Pro Politics with Zac McCrary

Send us a textCelinda Lake, President of Lake Research, has been a leading Democratic researcher and strategist for 30+ years. In this conversation she talks her Montana roots, her path to polling, working for groundbreaking women like Geraldine Ferraro, Carol Mosley Braun, and Nancy Pelosi, working on Biden 2020, and lessons & insights from four decades working to elect Democrats and advance progressive goals. IN THIS EPISODE…Celinda talks growing up on a ranch in Montana…The progressive tradition in Montana…The Vietnam War influences Celinda’s politics…Celinda’s theory on why Montana produces so much political talent…Celinda moves from the academic world to the campaign world…Celinda tells the story of one of her heroes, the first woman pollster in politics…The first races on which Celinda cut her teeth as a political pollster…Celinda remembers lessons learned from heading up focus groups for Clinton-Gore ’92…The origins and rise of Lake Research…The story of turning down a US Senator who wanted to work with Lake Research…How Celinda thinks of issue messaging…Celinda talks the challenges women candidates face…Celinda’s memories of working with trailblazers Geraldine Ferraro, Barbara Mikulski, Carol Mosley Braun, and Nancy Pelosi…Celinda polls for AOC during her 2018 upset…What Celinda knows about Joe Biden that might not be common knowledge…Celinda’s take on what makes a good pollster…Celinda’s strangest work habit…AND….22 rifles, Spence Abraham, John Anzalone, Jerry Austin, David Axelrod, the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, Matt Barreto, Max Baucus, Jill Biden, Valerie Biden, Heather Booth, blueberry muffins, Ron Brown, James Carville, the cat’s meow, Hillary Clinton, Copper Kings, country schools, Joe Crowley, Mike Donilon, EEOC lawyers, Emerge, EMILYs List, fitbits, Kathleen Frankovic, Anderson Gardner, gatekeeping, Geoff Garin, Geneva, the gender gap, Ed Goeas, Mandy Grunwald, Stan Greenberg, Bill Hamilton, Kamala Harris, Gary Hart, Peter Hart, Harrison Hickman, Higher Heights, Italian city-states, Justice Democrats, George Lakoff, Joe Lamson, Ed Lazarus, Silas Lee, Ann Lewis, looking for patterns, Mike Lux, Dotty Lynch, mainframes, Nelson Mandela, Mike Mansfield, Mark Mellman, Jim Messina, Lee Metcalf, Warren Miller, Barbara Mikulski, Walter Mondale, Motown, new voices, Northern Plains Resource Council, Kathleen O’Reilly, Ross Perot, John Podesta, Lana Pollack, Bob Putnam, the race-class narrative, ranked-choice voting, Jeanette Rankin, Ready to Run, Ronald Reagan, red state sensibilities, Nelson Rockefeller, Steve Rosenthal, Anat Shenker-Osorio, Smith College, Alysia Snell, social proof, Social Security cards, Doug Sosnik, Debbie Stabenow, Gail Stoltz, student deferments, Phil Tawney, Jon Tester, two for one, University of Michigan, Kathy van Hook, Women’s Campaign Fund, The Women’s Lobby, Pat Williams, & more!

