Americans’ anxiety around the election was palpable. When news networks called the race after days of counting ballots, it was as if the country finally exhaled and spontaneous celebrations erupted across the country and the globe. Joe Biden has called for this to become a moment of national healing, but Donald Trump still hasn’t conceded the race. Sankarshan Das says if and when he does, peace still won’t prevail. “This election will not heal our country. There are deep, deep wounds which Joe Biden is incapable of healing.” Invite the spiritual master to discuss what’s broken in our society, what we need to heal, and whether any politician can provide it. Sankarshan Das is the author of the upcoming book “Conquer Your Mind and Deliver the World: Empowering You to Awaken Your Divine Consciousness and Create Global Happiness.” He is also a singer-songwriter who once appeared onstage between Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead. His song, “The Peace Formula,” has been praised by Barack Obama. Contact him at (512) 643-6740; sdas@rtirguests.com
Category: Politics, Government
The Kamala Effect: Breaking Gender and Racial Barriers
Kamala Harris steps into the role of vice president as the first woman to hold the position. She’s also the first woman of color, as the child of a Black father and an Indian mother. Canadian media veteran Raj Grin, whose parents are also Indian, can address the often hidden prejudice against Brown people and discuss how Harris will inspire many young girls, especially those of color. Raj can also talk about the massive changes that have taken place this year in the U.S. from Black Lives Matter, to cancel culture and the new reality that in 2020 a Black, Southern and Asian woman is a heartbeat away from the presidency. She’ll also share how despite its horrors, 2020 has encouraged a community-centric global culture that is here to stay. Raj is a well-known media personality in Canada and a serial media entrepreneur who has worked in many communication-intensive industries with thought leaders, celebrities, and multinational corporations. Contact her at (647) 490-3158; Rgirn@rtirguests.com
Why Would God Want a Trump Presidency?
After years of being a casino owner, billionaire businessman, reality TV star and tabloid target, Donald Trump gained enough fame to be elected the 45th president. Patric Rutherford, Ph.D., believes it was God’s will that put Trump in the White House. Why? Did God approve of Trump’s fame? His business skills? His lifestyle? His ability to attract loyal followers? Or Trump’s desire to be in charge? Explore Trump’s amazing political journey when you interview Dr. Rutherford, author of “God and President Trump Plus the Rest of Us.” Ask him: Are Christians who see President Trump as a divine deliverer justified in their support for him? Why can’t President Trump pivot to acting presidential? Does anything justify the divisiveness and hate that the Trump presidency has engendered? How would God grade Trump’s presidency? Contact Dr. Patric Rutherford at (786) 201-6638; patricrutherford@gmail.com
He Helped a First Lady Set an Underwater Speed Record
Few of us have had close contact with a president and first lady the way Steven Mays did, and he has a great story to tell. Mays was serving on a nuclear submarine at the time when this particular president and first lady came aboard his “stinky, smelly, hot tube 400 feet below the water” to get a behind-the-scenes tour of what his high-tech vessel could do. On your show, Mays will share all the details: who the president and first lady were, the feverish preparations for their visit including the banning of some overweight crew members, what happened when the first couple visited his engine room, and how the first lady perked up when informed that she was “the first female to break an underwater speed record.” Mays is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis who served on nuclear submarines. He was also a mathematician, electrical engineer and nuclear engineer who worked in private industry and at the Nuclear Regulation Commission. Contact Steven Mays at (703) 552-5672; smays@rtirguests.com
Anxiety to Rage: Americans Respond to the Election
What should we expect from the American public this week? Ask Myke Merrill, D.Min., author of “Why Do People Act that Way? (And What Can I Do About It?)” Dr. Myke says, “One prevalent emotional response to the election and its results can be anxiety — a foreboding sense of risk and disaster. A second significant response, and possibly of greater issue, can be rage, all up and down the anger scale — a powerful desire to bring about change or get control. People experiencing these two powerful emotional systems tend to be very vocal and active about professing and stressing their inner response onto anyone and everyone within range.” Dr. Myke can also explain more common and subtle emotional responses to the election, which he says can be just as powerful and important to acknowledge. Dr. Myke Merrill was a panelist on the national television show “Ask the Pastor” for 18 years. Contact him at (585) 615-6383;
myke@grippingreality.com
He Helped a First Lady Set an Underwater Speed Record
