Hi. My name is Lori Halbert and I’m the host and creator of Live with Lori, Political Food for Thought. I’d like to tell you about my show, but before we get to where we’re going, you need to know what led me here.
I am what might be termed, “middle America.” No, I don’t live in the heartland but I was reared on the value of hard work, standing up for the little guy (if he is right), and always helping those truly in need.
When I saw my hometown heading in the wrong direction, I ran for Town Council where I helped change policy. I soon became indignant by the inequities I saw in the state vs. local policies. So, I ran for State Representative. I lost, but the important part is what I learned.
I learned that no one really listens to what politicians are saying. When gathered for a speech, most people might listen for 5 minutes (10 if they’ve got a really good attention span). This may or may not be the fault of the speaker, it is simply human nature. Anyone who’s ever given a speech can see it happen and knows the moment it does; that instant that the crowds’ eyes glaze over, with frozen expressions on their faces waiting for you to finish.
Most of us only catch sound bites, snippets of sentences, and glimpses of the person making decisions that affect our daily lives. Who are the people writing the laws for our state? Our county? How do they feel about their service, their duty to us, their family, and their job?
It was with these questions in mind, I set about to find a way to present an elected official in a manner in which everyone can relate: Food, the great uniter. Everyone must eat, and someone must prepare it, so what better way to get to know someone than in the kitchen? I find this to be the perfect setting since the kitchen is the heart of the home, where families gather, take nourishment, and make their own decisions for their future.
This is not a show to promote my beliefs or agenda. It is a non-partisan show that will allow the public to come to their own conclusions about their elected officials, to learn a new recipe, and perhaps come away realizing the person in office is a person just like you and me, with hopes and dreams that may not be that different from yours.