OppCast

In 2013, when Senate Democrats invoked the first iteration of the so-called “nuclear option” by changing the rules of the Senate, then minority leader Mitch McConnell had a telling premonition. “I say to my friends on the other side of the aisle, you’ll regret this,” he warned. “And you may regret it a lot sooner than you think.” With that warning now likely coming to fruition, we break down the regrets of the Left and the morphing identity of the Senate.

Later, we take a look at the most recent job numbers and dig into how Trump’s embracing of Conservative principles has been perhaps the single biggest boon of his presidency.

With the explosion of the American Health Care Act now nearly a full week behind us, one question remains: What now?

Mixed signals from the White House, the uncertain fate of tax reform, and a health care system still on a downward slope means the issue can’t simply be swept under the rug. That’s why we’ve brought in Ryan Ellis, Forbes contributor and co-founder of the Repeal Coalition, to dissect what went wrong and how Conservatives can navigate the shaky waters ahead.

This week on OppCast, we let the legal nerds take over. With the marathon Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Judge Neil Gorsuch finally in the bag, it’s not totally clear what was learned, what was accomplished and what to expect moving forward. That’s why we brought in special guest Shoshana Weissmann, digital media director of Opportunity Lives and a card-carrying legal nerd, along with the Cato Institute’s Senior Constitutional Scholar Ilya Shapiro, to geek out on what you may have missed. (And perhaps a little mutton-busting while we’re at it.)

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!

Vice President Mike Pence wasted no time in rallying a group of Latino small business owners gathered in the nation’s capital on Thursday.

“Understand one thing,” Pence began by saying, “this administration is in the promise-keeping business.”

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.

The decision, for Rep. Pat Tiberi (R – OH), was clear and simple: either he got bipartisan support for his bill or his bill would be pointless.

That’s what makes Tiberi, and all lawmakers involved in the creation of the Investing in Opportunity Act, so unique. Their insistence upon consensus in an age of polarization almost sounds old-fashioned, considering our modern climate. Indeed, coming from a Republican Congressman tucked cozily in a Republican-controlled House, the notion that bi-partisan support is vital may sound a little strange – crazy, even.

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.

When it comes to confirming Trump’s cabinet picks, the past few weeks have been anything but easy. What with the slew of misinformation being purported by Democrat Party surrogates, it can be tough to get a clear picture of who these nominees really are. That’s why this week we’ve brought in Congressman and fellow physician Dr. Phil Roe (R- TN) to provide a full portrait of Health and Human Services nominee Dr. Tom Price. Who is the man really? What drives him? And how is he dealing with all this added scrutiny? Listen in to find out.

“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.

Today marks the last day of School Choice Week 2017, a nationwide celebration with more than 21,000 events in all 50 state. But even though the uplifting message of the week is stronger than ever, we want to break down why all these rallying cries absolutely must be transformed into real political action. That’s why we’re bringing you a special American Enterprise Institute presentation by Professor Howard Fuller of Marquette University, who will explain the role of race and class in modern education reform.

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.

This week on OppCast, we bring together an expert panel to break down exactly what must happen for Congress and the Trump administration to smoothly repeal and replace Obamacare. From the tiniest details to the broadest of strokes, we’ll paint a clear picture of the challenges the nation will face during the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency.

To kick off 2017, we bring you a special story of hope. When Crystal Jenkins got pregnant with her daughter in the projects of Washington DC, she had no home, no job and no hope for a better future. Drugs, crime and poverty plagued her life, but her daughter gave Crystal the strength to dream. Now she says her daughter “will have what I never had, she’ll know she can do anything she wants in this life, she’ll know she can soar…” Listen to find out how she did it.

Crystal’s testimony was taken from Little Lights Urban Ministries. Head over to their website to donate.

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.

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.

“Godfather of the grassroots” and civil rights leader Bob Woodson speaks on a life well-lived, his personal interactions with President-elect Trump, where the Conservative movement is heading under the new administration, and how neighborhood initiatives to fight poverty and decay are changing the face of the nation. Woodson also talks about changes taking place at the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, which is soon to undergo a very special name change. Finally, we break down expectations for Trump’s cabinet.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hey, you there… so it’s Monday morning, long work week ahead, we know how it is. That’s why on this week’s OppCast, we lay out everything you need to know in politics for this home stretch of election season. From what we’ve learned since the debate, to how online hacking is shaping partisan politics, we’ll get your week started with a strong, caffeinated dose of opportunity.

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.

This week on OppCast, we go in-depth on one subject: the rising epidemic of opioid addiction in our nation’s heartland. We take you to one small town in Ohio that has been hit especially hard by a surge of addiction and overdose deaths, asking the important question: when jobs have dried up, when opportunities are slim, how can we as a nation fight to curb drug abuse?

This week on OppCast, host John Hart talks in-studio with senior OpportunityLives writer Izzy Ortega, breaking down everything from the upcoming VP debate, to the reason why the best way to make something expensive is for Washington to make it “free.” Later we continue last week’s conversation with anti-violence leaders Antong Lucky and Omar Jahwar.

by OpportunityLives

The History (and Consequences) of the Nuclear Option

The Health Care Autopsy Episode

Gorsuch, Duck-Sized Horses, and a Legal Nerd-Fest

Grover Norquist Talks Taxes

VP Pence: “Trump will Be the best friend American small business will ever have”

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

Ep. 21: Rep. Pat Tiberi outlines rare bi-partisan effort to fight poverty

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

Ep. 19: Rep. Phil Roe: “I’ve known Tom Price for years, let me tell you who the man really Is….”

Ep. 18: The Hypocrisy of Liberal Retribution

Ep. 17: Black America and Education Reform

Ep. 16: Education in the Trump Era

Ep. 15: Repeal and Replace 101

Ep. 14: How one DC mother rose out of welfare and taught her daughter “to soar”

Ep. 13: What’s the future of polling?

Ep. 12: Why Obama counties flipped for Trump

Ep. 11: Bob Woodson: “Share your journey, find meaning together”

Ep. 10: The Man Who Knew Trump Would Win

Ep. 9: Where Do we Go from here?

Ep. 8: The Reckoning

Ep. 7: How to get people back to work

Ep. 6: Fuel up your political knowledge before the last stop

Ep. 5: Comeback: OL Hits the Road

Ep. 4: Hope and heroin in Ohio

Ep. 3: The High Cost of “Free”

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