Send us a textChris Shays cuts an iconic, if disappearing, profile across the American political scene. One of the last by-God moderate House Republicans from the Northeast, he represented Connecticut in the US House for more than 20 years...a congressional career spanning the Reagan Revolution through the 2008 Democrative wave ushering in President Obama. In this discussion, he talks the Republican Connecticut of his youth, his time in Fiji serving in the Peace Corps, his decade serving in the state legislature, the time he was sentenced to several days in prison to protest political corruption, and lessons & memories from 20 years in the House. IN THIS EPISODE…Congressman Shays recalls the Republican DNA of the Connecticut of his youth…What political moment made his father upgrade their TV...His time serving in Fiji in the Peace Corps…Memorable door-to-door experiences from his first legislative campaign in 1974…He rubs party leaders the wrong way on his very first day in the CT State House…The amazing story of how a fight to root out judicial corruption in Connecticut lands him in jail for several days…Coming from behind to win a special election to Congress in 1987…The big difference he noticed between lobbyists in state government vs Congress…The one other member of Congress he wanted most to meet upon his election…The changes within the House GOP Conference pre and post Newt Gingrich ascension…Congressman Shays' contribution to the ’94 GOP takeover wave - both intentional and otherwise...Behind the scenes of the failed GOP coup against New Gingrich in 1997…The time moderate Chris Says was most in the doghouse with his party’s leadership…What it felt like to feel his district shift left in the 2000s…Congressman Shays talks the breakdown of bipartisanship in Congress…How deeply did he consider switching parties?What went into his decision to endorse both Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden over Donald Trump?A memorable meeting when Donald Trump met with Congressman Shays about building a Connecticut casino…Regrets about his 2012 Senate primary against self-funding Linda McMahon…The unconventional book idea he may pursue…AND….Dick Armey, the assault weapons ban, the best office in the Capitol, Black Rock, Roy Blunt, Bridgeport, George W. Bush, Mr. Clean, Bill Clinton, the Commission on Wartime Contracting, Common Cause, Tom Davis, Darien, Tom Delay, Mrs. Donahue, Dwight Eisenhower, Russ Feingold, Gerald Ford, Newt Gingrich, grievance committees, Jim Himes, Pete Hoekstra, Henry Hyde, Hertz, inverted bell curves, it hits the fan, Jehovah’s Witnesses, John Kasich, Joe Kennedy, Ned Lamont, Steve Largent, John Lewis, Joe Lieberman, the Longworth building, Carolyn Maloney, Marla Maples, John McCain, Marty Meehan, Bob Michel, NBC, the NRCC, the New York Times, Christine Niedermeier, Richard Nixon, Jim Nussle, Bill Paxon, the Peace Corps, Nancy Pelosi, penny loafers, Colin Powell, Stamford, Leon Uris, the WWF…& more!

Send us a textLiuba Grechen Shirley is the founder/CEO of VoteMama – a non-profit dedicated to supporting moms running for office. In this conversation, she talks running for office in 2018 as a first-time candidate, making history as the first woman to receive FEC approval to use campaign money for child care, and making an impact with VoteMama. IN THIS EPISODE…Liuba speaks to the politics that shaped here while growing up on Long Island…Her analysis of why Trump connected with voters on Long Island…Liuba talks her work on development in Ghana before entering politics…The phenomenon of “mommy-tracking” in the business world…How the switch flipped for her to become active in congressional politics in the 2018 election…Liuba’s take on her 2018 opponent Congressman Peter King…Her experience running for office as a first-time candidate…How she made history as the first woman to receive approval to use campaign money to cover child care…The relationship Liuba forged with Elizabeth Warren during the congressional campaign…The high profile pol who gave Liuba pep talks before debates…A window into how Liuba put together her consultant team…Why she passed on the 2020 open-seat after a narrow 2018 loss…How she started VoteMama to support mothers running for office…VoteMama’s nonpartisan work being done to ensure more candidates can use campaign funds for child care…How Liuba is thinking about the 2022 election cycle…Advice for others starting a political non-profit…AND 6-foot cardboard cutouts, Accra, adult coloring books, affable guys, Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Jocelyn Benson, Berlin Rosen, Anna Brichacek, Madison Cawthorn, Hillary Clinton, Stephen Colbert, FoxNews, Kirsten Gillibrand, Chelsea Clark, Isaac Goldberg, green marble notebooks, Grey’s Anatomy, MJ Hegar, Monica Klein, Kathy Hochul, Indivisible, Morgan Lamandre, Lindenhurst, Grace Meng, mom pep talks, Gwen Moore, the Muslim Ban, NYU, Maggie Oliver, paid family leave, orange juice, osteogenesis imperfecta, Papua New Guinea, party bosses, Planned Parenthood, Katie Porter, Emily Robinson, the Russian Revolution, Kim Schrier, small structural change…& more!

