State of Gold

Jon Slavet | California Politics

Restoring the California Dream One Bold Idea at a Time California was once a beacon of prosperity, hope and innovation – symbolized by the Gold Rush, Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Today it’s the least affordable state in the nation and plagued by poverty, homelessness, and sky-high taxes. How did we get here, and how do we turn California around? State of Gold is a media platform and citizens’ movement dedicated to restoring the California dream. Host and longtime real estate and tech executive Jon Slavet combines practical wisdom and insurgent energy, as he sits down with voices from across the spectrum.  The show will examine and promote the best ideas from any corner to solve the state’s most pressing issues. State of Gold cuts through the noise to explore what’s gone wrong in the Golden State – and what it’ll take to make things right. www.stateofgold.com

  1. 12h ago

    Becerra Was the Democrats’ THIRD Choice for Governor | Susan Crabtree

    Guest Susan Crabtree, Senior White House and National Political Correspondent, RealClearPolitics Guest Bio Susan Crabtree is one of the most dogged reporters on the White House and the Secret Service beat. She is now senior White House and national political correspondent for RealClearPolitics, after 23 years in Washington covering Congress and the White House, including stints at the Washington Examiner and the Washington Free Beacon. Her reporting on the Secret Service before and after the 2024 attempt on Donald Trump’s life in Butler has made the agency a signature subject. With Jedd McFatter she wrote Fool’s Gold: The Radicals, Con Artists, and Traitors Who Killed the California Dream and Now Threaten Us All. Show Summary “Here he’s just failing upwards,” says Susan Crabtree of Xavier Becerra, California’s next governor. In this episode of State of Gold, host Jon Slavet sits down with the veteran Washington reporter to talk about California’s political class, the Secret Service after Butler, and a White House press room she knows from the inside. Crabtree says Becerra was the party’s third choice after Eric Swalwell’s campaign imploded, and recalls him telling her years ago in Congress that he was tired and wasn’t sure he would stay. She argues Steve Hilton’s problem is registration math, with voters too disillusioned to look to government for answers. From her book Fool’s Gold, she tells how Willie Brown, mentor to both Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris, vouched for cult leader Jim Jones, and how Newsom’s own PlumpJack companies helped pay for his bronze bust in San Francisco City Hall. The conversation moves to the Secret Service. Crabtree says the agency is better than it was after Butler, but asks why the White House Correspondents’ dinner still ran on tickets anyone could pass along, with Director Sean Curran reporting threats up 40% this year. On Katie Zacharia’s short run as press secretary, she says no one should face that briefing room without weeks of prep: “They don’t stab you in the back. They stab you in the front.” She closes on November 3, Prop 50 and gerrymandering she says denies citizens a voice, in Texas and California alike, and national politicians who “just use California as a bank.” Chapters 00:00 – Cold Open: National Politicians “Just Use California as a Bank” 00:21 – RealClearPolitics Correspondent Susan Crabtree on California’s Political Class 00:28 – Becerra’s No-Show Campaign: The Third Choice Failing Upwards 02:00 – Steve Hilton’s Problem: Registration Math and Disillusioned Voters 03:26 – Fool’s Gold: Willie Brown’s Ties to Cult Leader Jim Jones 05:13 – Newsom’s Bronze Bust: How PlumpJack Helped Pay for His Statue 06:19 – Secret Service After Butler: Is the Agency Better Now? 06:44 – Correspondents’ Dinner Scare: Tickets Anyone Could Pass Along 08:15 – Director Sean Curran: Why Presidents Promote Their Own Detail Leaders 10:31 – Katie Zacharia’s Short Run: No Prep for the Briefing Room 13:45 – If Democrats Win the House: Subpoenas for Musk, Vance and Bondi 15:20 – November 3: Prop 50, Valadao, Kiley and the Gerrymander Fight Connect with Susan Crabtree X: https://x.com/susancrabtree RealClearPolitics: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/susan_crabtree/ Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavetInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=enWebsite: www.stateofgold.com

  2. 4d ago

    Democrats Won Big, but Did Voters Give Them a Mandate? | Jon Fleischman & Steve Maviglio

