Pro Politics with Zac McCrary – Details, episodes & analysis

Forrest Claypool has one of the most impressive and varied resumes in politics...early campaign and operative work with David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel, two-time Chief of Staff to the mayor of Chicago, opposing Barack Obama in mock debates in his 2004 Senate race, running the Chicago Park District, Chicago Transit Authority, and Chicago Board of Education, elected to the Cook County Board, intense races against the Chicago machine, and now author of the new book - The Daley Show - about the 20+ year tenure of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. In this conversation, Forrest talks his path from small town Southern, IL to breaking into politics to his time running major city departments to being an integral part of the Chicago machine before running against the machine a few years later and deep into the last 40+ years of Chicago politics through the impact of the mayoralty of Richard M. Daley.

IN THIS EPISODE...

Forrest's roots in Southern Illinois and the state politics of his youth in the 60s and 70s...

Forrest connects with David Axelrod at the start of the Axelrod rise as a national media consultant...

The x-factor that made Axelrod such an effective political consultant...

One of Forrest's favorite races he worked on as a political consultant...

Forrest plays the role of Alan Keyes in Barack Obama's 2004 debate prep...

Forrest's initial impressions of the 1990s Barack Obama who started making the rounds in Chicago politics...

Forrest remembers the Rahm Emanuel he first worked with in the mid-1980s...

Of the numerous positions he held around Chicago and Cook County politics, which did Forrest find most exciting...

Why Forrest turned down an almost sure-thing, safe seat in Congress...

What he learned when he ran for Cook County office himself...

The Forrest Claypool 101 on effectively running organizations...

His evolution as a foot soldier of the Daley machine to a prominent machine critic and opponent...

What made Forrest write his new book, The Daley Show, about the 20+ year mayoralty of Richard M. Daley...

How the original Mayor Daley, Richard J. Daley, dominated Chicago politics for decades...

The story of Richard M. Daley in the political wilderness after the death of his father, and how he rose to the mayor's office via an "outside game"...

Details on how the Chicago mob controlled an entire city ward into the 1980s and 90s...

The importance of "abandoned cars" in running a city...

The most important accomplishment of the Mayor Richard M. Daley era...

The biggest "missed opportunity" from Daley's time as Mayor...

The "most brilliant ploy" Forrest saw from Mayor Daley during the 1990s wars over Chicago-area airports...

The story from Forrest's first race in Cook County, with his opponent trying to convince voters that Forrest (who is white) was a Black candidate...

How far one has to go back in Chicago politics to find election-counting interference...

Forrest's take on why Chicago is no longer "a city that works"...

Forrest's favorite story of the influential Chicago columnist, Mike Royko...

Forrest's must-see recommendations around Chicago for political junkies...

AND AKPD, Yasser Arafat, Thomas Barnes, Evan Bayh, Michael Bilandic, Rod Blagojevich, Jane Byrne, Jimmy Carter, council wars, Fred Cowan, Andrew Cuomo, John D'Arco, Richard Dennis, economic invalids, eye-glazing agencies, Paul Findley, Newt Gingrich, The Grateful Dead, iron-handed bravado, Brandon Johnson, Martin Kennelly, Martin Luther King, Lori Lightfoot, Machiavellian power plays, Ron Madison, Millennium Park, The Rolling Stones, John Stroger, Ed Vrdolyak, & more!

Mark Udall, former Democratic US Senator and House member from Colorado, comes from the famed Udall family of the Mountain West - including his father, Congressman Mo Udall, and uncle, former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall under both JFK & LBJ. But Mark Udall largely stayed away from politics until his mid 40s - having an entire career within the outdoor leadership organization Outward Bound. However, once he flipped the switch to politics, his ascent was rapid: elected to the Colorado State House in 1996, the US House in 1998, and the US Senate in 2008. In this conversation, Senator Udall talks his famous political family, his own early relationship to politics, and memories of 20+ years in elected office that span both highs and lows - with great stories and insights from someone with one of the most unique arcs in American politics.

IN THIS EPISODE

Growing up between Tucson, AZ and Washington DC...

