The Fly

We are excited to have Donna Brazile, Yolanda Caraway, Leah Daughtry, and Minyon Moore, the authors of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics" for our second episode of the season! All four of these women have had extensive experience being at the center of Democratic national politics from the time of Jesse Jackson’s unsuccessful run for the presidency in 1984 to the Bill Clinton White House to Hillary Rodham Clinton’s historic 2016 nomination. Tune in!

Welcome back to Fly on the Wall, Season 5! To kick off our new season, we're thrilled to welcome Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) to the pod. Alec and Hayley talk to her about her background, foreign affairs in Cuba and the Middle East, and the future of the Republican party and women in politics. She is also a GU Politics Fellow this semester so check out her weekly discussion group if you want to continue the conversation!

It's our last episode of Season 4! It's been a great semester of guests and we have one last phenomenal one for you all. On the pod this week is Melanne Verveer, former Chief of Staff to First Lady Clinton, former Chair and Co-CEO of Vital Voices, and the First United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. We discuss international relations and women's rights, so tune in for this absolutely amazing episode!

This week we are thrilled to have Ed Goeas on the pod! He is a GU Politics Fellow this semester and the current President and C.E.O. of The Tarrance Group, one of the most respected and successful Republican survey research and strategy teams in American politics today. He is widely recognized as one of the country’s leading political strategists, and is an often sought-after consultant. He has helped numerous candidates from Congressman to Governors win office throughout his career so this is a podcast you should definitley listen to!

Want to learn more about the Mexican elections that took place last summer? A group of Georgetown students travelled to Mexico to gain first-hand experience of how campaigns were operated and to learn more about the political world in Mexico. It's an interesting insight into how politics works in another country so tune in!

We're happy to welcome GU Politics Fellow Suzanne Kianpour to the pod this week! She is an Emmy-nominated foreign affairs and political journalist, currently working for the BBC. With previous postings in Beirut, London and Los Angeles, her reporting has taken her around the world: from various conflict zones in the Middle East to Europe traveling with then-Secretary of State John Kerry in a front row seat to the Iran nuclear negotiations. Tune in for an episode with plenty of captivating stories that cover some of the biggest global events!

This week on the pod, we're diving deep into legislative politics on the Hill. Our two guests are both Hoyas: Robert Flock, the Associate Director of Advocacy for Legislative Affairs at Credit Union National Association and Colleen Nguyen, the Legislative Director for U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice. They have a lot to say about their respective jobs and how lobbyists and Hill staffers interact so you'll want to tune in!

This week on the pod we have Jaime Harrison and Amos Snead, two veterans of Capitol Hill who decided to write a bipartisan book about their experiences - called Climbing the Hill. They have fantastic advice and amazing stories of what federal legislative politics is like, so be sure to listen!

We're thrilled to have South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg on the pod this week! He is the first openly gay mayor in the U.S. and was formerly a candidate for DNC Chair. He has a lot of great knowledge to share about local government so tune in!

We are so excited to welcome Michael Tyler onto the pod! He is currently the Chief of Staff to DNC Chairman Tom Perez. Previously, he worked on numerous campaigns such as Obama '08, Michelle Nunn, Russ Feingold, and others. Tune in to hear a fascinating episode with lots of great advice for anyone interested in getting into campaigns and politics!

We're happy to welcome 4 of the authors of the book, West Wingers! In this pod, you'll hear from Gautam Raghavan, Cecilia Muñoz, Ned Price, and Brad Jenkins - all of whom were Senior White House officials.

U.S. Representative Ro Khanna represents California’s 17th district, encompassing parts of Silicon Valley. He previously served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce in the Obama Administration.

We're happy to welcome another GU Politics Fellow, Tim Lim, onto the pod this week! Tim previously worked on President Obama’s re-elect through Gen44 and on Hillary Clinton’s National Finance Team in 2016. He has also worked on digital strategy at the Bully Pulpit initiative and now has his own political consulting firm.

For our second episode of the season, we're happy to welcome a GU Politics Fellow, Erin Conaton. Previously, she has served as the Staff Director of House Armed Services Committee; Undersecretary of the Air Force; and Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. She is also a Hoya!

We're excited to welcome Josh Pitcock onto the pod for the first episode of Season 4! He's been with Vice President Mike Pence since 2005, serving as a close confidante and most recently, his White House Chief of Staff. Get ready for an amazing season!

Katie Walsh Shields joins us in our last pod of the semester (cue tears). But never fear — the former RNC Chief of Staff delivers great insight into the role of data and what it's like to work for a party during a presidential election. We'll be releasing a few episodes over the summer, so be on the lookout!

Former Chief of Staff to Nancy Pelosi, Nadeam Elshami, joins us on the pod this week! Christian and Kendall talked to him about his long career on the Hill, all the way back to his start in the mailroom. You won't want to miss — Nadeam's story is fascinating.

