Mike and Jay start off by talking about the Democratic National Convention and whether it helped Hillary Clinton in her quest to be the first female president. Next, the Guys look at the Russian state-sponsored hacking of Democratic computer systems. (Why *only* Democratic systems, Mike wonders.) That leads to a discussion of the resignation of Debbie Wasserman-Schultz as head of the Democratic National Committee, thanks to leaked evidence that demonstrated the DNC wasn’t exactly being fair to Bernie Sanders. After that, it’s a discussion of two more voter ID laws that were overturned. Mike argues that there’s compelling evidence that Republicans use these laws to suppress Democratic voters, but Jay doesn’t quite buy it. The show closes with a new feature: the Politics Guys non-political thoughts of the week. Mike plugs the novels of Anthony Trollope, while Jay talks about the importance of a dynamic economy (so Jay’s thought is really a political one, but he promises to come up with something non-political in the future).
Month: July 2016
John Sides Interview
Mike interviews political scientist John Sides, founder of the Monkey Cage blog and author of multiple books – most recently The Gamble: Choice and Chance in the 2012 Presidential Election (co-authored with Lynn Vavreck). If you’re not already following The Monkey Cage, you should definitely add it to your ‘must read’ politics sites. You might also want to follow The Monkey Cage on twitter and Facebook.
PG59: GOP Convention, Clinton’s VP, Voter ID Laws, Ailes Ousted, NBA & Charlotte
This week’s show starts with a look at the Republican National Convention. Things were calmer than expected on the streets but there was some controversy in the Quicken Loans Arena, thanks in large part to Ted Cruz’s non-endorsement speech. After discussing the convention, Mike and Jay talk about Hillary Clinton’s VP pick – Virginia Senator Tim Kaine – followed by an important appeals court ruling on Texas’ strict voter ID law, Roger Ailes’ removal as CEO of Fox News, and the NBA’s decision to not hold the 2018 All-Star Game in Charlotte, NC because of a recently state law widely seen as anti-LGBTQ.
Russ Roberts Interview
Mike interviews economist Russ Roberts, host of the EconTalk podcast and the book How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness.
PG58: Dallas Shooting, Trump’s VP, Cleveland in the Spotlight, The Notorious RBG
The first post-summer vacation episode of The Politics Guys starts with a discussion of President Obama’s remarks at the memorial service for the five police officers murdered at a Black Lives Matter rally. Then it’s a look at the wisdom of Mike Pence as Donald Trump’s running mate, a look ahead to what we might see at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, and some ill-considered remarks by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.