Lessons about public service learned from his mother...

Growing up in a political family of with a Congressman for a father and Cabinet Secretary for an uncle...

The political legacy of his father, Mo Udall....

The famous friendship between John McCain and Mo Udall...

Old Mountain West connections among the Udalls, Goldwaters, and Romneys...

The Udall brothers' opinions of both Presidents Johnson and Kennedy...

Mark works New Hampshire for his father's 1976 presidential campaign...

The 20-year career he had before entering politics...

Running for office for the first time in his late 40s...

Mark rolls out his Bill Clinton impression...

What surprised him most - both positives and negatives - about serving in Congress...

The behind-the-scenes machinations of why he didn't run for Senate in 2004 and did run in 2008...

Why he was caught flatfooted in his 2014 Senate re-election...

Memories of some of the most intense moments on the floor of the House and Senate...

The now-infamous role the issue of abortion played in his 2014 race against Cory Gardner...

Why he was one of the few members of Congress to list "no religious affiliation" in his bio...

The current projects he's most interested in...

The Mark Udall recommendations for traveling through Colorado...

AND 50 mile hikes, Michael Bennet, Sherry Boehlert, Hale Boggs, Jimmy Carter, Grover Cleveland, Rocky Colavito, Democratic bankers, Denver Nuggets, Don't Ask Don't Tell, William O. Douglas, Fort Wayne Pistons, James Garfield, Gabrielle Giffords, Gary Hart, Jay Inslee, Bobby Kennedy, David King, Lady Bird Johnson, Dick Lamm, John Larson, Monica Lewinsky, Bob McNamara, John McCormack, mercurial marriages, George Miller, Minneapolis Lakers, Minnie Minoso, the NBL, the NRA, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Barack Obama, Tom Osborne, Outward Bound, Bill Owens, Nancy Pelosi, plural marriage, Harry Reid, Ranger Rogers, Roy Romer, George Romney, John Salazar, Ken Salazar, Pat Schroeder, Herb Score, Sonia Sotomayor, tough cookies, Mark Uterus, Tim Wirth, Willard Wirtz & more!

Debbie Cox Bultan has been working in Democratic politics for more than 30 years, including more than a decade at the Democratic Leadership Council and then helping start NewDEAL where she is now the CEO. At NewDEAL, she works to connect pro-growth progressive leaders and help raise their profiles and amplify their ideas. In this conversation, she talks about the Hill internship that drew her to a career in politics, lessons learned managing campaigns, her long tenure at the influential DLC think tank, what has gone in to starting and growing New Deal over the last several years, and some of her top priorities heading into the 2024 elections.

IN THIS EPISODE

Growing up in an apolitical, middle-class family in Sacramento...

A formative DC internship for her local Congressman, Vic Fazio...

Debbie's early experiences working in CA campaign fundraising and managing...

Debbie's 15 years working at the DLC, the Democratic Leadership Council & the impact the DLC had on American politics...

Starting the center-left NewDEAL non-profit to engage and promote young Democratic leaders...

Using Pete Buttigieg as an example to talk through the role NewDEAL can play in the rise of a public figure...

How Debbie has worked to develop to a well-rounded skillset to lead a national organization...

The "Freedom Agenda" NewDEAL has helped develop...

The role Debbie sees the issue of abortion rights playing in the '24 election cycle...

Advice for the next generation of political operatives...

Debbie's most unusual, successful work habit...

Roger Lau has one of the most unique origin stories in all of politics. Growing up in Queens as the child of Chinese immigrants, he dropped out of high school...before eventually getting back on track, getting his GED, and taking a fateful Political Science course at UMass Amherst. Roger talks mistakes and lessons from his early days, how he re-focused his life, and the incredible job interview that led him to an internship that shaped the rest of his life. Roger also shares how he entered the world of Elizabeth Warren in 2012, his perspective as manager of the Warren 2020 presidential campaign, and what motivated him to join the DNC after the 2020 elections.

