Episode #77: Political Gaffes and Late Night Laughs

Progressives have been going through some rough times lately, especially with their ongoing battle with President Obama over trade policy.  But they got some good news this week, with the announcement that former Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold will try to regain the seat he lost five years ago to Republican Ron Johnson.  Craig Gilbert of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reflects on Feingold's 18-year record in the Senate, his key issues, and how he stacks up against Johnson in what will assuredly be one of the marquis Senate races of 2016. California Democratic congresswoman Loretta Sanchez had a very inauspicious entry into the Golden State's Senate race last weekend, as she was caught on tape making what turned out to be a slur against Native Americans.  The always unscripted Sanchez insisted she meant no harm, but as Cathleen Decker of the Los Angeles Times reports, such gaffes have a way of sticking to a candidate -- especially one trying to make a first impression.  Time will tell if this becomes her "macaca" moment. And for all those political junkies who disdain back-room deals, more money in campaigns and political machines, along comes Jonathan Rauch of the Brookings Institution with a new e-book that calls for ... ready for it? ... more back-room deals, more money in campaigns and stronger political machines. With our "this week in political history" feature focused on the 1987 presidential declaration by Paul Simon, we replay an interview with his daughter, former Illinois Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon, who talks about her late father's beliefs and passions. And while we weren't able to go through 33 years of archives, we pulled out some fun tape of politicians who have appeared on David Letterman's late-night TV show over the years.  Letterman left the stage this week after a remarkable career. Image via flickr user Gage Skidmore CC BY-SA 2.0 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.