Andrew Richter

It's almost 2024, and with it comes the most important election of our lifetime. Yeah, I know, people are saying that with every passing election now. The problem is that it's right. We're navigating through some unprecedented times... at least for the USA. We've seen thinse things before in other nations and it never seems to work out. Andrew and Jason will give you and end of the year snapshot and projection for the upcoming year. Hold on tight, because we're in for rough waters.

Finally... the Twins not only won a playoff game, but actually took a post-season series! Since he called it on this show months ago, the one and only Brad Carlson (The Closer on am1280) had to come on and walk through this season with us. We also take a look at the Twins offseason in preparation for next season, including possible trades and free agent pickups. Let us know your opinions!

Brad Carlson | WWTC AM The Patriot - Minneapolis, MN (am1280thepatriot.com)

This week we sit down with our long time friend (and former Crystal Councilmember), Jeff Kolb, for his astute political analysis.

We dismantle the 2022 election. What happened? Why? What can we learn from it going into 2024? Is there a correlation between the polling and the confusion we saw in the end results?

We also discuss one of the most important intangibles in politics… authenticity. There is so little of it, but yet most people really yearn for it.

We wrap up with a hard look at 2024 and whether or not there’s any hope for the future in MN politics, and really, life as we know it.

We welcome Raymond Guimont to the podcast. Raymond is a fantasy football champion. It's that time agan. The crisp autumn air and the sound of Skol ringing in your ears. We review the top picks for this year's fantasy football draft. That's right, who's the top running backs, wide receivers, quarterbacks, kickers, special teams, and defenses? We'll tell you! As a bonus, we'll give you our picks for the actual NFL season. You've gotta tune in before your draft!

We are pleased to welcome Brad Carlson “The Closer” from am 1280 The Patriot. Every time he’s on the show, you are assured of an in depth analysis of some facet of the sports world. This week it’s all Vikings … the Uncle Burnsie years.

Jerry Burns was the colorful head coach of the Vikings from ‘86-91. They started out as a talented team with the likes of Tommy Kramer, Anthony Carter, Chris Doleman, and Joey Browner. There were lots of ups and downs, an NFC championship game (with a dropped winning pass), and the worst trade in all of sports history.

The Vikings are a team that has been unable to manage big expectations throughout their history, but there were definitely some great games… and still so much trouble with the worst Packer teams in the history of their franchise. Randall McDaniel, Chris Doleman, Gary Zimmerman, Cris Carter, and John Randle all went to the Football Hall of Fame… and we’re still waiting for another shot at the Super Bowl.

The Brad Carlson blog (bradley1969.blogspot.com)

Brad Carlson | WWTC AM The Patriot - Minneapolis, MN (am1280thepatriot.com)

Well, well, well... the MN Legislature and Governor Walz have sure been busy since January. Walz keeps referring to this "mandate" Democrats have to get things done. You mean the one vote majority in the senate and six seats in the house? Yeah, while the Democrats are engaging in a scorched earth policy to cram their radical agenda down everybody's throats, they are leaving half of the state disenfranchised. Our government must be held accountable, but they are acting as if they are in control forever. They have passed the trans refuge law (after an unconstitutional executive order) that thumbs the collective nose of the state government at parents and other states. They have outlawed conversion therapy, using shock therapy as a red herring. They have allowed driver's licenses for all, including illegal immigrants. This is meant to complicate our election system. Legal pot is coming. All abortion is legal. They are also coming after leal firearms with universal background checks (background checks are already mandatory) and red flag laws. There are also new taxes coming for the average citizen. Had enough? This is not what the majority of MN wanted, and now we are all paying for it. Join Andrew and JDB III Jr for this come to Jesus meeting.

This week we invite Bill Sankey to the show. Bill has been an electrician for 25 years. We’re told by everyone in the educational system that we have to attend a 4 year university in order to be something in this world.

We need to have people in the trades to make the world go, and the schools haven’t been pushing it, despite the great money people in the trades can make. Not to mention, these little to no debt after school!

The Baby Boomers are leaving the trades in droves as they reach the retirement age. We need our young people to get into these jobs in a big way. The issue is that there’s no vehicle in the schools to find out what kids are actually interested in. Why can’t they be shown different possible careers to see what they like?

Come join the discussion and let us know where you land and what your ideas are regarding 2 and 4 year schools, apprenticeships, and blue versus white collar work.