IN THIS EPISODE

Roger grows up in Queens as the son of Chinese immigrants…

Mistakes Roger made early and how he got back on the right track…

Early political memories from Roger’s childhood…

The amazing confluence of events that led to Roger interning for Senator John Kerry…

Roger speaks to the John Kerry he’s seen up-close and personal…

The role that served as Roger’s “big break” rising through the ranks of politics…

The roles Ayanna Pressley has played in Roger’s career…

The Roger Lau 101 for effective campaign managers…

Roger’s entry point into the world of Elizabeth Warren…

Roger takes the helm of the Warren 2020 campaign…

Roger talks the elements that made the Warren campaign unique…

Two things other 2020 primary campaigns did that impressed Roger…

What makes Elizabeth Warren unique as a political figure…

What sparked Roger’s interest in going to work at the DNC…

What Roger thinks political operatives should understand about the AAPI community…

AND 123 miles, the 7 line, Joe Biden, Scott Brown, Pete Buttigieg, campaign unions, cardboard corrugating factories, Julian Castro, clown t-shirts, Dorchester, Dunkin Donuts, GEDs, generational talents, hot leads, Jesse Jackson, Joe Kennedy, late night dinners, Monopoly, PS 11, Quincy, Juan Rodriguez, Rockaway Beach, John Rocker, rocket science, Roosevelt Avenue, Maya Rupert, selfie lines, Faiz Shakir, Shea Stadium, the Springfield Republican, teaching America, ugly suits, UMass Amherst, unpaid internships, Washington Square Park, wingwomen, Woodside, Worcester, & more!

You no doubt know that Alex Burns and Jonathan Martin, both of the New York Times, recently released their new book THIS WILL NOT PASS…chronicling the last few years of our politics…including Trump’s time in office, the 2020 election and aftermath, the January 6 insurrection, and the first phase of the Biden Administration. In this conversation, they go deep on many of the stories in their book – including some background and asides not fleshed out in the book and stories you won’t have heard from them amidst their recent media blitz.

IN THIS EPISODE…

Does Donald Trump really think he won the 2020 election or is this all subterfuge to refuse to acknowledge he lost?

Which US Senator was prescient in anticipating exactly how Trump would cast doubt on the results post election?

Why hasn’t President George W. Bush been more vocal against Trump?

One Republican Senator who typifies the GOP establishment’s difficulty managing Trump?

How many Republicans would’ve impeached and removed Trump were it a secret ballot?

Inside Mitch McConnell’s decision to back Trump on impeachment…

Whose hold on his caucus is more tenuous…Mitch McConnell or Kevin McCarthy…

The conventional wisdom of what a post-Pelosi Democratic caucus looks like…

Inside the Biden VP process…

Inside GOP attempts to woo Senator Manchin to switch parties…

Weighing in on rumors Trump flirted with dumping Mike Pence from the 2020 ticket…

The backbench Republican Congressman who captured the House GOP sentiment to give Trump a pass for January 6…

The Democratic Governor who was one of their favorite interviews…

The failed GOP Senate recruit who shows the changing of the guard in the Republican Party…

The interview with the House Republican that demonstrates “the beauty of reporting…”…

The two colleagues they specifically mention in the acknowledgements…

The Southern influence on the New York Times…

Off-the-beaten-path political book recommendations from both Alex and Jonathan…

AND Air Force One, Lamar Alexander, Don Bacon, Howard Baker, Dean Baquet, Beau Biden, John Boehner, Josh Bolton, Rick Bragg, Mo Brooks, Jeb Bush, Robert Caro, Turner Catledge, Liz Cheney, Chris Christie, Katherine Clark, Hillary Clinton, colonoscopies, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, convenient self-justification, Bob Corker, defied admonitions, difficult truths, Dixiecrats, Duck Run, Tammy Duckworth, Dwight Eisenhower, Facebook, Fox News, Jeffrey Frank, Maggie Haberman, Kamala Harris, Bill Haslam, the House Steering Committee, Sasha Issenberg, Pramila Jayapal, Hakeem Jeffries, Bill Johnson, Jim Jordan, John F Kennedy, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Patrick McHenry, Mt Rushmore, musical chairs, Richard Nixon, Kristi Noem, normie Republicans, Robert Novak, the Progressive Caucus, Howell Raines, real damn Democrats, red carpets, Reservoir Dogs, Campbell Robertson, Karl Rove, Steve Scalise, Brian Schatz, Adam Schiff, Ted Strickland, Gay Talese, Harry Truman, useful fig leaves, JD Vance, Gretchen Whitmer, Roger Wicker, Steve Womack, worry-mongering, Jeff Zients…& more!

