Joe was flying solo last night on The Agenda with Joe Solmonese with regular co-host Mary Breslauer out in California. We had politics from some different perspectives and a bit of entertainment thrown in.

Leading off the show, we welcomed Chuck Wolfe, President and CEO of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute. The Victory Fund has endorsed 100 openly LGBT political candidates in 2008, making this endorsement slate the group’s largest ever. Download or listen:

In addition to Chuck, we brought in Lupe Valdez, Sheriff of Dallas County, Texas, running for reelection. She talked about what it’s like to be openly lesbian as well as a Latina woman running one of the country’s largest law enforcement organizations. Download or listen:

On the entertainment front, I sat down with Peterson Toscano who describes himself as a theatrical performance activist. We talked about his performances exploring gender, religion and politics. Download or listen:

Last month, the Transgender American Veterans Association released a new study along with the Palm Center showing rampant discrimination against transgender veterans by the VA system. The group’s Vice President Angela Brightfeather joined us to discuss this important issue. Download or listen:

We turned back to politics and specifically the debates with Alan Schroeder, professor of journalism at Northeastern University. He talked about his book, “Presidential Debates: 40 Years of High-Risk TV,” and what’s at stake for the candidate match-ups. Download or listen:

Finally with some more debate conversation and a look ahead to the Vice Presidential event on Thursday, we welcomed Beth Frerking, a senior editor at The Politico and Politico.com. Download or listen:

Joe is taking a week of well-deserved vacation so co-host Mary Breslauer was joined by John Aravosis of AmericaBlog.com last night on The Agenda with Joe Solmonese. Starting out the show, I joined John and Mary for a conversation in-studio about my recent trip to Wasilla, AK to meet with LGBT people who know Sarah Palin. Download or listen:

We were honored last night to welcome Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Connie Schultz. She’s married to Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and shared her thoughts on being a political spouse in her book, “…and His Lovely Wife.” She gave us an update on where her home state of Ohio stands in this presidential contest. Download parts one and two or listen:
Part one:
Part two:

From there we were joined by author Bill Konigsberg. The Award-Winning AP and ESPN.com sports writer is out with his debut novel, “Out of the Pocket,” telling the inspiring story of a gay high school star quarterback. Download or listen:

Turning to the arts, we were pleased to welcome Jeffrey Johnson and Holly Woodlawn. Johnson is the artistic director of Ganymede Arts – DC’s GLBT arts company – and Woodlawn is headlining the company’s fall arts festival starting this weekend. Download or listen:

The first presidential debate is this Friday so for a little debate 101 we welcomed back American University Professor Jane Hall. An expert on political communication, she talked about how the campaigns are preparing for the match-up and how critical the debates are in this close election. Download or listen:

Finally, we were thrilled to be joined by author and furniture maven Mitchell Gold. Known along with Bob Williams for modern and comfortable home furnishings, Gold is out with “Crisis” – a book of 40 incredibly personal stories about overcoming the challenges of coming to terms with sexuality. Download or listen:

We had politics from both side of the aisle, fashion and film last night on The Agenda with Joe Solmonese.

Starting off, we welcomed New York Magazine’s John Heilemann. An astute political observer, he gave us an update on the latest ad wars as well as previewed his latest article on the new, sought-after demographic “Wal-Mart Moms.” Download parts one and two or listen:
Part one:
Part two:

Taking a break from politics, we welcomed Chris Muther of the Boston Globe who’s back fresh from New York Fashion Week. Certainly one of Joe’s favorite topics, we discussed what the runways held in store for next Spring’s collection. Download parts one and two or listen:
Part one:
Part two:

Getting back to the rough and tumble of this political season, Republican author Dick Rosenbaum was our guest. The former New York State Republican Chairman and gubernatorial candidate helped explain the appeal of Sarah Palin to party loyalists as well as how he thinks GLBT issues will factor in the race. He’s also the author of “No Room for Democracy: The Triumph of Ego over Common Sense.” Download or listen:
Part two:

Finally, we looked at the struggles faced by LGBT people in the Middle East with filmmakers
Parvez Sharma & Sandi DuBowski. Their new film, “A Jihad for Love” chronicles the discrimination and violence faced by LGBT Muslims. Download or listen:
Part two: