Politics with Paul

Lobbying: A Misunderstood, Necessary, and Flawed Institution | Politics with Paul #93

Lobbying has a lot of issues…but you probably don't hate it as much as you think you do. The term "lobbyist" often conjures up depictions of shadowy figures making corrupt deals with elected officials to manipulate public policy for the powerful few. It is true that more than a few are corrupt, unethical, or self-interested - and even lobbyists that don't fit this bill sometimes whitewash the profession. At the same time, however, the public often misunderstands what lobbying entails. Today's episode of Politics with Paul pulls back some of the curtain surrounding lobbying, explaining more about the actual role of the lobbyist and discussing how lobbyists, politicians, and the public all can do better in more accurately portraying the industry. Other Works * FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/ [https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/] * Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/ [https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/] * Medium articles on elections and political science: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/ [https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/] Media * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/] * My website: https://paulrader.org/ [https://paulrader.org/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites [https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites] * Email: paulraderwrites@gmail.com [paulraderwrites@gmail.com] (0:00) Intro to Lobbying (1:49) Is There a Difference Between Lobbying and Advocacy? (8:11) Legal vs. Practical Definitions of Lobbying and Advocacy (13:16) The Role and Duties of the Lobbyist (19:05) Public Perceptions of Lobbying (22:49) Lobbyists Do Sometimes Sanitize Their Profession (27:54) Why You Don't Hate Lobbying as Much as You Think (36:34) Lobbyists are an Important (but Flawed) Part of Democracy (39:57) Closing and Links

How Much Does Authenticity Matter in Elections? | Politics with Paul #92

Do we want authentic candidates in elections as much as we say we do? "Authenticity" is a favored buzzword by a politician's supporters to showcase why their candidate is the best, and by commentators who over-simplify the reason an election resulted the way it did. But can we actualyl say what "authenticity" is? Here's something crucial about how we judge politicians - our perception of their authenticity is deeply subjective and often influenced by biases we don't even realize we hold. But can we more objectively define authenticity? Today's episode of Politics with Paul centers on the various explanations of what authenticity is, how our perceptions of it can be biased, and what it means (and should mean) for our politics. * FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/ [https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/] * Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/ [https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/] * My website: https://paulrader.org/ [https://paulrader.org/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites [https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites] * Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/ [https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/] * Email: paulraderwrites@gmail.com [paulraderwrites@gmail.com] (0:00) Introduction to Authenticity in Politics (1:54) "Authenticity" in the Dictionary, Issues with Applying it to Politics (3:52) Is Authenticity Always Consistent? (7:08) Is Authenticity Always Truthful? (9:23) Is Authenticity Always Relatable? (13:09) Is Authenticity Just Code for "I Agree with This Person"? (16:40) Scientifically Studying Authenticity (18:52) The Proposal of 4 Dimensions of Authenticity (24:03) How Our Perceptions of Authenticity Become Biased (32:06) How Much Do People Really Value Authenticity in Politicians? (37:31) Our Weaknesses in Assessing Politicians' Authenticity (42:13) How Much SHOULD We Value Authenticity in Politics? (47:35) Closing and Links

Midterm Elections and Why They Hurt the President's Party | Politics with Paul #91

Midterm elections are often discussed for how much the sitting president's party suffers losses, but commentary often doesn't showcase why that is. Today's episode dives into the world of midterms, why they often play out differently than presidential election years, what factors are used to predict their results, and what it all means for 2026 elections. Can Republicans buck the historical trend, or will they become another data point in it? * FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/ [https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/] * Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/ [https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/] * My website: https://paulrader.org/ [https://paulrader.org/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites [https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites] * Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/ [https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/] * Email: paulraderwrites@gmail.com [paulraderwrites@gmail.com] (0:00) Understanding Midterm Elections (1:34) Why Midterm Elections Often Hurt the President's Party (5:29) House vs. Senate Results in Midterms (8:56) Noteworthy Midterm Results in US History (14:54) Indicators Used to Predict Midterm Results, Strengths and Weaknesses (15:41) Indicator: Generic Congressional Poll (18:56) Indicator: Presidential Approval Rating (21:06) Indicator: Recent Special Elections (23:20) Indicator: Economic Factors (25:20) Indicator: Retiring Incumbents in Congress (28:29) Indicator: Stimson "Policy Mood" Measure (31:41) Potential Biggest Impacts on the 2026 Midterms (34:25) Can a Single Issue Drive the Midterm Results? (36:37) Potential Factor: Redistricting Wars Between the Parties (38:15) Potential Factor: Iran War (40:29) Potential Factor: Immigration Policy (42:40) Closing and Links

