ChrisWeigant.com » Interviews

Photos From Philly

Chris Weigant — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 04:47:13 +0000

Due to technical reasons (and not having a full-time staff to do this stuff the way big media organizations do), I wasn't able to post photos with all the stories from the Democratic National Convention. Instead, I'm just going to present them all together in this "album." A lot of these were mentioned in my previous coverage, but some of them are just random convention shots.

Interview With Connecticut Secretary Of State And Convention Delegate Denise Merrill

Chris Weigant — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 19:25:32 +0000

I conducted the following interview yesterday, before the convention actually started. Denise Merrill is a Connecticut delegate (although not, as she pointed out to me, a superdelegate) and serves Connecticut as their Secretary of State. A recent achievement was the state becoming the first to pass a campaign finance reform law which created a public financing system for elections -- all the other states with such laws created them through ballot initiatives or referenda.

Guest Author -- 'Today's Anecdote' By Paula (Part 2)

Chris Weigant — Wed, 18 May 2016 23:36:32 +0000

Today I am once again turning my column space over to a regular commenter at my website, who wishes only to be identified by her login name "Paula."

Guest Author -- 'Today's Anecdote' By Paula

Chris Weigant — Tue, 17 May 2016 22:02:09 +0000

On Friday, March 11th, 2016, I was responding to one of Chris's posts and wrote the following: "Anecdotally: we walk our dog around the neighborhood every day, criss-crossing several blocks in different patterns. The other day I stopped to talk to a lady out raking her yard (a middle-aged black woman -- a stranger) and asked her if she was leaning Hillary or Bernie, anyone else, or no one. She said Hillary, because she thinks Hillary is experienced, going back to having been married to a president, and will know how to handle the job. She said she likes Bernie but he's old and she's not sure he'll make it through the campaign season, but Hillary seems so energetic."

Program Notes

Chris Weigant — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 23:47:42 +0000

I have two important program notes to post today, before I get busy writing today's column (yes, there will be a real column today). The first is that it's been so long that I basically forgot how the notifications for donations come in to my email from PayPal. What this means is that there were [...]

Albany Museum Of Political Corruption Student Essay Contest Announced

Chris Weigant — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 00:37:00 +0000

In the intervening two years, College of Saint Rose professor Bruce Roter has made significant progress towards seeing his dream become a reality. He has secured a charter for his museum from the state, and is now in the process of filing paperwork registering as a non-profit (to assure that donations to the Museum of Political Corruption will be tax-deductible). And just yesterday, the M.P.C. announced its first-ever essay contest for high-school students, to answer the question: "What is political corruption and why should we care?"

From The Archives -- Interview With The Man Behind "Museum Of Political Corruption" Project

Chris Weigant — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 01:00:48 +0000

I referenced the following article in passing last Friday (in relation to another outbreak of corruption in the halls of Albany), after which I was ceremoniously awarded a Commemorative Silver Edition Kickback by the Albany Museum of Political Corruption -- so I thought it'd be nice to return the favor and re-run the full interview I conducted a while ago with Bruce Roter.

Interview With The Authors Of American Conspiracy Theories

Chris Weigant — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 00:55:27 +0000

What, exactly, is a conspiracy theory? How do you define the term?

I have to admit, I had never really given these questions much thought before. Conspiracy theories seem to be almost self-evident, usually through the context in which they are presented. If you read something written by a serious believer, it's pretty obvious. If you see conspiracy theorists portrayed in a movie or television show, once again it's usually obvious -- even when they're not literally wearing tin-foil hats. But when studying the history of conspiracy theorizing, coming up with a clear definition of the term is an absolutely necessity, since it will dictate which data is included and which is omitted in the study.

Noting Ben Bradlee's Passing

Chris Weigant — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 22:40:39 +0000

That title, by my own standards here, should really be: "From The Archives -- Interview With Betty Medsger, Author Of The Burglary." I am reprinting the following interview I conducted earlier this year with a woman who was a young reporter in Ben Bradlee's newsroom around the time of Watergate and the Pentagon Papers. Since Betty Medsger is the only one I've ever personally been in touch with who knew and worked with Ben Bradlee, I thought it would be appropriate to mark his passing. Bradlee was a lion of the newspaper publishing industry, and deserves all the praise that is currently being heaped on him, and more. If you didn't read the series when I first published it this spring, follow the links to the two-part book review, and (once again) I highly recommend this book to one and all. The story of the Media, Pennsylvania burglary of the F.B.I. office is one that is not well known, but that doesn't make it any less important in today's debate over secret surveillance by government agencies.