    Guest Jon Fleischman, Founder, So, Does It Matter? Steve Maviglio, Democratic Strategist, Forza Communications Guest Bios Jon Fleischman is one of the best-known Republican voices in California politics, with more than 35 years in campaigns. A former executive director of the California Republican Party, he founded FlashReport and now publishes the Substack and podcast So Does It Matter? His analysis has appeared on Fox News, CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS. This fall he wrote a guide to all 14 statewide propositions on the November ballot and previewed them on State of Gold before the vote. Steve Maviglio is one of the most experienced Democratic communicators in Sacramento. He was press secretary and communications director to Governor Gray Davis from 1999 to 2003, then deputy chief of staff to Assembly Speakers Fabian Núñez and Karen Bass. Today he is principal of Forza Communications, a Sacramento public affairs and campaign firm, and has managed or consulted on more than 25 statewide and local campaigns. Campaigns & Elections named him one of the most influential campaign strategists in California. Show Summary “The tsunami washed right over the Rockies and right into California,” says Jon Fleischman. In this episode of State of Gold, host Jon Slavet sits down with Republican Jon Fleischman and Democratic strategist Steve Maviglio after the November 3 midterms, to sort through what the Democratic wave means for Washington and Sacramento. Maviglio says the vote was less about Trump’s policies than their impact on daily life, pointing to gas prices, groceries and a Latino shift toward Democrats of 20 to 25 points. Fleischman calls it “a referendum on the job that the president is doing” and warns Democrats against reading it as a win for their ideas. He says Republicans lost California’s independent voters, and that with Gavin Newsom gone, no one in Sacramento will ask “show me the math.” Maviglio expects Governor-elect Xavier Becerra to focus on health care and the budget, and calls him “Jerry Brown meets Gray Davis.” The conversation moves to the 14 propositions. With the count still going, Fleischman says voters backed the Prop 1 housing bond and the Prop 3 tax on high earners but turned down Prop 40, the billionaire tax, after one side spent hundreds of millions and the other almost nothing. Maviglio agrees money talks, and says a national billionaire tax will be front and center for Democrats in 2028. On Nithya Raman’s win over Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayor’s race, Maviglio calls it a referendum on Bass, while Fleischman warns Raman not to assume a mandate. Looking ahead, Maviglio sees a solid blue California; Fleischman predicts more wealth-creating people “fleeing this state.” Chapters 00:00 – Cold Open: A Referendum on the President 00:25 – Welcome: Jon Fleischman and Steve Maviglio on the Midterms 01:03 – Maviglio: Affordability and a 20 to 25 Point Latino Shift 02:13 – Fleischman: A Referendum on the Job the President Is Doing 03:56 – Democrats After the Wave: Center-Left Wins and the Blue Dogs 05:25 – Republicans After the Wave: Vance, Bacon and Cruz React 07:21 – California Results: The Blue Wave Crosses the Rockies 09:40 – Governor-Elect Xavier Becerra: Jerry Brown Meets Gray Davis 11:59 – Ballot Props: Housing Bond, High Earner Tax and Prop 40 15:35 – Billionaire Tax in 2028: Will Democrats Take It National? 16:33 – LA Mayor: Nithya Raman’s Win and the Verdict on Karen Bass 19:14 – Predictions: Where California Goes in the Next Four Years Connect with Jon Fleischman X: https://x.com/FlashReport LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-fleischman-0205024/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JonFleischman/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jonfleischman Connect with Steve Maviglio X: https://x.com/stevenmaviglio Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevenmaviglio/ Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavetInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=enWebsite: www.stateofgold.com

