OppCast

Grover Norquist Talks Taxes

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Hosted by Ellen Carmichael

It’s that time of the year again, folks: tax season.  That’s why this week on Oppcast, we reached out to Grover Norquist, president and founder of Americans for Tax Reform, to come onto the show for an episode jam-packed with everything tax-related.

From tax reform in the age of Trump, to the recent COB report on the American Health Care Act, we break down the numbers to get to the meat of the issues. Spoiler alert: get ready for some wonky nerd talk!

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OppCast

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Speaker Paul Ryan Says Price Bill Will Be Obamacare Replacement

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Hosted by Ellen Carmichael


In an exclusive interview on this week’s OppCast, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) outlined a GOP replacement to Obamacare, explaining that the Republican alternative will largely resemble the comprehensive the Empowering Patients First Act introduced by now-Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price, M.D.

As for what kind of political climate such a bill will face, we bring in Lanhee Chen of the Hoover Institution and Stanford University to outline the brass tacks.

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OppCast

Sen. James Lankford on why Trump must engage more with the deficit problem

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Hosted by Ellen Carmichael


Senator James Lankford (R- OK) has issued an urgent plea to the Trump administration: start taking the national deficit seriously or else the nation could slip into irrevocable fiscal failure down the line.

In a revealing conversation on this week’s OppCast, Lankford lamented that the national debt was almost entirely absent as a talking point during the whole of the presidential campaign.

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OppCast #18

The Hypocrisy of Liberal Retribution

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Hosted by Ellen Carmichael

“This is what democracy looks like!” That’s been the running mantra of all those street protestors ever since the inauguration of President Trump last month. But reality tells a different story. Indeed, real democracy has already been enacted; it’s just that those on the Left aren’t happy with the result. That’s why we’ve got Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL) here on the line to explain the unprecedented retribution being wrought by the Left — whether its character assassinations, procedural boycotts or blocking up the streets — and how Republicans can respond.

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OppCast #16

Education in the Trump Era

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Hosted by Ellen Carmichael

Why haven’t we learned our lesson when it comes to the American education system?  Why are we still allowing our schools to degrade, our students to stagnate, our teachers to bottom out in mediocrity?  When every few years a new idea comes along to “reinvent our schools,” what are the practical realities of improving education today?  This week on OppCast, we bring in AEI Fellow Gerard Robinson to break down why education must be a key focus of the Trump administration, along with what that looks like in the years ahead.

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OppCast #13

What’s the future of polling?

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Hosted by Ellen Carmichael

When so many polls got it so wrong this past November, is polling dead as we know it?   We sit down with Kristen Anderson, co-host of the Pollsters podcast, to understand exactly what went wrong and how pollsters are adapting to the changing political landscape.

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OppCast #12

Why Obama counties flipped for Trump

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Hosted by Ellen Carmichael

This week, a look at the heartland: We sent our producer Evan Smith to the Rust Belt of Ohio to investigate counties that voted for Obama in ’08 and ’12 but then flipped for Trump this past November.  What caused this reversal of outcome?  The answer may not be as simple as you think.

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OppCast #10

The Man Who Knew Trump Would Win

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Hosted by Ellen Carmichael & John Hart

While everyone else was left scratching their heads, one man saw it coming.  This week on OppCast we sit down with Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, to discuss how he knew Trump would win, why he believes Steve Bannon is being misrepresented, and why Weekly Standard columnist Steve Hayes might just show up wearing a speedo to this year’s CPAC.  Later, co-host Ellen Carmichael breaks down the “Rubio Effect” and what it means for the next election cycle.

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OppCast #9

Where do we go from here?

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Hosted by Ellen Carmichael & John Hart

Now that the election is finally over, the tough job of paving the future of America has begun.  But how much of president-elect Trump’s stated goals are mere lip-service to his base, and how much could become actual policy?  Hosts John Hart and Ellen Carmichael weigh in on the obstacles the new administration will have to hurdle, and what it means for the national Conservative movement going forward.

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OppCast #8

The Reckoning

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Hosted by Ellen Carmichael & John Hart

It’s finally here.  Election day.  The final reckoning.  As the clock ticks down to zero hour, we sit down to run through the last minute numbers, talking points and demographics (and discuss what we’ll each be drinking on election night).  Join us on the lifeboat.

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OppCast #7

How to get people back to work

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Hosted by Ellen Carmichael & John Hart

This week on OppCast, we break down just what it takes to get people back to work in this country: from policymakers who are plowing ahead on initiatives that will fight poverty across the nation, to passionate volunteers and ministry workers who are helping to transition individuals toward a life of pride and self-sustainability.

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OppCast #5

Comeback: OL Hits the Road

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Hosted by Ellen Carmichael & John Hart

This week on OppCast, we introduce listeners to our Comeback documentary series.  With a focus on revealing the people and their stories at the ground level of America today, Comeback charts a course for a new way to address our nation’s toughest, most entrenched social problems.

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OppCast #2

Plowing Ahead to November

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Hosted by Ellen Carmichael & John Hart
With guests Antong Lucky & Omar Jahwar

For the second episode of OppCast, we break down the importance and the likely outcomes of some of the most crucial Senate races in the country.  Later we bring you the first part of our conversation with Antong Lucky and Pastor Omar Jahwar, two urban specialists fighting gang violence and poverty on the ground in Dallas, Texas.

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OppCast #1

Welcome to OppCast

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Hosted by Ellen Carmichael & John Hart
With guest Patrick Brennan

In the inaugural episode of OppCast, hosts John Hart and Ellen Carmichael break down how the current state of American society led to the crazy political year of 2016. Plus: Opportunity Lives contributor Patrick Brennan joins to discuss an innovative fix to the controversial minimum wage increase.

OppCast is a weekly podcast from Opportunity News Media that cracks through the surface of political commentary to reveal the people and passions behind the headlines. Amidst all the negativity in today’s media, we strive to focus on the positive stories in American politics: the doers, the reformers, the people who are making an impact both in Washington DC and your own community.

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