Interview With Betty Medsger, Author Of The Burglary

Chris Weigant — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 00:14:16 +0000

Earlier this week, I wrote an extensive book review of former Washington Post reporter Betty Medsger's The Burglary (2014, Alfred A. Knopf). This book chronicles a break-in at the Media, Pennsylvania, branch office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1971, and the subsequent release to the public of files proving the F.B.I. was spending something like 40 percent of its time spying on and harassing political groups and individuals that J. Edgar Hoover didn't approve of. The burglars, who operated under the name "Citizens' Commission to Investigate the F.B.I.," were never caught, despite a five-year F.B.I. manhunt involving more than 200 agents. None of the burglars had ever even been publicly identified before Medsger's book was published.

Interview With The Man Behind "Museum Of Political Corruption" Project

Chris Weigant — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 22:41:10 +0000

Wouldn't it be great to have a place where children and adults alike could learn about the sordid history of how American politics really works? If Bruce Roter has his way, visitors to New York's state capital will indeed have this opportunity, at the "Albany Museum of Political Corruption" -- which he hopes to locate just down the hill from the state's Capitol building. Adults entering Roter's political corruption museum will be charged a reasonable "bribe" as admission, with children under the age of 12 entering for half price (although "parents are encouraged to lie about the age of their children").

KPFK Uprising! Interview

Chris Weigant — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 19:30:30 +0000

Instead of a column today, I'll be working hard reviewing 2012 for tomorrow's big year-end awards column (see previous "Program Note" if you'd like to offer up nominees). Rather than reading a column from my keyboard today, though, you can hear the interview I did this morning on the Uprising! show on KPFK radio (part of [...]

Friday Talking Points [232] -- Frankenstorm! Hank For Senate!

Chris Weigant — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 23:01:03 +0000

No matter what your political affiliations, I think we can all agree we're getting a little burnt out on Election 2012. "When will it end?" we wonder -- and we don't even live in a state currently under siege in the continuing television ad war. We can only imagine what Ohioans, Floridians, and Virginians must be experiencing right now.

Congressional Democrats' Advice For Obama's Jobs Speech

Chris Weigant — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:10:41 +0000

The nation is waiting to hear what President Obama is going to say tomorrow night, when he gives an address to a joint session of Congress on the subject of jobs. Plenty of people have already been offering advice to the White House, but instead we thought it'd be interesting to ask some of the people who are going to be sitting in the audience tomorrow what they'd advise the president to include in his speech.

Exclusive Interview With Populist Caucus Chairman Bruce Braley

Chris Weigant — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 22:13:41 +0000

Representative Bruce Braley, from Iowa's First District, returned to the House of Representatives this week, after surviving a very brutal re-election campaign in which millions of dollars of outside money from anonymous right-wing donors were spent against him. His campaign was an interesting one, because rather than try to distance himself from his own party or from what Democrats have accomplished in the past few years, Braley instead embraced his own record, and proudly defended it to his voters.

California Marijuana Proposition Update

Chris Weigant — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 23:56:10 +0000

I have to admit that I still have no answer to the question last week's article asked in its title. At this point, nothing more than sheer speculation can answer how President Obama and the White House would react to Proposition 19 passing.

San Francisco Mime Troupe's Latest: "POSIBILIDAD, or Death of the Worker"

Chris Weigant — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:08:55 +0000

The play is unabashedly Leftist, in the classic meaning of the term. It tells two parallel stories of factories facing shutdowns, and the possibilities open to them; one from modern-day San Francisco and one from a few years ago in Argentina, and it manages to link these two stories in a very personal way through the lead female character.

Before And After Obama's Speech, With Populist Caucus Chair Bruce Braley

Chris Weigant — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:03:04 +0000

I would like to hear President Obama outline a clear agenda, like the Populist Caucus' Blueprint for Recovery, to create good-paying jobs that can't be outsourced for America's middle class families. A "jobless recovery" isn't a recovery for middle class families and the President and his Administration need to understand that.