  3. Nov 3

    Why Grumpy California Voters Still Stick With Democrats | Mark Baldassare

    Guest Mark Baldassare, Statewide Survey Director, Public Policy Institute of California Guest Bio Mark Baldassare is one of California’s leading experts on public opinion and how its voters behave. He has directed the PPIC Statewide Survey since 1998 and led the Public Policy Institute of California as president and CEO from 2007 to 2022. Before PPIC he taught urban and regional planning at UC Irvine, and unlike most pollsters he trained in sociology, earning his PhD at UC Berkeley. He has written ten books, including A California State of Mind: The Conflicted Voter in a Changing World. Show Summary “Both parties are underwater in terms of their favorability,” says Mark Baldassare. In this episode of State of Gold, host Jon Slavet sits down with the longtime California pollster to ask why voters who say the state is headed in the wrong direction keep voting the same way. Baldassare says it comes down to how people feel about both parties. Asking a Democrat to vote for a Republican, or the other way around, is a hard choice, because voters “have questions about what the alternatives might do.” His polls keep finding Californians who say a third party is needed, which he reads as deep disappointment in both major parties. The biggest change since he wrote about the conflicted voter, he says, is that distrust of government has become “a fact of life,” along with a hyper-partisanship that keeps people in their political lane. He points to Arnold Schwarzenegger, an independent thinker who did his homework, and to Jerry Brown’s canoe theory of politics, paddling to the left and to the right, as what wins voters over. The conversation moves to the ballot. Voters want to keep the initiative process, he says, but think special interests have too much influence, and they would rather have debates, town halls and a Citizens Initiative Commission than commercials. Only one in three initiatives passes, because “the default for voters is to say no.” He closes on Prop 45, the environmental review measure that pits more housing against the reasons to vote no, as the vote he expects to be the biggest surprise. Chapters 00:00 – Cold Open: “I Don’t Actually Like Either of Them That Much” 00:19 – Welcome: Statewide Survey Director Mark Baldassare on Conflicted Voters 01:20 – Both Parties Underwater: Why Unhappy Voters Won’t Switch 02:41 – Fear of the Unknown: Why Californians Want a Third Party 03:21 – The Conflicted Voter, 24 Years On: Distrust Becomes a Fact of Life 04:33 – Grumpy Voters: Who Californians Blame Depends on Their Party 05:58 – Breaking Party Lines: Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown’s Canoe Theory 09:31 – Shifting Opinion: Same-Sex Marriage, Prop 187 and a GOP That Didn’t Move 10:50 – Ballot Overload: 14 Propositions and How Voters Would Fix the System 12:47 – Prop 39 Voter ID: Who Should Write the Ballot Language? 15:22 – Prop 40 Billionaire Tax: When in Doubt, Voters Vote No 17:28 – Election Night Surprise: Why Prop 45 Is the One to Watch Connect with Mark Baldassare X: https://x.com/PPICnotesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/public-policy-institute-of-california/Carnegie California profile — https://carnegieendowment.org/people/mark-baldassareEnjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavetInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=enWebsite: www.stateofgold.com

