What's Left?

The Work of Government, Part 2 (w/ Congressman Ric Keller)

Oliver talks to former Florida Congressman Ric Keller about his 8-year stint as the representative for Florida's 8th district as well as his new book Chase the Bears: Little to Achieve Big Dreams (Simon & Schuster, 2022). Oliver and Ric discuss the challenges of serving in a "swing" district, the impact of primary elections on polarization, the fundraising costs associated with serving on congressional committees, the importance of civility in public discourse, and the difficulties associated with achieving wholesale reform in a large, complicated political system. Along with that, they discuss topics covered in Ric's new book, such as the value of networking and the necessity of maximizing one's talents and opportunities to achieve personal success. Suggested Links Ric Keller on the power of self-deprecating humor, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiX85UzI86Y&ab_channel=TEDxTalks Ric Keller on the importance of networking, https://soundcloud.com/user-759550640/ric-keller-former-congressman-on-networking-the-right-way-for-success Keller's "hamburger bill," https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/hr554

The Work of Academia (w/ Lura Forcum)

Marketing professor (and Oliver's high school classmate) Lura Forcum returns to the show to discuss some of the challenges facing academia. Become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

The Work of Government (w/ Senator Jeff Bingaman)

Oliver talks to retired United States Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM, served 1983-2013) about how the legislative process evolved during his 30 years in Washington, D.C. They discuss the debt ceiling, successful instances of past bipartisan cooperation, the war in Iraq, industrial policy, energy policy, and much more. Senator Bingaman's new book Breakdown: Lessons for a Congress in Crisis offers an insightful, first-hand analysis of the causes and consequences of the dysfunction in Congress. Some of the sections, like the one concerning Bingaman's critical role in the passage of the Affordable Care Act, are extremely detailed and should prove useful to political scientists, historians, and others looking for primary sources related to these topics. One topic not discussed during this interview was Bingaman's exceptional 1982 campaign. While running against incumbent Harrison Schmitt, who was and still is the most recent person to have walked on the moon, Bingaman utilized the campaign slogan "What on Earth has he done for you lately?" in the course of drawing attention to Schmitt's seeming neglect of local matters. Patreon: patreon.com/whatsleft

The Work of Fame (w/ Susie Meister)

Oliver talks to long-time friend and veteran Brain Candy Podcast host Susie Meister about life twenty years after her MTV debut on Road Rules in 1998. How has the nature of fame changed? Would she have approached fame differently had social media platforms such as IG, TikTok, and the like existed? And most importantly, why do people keep telling Oliver to read his own articles and listen to this podcast? Become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft Suggested reading/viewing: Meister, "What I Learned From Fight Club-Style Brawling on 'The Challenge,'" https://observer.com/2018/07/fight-club-prize-fighting-mtv-the-challenge/ "My Reality Is Our Tragedy," https://www.salon.com/2017/11/28/tv-star-susie-meister-my-reality-is-our-tragedy/ "I Almost Became a Conservative Pundit," https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/4/17/17247314/conservative-pundit-reality-tv-tomi-lahren-ann-coulter "Susie vs. Kimberly on The Challenge: Ruins," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fbks9XcBHc&ab_channel=BasicallyBasic "Road Rules: Piggy's Accident," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSh_Qu3BErE&ab_channel=FireMadeFleshII

The Work of Horny Brands (w/ Nathan Allebach)

In this episode, Oliver Bateman talked to marketing guru Nathan Allebach about how brands got horny - and how strangely unsexy this is. Suggested Reading Allebach, "When Brands Got Horny," https://www.vulture.com/article/when-brands-got-horny.html Nathan's Prior Appearances on What's Left? "The Work of Marketing," https://www.patreon.com/posts/work-of-60978923 (w/ Lura Forcum) "Steak-Umm Bless," https://www.patreon.com/posts/steak-umm-bless-43073199