“What America Do You Want to Live In?”
“Be Bold America!” Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 5:00pm (PDT)
“We can’t expect the world to get better by itself.” ~ Gwen Ifill
America is at an inflection point! We never thought authoritarian forces could take hold here, right? Wouldn’t our democracy live forever? The US has the longest standing democracy in the world …nearly 250 years old. Yet, losing the oldest democracy in the world is possible and, believe it or not, the loss is happening right now.
Former Congressmember Sam Farr served in the House of Representatives for 24 years. What were those years like and what changes has he seen since his retirement in 2017?What are his observations of the Democratic Party, Republican Party, the Supreme Court? Is money in politics the death knell for democracy? How would our lives change if an authoritarian leader uses democratic processes to kill our republic … as happened in Hungary?
Interview Guest:
Congressmember Sam Farr was born in San Francisco. He grew up in Carmel where he still lives with his wife, Shary. Sam was educated at Willamette University, Santa Clara University, and the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Congressmember Farr’s public service career began in the California Assembly, where he worked as a staffer on budget issues for a decade.
In 1975, he ran for and won a seat on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. In 1980 he was elected to the California State Assembly, where he became a champion for the organics industry and wrote one of the country’s strictest oil spill liability laws. He served in the Assembly until his election to Congress in 1993.
Congressmember Farr was elected to the House of Representatives in 1993 through a special election when former Congressman Leon Panetta resigned to become President Clinton’s budget director, defeating Republican Bill McCampbell.
Post show note from Congressman Sam Farr:
I am sure that those who needed to hear what we were saying don’t listen. Suggest you encourage your listeners to seek out those who support Trump. Ask them to speak to them gently and politely inquiring where they are getting their information. The discussion ought to be around listening to opposites and suggest good listening, watching and reading responsible reporting. Angry conversations never result in change. Think of interventions where friends and family politely suggest alternatives with a plan the patient voluntarily accepts. In our case listens to or watches. Hardest part is remaining calm while listening to so much BS. The professional calming listens and suggests positive alternatives. If you don’t enjoy being a teacher, don’t get mad, get even!Get your side to vote. Voting the the bad guys out is the only solution and winning that contest is very satisfying. Best wishes. Thanks for asking me to participate. Sam Farr
