For 28 years, Mike Lofgren was a Congressional staffer for Republicans in the House and Senate budget committees. He is the author of The Deep State: The Fall of the Constitution and the Rise of a Shadow Government.
Mike Lofgren on KCRW
More from KCRW
Will Trump-Harris debate change voters’ minds?
PoliticsDid voters learn anything new from the Trump-Harris debate? Are live fact checks useful or fair? Plus, disinformation muddies the discourse on immigration.
Can Israel decide who qualifies as Jewish?
PoliticsThe genocide in Gaza has brought the issue of Israel — and what it represents for Jewish people — into the forefront of Jewish communities worldwide.
What do terms like ‘price gouging’ and ‘freedom’ really mean?
PoliticsHarris’ economic plan takes on price gouging. Where does Democratic “freedom” messaging leave Republicans? And the panel looks back at political freakouts.
What are the differences between conservatism, Trumpism, and GOP?
PoliticsWhat is a “never Trump” Republican? Both Trump and Harris are trying to win over swing and Centrist voters. Plus, conflict in the Middle East turns to Lebanon.
Another sales tax for homeless services: LA voters to decide
Election 2024Measure A – on LA County ballots this November – asks voters whether or not to approve a sales tax hike to fund homeless services and affordable housing.
Have hurricanes gotten swept up in the culture wars?
PoliticsThe recent hurricanes unleashed a storm of conspiracies. Could Omaha voters decide the nation’s fate? Plus, an indie newsletter saved a politically divided marriage.
Chasing the Watermelon Man
Food & DrinkAn audio folk story examining the tradition of Black watermelon long-haulers, who drive to farms in the South for watermelon and sell them in Black neighborhoods around the US.
Was civility the winner of the VP debate?
PoliticsCan civility influence voters in the Trump era? Has Biden’s policy in the Middle East backfired? Plus, the United States hits a bleak milestone on executions.
Will a Viet American Democrat unseat GOP in Little Saigon?
Race & EthnicityLittle Saigon’s Vietnamese community has long leaned Republican. Now local Democrat Derek Tran is trying to peel away votes in an OC swing district.