Author Archives: bruce

A little bit about how a My History Can Beat Up Your Podcast episode is made.

Well, it seems we knock GOP Presidents for firing law-enforcement officials and Democratic ones firing generals.  It’s a simplification – and I will have more on Comey’s firing in a future episode, but this episode from 2009 may provide some … Continued

  The US Budget goes one direction, it seems, claims of partisans aside.  As this older episode documents, most Presidents don’t reduce the budget and those that do rely on past extravagance of predecessors.

The Iranians also had a role in the Iran-Contra Scandal. Absent a power play in the country, the scandal may never have been discovered.  In this bonus cast, we look at Mehdi Hashemi, the man who leaked the story that … Continued

Back in 2007, when Tony Blair and George W. Bush were becoming buds, in a sense, I recorded this episode.   With President Trump’s first foreign visitor to the White House being the Prime Minister, we revisit this episode.

Two older Signers of the Declaration and early American democrats, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, rekindle a friendship and write a lot – about Indians, the economy, War of 1812, the transgressions of the political past, other Signers, good books. … Continued

The history of a holiday.  Recorded in 2007 and one of the more popular ones.

The great rivalry in British politics was William Gladstone the liberal and Benjamin Disraeli the conservative.  In the context of discussing unfriending in politics, two able-bodied politicians that never became friends, yet worked off each other in their best moments.

The forgotten Great Depression and a few other stories, from 2010.

Be an eyewitness to the swearing-in of one of America’s most controversial Presidents (well, at least in his time).  As a follow up to our 1877 cast, a brief look at the Presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes.

Why are there 47 VPs but only 45 Presidents?  Especially since Grover Cleveland counts as 2 Presidents, and more Presidents have died in office, this seems strange.  Also about the 2016 election and the Democratic Congress under Reagan.

Did the Electoral College come from German precedents?   Pursuing a listener question about the history of the Electoral College, we take a look at this.

For premium subscribers, more detail about the 2016 election and analysis of some of the talk going on – 2020 chances, what Democrats do, Nate Silver and Alan Lichtman.  Also I play a little music.

Since we discuss the 1916 election on the most recent cast of My History Can Beat Up Your Politics, a little bit about the context of that election, notable births and deaths, and hit music.

The hardest speech for a candidate to make.

From 2008, my take on how things look back then.  Makes me a bit nostalgic.

(For premium subscribers only) – an interview done with Don’t Worry About the Governments Chris Novembrino before the VP debate (we recording another one soon).   We talk about VP debates, about the 1st Presidential debate (wow does it seem … Continued

I was asked recently, how did the Democrats stay in power in the House so long?   Particularly after Reagan won office and the GOP held the Presidency from 80-88?  During that entire time, the opposition party controlled the House. … Continued