Few of us have had close contact with a president and first lady the way Steven Mays did, and he has a great story to tell. Mays was serving on a nuclear submarine at the time when this particular president and first lady came aboard his “stinky, smelly, hot tube 400 feet below the water” to get a behind-the-scenes tour of what his high-tech vessel could do. On your show, Mays will share all the details: who the president and first lady were, the feverish preparations for their visit including the banning of some overweight crew members, what happened when the first couple visited his engine room, and how the first lady perked up when informed that she was the first female to break an underwater speed record. ” Mays is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis who served on nuclear submarines. He was also a mathematician, electrical engineer and nuclear engineer who worked in private industry and at the Nuclear Regulation Commission. Contact Steven Mays at (703) 552-5672; smays@rtirguests.com
Pelosi & Trump: Why Their Leadership is Similar
At first glance, Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosi would appear to have little in common. Sure, they both have their fans and detractors. But apart from that, both leaders depend on others because they can’t do everything themselves and need to rely on people who have the expertise they lack. For a fascinating show, talk to Steven Mays about how we often confuse style and personality with leadership and why much of politics is just persuasion, neither truth nor lies, and nothing to get upset about. Mays is the author of “Power of 3 Leadership, Lessons in Leadership.” A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis who served on nuclear submarines, he was a mathematician, electrical engineer and nuclear engineer who worked in private industry and at the Nuclear Regulation Commission. Contact Steven Mays at (703) 552-5672;
smays@rtirguests.com
Do Pelosi and Trump Have Similar Leadership?
At first glance, Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosi would appear to have little in common. Sure, they both have their fans and detractors. But apart from that, both leaders depend on others because they can’t do everything themselves and need to rely on people who have the expertise they lack. For a fascinating show, talk to Steven Mays about how we often confuse style and personality with leadership and why much of politics is just persuasion, neither truth nor lies, and nothing to get upset about. Mays is the author of “Power of 3 Leadership, Lessons in Leadership.” A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis who served on nuclear submarines, he was a mathematician, electrical engineer and nuclear engineer who worked in private industry and at the Nuclear Regulation Commission. Contact Steven Mays at (703) 552-5672; smays@rtirguests.com
Why are Trump Supporters So Loyal?
Donald Trump’s presidency has been marked by disruption and turmoil, but his support has remained remarkably stable. How can that be? Political observers believe American voters are shifting away from transitory measures of performance like traditional metrics of peace and prosperity, and toward bedrock attitudes about demographic, cultural and economic change. “That is certainly what gives Trump a floor: By stoking those cultural war fires you are going to win over a certain share of the electorate that has this more racist and sexist and xenophobic views,” says Brian Schaffner, a Tufts University political scientist who has extensively studied the correlation between political preferences and cultural attitudes. “When your identity and view of (the nation’s) identity overlaps with your partisan identity so much, it’s hard to ever consider shifting sides,” Schaffner says. Some political observers believe that stability, paradoxically, points to years of polarization and rising turbulence in American politics and life. Brian Schaffner is co-author of several books including “Campaign Finance and Political Polarization: When Purists Prevail.” Contact him at (617) 627-3467; brian.schaffner@tufts.edu
Great Election Show: Running for Local Office
New York Times bestselling author Heather Lende has been writing about her hometown — Haines, Alaska — and about what community means for more than a decade. After the 2016 elections, she was inspired to take a more active role in politics and decided to run for office in Haines. And … she won! For a great election season show, invite Heather to share the funny and entertaining story of her first term on the small-town assembly, and how the political, social, and environmental issues her community faces are not so different from the issues being played out on the national stage. Heather Lende’s new book, “Of Bears and Ballots: An Alaskan Adventure in Small-Town Politics,” could serve as a “how-to guide” for anyone thinking of beginning a career in local politics. She says, “I think that social justice and public health are very much in the realm of local governments, and so much of what happens going forward will fall on the shoulders of people like me — elected to local councils and commissions — and how we interact with the community and the pressure from different interest groups.” Contact Johanna Ramos-Boyer at (703) 991-8328; jboyer@rtirguests.com