Second Reading Podcast

Jim talks with Houston Chronicle Washington D.C. correspondent Ben Wermund about Senator Ted Cruz and his political future in the aftermath of Cruz’s actions after Donald Trump’s defeat, as well as other reports on the Texas congressional delegation.

Jim talks with Lauren McGaughy about COVID-19 vaccines, and the onset of a post-Trump United States, and how Republicans can move forward.

Jim and Josh discuss the U.S. Capitol riots, Trump’s handling of the presidential transition, and the beginning of the upcoming Texas Legislative session.

This week, Jim and Josh discuss Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to overturn the presidential election results in other states, updates from the Texas Senate’s hearings on COVID-19 this week, and what “covid fatigue” really means.

This week, Jim and Josh discuss the panel that Jim moderated for the Professional Advocates Association of Texas, and upcoming plans for the next Texas Legislature session in January.

Jim and Josh discuss the internal politics of the Texas Republican Party and of Allen West’s participation and role as Party Chair.

Jim and Josh discuss the still-pending results of the 2020 General Election, and how pollster predictions compared to the real world results.

Jim and Josh discuss the match between expectations and outcomes in Texas during the 2020 Election season as well as the national dynamics on the issue of polling.

Jim and Josh discuss the upcoming election and some key areas of polling interest within Texas – Independents, Hispanic voters, suburban voters, and young voters. While these areas may reflect a new and changing demographic, it is important to distinguish between Texas “turning blue” and Texas “becoming competitive” in the coming election cycles.

Jim and Josh discuss more polling results, and the ramifications of Texan voter sentiments towards the incoming election.

Jim and Josh recap the trial ballot results for the 2020 election and give insight on what each political party aims for using historical results.

Jim talks with L.A. Times writer Mark Z. Barabak about his insight into the 2020 election and the current shapes of the presidential campaigns.

In this episode, Jim and Josh discuss public opinion regarding the vacant supreme court seat as a result of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s recent death and how it relates to voter turnout.

Jim interviews Eric McDaniel about his research on the threat to white masculinity, and how that has influenced the politics of the Trump administration and its supporters.

In this episode, Jim and Josh take a look at polling in the run-up to the 2020 Presidential Election, and they particularly focus on the nature of disclosures and the motivations for polling.

In this episode, Jim and Josh discuss Donald Trump’s campaign angle of Law and Order in response to ongoing protests in the country, as well as a Harris County lawsuit related to mail-in ballots.

Jim and Josh discuss house members’ attitudes about the operation of the house in response to the pandemic.

This week, Jim and Josh discuss the policy preferences among various generations of Hispanic voters in Texas in relation to the 2020 Presidential Election.

This week, Jim and Josh discuss policy for school reopening during COVID-19, and the political ramifications of these actions.

This week, Jim is joined by Jonathan Tilove, chief political writer of the Austin American-Statesman, to discuss Governor Abbott’s recent policy positions in regards to the pandemic as well as his “lonely middle course.”

This week, Jim and Josh discuss public attitudes about Confederate Memorials as well as Governor Abbot’s recent policies about the General Election.

This week, Jim and Josh continue their discussion on partisan politics, the political system, and the race for the Democratic nomination.

This week, Jim and Josh talk about public perceptions of policing, discrimination, and racism across party affiliations as well as the Texas special election.

This week, Jim and Josh discuss the rising COVID-19 rates in Texas and Texans’ response to the pandemic across party lines as well as how partisan perceptions of discrimination have changed since 2018.

This week, Jim is joined by Jonathan Tilove, a journalist at the Austin American Statesman, to discuss the heated Senate race in Texas as well as Governor Abbott’s response to rising COVID-19 cases in the state.