Political Beats

Scot and Jeff discuss their favorite soundtracks. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar (@ EsotericCD ) with . . . no guest at all! Yes, this is a Very Special Episode of Political Beats , in which Arnold learns to avoid the local bike shop and Jessie finds out about the very real dangers of caffeine pills. In other words, this is PB’s second format-buckin...

Scot and Jeff discuss Randy Newman with Matt Murray. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Matt Murray. Matt is editor in chief of the Wall Street Journal  and is the author of the book The Father And The Son: My Father’s Journey Into Monastic Life .  Matt is on Twitter at @murraymatt . Matt’s Musical Pick : Randy Newman It’s lon...

Scot and Jeff discuss Ben Folds Five with Michael Brendan Dougherty. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Michael Brendan Dougherty. Michael is a senior writer at National Review and is the author of the new book My Father Left Me Ireland: An American Son’s Search for Home .  Michael is on Twitter at @michaelbd . Michael’s Music...

Scot Bertram and Jeff Blehar discuss Marvin Gaye with Kmele Foster. Introducing The Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @scotbertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Kmele Foster, co-host of “The Fifth Column” podcast and a partner at “Freethink,” where he helps produce original content about the people and ideas helping to reshape the word. Follow Kmele on Twitter at @kmele and check out...

Scot Bertram and Jeff Blehar discuss LCD Soundsystem with Tim Miller. Introducing The Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @scotbertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Tim Miller, communications consultant, GOP operative, contributor to The Bulwark , and co-founder of America Rising. Follow Tim on Twitter at  @Timodc . Tim’s Music Pick: LCD Soundsystem This week, Political Beats is sellin...

Scot and Jeff discuss Jackson Browne with Cameron Joseph. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Cameron Joseph. Cameron is Talking Points Memo’s senior political reporter, where he covers Congress and the permanent campaign. You can find him at talkingpointsmemo.com and at shows standing back by the soundboard. Cameron is on Twit...

Scot and Jeff discuss The Black Crowes with Jay Cost. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Jay Cost, visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and co-host of National Review’s Constitutionally Speaking podcast. Jay is on Twitter at @ JayCostTWS . Jay’s Music Pick: The Black Crowes They’ve been called the “The Most Ro...

Scot and Jeff discuss Pavement with Jeff Pojanowski. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Jeff Pojanowski, professor at Notre Dame Law School. Jeff is on Twitter at @ pojanowski . Jeff’s Music Pick: Pavement Political Beats has been dressed for success for a long time, but success it never comes. Finally it arrives with their ep...

Scot and Jeff discuss U2 with Stephen Miller. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Stephen Miller. He is a contributor to National Review, Fox News, and a well known social media raconteur. Stephen is on Twitter at @redsteeze where he will calmly insult your music tastes, among other things. Stephen’s Music Pick: U2 : The gang g...

Scot and Jeff discuss The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) with Jack Butler, host of Ricochet’s Young Americans podcast, sidekick of The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, and a freelancer writer living in D.C. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Jack Butler, host of Ricochet’s Young Americans podcast, sidekick of The Remnant with Jona...

Scot and Jeff discuss The Clash with CJ Ciaramella, a criminal justice reporter for Reason Magazine. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest CJ Ciaramella. He is a criminal justice reporter for Reason Magazine. CJ is on Twitter at @cjciaramella and you can read his work at reason.com . CJ’s Music Pick: The Clash : The gang wraps up...

Scot and Jeff discuss Queen with Adam White, law professor and a think-tank researcher. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Adam White. He is a law professor and a think-tank researcher, writing on law and democracy for outlets like the Wall Street Journal, the Weekly Standard, National Affairs, many other publications, and occ...

In this episode, Scot and Jeff discuss Radiohead with Molly Ball, TIME magazine’s national political correspondent and a political analyst for CNN. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Molly Ball ( @mollyesque ). She is TIME magazine’s national political correspondent and a political analyst for CNN. Molly’s Music Pick: Radiohea...

In this episode, Scot and Jeff discuss Elton John with Jamie Kirchick, author of The End of Europe . Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Jamie Kirchick ( @JKirchick ). He’s a Brookings Institution Visiting Fellow, author of The End of Europe , and columnist for Tablet magazine. Jamie’s Music Pick: Elton John : Allow us to simpl...

In this special episode, Scot and Jeff discuss Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker with David Lowery, the main singer/songwriter and bandleader for both groups. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest David Lowery ( @DavidCLowery ). He’s the main singer/songwriter and bandleader for Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker. David also is lect...

Scot and Jeff discuss Old 97s with Jessie Opoien, political reporter with the Capital Times in Wisconsin. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Jessie Opoien ( @JessieOpie ). She’s a political reporter for the Capital Times in Wisconsin and host of the Wisconsin politics podcast, “ Wedge Issues ,” featuring interviews with candid...

Scot and Jeff discuss King Crimson with Dave Weigel, political reporter for the Washington Post . Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Dave Weigel. He is a political reporter for the Washington Post, writer of the new campaign newsletter, The Trailer , and author of the recent book The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of...

Scot and Jeff discuss Guns N’ Roses with Robert VerBruggen, deputy managing editor of National Review Online. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Robert VerBruggen. He is deputy managing editor of National Review Online. Follow him on Twitter at @ RAVerBruggen Robert’s Music Pick: Guns N’ Roses : You know where you are? You’re...

Scot and Jeff discuss Bob Dylan with Andrew Kirell, a senior editor at The Daily Beast overseeing breaking news, political media, and occasionally music coverage. Part 3 of 3. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Andrew Kirll. He is a senior editor at The Daily Beast overseeing breaking news, political media, and occasionally mu...

Scot and Jeff discuss Bob Dylan with Andrew Kirell, a senior editor at The Daily Beast overseeing breaking news, political media, and occasionally music coverage. Part 2 of 3. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Andrew Kirll. He is a senior editor at The Daily Beast overseeing breaking news, political media, and occasionally mu...

Scot and Jeff discuss Bob Dylan with Andrew Kirell, a senior editor at The Daily Beast overseeing breaking news, political media, and occasionally music coverage. Part 1 of 3. Introducing the Band : Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Andrew Kirll. He is a senior editor at The Daily Beast overseeing breaking news, political media, and occasionally mu...

Scot and Jeff discuss The Beatles with Charles C. W. Cooke, editor of NationalReview.com and the author of The Conservatarian Manifesto . Part 2 of 2. Introducing the Band: Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Charles C. W. Cooke. He is the editor of NationalReview.com and the author of The Conservatarian Manifesto . Follow him on Twitter at @charlesc...

Scot and Jeff discuss The Beatles with Charles C. W. Cooke. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) with guest Charles C. W. Cooke. He is the editor of NationalReview.com and the author of The Conservatarian Manifesto . Charles’s Music Pick: The Beatles There’s this band you might have heard of called The Beatles. It’s Paul McCartney’s old group. A...

Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Christopher Scalia. He is co-editor of  Scalia   Speaks : Reflections on Law, Faith, and Life Well Lived , the New York Times best-selling collection of his late father’s speeches. He works at a public relations firm in Alexandria, VA, and has written reviews and political commentary for the Wa...

Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Jon Gabriel, co-host of the Conservatarians podcast and editor-in-chief of Ricochet . Follow Jon Twitter at @exjon . Jon’s Music Pick: New Order This week the gang gets pumped full of drugs as they discuss New Order, the rock legends who emerged from the ashes of Joy Division to spend an entire...