Snollygoster
WOSU Public Media
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Snollygoster takes an in-depth look at politics in Ohio. Each week we dig into the top political stories in Columbus and Ohio and explore national stories that impact the state by talking with politicians, reporters and other news-makers. (In case you're wondering, a "snollygoster" is a shrewd and unprincipled politician.)
Available episodes
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Oldest first
2 days ago
Lawmakers won't leave cannabis alone
Recreational cannabis is legal in the state of Ohio, but legislators are determined to make changes to the law that was overwhelmingly approved by voters. Republican State Rep. Jaime Callender joins the show.
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5 days ago
The Power Grab: Market Manipulation
FirstEnergy figured they could get their customers to subsidize their poorly performing nuclear power plants. To do so, they paid a $4 million bribe to Sam Randazzo just before Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appointed him as the chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
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Nov 30, 2023
Marijuana legalization and abortion rights take effect next week
Thursday, Dec. 7, is the date when Ohio's new abortion rights amendment takes effect and when recreational marijuana becomes legal in Ohio. We'll discuss what conservative lawmakers have planned for with Ohio Public Radio’s Karen Kasler.
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Nov 27, 2023
The Power Grab: Dark Money
Dark money for political campaigns helped make the Ohio nuclear bailout bribery scandal possible. But that $60 million FirstEnergy doled out to elect Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and his allies, to pass HB 6 and stop it from being rolled back, wasn’t the only cash that traded hands.
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Nov 20, 2023
The Power Grab: It’s A Setup
Lobbyist Neil Clark was paranoid that he was on the FBI’s radar and he was right for the nuclear bailout bribery scheme.The Columbus lobbyist from humble beginnings had made it far in Ohio politics. He was a fierce competitor and prided himself on going scorched earth for a cause. He left nothing on the table and hated to lose. He didn’t care if he believed in the cause or not.
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Nov 16, 2023
Lawmakers continue to focus on abortion rights after passage of Issue 1
Ohio Democrats and Republican lawmakers are weighing their next steps after Issue 1 passes. Dan Kobil, a law professor of Capital University in Columbus discusses proposed strategies.
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Nov 13, 2023
The Power Grab: An Unholy Alliance
In this episode, we’ll explore how Larry Householder rounded up votes to become Ohio House Speaker. And, how he strong-armed opponents of the bill he promised to FirstEnergy, known as HB 6. We’ll see how FirstEnergy’s team reacted to a campaign to fight the bill and how the conspirators scrambled to keep it all together as federal investigators honed in.
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Nov 9, 2023
Ohio voters approve abortion rights and marijuana - what happens next?
Ohio voters overwhelmingly passed ballot measures for abortion and reproductive rights, as well as the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. We take a look at the results and talk about where we go from here with Anna Staver, the host of WOSU's "All Sides with Anna Staver."
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Nov 6, 2023
The Power Grab: The Bank
In the first episode of the WOSU podcast The Power Grab, we delve into the shocking arrest of Republican House Speaker Larry Householder and the federal racketeering charges against him.
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Nov 3, 2023
Introducing The Power Grab
Starting Monday, November 6, WOSU's original podcast The Power Grab will take a tour of Ohio’s backrooms and listen in on clandestine FBI recordings of schemes by Larry Householder and FirstEnergy to wrangle power for corporate and personal profits.
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Nov 2, 2023
The final countdown to election day for Ohio's abortion question
A look at the ramifications of Ohio abortion ballot measures with Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler with Election Day looming, and we get a sneak-peak at a new podcast about the Larry Householder bribery scandal.
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Oct 26, 2023
A look at Maryland's vote to legalize marijuana
Ohio voters will soon decide whether to whether to legalize recreational cannabis. Twenty-three states have already done so, with Maryland being the latest. Aaron Klein, a senior fellow in Economic Studies with the Brookings Institute, joins the show.
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Oct 12, 2023
Unpacking the debate over parental rights in Ohio's Issue 1
Voting has begun on Issue 1, the abortion rights amendment. Opponents argue that parents will lose the right to have a say if their child chooses an abortion. This week on Snollygoster, host Mike Thompson discusses the issue with Capital University law professor Dan Kobil and Dr. Courtney Kerestes, a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health.
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Sep 28, 2023
How a reproductive rights amendment passed in Michigan
In this episode of Snollygoster, we look at the proposed abortion rights amendment and how it compares to Michigan's amendment from last year. Zoe Clark, political director at Michigan Radio, discusses the dynamics and messaging of her state's successful abortion rights campaign.
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Sep 14, 2023
Ohio Redistricting Commission stumbles at first meeting
Ohio's redistricting process restarted this week, but it was a false start. On this week's episode of Snollygoster, Ohio's politics podcast from WOSU, host Mike Thompson discusses the ongoing distract map drama with Karen Kasler, Ohio Public Radio Statehouse Bureau Chief.
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Sep 7, 2023
Abortion issue will attract attention and money from across the county
Abortion rights will be Issue 1 both on the ballot and in the minds of most voters going to the polls. On this week's episode of Snollygoster, Ohio's politics podcast from WOSU, host Mike Thompson discusses the politics of abortion with long-time political reporter Ken Rudin, host of the Political Junkie podcast.
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Aug 31, 2023
Could Ohio return to swing state status?
Recent political wins by Ohio Democrats have some thinking that the state might be swinging more towards being a "purple" state. But that might be wishful thinking. On this week's episode of Snollygoster, host Mike Thompson talks with Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
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Aug 24, 2023
Conservatives divided on anti-abortion rights strategy
Abortion rights will be on the ballot in November and conservatives can't agree on whether a compromise should be on the table. On this week's episode of Snollygoster, Ohio's politics podcast from WOSU, host Mike Thompson talks to Republican strategist Terry Casey about a rift in the GOP.
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Aug 10, 2023
Ohioans like their constitution just the way it is
Nearly four in 10 voters came out in the heat of late July and early August to reject Issue 1. On this week's episode of Snollygoster, Ohio's politics podcast from WOSU, host Mike Thompson talks with supporters and opponents about the next steps.
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Aug 3, 2023
Issue 1 campaigns heat up as election day nears
The campaigns for and against Issue 1 are spending millions of dollars on TV ads to get voters to the polls. On this week's episode of Snollygoster, Ohio's politics podcast from WOSU, hosts Mike Thompson talks with Herb Asher, retired Ohio State University political science professor.
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