Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
Dan Carlin is an American political commentator, amateur historian, and podcaster. Once a professional radio host, Carlin eventually took his show to the Internet, and he now hosts two popular independent podcasts: Common Sense and Hardcore History.
Views
Carlin believes the two main political parties in the United States are a large part of the problem, rather than the solution to the country's governmental and societal dilemmas. Carlin also uses history to help analyze societal and governmental problems and craft solutions.
Carlin broke into the television news business in Los Angeles in the late 1980s. He has worked as a television news reporter, an author, a columnist, and for the last dozen years, a radio talk show host. No longer broadcasting on terrestrial radio, Carlin has achieved recognition in recent years in the so-called "new media"-- internet radio, podcasting, and the blogosphere. Currently, he hosts two popular podcasts, both of which are frequently among the highest-ranked podcasts on review sites such as podcastalley and iTunes.
Carlin is the son of Academy Award nominated actress Lynn Carlin and film producer Ed Carlin.
Common Sense
Common Sense is a combination of several Carlin-hosted radio programs that aired between 1994 and 2004. The shows highlighted his independent political views, his sense of humor, and unique communication style. The present show, which is a podcast, now riffs on current events and US politics. All sides of the political spectrum are subject to blistering criticism (and occasional praise). The podcasts are said to be broadcast "almost live from the end of runway two here at the Emerald International Airport."
His main complaints about US political culture are corruption and money in government, the growth of the federal government and the powers of the President, and partisanship preventing real problems from being addressed. He supports some form of nationalization of health care and believes that the US has brought al Qaeda attacks upon itself for its interventions in the Middle East. In a 2010 Common Sense show titled "Flirting with the Berserk Line," Carlin announces that the only two politicians in the US he believes are most likely to help fix the US political system are Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul.
Hardcore History
Hardcore History, the more popular of the two podcasts, is Carlin's forum for exploring topics throughout world history. The focus of each episode varies widely from show to show but they are generally centered around specific historical events and are discussed in a "theater of the mind" style. New episodes are released approximately every two months.