Pro Politics with Zac McCrary The Iconic Charlie Cook Reflects on a Life in Politics
Charlie Cook is a political icon of his generation. Charlie broke ground in the early days of the race-rating and political newsletter industry, starting the Cook Political Report from scratch in 1984 – and he and his newsletter are still going strong.
Charlie talks through his fascinating career and is generous with insights as to how politics and campaigns have changed over the years – with plenty of practical tips to help anyone better understand and better navigate our political system.
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Twitter: @ZacMcCrary
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IN THIS EPISODE
The one political book Charlie remembers being in his house as a kid…
High-school Charlie helps out on an underdog Louisiana Senate race…
How high school debate helped prepare Charlie for a job in elections analysis..
Charlie breaks down the politics of his youth in Louisiana of the 60s and 70s…
Charlie remembers his first DC job as an elevator operator in the Russell Senate office building…
A young Charlie has a memorable encounter with Senator Jesse Helms…
Charlie gives the history of the election newsletter industry…
Charlie’s background in polling and campaigns comes in handy…
Charlie learns an important lesson from the infamous "bloody" IN-08 congressional race of 1984…
Charlie talks about how he started his newsletter in the mid 80s…
The important media break Charlie got that helped put his newsletter on the map…
The dramatically different subscriber base today from how the Cook Report started…
Charlie and Stu Rothenberg meet with VP Cheney before the 2006 elections…
Charlies waxes poetic about the Almanac of American Politics…
Which committee staffer (and future Governor) was one of Charlie’s best sources of leaks…
Charlie gives tips for candidates to prep for meetings with DC handicappers…
Charlie’s cryptic comment about a 2004 meeting with then candidate Barack Obama…
The one Senate committee chair who talked through races with Charlie independent of committee staff…
Charlies talks about the responsibility of knowing his analysis is responsible for impacting races…
The recent race result that surprised Charlie the most…
Charlie talks about “the worst thing” that can happen in his line of work…
Charlie’s tips for TV appearances…
The highest compliment Charlie can get from a reader…
Charlie’s must-read political books…
Charlie talks about the “lost art” of positive political ads…
ALSO…Johnny Apple, The Atlantic, Alan Baron, David Broder, Ron Brownstein, Edward Brooke, Bernadette Budde, C-SPAN, CNN, Eric Cantor, Mitch Daniels, Tom Davis, Bob Dole, Jennifer Duffy, Edwin Edwards, Allen Ellender, Rahm Emanuel, Evans and Novak, Vic Fazio, Martin Frost, Cory Gardner, Newt Gingrich, Nathan Gonzales, Phil Gramm, Charles Guggenheim, Bill Hamilton, Peter Hart, Paula Hawkins, F. Edward Hebert, Jesse Helms, Hubert Humphrey, Al Hunt, Laura Ingraham, Bennett Johnston, Gillis Long, Huey Long, Dick Lugar, Sid McMath, George McGovern, Bob Michel, Otto Passman, Kevin Phillips, Roll Call, Stu Rothenberg, Tim Russert, David Sawyer, Bernard Shaw, Bob Squier, Jessica Taylor, Amy Walter, Dave Wasserman, Paul Weyrich, Judy Woodruff, and MORE…!
Podcast Website
Twitter: @ProPoliticsPod
Twitter: @ZacMcCrary
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