Send us a textDave Wasserman, a Senior Editor at the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, is universally regarded as one of the foremost election analysts on the planet - especially when it comes to US House races. In this conversation, Dave talks his early obession with all things politics, how he turned that into a job at the Cook Report, his approach to political analysis, the story behind his twitter catchphrase "I've seen enough", and his take on both the 2022 redistricting developments & overall House playing field. IN THIS EPISODE…Dave’s early love of maps…How a cable system glitch leads Dave to find politics…Dave’s unusual gift request for his 13th Birthday…The one race that drew Dave into congressional politics…The story behind a teenage Dave’s appearance as a pundit on a local public affairs show…Dave talks his important intersection with UVA Professor Larry Sabato…The $10 bet Dave won from Larry Sabato…The college analysis Dave wrote that led to his role with the Cook Report…Dave talks the approach he brings to elections analysis…What goes into creating Dave’s election night models…Dave on the races he’s proud he got right, plus some that surprised him…Dave talks trends he’s observed in House races during his time as a race-rater…Dave takes us behind the scenes of the NBC Election Night Decision Desk…The origin of Dave’s catchphrase to call elections…Dave breaks down the average work week for a race-rating analyst…Dave talks his longtime fascination with the redistricting process…Dave gives his thoughts on the 2022 redistricting process…Dave provides an update on recent legal ground that’s been broken around redistricting…Dave’s overall read on the '22 House playing field…Dave talks signs the Trump hold on the House GOP caucus may be weakening…Dave’s advice to the next generation of race-raters…AND 2,568 districts, George Allen, Mrs. Barkley, Ben Bernanke, Mary Bono Mack, Lauren Boebert, Bridgegate, Scott Brown, bruised egos, C-Span, Eric Cantor, Joe Cao, Don Cazayoux, Julia Carson, James Carville, Travis Childers, Emanuel Cleaver, Martha Coakley, Miles Coleman, compulsive list making, Jim Cooper, cranberry bread, creative ethics, Joe Crowley, Ted Cruz, Henry Cuellar, Rodney Davis, Pete Dawkins, Peter DeFazio, dummymanders, Election Twitter, Marc Elias, false suspense, food science, Louie Gohmert, Governing Magazine, Josh Harder, Andy Harris, Rush Holt, Bill Jefferson, John Katko, Dan Kildee, Steve Kornacki, Frank Lautenberg, Elaine Luria, Morgan Lutrell, Sean Patrick Maloney, map recipients, Terry McAuliffe, Kevin McCarthy, Bob McDonnell, David McKinley, Peter Meijer, Mary Miller, minimum split districting, Alex Mooney, Nathaniel Moran, Joe Morelle, oddly engrossing debates, Mike Pappas, Nancy Pelosi, PoliticsNJ.com, Premier League Soccer, QVC, Raul Ruiz, Stu Rothenberg, Rutgers, Bernard Shaw, Chris Shays, Siskel & Ebert, Elissa Slotkin, Abigail Spanberger, the Squad, Starbucks, Kenneth Starr, useful stereotypes, Paul Tonko, Lauren Underwood, the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, Fred Upton, violin lessons, Wal Mart, Amy Walter, Jim Webb, West River South Dakota, David Wildstein, Judy Woodruff, John Yarmuth, Glen Youngkin, …& more!

Send us a textVery few Americans have had the impact on public policy as has Joseph Califano. Though his parents only graduated high school, he went to Harvard Law  and by age 30 was working at high levels of the John F. Kennedy Administration - and shortly after was the top domestic White House aide to Lyndon Johnson. In this conversation, he talks his meteoric rise through the Kennedy / Johnson years, seeing first-hand as the LBJ “Johnson Treatment” built the Great Society, the toll that Vietnam took on President Johnson, & his work as HEW Cabinet Secretary under President Carter to start a national anti-smoking campaign that’s had immeasurable benefits to public health in the US. This is a great conversation with a true American Dream success story and political dynamo.IN THIS EPISODE…Growing up as an Italian-American kid in the era of Franklin Roosevelt…How a working class Brooklyn kid makes it to Harvard Law…Why he left a lucrative private law firm to enter the Kennedy Administration…He talks working in the early days of the Kennedy Administration with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara…Memories from meetings with President Kennedy…Early impressions working up and close and personal with President Johnson…Why LBJ sequenced the 1964 Civil Rights Act ahead of other Great Society programs…Secretary Califano goes in depth describing “The Johnson Treatment”…Memories from the White House on the night Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated…The “race against expectations” that informed much of LBJ’s time in office…Secretary Califano talks the difficulty in passing Fair Housing legislation…The role that Lady Bird Johnson played in helping making President Johnson more effective…The connection between Secretary Califano’s son and safety caps on medicine bottles…Reflecting on a political misfire as President Johnson missed an opportunity to appoint a new Supreme Court Chief Justice…The toll that the Vietnam War took on President Johnson…President Johnson’s courageous early foray for gun safety laws…The last conversation he had with President Johnson after he left office…His time in the Carter Cabinet as Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare…Why Democrats couldn’t secure universal healthcare during the Democratic trifecta of the late 1970s…How he came to spearhead a national anti-smoking campaign…AND the AMA, Carolyn Agger, Brooklyn Prep, McGeorge Bundy, George Christian, Sterling Cottrell, Thomas Dewey, Everett Dirksen, Dwight Eisenhower, Abe Fortas, Gerald Ford, William Fulbright, the Harvard Law Review, the Hirshhorn Museum, Holy Cross, IBM, the JAG Corps, Lady Bird Johnson, Robert Kennedy, leak central, Russell Long, Mike Mansfield, Harry Middleton, Bill Moyers, John McGillicuddy, Harry McPherson, Richard Nixon, Dick Ottinger, PS 182, Claiborne Pell, Jake Pickle, a revolving son of a bitch, the Subversive Activity Control Board, Al Smith, sugar in gas tanks, Jack Valenti, Cyrus Vance, Earl Warren, Watts riots…& more!

