomes back his old friend from NPR's Talk of the Nation, Neal Conan, to the Political Junkie. They talk about the emergence of Chris Christie as the Republican frontrunner for 2016 and how that may not be going over too well with members of the Tea Party. Colorado political analyst Floyd Ciruli discusses how his state has gone from reliably red to bountifully blue… while noting that some are saying that an ambitious and aggressive Democratic majority may have overreached. Plus trivia, this day in history, and more!

The results of the 2013 elections are in, and while the winners in most races were not a surprise, the margin in Virginia certainly was. And because it was so close, it's almost impossible to say with any certainty what Ken Cuccinelli's loss to Terry McAuliffe really meant. Political Junkie Ken Rudin talks 2013 -- and beyond -- with NPR national political editor Mara Liasson. Also, George Bennett of the Palm Beach Post analyzes the decision by former Florida governor Charlie Crist to switch parties to seek his old job in 2014.

With less than a week to go before the 2013 elections, Political Junkie Ken Rudin speaks to Stu Rothenberg, the editor and publisher of the Rothenberg Political Report, about the upcoming gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia. The expectation is that it will be good news/bad news for the GOP. And Jerome Vaughn, the news director of WDET in Detroit, talks about the likelihood that the troubled city will elect a white mayor... which hasn't happened since 1969. Plus: Cuccinelli, crotchety New Yorkers, and of course, trivia.

Our long national nightmare is over! Political Junkie Ken Rudin invites his former podcast partner Ron Elving for the inaugural edition of the Political Junkie show. The shutdown is over, Cory Booker has won a New Jersey Senate seat, and the gubernatorial race in Virginia is heating up. Plus trivia, memories of the late House Speaker Tom Foley, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Paul Mulshine of the Newark Star Ledger joins to discuss presidential hopes from New Jersey.