Hazel Wong is the Director of Global Conservation Campaigns at The Nature Conservancy, one of the world’s largest and most successful environmental organizations. In this conversation, Hazel talks growing up on the island nation of The Seychelles, how political upheaval forced her family to migrate to the U.S., the future member of Congress who became a political mentor, and experiences and lessons from nearly 20 years helping win environmental ballot measures.

IN THIS EPISODE…

Hazel talks memories of the first few years of her life growing up on the island nation of Seychelles…

Hazel’s father becomes a political prisoner…

Why it became necessary for Hazel’s family to leave her home and move to the U.S…

Hazel experiences culture shock once her family moves to Las Vegas…

The American politician Hazel’s father regularly complained about…

The future member of Congress who became a mentor to Hazel and steered her toward a career in politics…

How Hazel first connected with The Nature Conservancy…

The Hazel Wong best practices on ballot measures which have led to a 88% success rate…

Hazel talks lessons from winning a campaign in Minnesota and losing a measure in Utah…

Hazel’s thoughts on how a lack of shared resources is compromising the effectiveness of the environmental movement…

Hazel talks how climate change has become an “identity issue” and how that makes progress more difficult…

Why “gloom and doom” climate and change messaging makes it harder to communicate with Americans…

What Hazel has learned about effectively managing teams over the past 20 years…

Hazel provides an update on the progress making the environmental movement more diverse…

Hazel’s tips on building a professional network…

Hazel updates her thoughts on the concept of a personal “likability number”…

Hazel’s travel hacks…

& much more!

Jesse Ferguson is a top Democratic strategist and comms expert - who cut his teeth in Virginia, ran the $60M+ DCCC Independent Expenditure in 2014, served as a top press aide to the Clinton ’16 campaign, and is now a strategist advising numerous organizations and independent expenditures. In this conversation, Jesse talks key moments and lessons from his career, as well as providing his Messaging 101 on how he thinks of effective political communications.

IN THIS EPISODE…

Jesse’s family connection to Joe McCarthy and the 1950s Red Scare…

Jesse’s early Republican leanings and the high-profile Republican he almost interned for…

Jesse’s theory of Virginia as a trendsetter in American politics…

Jesse talks the importance of Mark Warner in the rise of Virginia Democrats…

In college, Jesse starts Virginia21 to encourage more investment in Virginia higher education…

Jesse talks the value of getting experience outside of DC…

Jesse navigates multiple cycles rising through the ranks at the DCCC…

Lessons from his “favorite job” running the DCCC IE in 2014…

Jesse talks his senior comms role in the Hillary Clinton 2016 race…

The 3 challenges the Hillary 2016 campaign had with the press…

Jesse shares insights from health struggles he’s faced…

Jesse provides his Messaging 101 on speaking on the record, outlandish stunts, getting earned media, and more…

Jesse’s go-to “ABCV” message trick…

The three TV shows that form the backbone of Jesse’s approach to life…

AND…agents of intolerance, George Allen, Mark Bergman, Demand Justice, Dukakis bumper stickers, early warning signs, earworms, Brian Fallon, Jerry Falwell, flowing hair, fruit flies, Steve Israel, Steve Jarding, Tim Kaine, kazoos, Abraham Lincoln, Travis Lowe, Stewart Mills, Robby Mook, Rick Nolan, Ralph Northam, The Palm, Jen Palmieri, Ed Peavy, pneumonic devices, press releases on camera, Protect Our Care, Red Dawn, Mame Reiley, the Richmond Jewish community, Pat Robertson, robots, Rockefeller Republicans, Michael Scherer, screen agnosticism, sharp elbows, Star Wars, Tikkun olam, Joe Trippi, the Urban Crescent, Kelly Ward, William & Mary, & more!

