Hosted by Gerry Shields
Gerry is a former longtime Washington correspondent and political writer for The New York Post, Baltimore Sun, and Philadelphia Inquirer and author of the new book: The Front Row: My Jagged Journey Recording American History from Reagan to Trump.
Episodes
Welcome to the Retail Politics Podcast. Without enough hand sanitizer for candidates to shake hands, let alone kiss voter babies, we redefine Retail Politics for the digital world, reaching you one download at a time. We’ll speak weekly for 30 minutes to politicians, academics, and reporters on the front lines of American political issues to help you choose best how your government should function.
S01E44 Dr. James Lopez, The Politics of Cuba
Recent Protests in Cuba continue a history of turmoil from Columbus to Castro. And once again eyes are on the United States to respond.
“The Cuban economy is in free fall,” said Dr. James Lopez, co-director of the Center for Jose Marti Studies at the University of Tampa. “There is great economic hardship, food shortages, the collapse of the medical system, COVID cases are on the rise.”
S01E42 Dr. Edna Greene Medford, Politics of the Presidency
Howard University history professor, Dr. Edna Greene Medford, discusses the best and worst presidents in American history. Trump detractors thought finish last in the C-SPAN poll. Guess again.
“When we’re looking at them, we are looking at more than just what is happening in the four years or eight years that they’re leading the country,” Greene says. “We’re also looking at what they did when they got into the presidency and certainly what they do when they leave.”
S01E39 David O. Stewart, Politics of George
Though George Washington was America’s first president and Commander, he also stands out as one of the greatest political figures in the nation’s history, winning four key elections without having a single vote cast against him.
“The man was incredibly successful politically, and that’s not how we think of him,” said biographer David O. Stewart, author of the new book: George Washington: The Politic Rise of America’s Founding Father.
“We think of him as the soldier, a farmer, as an all-around upright guy,” Stewart said. “But we don’t think of him as a political actor, and he really was for much of his life.”
S01E36 Former Congressman Charlie Dent, Politics of Ethics
The former Republican chairman of the U.S. House Ethics Committee found most members honest but recalls a greatest hits list of our generation’s most ridiculous congressional scandals.
Former U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania also admonished House Trump supporters for blocking the establishment of a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and Trump’s attempt to overthrow the government.
“I thought Congress should have enacted an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate the events of Jan. 6 that led up it, the day of the event, including the actions of the president,” Dent said. “I think it was a mistake that one was not established.”
S01E34 Essay by Gerry Shields, Politics of Sacrifice
Remembering Those Who Died – And Those Who Survived
Many Silently Carry Physical and Psychological War Wounds
May 30, 2021 – Though Memorial Day honors those lost in the war, the Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry Shields took time to remember and reflect on the wounded who survived.
“It isn’t just the 378,000 Americans who died in wars over the last 80 years,” Shields said. “But, also, the one million wounded, many who came home crippled without limbs carrying emotional and psychological scars.”
And what is your most memorable war movie? We discuss.
S01E19 Gerry and Brad Celebrate President’s Day By Talking First Ladies
A special President’s Day edition of the Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry Shields celebrated the works of the nation’s 45 First Ladies, dubbing Eleanor Roosevelt, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's wife, as the gold standard.
S01E17 Jim Steele, Politics of the U.S. Economy
The gap between the rich and poor in America is at levels not seen in more than a century as the nation wrestles -- both politically and economically -- over the question of public welfare versus private gain, a legendary investigative reporter said Sunday.
James B. Steele told the Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry Shields that tax breaks to the rich over the last 40 years have cut their individual contributions to the federal government in half while corporate tax rates have fallen 30 percent.
S01E15 September Penn
September Penn, the musical director for Dr. Clayborne Carson, who was commissioned by King’s wife, Coretta, to edit her husband’s papers, said on the weekly Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry Shields, the dream remains unfulfilled for too many.
S01E08 Kerry Hawk Lessard, Politics of Native America
On a special Thanksgiving edition of the Retail Politics Podcast with Gerry Shields reviewing the current state of Native America, Kerry Hawk Lessard said African Americans are inspiring the American Indian.
“On one hand, it’s sad that our voices have not been enough,” said Lessard, executive director of Native American Lifelines, an inner-city Indian health care agency. “We’ve been talking about these issues for decades, but that gave the push needed to get our issues before people.”
S01E04 Phyllis Alexander, Politics of Race
A leader with a national agency aimed at reducing racism called on educators to become more honest about teaching students how white dominance has “inculcated” American culture, fostering black hatred.
“People who identify themselves as white need to hear the truth of what white dominance has done to this country,” said Phyllis Alexander, a board member with the National Coalition Building Institute near Washington, D.C.
S01E01 Pete Leffler, Politics of Pennsylvania
This week, we will discuss the Politics of Pennsylvania, the state that handed President Donald Trump victory in 2016 and promises to be once again a critical hurdle for Trump or challenger Joe Biden to win this year.
In this episode, Gerry talks to Pete Leffler, the former longtime political editor for The Morning Call newspaper in Allentown, Pa., who will give us a drone’s eye view of the Keystone State’s current political landscape going into this monumental Nov. 3 presidential election.