Italian Tomatoes- a show about current events from an Italian-American perspective, pragmatic and skeptical. My politics are center-right, but I respect all points of view.
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Despite all the post November 8 plotting, Donald J Trump is inaugurated president of the United States as mandated by our glorious Constitution. Let the draining of the swamp begin! Join us for some thoughts of the day!由Italian Tomatoes
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A look at the latest developments in the election hacking controversy and the motivations behind it. The mainstream media continues to pursue its alliance with the Clinton machine! We had some technical difficulty with audio clips, but the insights from Dick Morris, H.A. Goodman and Sean Hannity are definitely worth waiting for!…
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Drop by for some convivial conversation as we ring in the New Year!. We;ll have a live audio feed from New York's Times Square. We'll survey some major themes underlying the big stories of 2016 and take a look at the year ahead. And none of our news is Fake!由Italian Tomatoes
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Christmas has arrived at last! The holidays mark a welcome respite from a contentious election cycle, one that didn't end even when November 8 came and went. The year saw its share of sorrows and tragedy. Drop by for a little Christmas cheer, an informal chat about the news of the week and some reflections on the message of the season!…
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Tonight we examine the controversy over "Fake News" and the claim that Russian hacking determined the outcome of the election. We will also explore the geopolitical situation and why Donald Trump's emerging foreign policy direction makes sense.由Italian Tomatoes
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While the stock market is enjoying a post-election rally, the challenges facing the broader economy remain formdable. Fifty years ago John F Kennedy promised an economic revival through tax cuts coupled with an expansion of government power. Trump is also attracted to tax cuts, but wants to bring the government octopus under control. Rendition of "…
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Thanksgiving is the time for nostalgia!!! In that vein, we will take a look at three classic entries from the 1950's: The Brain From Planet Arous, The Day The Earth Stood Still and Forbidden Planet. They not only provide the opportunity to go down memory lane, but they have themes that are so relevant to today. Bring your popcorn, hula-hoops and ch…
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Join us for a dscussion of the 2016 presidential campaign, one of the wildest in American history! Donald Trump pulled of a victory that conventional wisdom said was impossible. And the campaign birthed a paradigm shift in the world of media.由Italian Tomatoes
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The first presidential debate will occur on September 26. The debates will be moderated by a journalistic class with a firm liberal world view. They have grown very comfortable with the crony capitalism epitomized by Democratic corporatist Hillary Clinton. The boundaries between government, media and big business have been eroding, and the nation's…
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The Republican Party, in theory at least, has been a defender of free enterprise and markets for many decades. But the rise of the global economy, coupled with open borders and multiculturalism, has reignited old arguments on both free trade and immigration. The emergence of Donald Trump as the GOP presidential nominee and the primary challenge to …
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We pause to pay tribute to the murdered police officers in Dallas. Then a look at the politics of the week, dominated by FBI Director James Comey's announcement that the Bureau will not recommend an indictment of Hillary Clinton. Plus a review of the financial markets at mid-year. Is the market sending recession signals, despite an upbeat jobs repo…
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Donald Trump is an unconventional candidate to say the least. Some conservatives are appalled at his heterodoxy, while some establishment Republicans are appalled at his style. So why did he get so many votes? Part of the explanation lies in the Republican party itself. While movement conservatism is important, the Republican party is a coalition o…
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It has been quite a week, marked by Britain's historic referendum on the European Union and new plots to derail the Trump candidacy at the Republican Convention. The fallout from Brexit will shake both British and European politics to their core, and the resignation of David Cameron is only the first phase. We take a look at the week's develpments …
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The political primary season is often a frustrating experience - it's long, drawn-out, and governed by confusing rules. Like life in general, the outcomes are often unfair and certainly debatable. But the modern, voter-driven primary is essential to the political process and confers legitimacy on the ultimate winner. Tonight we take a look at the r…
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Tonight we drop in for the final hour of the GOP presidential debate, followed by live chat and phones for your reactions. Mitt Romney blasted Donald Trump today, another stunning development in the scorched earth strategy being carried out by the Republican establishment.由Italian Tomatoes
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The South Carolina GOP primary has sparked the biggest display of fireworks since Fort Sumter, notably Trump's assault on the Bush legacy and the Cruz v Rubio slugfest. Tonight we see the results. Drop by as we review the results! We will also cross the pond for a while and look at how the Iraq war, which resurfaced in a big way in the SC primary, …
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Crossover appeal is a key to success in America's diverse society. Tonight we take a look at the phenomenal success of the Supremes, the iconic 1960's Motown group. They helped to shatter the racial barriers of their day thanks in large part to both raw talent coupled and the ability to take their soulful, R&B sound to a national audience. But succ…