Celinda Lake, President of Lake Research, has been a leading Democratic researcher and strategist for 30+ years. In this conversation she talks her Montana roots, her path to polling, working for groundbreaking women like Geraldine Ferraro, Carol Mosley Braun, and Nancy Pelosi, working on Biden 2020, and lessons & insights from four decades working to elect Democrats and advance progressive goals. 

IN THIS EPISODE…

Celinda talks growing up on a ranch in Montana…

The progressive tradition in Montana…

The Vietnam War influences Celinda’s politics…

Celinda’s theory on why Montana produces so much political talent…

Celinda moves from the academic world to the campaign world…

Celinda tells the story of one of her heroes, the first woman pollster in politics…

The first races on which Celinda cut her teeth as a political pollster…

Celinda remembers lessons learned from heading up focus groups for Clinton-Gore ’92…

The origins and rise of Lake Research…

The story of turning down a US Senator who wanted to work with Lake Research…

How Celinda thinks of issue messaging…

Celinda talks the challenges women candidates face…

Celinda’s memories of working with trailblazers Geraldine Ferraro, Barbara Mikulski, Carol Mosley Braun, and Nancy Pelosi…

Celinda polls for AOC during her 2018 upset…

What Celinda knows about Joe Biden that might not be common knowledge…

Celinda’s take on what makes a good pollster…

Celinda’s strangest work habit…

AND….22 rifles, Spence Abraham, John Anzalone, Jerry Austin, David Axelrod, the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, Matt Barreto, Max Baucus, Jill Biden, Valerie Biden, Heather Booth, blueberry muffins, Ron Brown, James Carville, the cat’s meow, Hillary Clinton, Copper Kings, country schools, Joe Crowley, Mike Donilon, EEOC lawyers, Emerge, EMILYs List, fitbits, Kathleen Frankovic, Anderson Gardner, gatekeeping, Geoff Garin, Geneva, the gender gap, Ed Goeas, Mandy Grunwald, Stan Greenberg, Bill Hamilton, Kamala Harris, Gary Hart, Peter Hart, Harrison Hickman, Higher Heights, Italian city-states, Justice Democrats, George Lakoff, Joe Lamson, Ed Lazarus, Silas Lee, Ann Lewis, looking for patterns, Mike Lux, Dotty Lynch, mainframes, Nelson Mandela, Mike Mansfield, Mark Mellman, Jim Messina, Lee Metcalf, Warren Miller, Barbara Mikulski, Walter Mondale, Motown, new voices, Northern Plains Resource Council, Kathleen O’Reilly, Ross Perot, John Podesta, Lana Pollack, Bob Putnam, the race-class narrative, ranked-choice voting, Jeanette Rankin, Ready to Run, Ronald Reagan, red state sensibilities, Nelson Rockefeller, Steve Rosenthal, Anat Shenker-Osorio, Smith College, Alysia Snell, social proof, Social Security cards, Doug Sosnik, Debbie Stabenow, Gail Stoltz, student deferments, Phil Tawney, Jon Tester, two for one, University of Michigan, Kathy van Hook, Women’s Campaign Fund, The Women’s Lobby, Pat Williams, & more!

Chris Shays cuts an iconic, if disappearing, profile across the American political scene. One of the last by-God moderate House Republicans from the Northeast, he represented Connecticut in the US House for more than 20 years...a congressional career spanning the Reagan Revolution through the 2008 Democrative wave ushering in President Obama. In this discussion, he talks the Republican Connecticut of his youth, his time in Fiji serving in the Peace Corps, his decade serving in the state legislature, the time he was sentenced to several days in prison to protest political corruption, and lessons & memories from 20 years in the House. 

IN THIS EPISODE…

Congressman Shays recalls the Republican DNA of the Connecticut of his youth…

What political moment made his father upgrade their TV...