Two former White House Social Secretaries joined us on the pod this week — Lea Berman of the Bush 43 White House and Jeremy Bernard of the Obama White House. They both shared fascinating insight on the politics of event planning and the excitement of programming on the biggest stage in the world.

Long-time Republican communications strategist, Kevin Madden, joins us on the pod this week. Justin and Alec talk to him about his time working for John Boehner on the Hill, and for both of Mitt Romney's presidential campaigns. He had a lot to say about how the work of messaging in politics has changed over the years with the increasingly rapid news cycle.

Our interview this week featured former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Alec and Justin talked to him about some of the biggest national cases he handled in his time in the Administration, plus what he's doing now as Chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee working to fight against gerrymandering.

Former Obama White House staffer, Kyle Lierman, joins us on the pod this week to take us through his journey in politics, beginning as a Field Director in '08 all the way to the White House and beyond. We talked to Kyle about some of the big initiatives he worked on during his time at the White House including "It's On Us" and the Obama team's celebrity outreach programs - plus, how he's keeping that important work moving with his new firm, Civic Advisors.

This week, we chatted with Jason Kander — former Missouri Senate candidate, Let America Vote founder and host of Crooked Media's Majority 54 podcast! We discussed his early experiences in public service, as well as his more recent work leading the fight for voting rights with LAV. Plus, we asked him about his own podcast and what he hopes to accomplish through the conversations he hosts there.

We sat down with Spring '18 GU Politics Fellow and former First Lady of Virginia, Dorothy McAuliffe, to talk about her lifelong dedication to public service. From meeting presidential candidate Jimmy Carter at her home in Florida, to serving Virginia as First Lady, Dorothy has some incredible perspective and stories about what it means to jump into a career of public service.

Happy International Women's Day! Hear from Marie Harf and Rebecca Turkington — two trailblazing women who share their takes on the importance of gender equity in politics.

Clint Smith, a teacher, writer and activist, joins Christian and Justin on the pod this week to discuss his career and how he raises his voice on issues he cares about. Happy Spring Break, Hoyas!

RNC spokeswoman and former CNN contributor, Kayleigh McEnany, joins us on the pod this week. A fellow Hoya, she talks to Alec and Justin about her experiences from interning in the White House to CNN panels during the 2016 election. Plus, check out her new book, "The New American Revolution: The Making of a Populist Movement."

Two Democratic stars — Jen O'Malley Dillon and Patrick Dillon — share their story of how they fell in love with both politics and each other.

Our guest this week is Gail Wilson of the International Republican Institute, an organization that works to train and support women candidates all across the world. Gail had some really fun stories about her time doing field work for Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas and working in small communities in every corner of the world.

Our very first Fly on the Wall live recording! We had GU Politics Executive Director, Mo Elleithee, guest host at the Institute's State of the Union event this past Tuesday. Listen in to hear Spring '18 Fellows Nadeam Elshami and Steven Law give their insider perspective on how the Hill prepares for a Presidential address.

Steven Law, President and CEO of American Crossroads, joins us on the pod this week to offer a unique perspective on money in politics. From his long career as a Senate aide to Mitch McConnell, to head of the Senate Leadership Fund, hear how PACs work, a debrief on the 2016 Senate election push, and the GOP's plans for the 2018 midterms!

In our Season Three premiere, we welcome someone who has been around the block (and country) when it comes to political reporting — Eugene Scott, writer for The Fix at the Washington Post. Eugene shared some thought provoking insight on the local element of political reporting, complete with stories from his time working the Alabama Senate special election this December. And yes, you probably recognize him from his frequent TV hits on CNN.

Former Obama White House speechwriter, David Litt, joins us to talk about what it was like being part of the process in creating some of the President's more humorous speeches — such as Luther, Obama's anger translator at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. His stories are not only hilarious but also show some of the coolest parts of working behind the scenes in the White House.

Former CIA and State Department spokesperson Marie Harf joins us this week to share some heart-racing stories of secret operations that are typically hidden behind the headlines. Listen to hear her recollection of the Bin Laden raid and insights on the rising threat of North Korea — both you won't want to miss!

Congress is in the midst of a big tax reform fight, and we've got tax policy expert Cathy Koch on the pod this week. She talks about her time working on the Hill on the Senate Finance Committee and for former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. If you have no clue what's the difference between a stimulus bill and a fiscal cliff, we've got the episode for you! If you think you're hearing different voices on the pod this week...you're right! This week's episode is co-hosted by our Research Director Alec Camhi and Communications Director Abbey Nichols, who both did an awesome job on their first guest host opportunity.

NBC and Telemundo anchor, Jose Diaz-Balart, joins us on this week's post-Thanksgiving pod. We talked with him about some of the biggest moments throughout his career (including an early interview with then-candidate Trump) as well as how he approaches his responsibilities as a journalist.