How to Read Ballot Measures | Politics with Paul #90

Ballot measures are the most direct way for voters to impact the political process…but they can be difficult and tedious to comprehend. Here's a guide to help you better understand them. As a critical part of the election cycle, ballot measures cover a massive variety of topics: redistricting, voting systems, campaign contribution laws, government official salaries, healthcare, taxes, and many more. Today's episode of Politics with Paul will teach you how to research these measures, how to make them easier to read, the components to a ballot measure, and some of the political games played with them that you need to watch out for. Download my FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/ [https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/] Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/ [https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/] My website: https://paulrader.org/ [https://paulrader.org/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites [https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites] Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/ [https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/] Email: paulraderwrites@gmail.com [paulraderwrites@gmail.com] (0:00) Intro to Understanding Ballot Measures (2:00) Where Do I Find Ballot Measures? (5:11) How Difficult is it to Read Ballot Measures? (9:07) Why Not Just Make Ballot Measures and Laws Easy to Read? (11:08) Readability Laws, Single-Subject Rules, Separate Vote Requirements (14:22) Components of a Ballot Measure (20:52) How to Tell What a Ballot Measure is Changing (23:48) Fiscal Impact Statements (26:09) The Tug of War Between Summaries and Full Text (30:17) Political Games and Ballot Measures (31:43) Vague vs. Specific Wording in Ballot Measure Text (34:02) Emotionally Charged Words in Ballot Measures (37:16) Purposely Murky Language (40:14) Heavy Partisan/Ideological Leaning For or Against Measures (42:14) State Governments Overstepping Bounds For or Against Measures (45:23) Closing and Links

A New Way to Nominate Congressional Candidates? w/ Tom Joseph | Politics with Paul #89

What if a Congressional party nomination could become more localized and geared toward all small donors? Primary elections tend to heavily favor the most well-funded and extreme candidates. Many Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike often feel the nominating process is unfair and unrepresentative as a result. But could a new third party's "People's Primary" be the answer to these criticisms? Today's guest on Politics with Paul is Tom Joseph, founder of America's Main Street Party. The AMSP uses the "People's Primary" to select its nominee, using local committees, small donors, and an app to allow citizens to choose the party's nominee. Listen in as Tom discusses the strategy behind this method, why the current candidate nomination process is flawed, and whether this system could expand in use in the future. Tom's Links: * America's Main Street Party homepage: https://www.mainstreetparty.org/ [https://www.mainstreetparty.org/] * AMSP plan: https://www.mainstreetparty.org/our-plan [https://www.mainstreetparty.org/our-plan] * AMSP proof of concept: https://www.mainstreetparty.org/employment [https://www.mainstreetparty.org/employment] * AMSP "A Brand New Way": https://www.mainstreetparty.org/nominating-process [https://www.mainstreetparty.org/nominating-process] * Wilson's Fountain: https://www.wilsonsfountain.us/ [https://www.wilsonsfountain.us/] Paul's Links:  * Download my FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/ [https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/] * Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/ [https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/] * My website: https://paulrader.org/ [https://paulrader.org/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites [https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites] * Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/ [https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/] * Email: paulraderwrites@gmail.com [paulraderwrites@gmail.com] (0:00) Introduction to Political Reform (1:58) Why Tom is Involved in Reforming Candidate Nomination Processes (4:03) What is AMSP and Why Create it? (8:15) How AMSP's "People's Primary" Works (15:04) How the "People's Primary" Engages Citizens, Addresses Voter Apathy (19:46) On Pushback from People Who Say this Work is Impractical (22:40) On Misconceptions of What the AMSP's Super PAC is (26:23) Other Potential Misunderstandings About AMSP, "People's Primary" (27:23) Why Name it "America's Main Street Party"? (28:13) The Rise of Congressional Caucuses, Increase in Factionalism (31:33) Can the AMSP Primary System be Extended to State, Local Elections? (34:04) Independent Candidates' Strategy: Whether to Run in Competitive Districts (37:15) Practical Tips for Reforming Nomination Processes, Get Involved with AMSP (39:40) Could We Reform the Timing of Presidential Primaries? (42:16) Random Question: Your Pet Peeves Few, if Any, Other People Have? (45:21) Our Links to Share, Closing