  4. Oct 30

    Republicans Are Playing DEFENSE in States Trump Won Big | Tom Bevan

    Guest Tom Bevan, Co-Founder and President, RealClearPolitics Guest Bio Tom Bevan is the co-founder of RealClearPolitics, home of the polling averages cited across American politics. He started the site in 2000 with John McIntyre and is now its president. A Princeton graduate, Bevan co-hosts RCP’s daily radio show on SiriusXM with Washington bureau chief Carl Cannon, and the two co-wrote a pair of e-books on the 2012 election. He travels the country giving speeches on the election landscape. Show Summary “Republicans are playing defense in a lot of these states,” says Tom Bevan. In this episode of State of Gold, host Jon Slavet sits down with the RealClearPolitics co-founder to size up the 2026 midterms, from the fight for the Senate to the gas prices weighing on Republican voters. Bevan calls the Senate a real toss-up. He points to President Trump’s job approval at 38.8% in the RCP average and a generic ballot where Democrats lead by about eight and a half points, and says to follow where the time and money are going. Trump’s trips to Texas, Ohio and Montana are about turning out the base, because “midterm elections are base elections,” though Susan Collins and Mike Rogers would rather keep their distance. Collins never led a poll in 2020, he notes, and still won by eight points. He says gas prices have the tightest link to how voters feel about the economy because it is “a very tangible thing that everybody across this country feels in a very real way when they go to the pump.” The conversation moves to Texas, where he calls the Senate race between Ken Paxton and James Talarico “a crazy race.” On polling, Bevan admits there have been big misses. Still, he says of the averages, “there’s literally nothing better.” He closes on election confidence, with a two-day national voting holiday he and Carl Cannon have proposed, and says ballot harvesting “erodes” trust and “should be done away with.” Chapters 00:00 – Cold Open: Other Countries Count Ballots Faster Than California 00:16 – Welcome: RealClearPolitics Co-Founder Tom Bevan on the Midterms 00:29 – Senate Toss-Up: Trump at 38.8% and Democrats Up 8.5 Points 02:11 – Follow the Money: Why Republicans Are Spending in Red States 04:12 – Trump on the Trail: Do Red-State Candidates Want Him There? 06:04 – Senate Betting: Susan Collins, Kansas and a Weird Election Cycle 09:10 – Gas Prices: The Pump Problem Dragging Down Republicans 12:00 – Latino Voters: Trump’s 2024 Gains Are Slipping Back 13:59 – Texas Senate: Talarico, Paxton and What Went Wrong for Cornyn 17:33 – Polling Defense: Are the Polls Rigged? Tom Bevan Answers 20:39 – Election Trust: Voting Holiday, California and Ballot Harvesting Connect with Tom Bevan X: https://x.com/TomBevanRCPLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-bevan-8152353aRealClearPolitics, YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@realclearpolitics4074Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavetInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=enWebsite: www.stateofgold.com

  5. Oct 27

    It's No Mystery Why CA Energy Prices Top the Nation | Greg Wallis

    Guest Greg Wallis, CA State Assemblyman (47th) Guest Bio Greg Wallis represents California’s 47th Assembly District, a stretch of Riverside and San Bernardino counties that includes Palm Springs, the Coachella Valley, Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree. A Republican in a district where Democrats hold the registration edge, he first won the seat by 85 votes out of about 170,000 cast. He serves on the Budget Committee, belongs to the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, and was ranked by CalMatters as the Assembly’s top “maverick” voter for breaking with his party. Before taking office he was district director for former Assemblymember Chad Mayes. Show Summary Host Jon Slavet sits down with Assemblyman Greg Wallis, who rallied 61 lawmakers from both parties against a proposed Yosemite land swap, and explains why federal park cuts hit tourism towns like Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms. He walks through his reelection fight in a district he first won by 85 votes, and contrasts his record with his opponent Leila Namvar’s, pointing to $24 billion spent on homelessness while the homeless population kept growing. He defends breaking with his party on wildfire prevention, describes how overgrown forests turn into tinderboxes, and lays out why gas prices keep rising as the state loses refineries. Wallis closes with a warning about cap and invest, which he says passed before lawmakers could get a fiscal analysis. Chapters 00:00 – Yosemite Is Not for Sale: 61 Lawmakers Push Back 01:48 – Federal Park Cuts and the Tourism Economy 03:31 – Won by 85 Votes: Holding a Democrat-Leaning District 05:27 – Leila Namvar and California’s Spending Problem 07:16 – Prop 40 and Protecting Prop 13 07:55 – Breaking With His Party on Wildfire Prevention 09:26 – How Unmanaged Forests Become Tinderboxes 11:16 – What’s Really Driving Gas Prices 13:46 – Climate Goals and Rising Utility Rates 15:23 – Proving Clean Energy Can Be Affordable 16:36 – Cap and Invest Without a Cost Analysis 17:02 – Good Policy Needs Good Process Connect with Greg Wallis X: https://x.com/AsmWallisFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AsmGregWallis/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asmgregwallis/Official Assembly Website: https://ad47.asmrc.org/Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavetInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=enWebsite: www.stateofgold.com