You know him, you love him, you keep requesting him… “The Closer” Brad Carlson from 1280am The Patriot is back on the show. If you’ve listened for Brad you know his political acumen, but he has even greater knowledge of baseball, so today we talk some Twins.

We’ve talked about ‘87 and ‘91, but we’ve never talked about the lost years (‘93-2000). These were rough years for us Twins fans, but it’s worth discussing.

Now remember, the Twins won the World Series in ‘91 and almost won the division in ‘92, save for a 10 game slide at the end of the season… but that’s when the bottom fell out of the organization.

They started out still having players like Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbeck, Chuck Knoblauch, David Winfield, Scott Erickson, and Kevin Tapani, but things didn’t go the way fans expected. These years had a strike, restructuring of the divisions, and some horrendous trades. They came close a few times, but just couldn’t get out of their own way. Let’s talk some baseball!

Brad Carlson | WWTC AM The Patriot - Minneapolis, MN (am1280thepatriot.com)

Today’s podcast, we welcome Dan Hanks to the podcast. Dan is an expert on football and basketball. So yeah, we’re talking Vikes and Wolves, but we’re not stopping there.

What moves do the Vikings have to make in the off-season to improve their standing for next year? What’s going to happen to Dalvin Cook and Kirk Cousins? Will there ever be any real hope for the Vikings to bring home a title or are their fans forever to be forlorn?

This is our first foray into hoops, and we delve into our personal basketball past and our favorite moments in NBA history. Will the Wolves make the playoffs? What do they need to do to become a contender? We discuss Michael Jordan’s dominance and Lebron passing Kareem in all time scoring.

Have you noticed that the war drums seem to be beating louder lately? Russia and China are aligning against the west, and Ukraine seems to be the prize... at least that's what we're being led to believe. Things are shifting so fast and we're not being told the truth. Andew and JDB discuss Russian/Soviet history and how things are lining up again, just the way they did way back when. Maybe we can learn from history so we don't repeat it...

We welcome sports expert Nick Anaya back to the podcast, and we’re talking wrestling! Of course we first need to review the Vikings season. What kind of team were they really? There were certainly some issues that need to be addressed. What kind of off-season moves do they need to make to improve next year?  How much longer can we wait it out with Kirk Cousins? How is the coming draft looking for the Vikes?

Professional wrestling has perfected the art of the pay-per-view event. Fans have huddled around the television for decades to watch Summerslam. So, we’re going to look at our favorite matches from 1988-1998. It’s all the wrestlers you know and love, Hulk Hogan, The Hart Foundation, The Macho Man, Shawn Michaels, Ted DiBiase…  Some of the stories were so good, and some were, well… but it was the golden age of professional wrestling and it captivated us all.

Do Andrew and Nick agree on any of these? Do you agree with any of these or do you have your own favorites? Let us know what you think!

Mark Korin, the former mayor of Oak Grove has graced our Community Solutions podcast in the past, but this is his first trip over to the Andrew Richter Podcast. 

Mark started in an Oak Grove advisory commission and worked his way to mayor. Under his tenure, they cut the tax levy drastically and didn’t raise it. He is a business owner, engineer, and inventor in the aviation industry, and has served his community in many other ways.

He is in process of authoring a book called “Thank God I Got COVID”. Mark opens up about his coming down with Covid, how it changed his life, and why he’s thankful his life took this turn. This story is a testament to the power of prayer, love, and faith. We all have a reason that we are here. Let’s make the most of today and do something to change the world.

We welcome author Anne Bauer back to the show. Anne is no stranger to this podcast as a freelance journalist (NYT, WAPO), and former professor. We discuss a whole range of topics from modern medicine to the recent elections, education, certain illnesses starting with “C”, abortion, and more. We’ve talked with Anne extensively about the damage done to kids throughout Walz’s first term. We try to break down why the election results in Minnesota turned out the way that they did, despite the discontent of many parents across the state. The Democrats rallied over fully funding education, and  after the election have prioritized everything else. Why is that? Why does no one seem to care? We also discuss the recent changes in social behaviors with kids and adults. We are so divided and are at each others’ throats. Can we save our country from this direction we find ourselves headed in?

Today, Andrew sits down with Angela Cooperman, former campaign manager of Dr Scott Jensen, running for MN Governor.  Angela had worked with Jason Lewis and the Republican Party of MN previous to that. She grew up in the D.C. area and brings a wealth of political experience with her.

She had to navigate the political system through COVID, riots after George Floyd, and opponents that refused to debate. So why do Minnesota voters keep voting for Democrats, even when these policies are hurting them?