Send us a textMary Landrieu served 3 terms in the US Senate from Louisiana, after a term as State Treasurer and time in the State Legislature. In this conversation, she talks growing up in New Orleans as the daughter of Mayor Moon Landrieu, the equation that drew her to political service, several rough-and-tumble statewide campaigns, memories from 18 years in the Senate, and what she’s focused on since leaving the Senate in 2015.IN THIS EPISODEGrowing up the eldest of 9 siblings to New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu…The process of elimination that led to pursuing a political career…A 23-year old Mary Landrieu serves in the virtually all-male Louisiana legislature…Senator Landrieu remembers Louisiana political giants Russell Long, Lindy Boggs, and Edwin Edwards…Memories of her first US Senate win in 1996 as an underdog…What happened when the New Orleans Archbishop declared it would be “a sin” to vote for pro-choice Mary Landrieu…What surprised her upon entering the US Senate…Her memories of serving 12 years in the Senate with Joe Biden…What it’s like being a swing vote in the US Senate…Her strategy to winning 3 tough statewide in Louisiana…The current work that excites her the most…Senator Landrieu  provides the agenda for the next time you’re in New Orleans…AND 5,778 votes, baloney, Valerie Biden, Kathleen Blanco, Hale Boggs, Donna Brazile, Broadmoor, Robert Byrd, chutzpah, the Dinosaur Age, Chris Dodd, David Duke, EMILYs List, Dianne Feinstein, Head and Master Laws, Dan Inouye, Jim Crow, Bennett Johnston, John Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Blanche Lincoln, Gillis Long, Barbara Mikulski, Chep Morrison, Lisa Murkowski, playing fort, Jamie Raskin, Ann Richards, Norman Jane Sabiston, smart cookies, Olympia Snowe, societal sheddings, Ted Stevens, the Superdome, Donald Trump, Ursuline nune & more!

Send us a textRory Cooper, partner at Purple Strategies, has worked at all levels of Republican politics…cutting his teeth in campaigns, working in the George W. Bush White House, for the Department of Homeland Security right after 9-11, running communications for the conservative Heritage Foundation, and as Comms Director for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Rory tells great stories from these stops, with lessons and insights learned along the way.IN THIS EPISODERory’s early political memories growing up around Detroit…A high school Rory finds a way into the 1992 Presidential debate…Rory takes over a New Orleans GOP field office in 1996…A young Rory learns an important political staffing lesson from Trent Lott…Rory is one of the first staffers hired after the Dept of Homeland Security is created post 9-11…Rory talks being around President Bush and working in the Bush White House…An important campaign lesson Rory learned on a California special election…Rory runs communications for the Heritage Foundation as the think tank undergoes changes…Interviewing to become Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s Communication Director…Memorable fights with both Republicans and Democrats as Cantor’s Comms Director…Rory talks the leadership qualities he saw from then Speaker John Boehner…The GOP member who’s not a household name who impressed Rory…Rory talks the difference in good Hill boss versus a bad Hill boss…Rory reflects on the surprise loss of Eric Cantor in the 2014 GOP primary…Rory busts some myths about the Cantor loss and the impact of that primary on GOP politics since…How Rory approaches his next job off the Hill…Rory talks the work he does now at Purple Strategies…The messaging lesson Rory learned from Joe Biden…Rory’s two tips to help people succeed in their career…AND…Spence Abraham, aligning Powerpoint slides, Dick Armey, ascendancy principles, BRAC, Joe Biden, the boringest day of the campaign, Neil Bradley, Andy Card, carnival barkers, Alex Castellanos, Bill Clinton, corn chowder, Joe Crowley, Ted Cruz, Bob Dole, donut hole fixes, DREAMers, Eisenhower Internships, Rich Falkenrath, fiscal cliffs, Mike Forbes, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act, the Grateful Dead, Joe Hagin, Laura Ingraham, John Jamian, Mardi Gras beads, making Tucker Carlson happy, Mel Martinez, Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, Patrick McHenry, Steve McMahon, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Meet the Press, the members only elevator, Milk Duds, navigating cubicles, Obamacare, participants vs pundits, Phish, quoting Hayek, the Republican Study Committee, remaining sticky, rude customers, RINOs, Save Your Asks, serious legislators, Steve Stombres, the Tea Party, Donald Trump, VAWA, village city councils, What It Takes, yellow tape around memorials, & more!