  6. Oct 23

    Restorative Justice for Selling Children? | Shannon Grove

    Guest: Shannon Grove, California State Senator (12th) Guest Bio:  Shannon Grove is a Republican California State Senator representing the 12th District, which includes much of Kern County and the southern Central Valley. An Army veteran, she co-founded Continental Labor and Staffing Resources and still serves as its CEO. She served in the State Assembly from 2010 to 2016 before winning her Senate seat, and she later led the Senate Republican Caucus. Grove is known as Kern County’s loudest voice on oil and energy, the author of SB 237 to restart Kern drilling, and a persistent advocate for child safety and victims’ rights. With her Senate term ending in 2026, she is running for the State Board of Equalization, District 1. Show Summary “I don’t vote for tax increases,” says Senator Shannon Grove. Host Jon Slavet sits down with the California State Senator as she runs for the Board of Equalization in a race against Democrat Nelson Esparza. Grove explains what the BOE does, from overseeing county assessors to defending Prop 13’s two-thirds vote, and calls an $11.25 billion veterans bond a Trojan horse after $24 billion spent on homelessness. The two dig into the billionaire tax and why it could reach any taxpayer. Then the talk turns to energy: SB 237’s 2,000 Kern County permits a year, Valero’s Benicia closure, and why importing refined fuel from overseas makes no sense. Grove recounts a colleague pitching restorative justice for people who traffick children, the Safe Passage for Youth Act now on the Governor’s desk, and SB 1373’s fight over mental health diversion. She closes with Jay Leno crashing a press conference. Chapters 00:00 – Death and Taxes: Why the Board of Equalization Matters 01:31 – An 8,000-Vote Race: Grove vs. Esparza on Taxes 02:07 – Holding the Line on Prop 13 and the Two-Thirds Vote 03:16 – $24 Billion on Homelessness and an $11.25 Billion “Veterans” Trojan Horse 04:02 – The Billionaire Tax: A Door to Taxing Everyone 05:21 – SB 237: Why 2,000 Kern Drilling Permits Can’t Flip a Switch 07:21 – Refineries Closing: Importing Fuel from India and Japan 09:45 – Kern County, Energy Capital: 58% of California’s Renewables 11:34 – Restorative Justice for Child Traffickers? Inside the Legislature 14:15 – Safe Passage for Youth: Paris Hilton and Survivors on the Governor’s Desk 16:02 – SB 1373: The DSM-5 Loophole in Mental Health Diversion 17:47 – Leno’s Law: Jay Leno Crashes the Press Conference Connect with Shannon Grove X: https://x.com/ShannonGroveCAFacebook (Senate office): https://www.facebook.com/ShannonGroveCAFacebook (BOE campaign): https://www.facebook.com/ShannonGroveForCAInstagram (Senate office): https://www.instagram.com/ShannonGroveCA/Instagram (BOE campaign): https://www.instagram.com/shannongrove4caLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-grove-b17b4116/Campaign Website (Grove for BOE 2026): https://shannongroveca.com/Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavetInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=enWebsite: www.stateofgold.com

  7. Oct 20

    UC Is Now Teaching College Kids MIDDLE SCHOOL Math | Gloria Romero

    Guest Gloria Romero, Candidate for CA Lt. Governor Guest Bio Gloria Romero is a former California State Senator who represented East Los Angeles and served as Senate Majority Leader. A longtime champion of school choice and education reform, she left the Democratic Party, and is now the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of California. She is also endorsed by the American Independent Party and the Bakersfield Californian. Show Summary Host Jon Slavet welcomes back Gloria Romero, candidate for Lieutenant Governor, who says the biggest difference between her and Fiona Ma is education policy. Romero argues that K through 12 schools and the University of California have now collided, after 3,000 UC professors warned that students arrive unprepared and need remedial middle school math. Her fixes: bring back the SAT, tighten teacher tenure that now comes after just 15 months, pay for merit, and expand school choice. She rejects the claim that testing is racist and cites a striking figure: at current rates, a Black kindergartner in LA Unified would need 54 years to reach reading proficiency. Romero lays out her path to victory through the Republican base, independents, disaffected Democrats and the Central Valley, and tells voters Trump is not on this ballot. She closes with her day one plan for two extraordinary sessions, one to rebuild the budget from zero and one to go after waste, fraud and abuse. Chapters 00:00 – Gloria Romero vs. Fiona Ma: The Biggest Difference 01:18 – Education: The Issue That Eats Half the Budget 03:04 – 3,000 UC Professors Sound the Alarm 05:07 – Teacher Tenure After Just 15 Months 05:59 – Bring Back the SAT, Merit Pay and School Choice 07:17 – Is the SAT Racist? The Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations 08:43 – 54 Years to Reading Proficiency in LA Unified 10:13 – The Math to Win: 200,000 LA Republicans Who Didn’t Vote 12:04 – No Flyover Country: Why the Central Valley Matters 12:46 – Trump Is Not on This Ballot 14:58 – Day One: Two Extraordinary Sessions on the Budget 16:55 – Going After Waste, Fraud and Abuse 18:23 – Not a Red State or a Blue State, a Golden State Connect with Gloria Romero Campaign website: https://www.gloriaromero4ltgov.com/X: https://x.com/gloriajromeroFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/gloriajromero.caInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/gloria_jromero/Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavetInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=enWebsite: www.stateofgold.com