Exclusive Interview With Geoffrey Nunberg, On The Years Of Talking Dangerously

Chris Weigant — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:08:46 +0000

Some writers love words and language more than others. At one end of this continuum are writers who use language much the way a carpenter uses tools, and don't think about the tools much (would a carpenter say he "loves" his hammer or saw?). At the other end of the scale are writers such as Geoffrey Nunberg, whose love of language is a core part of not just their writing, but their whole being. For instance, his impressive "day job" is researching linguistics at Berkeley's School of Information, meaning that even when he isn't writing, he is still thinking about language.

Friday Talking Points [75] -- Monster Raving Loony Party

Chris Weigant — Sat, 02 May 2009 00:46:01 +0000

OK, with that out of the way, we must (sadly) turn our eyes to the Republican Party. Because they appear to be losing all touch with reality, so it's best to keep an eye on them at this point. For starters, they are calling a special Republican National Committee meeting in the next month to vote on (as if they could) forcing their opposition to change their name to what is variously described as the "Socialist Democratic Party" or the "Democratic Socialist Party" (as well as variations where they intentionally leave out the "-ic" just to twist the knife).

Exclusive Interview With Rep. Bruce Braley, Populist Caucus Founder And Chairman

Chris Weigant — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:06:24 +0000

Representative Bruce Braley recently announced the formation of a new congressional caucus dedicated to the economic concerns of the middle class. The Iowa Democrat (as reported in The Huffington Post) unveiled the new Populist Caucus last month, and as its chair immediately set to work addressing their concerns in the stimulus package in the House. But since the term "populism" has been used for a variety of movements throughout American history, I thought I'd ask Representative Braley himself what the caucus is all about, and what they're trying to achieve. The interview below is a transcript of our conversation.

Talking With The F.B.I.'s Undercover Source In Alaska's VECO Corruption Case

Chris Weigant — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:29:00 +0000

You know, I don't necessarily believe so, and that's a sad reflection, isn't it? It's a sad reflection on how little stock we seem to put into character in politics. It's going to be a tight race, but Stevens could still win this thing. Stevens has been around so long, and we do have a very partisan situation up here in Alaska, where evidently some are willing to accept representation irrespective of a conviction. I think some people will se

Exclusive Interview: Frank Prewitt, Author Of Last Bridge To Nowhere

Chris Weigant — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:11:02 +0000

For those interested in the backstory of the octopus-like reach of the VECO corruption investigation, there is currently no better inside look at the entire mess than the amazing new book Last Bridge To Nowhere, by author Frank Prewitt. Prewitt has a unique perspective on the entire mess, since he was the F.B.I.'s "Confidential Source #1" throughout the evidence-gathering phase of the long-running investigation. Codenamed "Patient," Prewitt spent countless hours documenting sleazy deals, payoffs, bribes, and other shenanigans; often wearing a wire and taping encounters to provide court evidence.

Exclusive Interview: An M.I.T. And A Yale Professors' Cure For The Electoral College

Chris Weigant — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:53:38 +0000

I had the chance recently to interview two professors in the field of statistics (from Yale University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology), who have jointly come up with an interesting plan for replacing the Electoral College. Their plan would retain the electoral advantages small states currently have, but would remove the winner-take-all system we have now.

Interview With Al Franken

Chris Weigant — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:40:43 +0000

Although the (as he puts it) "Is He Serious?" headlines have mostly come and gone, Al Franken is still Al Franken, and his humorous style is evident throughout the interview. But for all the people who scoffed at the idea of a former comedian running for such a high public office, it can now be strongly stated that Al Franken's campaign is definitely no joke.

Interview With Political Science Professor Kenneth Janda

Chris Weigant — Wed, 21 May 2008 22:30:01 +0000

Since we are about at the halfway point in the 2008 elections -- with the last dust settling from the nomination race and the general election campaign gearing up -- I thought it would be a good time to talk to Janda again. I am not professionally trained in political science (I just pretend to be, on the internet), so I thought it would be interesting to hear from someone who is.