In 2024, Boise State Public Radio started the Scandalized podcast series. The description is pretty straightforward.
In each episode of Scandalized, political scientists Charlie Hunt and Jaci Kettler unpack a political scandal from American history: the story, its scandalous details, the political meaning and motivations behind the act. What can political science teach us about what happened? How has the scandal and its aftermath changed American politics? And what on earth were these politicians thinking?
Season 1: It’s no surprise that one of the first episodes centered on the disappearance of Governor Mark Sanford in 2009. The episode, titled How to Lose a Governor in 10 Days, aired in October 2024. A friend shared the episode with me and took notes on some errors in the episode. I reached out to Charlie and Jaci to correct the record, and they asked me to do an interview.
As they work on the second season, Charlie and Jaci are hosting some follow-up episodes from Season One, which they are calling Season 1.5. This week, they recap the Rod Blagojevich and Mark Sanford stories from Season One. In this episode, I share some details that have never been discussed publicly. Give it a listen, and I hope you enjoy.
Click: Scandalized: S 1.5: Staff Revolts and Bosnian Bears
I am almost completely recovered from our move from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin.
Let me know what you think. I’ll be back to writing regularly soon.