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If current trends continue, Donald Trump will emerge as the Republican presidential nominee, and in a very short time frame. How did this happen? We take a look at the role of various factors- the competence of the GOP establishment, the multiplcity of candidates, and, above all, the awakened sense of American nationalism, especially amond the Reag…
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Join us for our annual New Year's Eve show. We'll drop in on the festivities at Times Square,and celebrate the ball drop. We'll take a look at events of the year (especially the presidential race and the economy). For the first time in several years, the stock market did not register any gains, while oil prices plunged. This year we saw some intere…
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Join us for our annual (and very ecumenical!) Christmas Eve show. We'll play clips of Christmas music and humor, while sharing reflections in the spirit of the season, with politics at a minimum. (Can't guarantee their total absence, as Congress just voted in the biggest spending Christmas tree of all time. No need to buy me a present- save your mo…
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Christmas is around the corner, and Santa is delivering entertainment early! Tonight we will cover the GOP presidential debate being held in Las Vegas, Nevada. We will carry the live audio stream for the final hour of the debate and then have open phones. The chat will be open for the whole debate. Drop by and express your views, Who will the media…
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It's that time of year again! Join us for the first Italian Tomatoes Christmas party, where we will discuss trends in current events and, of course, the latest political news. Unlike your conventional Christmas party, people with a busy schedule can skip this one and still find out what was said by checking the party (show) archive! We'll chat abou…
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Join us for coverage of the fourth Republican presidential debate. We will have a live audio feed for the final hour of the debate, and then have open phones for the last hour of the show to discuss your reactions to the spectacle. Can Ben Carson sustain his recent rise in the polls at the expense of Donald Trump? Can Jeb Bush revive his flagging c…
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The recent Republican presidential debate was remarkable. The candidates successfully pushed back against the usual display of hubris and bias on the part of the so-called moderators. It was a display of moxie and smarts quite in contrast to the ongoing coronation of Hillary Clinton. Most of the candidates did well, but the performance by Ted Cruz …
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The social media phenomenon is barely a decade old, and is in a state of constant transformation. Changes in computer hardware and operating systems have had a huge impact on how we access social media. The switch from pc's to tablets and above all smartphones has transformed the landscape, which in turn has had a huge impact on its economics. In t…
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In our last summer show of the year, I chat about a chance encounter with C.O.P.S. (Concerns of Police Survivors). Over a hundred police officers die each year in the line of duty. It is always timely to remember #BlueLivesMatter! We examine the travails of Hillary Clinton. One of her problems is that she has no real base in the Democratic party, n…
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During late August the major stock indices dropped over 8%, and then staged a dramatic partial recovery. We take a look at the buzz in the market, including China, currency issues, the drop in oil prices, telecom, Apple, and IBM We also take a look at the presidential race and the tragedy of the Virginia television studio shootings.…
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Todaywe will look at the aftermath of the first presidential debate, broadcast on Fox News. Now that it's had time to sink in to the public consciousness, we will examine the confronational behavior of the moderators and the post-debate reaction by the public. Many viewers were especially disappointed by the use of classic Democratic talking points…
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(Note- due to internet problems that surfaced before show-time, I had to do the show from the local McDonald's, which has a TV set to Fox News. Their wifi crashed a couple of times, and the quality of the audio is spotty. It cratered entirely after a half-hour. I'm leaving the show up, but hope to have a better technical setup for future debates. I…
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Tonight's Independence Day show will take a look at America's exceptional legacy. The founders of the United States created a nation that coded the ideals of liberty, tolerance and enlightenment into the country's DNA- impulses that frequently collide in other countries. For over two centuries, the American enterprise has managed to keep them integ…
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Tonight we take a look at the perplexing phenomenon of Hillary Rodham Clinton. She grew up in a nice Republican suburban neighborhood, and actually campaigned for Nixon and Goldwater in the early 1960's. She moved steadily left in college, as did so many, in an era of turmoil defined by the Civil Rights movement and Vietnam. Moving into the profess…
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We will take a look at the results of Great Britain's 2015 General Election, which is widely expected to result in a "hung" Parliament where no party commands a majority. The projected strength of the Scottish Nationalist Party, which wants independence for Scotland and an explicitly socialist agenda, will greatly complicate the task of forming a g…
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When talk began in earnest about a Jeb Bush presidential candidacy for 2016, former First Lady Barbara Bush was noticeably cool about the idea. Alas, she eventually changed her mind. But as veteran test takers know, it is usually wise to trust your first instinct when deciding a question. Tonight we will examine the myriad weaknesses of another Bus…