  8. Oct 16

    "You Can’t Have Sunlight Without the Sun": Does MAGA Survive Trump? | Victor Davis Hanson

    Guest Victor Davis Hanson, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution Guest Bio Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist, military historian and senior fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, and a farmer who still lives in his family’s 150 year old home in California’s Central Valley. He has written dozens of books on ancient warfare and modern politics. His newest, The Counterrevolution: The Fall and Rise of Donald Trump and the MAGA Movement, is becoming a bestseller. Show Summary “You can’t have sunlight without the sun,” Victor Davis Hanson says, quoting a senior official on whether MAGA can outlast Donald Trump. Host Jon Slavet sits down with Hanson in his family home to discuss his new book, The Counterrevolution. They start with the midterms and why Republicans have failed to address affordability, then turn to the Iran war. Hanson argues it is not a forever war, citing 38 days of combat, 19 fatalities and a $40 billion cost, and he warns against negotiating with a regime he believes is near collapse. The conversation moves to the threat from within: Tucker Carlson, Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene, the antisemitic fringe JD Vance must reject, and influence peddling around the White House. Drawing on Thucydides, Hanson explains how lawfare destroys the norms its users later need. He closes with the changes he says nobody talks about, from Latin America to NATO to military recruiting. Chapters 00:00 – Back at the Farm: A 150-Year-Old Home and The Counterrevolution 00:51 – Shaky Midterms: Prices, Affordability and Selling the Boom 03:40 – A Binary Choice: Democratic Socialists and a 50-50 House 07:00 – Is Iran Jacksonian? The War Seven Months In 08:37 – Cutting Off the Mothership: Hezbollah, the Houthis and Why Not to Negotiate Now 10:21 – “I Decide What’s America First”: Can MAGA Outlast Trump? 13:31 – Jilted Egos and the Groyper Problem: Why J.D. Vance Must Draw the Line 17:51 – Thucydides on Faction: Lawfare and Who Weaponized Justice 20:00 – The Critical 5 to 10%: Independents, Latin America and NATO 22:02 – The Undersold Wins: Military Recruiting and the Border Connect with Victor Davis Hanson X: https://x.com/VDHansonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/victor.d.hanson/?hl=en\Official Website: https://victorhanson.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@victordavishanson7273Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast Connect with State of Gold X: https://x.com/realjonslavetInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=enWebsite: www.stateofgold.com

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About

Restoring the California Dream One Bold Idea at a Time California was once a beacon of prosperity, hope and innovation – symbolized by the Gold Rush, Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Today it’s the least affordable state in the nation and plagued by poverty, homelessness, and sky-high taxes. How did we get here, and how do we turn California around? State of Gold is a media platform and citizens’ movement dedicated to restoring the California dream. Host and longtime real estate and tech executive Jon Slavet combines practical wisdom and insurgent energy, as he sits down with voices from across the spectrum.  The show will examine and promote the best ideas from any corner to solve the state’s most pressing issues. State of Gold cuts through the noise to explore what’s gone wrong in the Golden State – and what it’ll take to make things right. www.stateofgold.com

Information

  • Creator
    Jon Slavet | California Politics
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    112
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 State of Gold
  • Show Website
    State of Gold

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