We welcomed Fall '17 GU Politics Fellow and veteran Republican communications strategist and crisis manager Ron Bonjean to the pod this week. We get inside the room of some of his craziest, most incredible stories about his time working for Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert up on Capitol Hill. Ron was also responsible for managing crisis communications for Justice Neil Gorsuch during his confirmation process through the Senate.

James Carville, one of then-Governor Clinton's lead campaign strategists during the his successful 1992 presidential race, and John Podesta, who began his career in Clintonworld in the White House and eventually becoming Chief of Staff from 1998-2001, join us on the pod this week. Both have some amazing stories about what working with Georgetown's only alum to ever make it to the White House was like - we're excited to share their stories with you!

This week on Fly on the Wall, we have former Congressman from Pennsylvania, Jason Altmire, to talk about his new book "Dead Center: How Political Polarization Divided America and What We Can Do about It" and his time as the most moderate Member of Congress. He has some great stories about being courted as an undecided Democratic superdelegate in 2008, plus his role in the fight to pass the Affordable Care Act.

We're excited to welcome Politico reporter and daily Playbook co-author, Daniel Lippman, on the pod this week! We talk to him about the ins and outs of producing Playbook each day including how they chose articles and headlines, how to tell a journalistic story through the morning newsletter, and, most importantly, how to get your birthday featured in Playbook.

We welcome longtime friend of GU Politics, Scott Mulhauser, to the pod this week. Scott is a former Deputy Chief of Staff to Vice President Biden, and former Chief of Staff at both the U.S. Embassy in China and Export-Import Bank. Scott's story is one of a diversity of roles and responsibilities, and the application of a unique set of skills and savvy to a wide variety of political problems of the day. We talk to him about some of these issues he's tackled and his motivations which got him started in political work.

Mexican Senator Armando Rios Piter joins us for a special international pod this week! Sen. Rios Piter talks to us about how Mexican politics and campaigning works, his approach to public service, and the Mexico-U.S. relationship. Plus, he'll walk us through the process of his next big political — running for President of Mexico in 2018!

This week, we talked to Liz Sidoti, current Director of U.S. Communications for BP. Liz talks to us about her unique experience in the political world, both as a journalist for the Associated Press, and now working communications for BP. She has some great stories about her time on the campaign trail in '04 and '08, and what it was like coordinating emergency response communications after BP's location in Houston was hit hard by Hurricane Harvey.

Former Trump White House Communications Director Mike Dubke joins us on the pod this week to talk about how he got the job (spoiler: it’s not how you might expect) and share some of the biggest moments in his tenure at the White House. We'll take you inside the room of that Rose Garden press conference after the House passed their health care bill, and get the real story behind one of the "Spicey-est" stories of the summer! PS: If you want to understand that joke, make sure you listen all the way to the end — you won't regret it!

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL PODCAST DAY! The Fly on the Wall team wishes you a Happy International Podcast Day! We’ve put together a BONUS episode to give you a peek inside the room of creating Fly on the Wall. We'll walk you through a normal week of podcasting, key you in on some of our best interview tips and recap our favorite moments on the pod.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel joins our team to take stock of the GOP post-2016 and talk shop about how she's shaping the party. We dive into her experience as Michigan GOP Chair during the election as well dissect her approach toward leading the national party. Plus, Chairwoman McDaniel responds to our student hot take on the status of political parties in our country today.

This week, the team sat down with GMMB's Anson Kaye, one of the primary ad agencies hired by both the Obama 2012 and Hillary 2016 campaigns. We discussed just how an ad firm works in the campaign ecosystem and got the behind the scenes stories on how some of the most iconic ads of 2016 were created.

Welcome back! In the launch episode of Season 2, Aaron, Christian, and Justin chat with former representative Patrick Murphy (D-FL) about his experience as a millennial member of Congress. Through conversations on campaigning and governing, we get a glimpse into the life of a Congressman--and all the challenges and rewards that come along with the job.

As summer winds to a close, Aaron, Christian & Justin reflect on the past month of political happenings. They recap the big stories, share their millennial perspective on the big issues, and have a few laughs along the way. They're then joined by Charlie Spies, a "Super Lawyer" in Washington with expertise in political law and experience on Republican presidential campaigns.

Some of our favorite GU Politics alum join us on the pod just in time for the holiday weekend. Helen Brosnan, Jack Welty, and Scott Syroka (via phone call) stop by to discuss the struggle of life after Georgetown, how they've remained engaged in politics, and their thoughts on the current political landscape.

Alex Skatell, founder of the Independent Journal Review, joins us on the pod to talk about the nexus of media and politics. As a pioneer in a new age of journalism, IJR strives to deliver news through the channels people actually use and in ways that people actually want to consume news.