She explains what it was like to run Dr Jensen’s campaign in a crazy political environment in 2022, what factors are determining the issues in Minnesota, and we look into the future of MN elections.

Join us for the 2022 Mid-Term election returns, as Andrew and JDB IV Jr give their expert analysis. We also let you know what we're looking at for the next couple of years.

Today’s guest is Tanya Simons, who is running for re-election in Osseo Public Schools (ISD 279). It is a vast district that covers eight metro cities. She is a lifelong Minnesotan, who was involved in education through coaching and mentoring before running for school board.

Our children are in the care of their school a huge amount of time, and want to make sure that they have their child’s best interests at heart. There have been challenges with online learning, academics, mental health, and many more issues. Parents are concerned across the nation, as education takes center stage.

Because of its sheer size, District 279 comes with additional issues because of immigration, integration, poverty, and other challenges that are part and parcel to being in a suburban district. We discuss these issues, gender identification and affirmation issues, how to better connect with parents, and more.

Take a listen and consider how you can be of help to your local schools to keep the schools on track and creating the leadership of tomorrow that we want to see.

Hugh McTavish is running to be the governor of MN. His career path has led from biochemist to patent lawyer. He has patents for drugs that are going through clinical trials in treating Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and cold sores.

He is running on an idea called “Jury Democracy”, which would put random citizens from across the state on call to sit on a jury to hear about certain legislation that lawmakers are trying to pass. Then based on secret ballot, it gets passed on to the governor to sign… or not. Hugh brings facts and figures to the table that create some interesting ideas on a completely different approach to governing.

He also has some other creative solutions, like a unicameral legislature (one house), a petition process for residents to introduce legislation for consideration, and increasing available untouched wild lands.

He also discusses another idea “Governing For Hapiness”. By tracking depression, loneliness, and happiness, he proposes that we can govern more justly and become a more optimistic society.

This podcast will challenge your preconceptions and really make you think. You can find out more at mctavish4mn.org

We welcome our good friend, “The Closer” Brad Carlson from 1280am The Patriot. This week it’s all about the the Minnesota Vikings. They were a dangerous team that were notoriously tough. They had 4 Superbowls under their belt, which was hardly rivaled in the NFL. What happened? It’s been 45 years and not only have they never come back to the big show since, but the rest of the league has pretty much caught up.

This team has made it to six NFC Championship since, been favored in many, and have always managed to screw it up. 2009 was one of those promising years. The Vikes drafted Percy Harvin. They had Adrian Peterson, Greg Lewis, Jerrod Allen, Bernard Berrian, EJ Henderson, and lots more talent. They didn’t have a strong solution at QB, as it looked like Sage Rosenfels was going to be the guy. Then Brett Favre appeared out of nowhere and all bets were off.

They started 6-1, and then Favre walked back into Lambeau Field for the first time and dealt the Packers a huge defeat. Needless to say, they had a great season and set the Vikes up for a strong Super Bowl run. Bountygate made us all scream for justice. We all know what happened in the end, but we give you one heck of a retelling.

Find Brad at: https://am1280thepatriot.com/personality/brad-carlson

This week we welcome Nick Anaya back to the show to discuss the 2022 NFL season and the upcoming fantasy football season. Fantasy Football is an obsession here in the US, and has come such a long way from newspapers and phones to all the power of the internet.

We take some time to discuss the changes to the Minnesota Vikings, their recent roster moves, and what the new GM and head coach may bring to the team.

Once we fully dissect the hopelessness we live with here in Minnesota sports, we turn our sights on the whole of the NFL. We start with the running backs, and will it be Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffery, or Derek Henry at the top?

Wide receivers have a pretty good crew, featuring Cooper Kupp, Justin Jefferson, JaMarr Chase, CeeDee Lamb, and others. Which ones are going to rise to the top.

It’s also a crazy year for QBs, with a lot of shifting of the deck chairs. Russell Wilson is in Denver? Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Lamar Jackson are all big names, and there are a lot of good prospects blow them as well.

We even go through Tight Ends, Kickers, defenses, and rookies because that’s just the kinds of guys we are. We’re here to serve. Plus, we make our Super Bowl picks.

The Minnesota Legislature just wrapped up it's 2022 session, and true to form they accomplished nothing. Yep, zip, zero, nada... now, we would normally see that as a good thing, but we know that just means that a speacial session is coming down the pike. Join Andrew and JDB4 Jr as they lay it all out for you.