The year was 1994. I was about 11 years old. My father, as he was wont to do, was watching his favorite weekly news program, The McLaughlin Group. As I sat and tried desperately to understand what was being said on the television screen about the 1994 mid-term elections, a man named Michael Barone chimed in with an anecdote about Newt Gringrich and former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. I went and looked up Mr. Disraeli in the family encyclopedia and thought to myself, “Who was that smart guy who knew how to bring this dead British politician into a conversation about an American election?” That man was Michael Barone. He’s on my podcast this week. The circle is closed. 
This week’s episode of The R.J. Moeller show starts with R.J.’s candid interview with AEI Resident Fellow, Michael Barone. Mr. Barone is a political analyst and journalist who studies politics, American government and campaigns/elections. The principal coauthor of the annual Almanac of American Politics (National Journal Group), he has written many books on American politics and history. Michael is also a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner. Topics covered include: the electoral college’s relevance, the likelihood that the GOP takes back a majority in the U.S. Senate, and what brought a young Michael Barone from idealistic liberal to sober-minded conservative. In the second segment, R.J. chats with his friend Brett Kunkle, Student Impact Director for the organization Stand to Reason in Los Angeles. Brett is passionate about seeing students and adults “transformed by the renewing of their minds.” He has more than 18 years of experience working with junior high, high school and college students. He spent 11 of those years as a pastor to students and young adults at Chino Valley Community Church in Southern California and Creekside Church in Colorado. A dynamic communicator who engages both heart and mind, Brett speaks to thousands of students and adults at churches, conferences and college campuses across the country. R.J. talks with Brett about the work STR is doing, and some of the challenges people of faith are confronted with when it comes to equipping young people with the intellectual and rhetorical tools needed to articulate and defend what they believe in the public square. You can follow Brett on twitter at @BrettKunkleSTR! Stream the episode live below, or find (and subscribe to) us on iTunes! Podcast: Play in new window | Download
This week’s episode of The R.J. Moeller show starts with R.J.’s candid interview with AEI Resident Fellow, Michael Barone. Mr. Barone is a political analyst and journalist who studies politics, American government and campaigns/elections. The principal coauthor of the annual Almanac of American Politics (National Journal Group), he has written many books on American politics and history. Michael is also a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner. Topics covered include: the electoral college’s relevance, the likelihood that the GOP takes back a majority in the U.S. Senate, and what brought a young Michael Barone from idealistic liberal to sober-minded conservative. In the second segment, R.J. chats with his friend Brett Kunkle, Student Impact Director for the organization Stand to Reason in Los Angeles. 
Brett is passionate about seeing students and adults “transformed by the renewing of their minds.” He has more than 18 years of experience working with junior high, high school and college students. He spent 11 of those years as a pastor to students and young adults at Chino Valley Community Church in Southern California and Creekside Church in Colorado. A dynamic communicator who engages both heart and mind, Brett speaks to thousands of students and adults at churches, conferences and college campuses across the country. R.J. talks with Brett about the work STR is doing, and some of the challenges people of faith are confronted with when it comes to equipping young people with the intellectual and rhetorical tools needed to articulate and defend what they believe in the public square. You can follow Brett on twitter at @BrettKunkleSTR! Stream the episode live below, or find (and subscribe to) us on iTunes! Podcast: Play in new window | Download
