Your Call 010308 Have You Ever Seen a Rational Voter?

How do people decide who to vote for? On the next Your Call we look back at our own On the Record series and what research shows about how voters choose between candidates. We focused on their voting records; do you? Does emotional response predominate over rational analysis? Has that changed as you’ve gotten older? We’ll be joined by political psychologist Drew Westen on Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Drew Westen
Author of the Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation. He is the founder of Westen Strategies.
 
Bruce Gronbeck
Professor of communication studies at the University of Iowa. Professor Gronbeck is an expert in the politics of scandal and what has come to be called the "character issue.”

Click to Listen: Have You Ever Seen a Rational Voter?

Your Call 121907 On the Record: Senator Fred Thompson

What does former Senator Fred Thompson's voting record tell us about what kind of president he would be? On the next Your Call, we complete our On The Record series, where we move past the stump speech and campaign promises and instead focus on candidates’ voting records and campaign contributions. This week we examine the record of former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson. He has a 100 percent rating from anti-choice groups and the NRA. What do you want to know about Fred Thompson? It’s Your Call, with me, Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Clint Brewer in Nashville.
Executive editor of the Nashville City Paper and president of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Stephen Dinan in Washington DC
National political reporter with the Washington Times.

Click to Listen: On the Record: Senator Fred Thompson

Your Call 120507 On the Record: Senator John McCain

What does Arizona Senator John McCain’s voting record tell us about what kind of a president he would be? On the next Your Call, we continue our On the Record series where we look past their stump speeches and hold their votes up to the light. Up Next: Republican Senator, John McCain. He has a reputation as a straight talking maverick. We’ll look at how independent the senator has been in his 25 years on Capitol Hill, on immigration or campaign finance reform, on the war in Iraq and a possible war with Iran. When does McCain vote with his party, and when does he go his own way? It’s Your Call with Rose Aguilar, and you.

Guests:
Matt Stearns, McClatchy newspapers' Washington Bureau reporter

Dan Nowicki, the Arizona Republic's "McCain Central" blog writer and reporter

Click to Listen: On the Record: Senator John McCain

Your Call 112107 On the Record: Representative Dennis Kucinich

What does Congressman Dennis Kucinich's long voting record tell us about what kind of president he would make? On the next Your Call, we continue our On the Record series where we move beyond the stump speeches and rhetoric and instead focus on candidates’ voting records. What does Congressman Kucinich go to bat for? Who funds his campaigns and why do Cleveland voters keep sending him back to Capitol Hill? What do you want to know about Dennis Kucinich? It’s Your Call with me, Rose Aguilar, and you.
 
Guests:
John Nichols in Madison, Wisconsin
Washington Correspondent for the Nation magazine.

Sabrina Eaton in Silver Spring, MD
Washington Correspondent for the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Click to Listen: On the Record--Representative Dennis Kucinich

Your Call 111407 On the Record--Rudolph Giuliani

On the next Your Call, we continue our On the Record series where we look at presidential candidates' voting records. Next up is former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. New York's murder rate dropped by 60 percent under Giuliani, but complaints about police brutality rose by 70 percent. Giuliani received international attention after 9/11 and since then, he founded a security consulting business and became a partner in a law firm. What does Giuliani’s record tell us about what kind of president he would make? It’s Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
John Judis in suburban Washington DC. 
Senior editor at The New Republic and a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.  He is also author of The Folly of Empire: What George W. Bush Could Learn from Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.
 
Wayne Barrett in New York
Investigative reporter and senior editor for the Village Voice since 1979.  He is the author of Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11. 

Click to Listen: On the Record--Rudolph Giuliani

Your Call 110707 On the Record: Senator Chris Dodd

What kind of a president would Senator Chris Dodd make? On the next Your Call, we continue our On The Record series where we look at the voting records of presidential hopefuls. This week, we’re focusing on Democratic Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut. Senator Dodd is making waves for stalling the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act until amnesty for telecom companies is removed. Dodd has been in Congress for 33 years. Where does he stand on issues you care about and who’s funding his campaign? Join us on the next Your Call with me, Rose Aguilar, and you.

Guests:
Tom Swann, executive director of the CT Citizen Action Group and previously ran Ned Lamont’s campaign against Joe Lieberman.

Bill Curry, columnist for the Hartford Courant, a two-time Democratic nominee for governor of Connecticut and a White House advisor in the administration of Bill Clinton.

Hari Sevugan, spokesperson for Chris Dodd for President
 
Click to Listen: On the Record -- Senator Chris Dodd