His time serving in Fiji in the Peace Corps…

Memorable door-to-door experiences from his first legislative campaign in 1974…

He rubs party leaders the wrong way on his very first day in the CT State House…

The amazing story of how a fight to root out judicial corruption in Connecticut lands him in jail for several days…

Coming from behind to win a special election to Congress in 1987…

The big difference he noticed between lobbyists in state government vs Congress…

The one other member of Congress he wanted most to meet upon his election…

The changes within the House GOP Conference pre and post Newt Gingrich ascension…

Congressman Shays' contribution to the ’94 GOP takeover wave - both intentional and otherwise...

Behind the scenes of the failed GOP coup against New Gingrich in 1997…

The time moderate Chris Says was most in the doghouse with his party’s leadership…

What it felt like to feel his district shift left in the 2000s…

Congressman Shays talks the breakdown of bipartisanship in Congress…

How deeply did he consider switching parties?

What went into his decision to endorse both Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden over Donald Trump?

A memorable meeting when Donald Trump met with Congressman Shays about building a Connecticut casino…

Regrets about his 2012 Senate primary against self-funding Linda McMahon…

The unconventional book idea he may pursue…

AND….Dick Armey, the assault weapons ban, the best office in the Capitol, Black Rock, Roy Blunt, Bridgeport, George W. Bush, Mr. Clean, Bill Clinton, the Commission on Wartime Contracting, Common Cause, Tom Davis, Darien, Tom Delay, Mrs. Donahue, Dwight Eisenhower, Russ Feingold, Gerald Ford, Newt Gingrich, grievance committees, Jim Himes, Pete Hoekstra, Henry Hyde, Hertz, inverted bell curves, it hits the fan, Jehovah’s Witnesses, John Kasich, Joe Kennedy, Ned Lamont, Steve Largent, John Lewis, Joe Lieberman, the Longworth building, Carolyn Maloney, Marla Maples, John McCain, Marty Meehan, Bob Michel, NBC, the NRCC, the New York Times, Christine Niedermeier, Richard Nixon, Jim Nussle, Bill Paxon, the Peace Corps, Nancy Pelosi, penny loafers, Colin Powell, Stamford, Leon Uris, the WWF…& more!

Liuba Grechen Shirley is the founder/CEO of VoteMama – a non-profit dedicated to supporting moms running for office. In this conversation, she talks running for office in 2018 as a first-time candidate, making history as the first woman to receive FEC approval to use campaign money for child care, and making an impact with VoteMama. 

IN THIS EPISODE…

Liuba speaks to the politics that shaped here while growing up on Long Island…

Her analysis of why Trump connected with voters on Long Island…

Liuba talks her work on development in Ghana before entering politics…

The phenomenon of “mommy-tracking” in the business world…

How the switch flipped for her to become active in congressional politics in the 2018 election…

Liuba’s take on her 2018 opponent Congressman Peter King…

Her experience running for office as a first-time candidate…

How she made history as the first woman to receive approval to use campaign money to cover child care…

The relationship Liuba forged with Elizabeth Warren during the congressional campaign…

The high profile pol who gave Liuba pep talks before debates…

A window into how Liuba put together her consultant team…

Why she passed on the 2020 open-seat after a narrow 2018 loss…

How she started VoteMama to support mothers running for office…

VoteMama’s nonpartisan work being done to ensure more candidates can use campaign funds for child care…

How Liuba is thinking about the 2022 election cycle…

Advice for others starting a political non-profit…

AND 6-foot cardboard cutouts, Accra, adult coloring books, affable guys, Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Jocelyn Benson, Berlin Rosen, Anna Brichacek, Madison Cawthorn, Hillary Clinton, Stephen Colbert, FoxNews, Kirsten Gillibrand, Chelsea Clark, Isaac Goldberg, green marble notebooks, Grey’s Anatomy, MJ Hegar, Monica Klein, Kathy Hochul, Indivisible, Morgan Lamandre, Lindenhurst, Grace Meng, mom pep talks, Gwen Moore, the Muslim Ban, NYU, Maggie Oliver, paid family leave, orange juice, osteogenesis imperfecta, Papua New Guinea, party bosses, Planned Parenthood, Katie Porter, Emily Robinson, the Russian Revolution, Kim Schrier, small structural change…& more!