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Two recent events have put the decline in today's academic world in stunning perspective- the fake rape story at the University of Virginia and the cancellation by the University of Michigan of a screening of "American Sniper". The PC police are running amok on many American campuses. In addition, the explosive growth in college costs is bankruptin…
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IBM has been the bellwether par excellence for the modern American corporation. Under the founding Watson dynasty, which ruled the roost between 1914 and 1971, it reached the pinnacle of industrial success and then blazed a path into the emerging computer industry. Along the way it pioneered concepts and principles that became symbols of enlightene…
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Join us for live coverage of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's historic speech before Congress. The event has intensified the debate about the potential threat from Iran's nuclea program, and is generating a good deal of discussion about ramifications fo domestic politics in both Israel and the USA. We will provide audio of his address co…
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Thanks to the role of money in politics, the race for the presidency is a two year event that tests a candidate's stamina, finances, response under media fire (if Republican) and ability to get different factions of his or her party on board. We will discuss the dynamics of the presidential race at this very early stage of the cycle. Will it be a H…
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Despite assurances from the mass media that the economy has improved, employees remain vulnerable to restructurings and layoffs. Downsizing is rippling through the energy sector in response to the fall in oil prices, while tech giant IBM is poised to announce the biggest round of cutbacks in its history. Tonight we will look at the dynamics of sear…
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The terrible murders at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris sent a tremor though the civilized world. They undermine the narrative that the war on terror is some bizarre invention perpetrated by the Bush Administration, a favorite lefty narrative. Liberalism may never be the same. Tonight we explore some core concepts underlying the progressive view…
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Join us for some New Year's Eve chatter and fun. We'll cover the ball drop in New York and then speculate as to whether the new GOP Congress will drop the ball in 2015. The stock market climbs ever higher and our society's high rollers are living the Gatsby life. Will it last? Plus, some reflections on the economy and Obamacare.…
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Join us for our annual Christmas show, which will broadcast late Christmas Eve, We will ponder recent events and how they relate to the message of the season. There will be clips and carols and holiday cheer as well!由Italian Tomatoes
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Conservatives are perceived to be at a disadvantage when it comes to social justice. We simply must get better at thinking and talking about it. And we have a lot to offer. Liberal progressivism is very flawed in its perceptions of social justice, and its policy prescriptions are often disastrous. It is no accident that after nearly a decade of the…
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Baby, it's cold outside! Winter has arrived early. As you shelter from the plunging temperatures caused by Global Warming, join us for a post-election wrap up. We will contemplate the results and the consequences, and take a look at other stories: Grubergate, Obama's cave-in to China, increased troops for Iraq and the ascent of Elizabeth Warren. Jo…
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Tonight we will discuss the midterm elections. Join our live chat to post updates on the races you are following. Will the GOP pull it off and take control of the Senate? Most of the governorships are also at stake. This election will decide if there will be an effective opposition to President Obama's radical agenda for his final two years.…
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This evening I will team up with the esteemed Cold Warrior, best known for his advocacy of www.precinctproject.us as a means of transforming the GOP into an effective vehicle for constitutional governance. We will discuss the importance of voting and why it is so critical in the days ahead. Many conservatives and Republicans sit out elections and c…
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The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claims that it is creating a new caliphate. But the terrorist proto-state's perverted creation has almost nothing in common with the classical Caliphate. Tonight we will take a brief look at the historical Caliphate, where civilization flourished for centuries, and which was noted for its tolerance and enl…
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Join us for a celebration of our incredible country and its exceptional legacy. Yes, exceptional. The mind has enormous trouble with this term. Well, we all know the limitations of the liberal brain. Sit down with your favorite libation, your burgers and steaks, your politically incorrect carbs and a dessert to die for while we focus on the truths …
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How can we approach Easter in a society that is not only secular, but ratcheting up hostility to religious faith? With the rise of aggressive and triumphant secularism, how does one sing the Lord's song in a strange land? And what is the song? Some personal musings on Easter's Eve.由Italian Tomatoes
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We are having an unusually cold winter, and the global warming cultists are twisting themselves into pretzels trying to make observable experience fit their beloved paradigm. Tonight we will reflect on the realities of climate change, and how it provided the setting for the iconic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.…
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Join us as we bid farewell to an often frustrating year. We will drop in on Times Square for the festivities in New York, plus do a retrospective on the major stories of the year. 2013 marks the fifth anniversary of this radio show, so I probably won't be able to resist a few observations on life in the social media world!…
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