Send us a textJohn Anzalone has been a Democratic pollster winning tough races for 30+ years, most recently as Chief Pollster for Biden 2020 helping navigate a crowded primary and grueling general election en route to ousting Donald Trump. John talks his working class roots growing up in Michigan, cutting his teeth in the Biden '88 ('87) presidential, his path to polling, and ultimately starting and growing his own firm to become on the handful of top-tier Democratic pollsters in the country.  IN THIS EPISODEJohn grows up a “free lunch kid” and the son of a Teamster in Michigan…John learns an unfortunate lesson from his childhood nickname…Practicing dirty tricks in his first campaign involvement…John talks about his mentor David Wilhelm…John’s first big campaign working for Biden for President in 1987…John’s memories from his early 20s of being around then Senator Biden…John talks the All-Star team he was part of with James Carville and Paul Begala in a 1988 Senate race…John’s FOMO from missing the 1992 Clinton Presidential…The John Anzalone best practices for campaign managers…John’s decision to go into polling…John opens up his own polling firm after apprenticing at Frederick Schneiders…John talks the value of “coming in second” in client pitches…The challenge of starting a new Democratic firm in the South in the mid 90s…The firm’s success in 04/06 sets the stage to be brought on board with Obama 2008…John talks lessons learned from working at high levels in four straight presidential races…John talks the fabled slide deck that informed some of the early Biden 2020 conversations…John on early challenges for Biden 2020 and what is underappreciated about the winning campaign against Trump…John’s advice to the next generation pollsters…John’s travel tips…John talks the rebrand of Impact Research…AND…$50,000, Pete Aguilar, Kevin Akins, Jason Altmire, David Axelrod, Barcaloungers, Anna Bennett, big damn deals, Chris Bollwage, Bobby Bright, Joe Burrow, Pete Buttigieg, Don Cazayoux, the Chicago Sun-Times, Travis Childers, Citizens for Tax Justice, Sam Coppersmith, Country Club Republicans, the DC vortex, Rich Daley, Buddy Darden, Pete Dawkins, dead-bang losers, Nathan Deal, Delta Comfort, David Dixon, David Doak, Mike Donilon, Mike Doyle, Anita Dunn, Rahm Emanuel, Rob Engel, Paul Finebaum, the Florida House Caucus, Pete Giangreco, Gwen Graham, Larry Grisolano, Kay Hagan, Debbie Halvorson, Tom Harkin, Gary Hart, Paul Hodes, Jimmy Hoffa, Matt Hogan, Paul Johnson, Larry Kissell, Ron Klein, Amy Klobuchar, Bruce Koeppel, Leading Edge Computers, Jeff Link, Jeff Liszt, Local 7, Jon Macks, Frank Mascara, Paul Maslin, Steve McMahon, Charlie Melancon, Walter Mondale, the Monkey Business, Molly Murphy, Karen Olick, Jen O’Malley Dixon, Bob Packwood, Steve Paikowsky, David Plouffe, prayer warriors, Mark Pryor, Ronald Reagan, Jay Rhodes, Karl Rove, Mitch Rubin, Dan Rostenkowski, John Salazar, Bernie Sanders, Rick Santorum, Greg Schneiders, Heath Shuler, Sicilian enclaves, Clay Shaw, Bob Shrum, Mark Siljander, Steve Sisolak, David Stockman, stray dogs, Brian Stryker, Survey Monkey, Charles Taylor, Dina Titus, Trenton labor people, Uncle Izzy, Fred Upton, Chris Van Hollen, Jon Vogel, Terry Walsh, Whirlpool HQ, Sheldon Whitehouse, whiz-bang kids, Howard Wolpe, & more!

Send us a textJoe Crowley was a district party leader at 23, in the New York State Assembly at 26, and in the US House at 37...a political prodigy by any measure. He talks the early lessons learned in Queens politics, his time around Governor Mario Cuomo, his rise through the Assembly and Congress, his 2018 primary against AOC, and memorable moments and valuable insights from 20 years in the House. IN THIS EPISODE…The Crowley family lore that intersects with the Titanic…Congressman Crowley’s early political memories growing up in Queens…The family connection between the Crowleys and the Cuomos…The story behind a 26-year-old Joe Crowley elected to the state legislature…The enduring mystery behind his candidacy for Queens College president…Memories of the “totalitarian” nature of the New York State Legislature…He remembers the “magnetic” personality of Mario Cuomo, plus how close he came to a Cuomo Presidential bid…He talks how Mario Cuomo and Geraldine Ferraro opened the door for pro-choice Catholics in New York politics…The unusual story behind his surprising 1998 candidacy for Congress…His first impressions of Congress…The Joe Crowley 101 of what new members should know…Congressman Crowley “expends some political muscle” to advance marriage equality…How Congressman Crowley climbed the leadership ladder to become Democratic Caucus Chair…Congressman Crowley’s perspective on the Pelosi-Hoyer relationship…A glimpse into the intensity surrounding the ACA legislative process…How he views the 2018 primary against AOC with a few years hindsight…How he’s approached his post-congressional career…The Broadway musical Congressman Crowley is helping produce…His thoughts on running for mayor or running statewide…Advice for those in government relations…Congressman Crowley’s relationship with both Presidents Obama and Biden…Who’s the hardest working person in Washington?Congressman Crowley’s early instincts toward Donald Trump…Congressman Crowley’s 2022 advice for Congressional Democrats…AND…9/11, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bella Abzug, John Adams, John Boehner, boiler engineers, Dick Cain, Steve Chabot, civility in discourse, County Armagh, the DCCC, Geraldine Ferraro, the Five Points, Frontline Democrats, Ben Gillman, Thomas Jefferson, John Kennedy, Ed Koch, John Larson, Barbara Lee, Donald Manes, a members’ member, Cathy Nolan, Tom Manton, the New Dem Coalition, Dave Obey, Paradise Square, Nancy Pelosi, Powell Memorial High, Paul Ryan, John Sabini, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Chuck Schumer, shoe leather, Bud Shuster, Squire Patton Boggs, Tammany Hall, Walter McCaffery, Watergate babies, & more!

Send us a textAdnaan Muslim has been a leading player in Democratic direct mail for more than 20 years, initially helping start Mission Control mail and now as a partner at Deliver Strategies. In this conversation, Adnaan talks his path to working in politics, how he gravitated to direct mail, importance races in his career like electing Elizabeth Warren, Jared Polis, and Raphael Warnock, and the passion he has for campaign speechwriting. Great stories, insight, and advice from one of the most unique voices in politics.IN THIS EPISODEThe member of Congress that made an impression on Adnaan at age 10…The Congressional internship and specific moment that led Adnaan to a life in politics…Adnaan’s talks the value of starting a political career by working in campaign fundraising…Adnaan gives his perspective as a staffer of color in a historically white business…Adnaan tells the story of building the Democratic mail firm Mission Control…The early races that Adnaan cut his teeth on as a strategist…Adnaan talks his approach to designing effective mail pieces…Adnaan joins his current firm Deliver Strategies…Adnaan’s role in Elizabeth Warren’s first campaign in the 2012 Massachusetts Senate race…Adnaan talks one of the most important inflection points in the Elizabeth Warren 2012 win…Adnaan’s best practices for political speechwriting…Adnaan’s talks through two of his favorite political speeches…Adnaan talks about his passion for writing screenplays and being involved in filmmaking…Adnaan talks some of the creative tactics behind Raphael Warnock’s Georgia Senate win…Adnaan’s travel tips and hacks…Adnaan’s strangest work habit…Adnaan’s unconventional relationship with one of his competitors…AND Gabby Adler, Advent calendars, bad packers, Scott Brown, Rob Burch, Maryanne Connelly, checkered reputations, crescendos and decrescendos, Mario Cuomo, Happy Fernandez, Gema, Mandy Grunwald, Jesse Jackson, joining a supergroup, Tim Johnson, Elena Kagan, Ted Kennedy, Haroon Khan, kitchenettes, Mack Sumner, Betsy McCaughey Ross, the Mujahideen, Mindy Myers, Newburgh NY, Bob Ney, photocopies of business cards, George Pataki, Ed Peavy, Jared Polis, Larry Pressler, Ayanna Pressley,  Ronald Reagan, roleplaying, Marla Romash, Antonin Scalia, screenplays in a drawer, Sony Walkman, speeches only a Dad could love, unforced errors, Sujata Tejwani, Vernon CT, Raphael Warnock, Charlie Wilson, Michelle Wu, & more!