Month: June 2017

Kurt Schlichter Explains How Hillary Clinton is Evil & Listener Mail

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There was so much intense listener response to Mike’s recent interview with Townhall.com columnist Kurt Schlichter, that Mike and Jay decided to devote the first part of this listener mail episode to addressing those responses and explaining why Mr. Schlichter was invited on the show. Mr. Schlichter himself appears in this episode, to explain what he meant when, in the interview, he repeatedly referred to Hillary Clinton as evil.

After that, the Guys answer listener mail, including questions about climate change, reasons for opposition to normalizing relations with Cuba, and their thoughts on a Politics Guys ‘Cheers’ analogy.

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PG105: Senate Health Bill, Special Election, Russia Sanctions

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This week, Mike and Jay start things off by talking about health care bill unveiled by Senate Republicans. Mike sees it as a nearly trillion dollar tax cut financed by draconian cuts to Medicaid, whereas Jay believes it may help by giving states more authority and halting what he sees as unsustainable Medicaid cost growth.

Then it’s a look at the Georgia special election, where Democrat Jon Ossoff narrowly lost to Republican Karen Handel. Mike says Democrats shouldn’t overreact because Democrats have over performed in all four of the special elections held to elect replacements for Trump administration officials formerly serving in the House. Jay points out that a loss is a loss, and Democrats are 0-4.

After that, they discuss Russia sanctions, both new sanctions unveiled by the Trump administration and a Senate bill – passed by a vote of 98-2 – calling for tougher sanctions and making it harder for the president to reverse sanctions.

What Jay’s Reading
The Last Battle for Democracy in Venezuela (WSJ – paywall)

What Mike’s Reading
The Brookings Cafeteria (podcast)

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An A+ For Donald Trump

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Mike talks to Kurt Schlichter, an attorney, retired Army infantry colonel, and Senior Columnist for Townhall.com. His commentary on political, military, and legal issues has been featured in numerous national outlets, such as Fox News, CNN, and the Hugh Hewitt Show.

They discuss why Hillary Clinton has less respect for democratic norms than Donald Trump, scuzzy bureaucrats in the intelligence community hoping to destroy the Trump presidency, why he gives Trump a grade of A+ so far, the complete lack of evidence in the Russia probes, and lots more!

– follow Kurt Schlichter on Twitter

Kurt’s Recommended Sites
– Townhall
– Instapundit
– American Greatness
– American Thinker

PG 104: Shootings, Sessions, Cuba, and the Federal Reserve

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Mike and Trey start this week with the tragic shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise by James Hodgkinson and the unfortunate political communications uproar in its aftermath. Both Mike and Trey worry that democracy may be losing a pillar when demonization is the new normal.

After that they talk about the rollback of Obama’s Cuba opening. Trump is returning to an older policy of restrictions, although his rhetoric is more drastic than his actual changes.

Later Mike and Trey discuss the Sessions testimony and the Federal Reserve’s rate hike. Finally they end the show with what they;re reading now and the unlikely truth that both Trey and Mike love Roberts’ Napoleon biography.

What Mike’s Reading
– Yes, Congress is getting less smart. No it’s not Trump’s fault. Max Enrenfreund

What Trey’s Reading
–Napoleon, A Life. Andrew Roberts

Moneyball for Politics: Sasha Issenberg’s ‘The Victory Lab’

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Mike talks to Sasha Issenberg, a political journalist whose work has appeared in Slate, Washington Monthly, The Atlantic, and lots of other places. He’s a contributor to Bloomberg Politics and the author of multiple books, including the widely praised The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns which Politico called ‘Moneyball for Politics’.

Follow Sasha on Twitter

Climate Change Politics & Policy after Paris

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Mike and Jay received so much listener feedback on our discussion of President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Accord (in episode 102) that they decided to do this special follow-up. In it, they cover the ‘We Are Still In’ movement, what states – especially California – are doing, whether or not Jay believes human activity is responsible for climate change, and why Mike wants us to significantly slow emissions today, whereas Jay feels that we’re better off growing the economy and waiting for what he believes will be better and cheaper emission control and climate change mitigation technology in the future. They also respond to listener comments.

PG103: Comey Testifies, Trump’s FBI Pick, The Kansas Experiment

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Mike and Jay start the show talking about the story that dominated the news this week: the testimony of former FBI Director James Comey. Neither of the Guys think that Comey dropped any bombshells, though Mike believes that this is still early days in an investigation that will go on for years and cripple the Trump administration. Jay thinks it might wrap up sooner than that, but that once again, Donald Trump’s biggest obstacle seems to be Donald Trump.

After that, they talk about Trump’s pick for FBI Director. They agree that Christopher Wray is a sane and sensible choice (which is hardly a given in the Trump administration) but that the delay of nearly a month in naming a replacement for Comey is yet another example of how Donald Trump is in over his head.

A story that didn’t get the coverage it deserved this week was Kansas’ experiment with radically lower taxes, and experiment the state legislature forced conservative governor Sam Brownback to abandon this week. Mike and Jay talk about what this might tell us about the effects of deep tax cuts and the impact it might have on similar proposals both in other states and at the national level.

What Jay’s Reading
– Just Mercy. Bryan Stevenson

What Mike’s Reading
– The Sixth Extinction. Elizabeth Kolbert

The Economist’s Ryan Avent on The Wealth of Humans

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Mike talks with Economist senior editor and columnist Ryan Avent, author of The Gated City and, most recently, The Wealth of Humans: Work, Power, and Status in the Twenty-First Century.

In addition to The Economist, Mr. Avent’s work has appeared in outlets such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Republic, the Atlantic, and the Washington Examiner. Prior to coming to The Economist, he worked as an economic consultant and an industry analyst for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He has an economics degree from North Carolina State University, and an Masters of Science in economic history from the London School of Economics.

Mike and Ryan talk about where the jobs are going, who’s at risk, the effects on economic inequality, the social and psychological effects of a largely jobless future, and lots more.

Ryan Avent Recommends
– EconTalk
– FT Alphachat
– The Weeds
– Marginal Revolution University

Follow Ryan Avent on Twitter

PG102: Paris Accord Exit, Afghanistan, Suing Big Pharma

This week, Mike and Jay start off by talking about President Trump’s announcement that the United States will be leaving the Paris Climate Change Accord, making it one of only three countries in the world to not be participating (the other two are Syria and Nicaragua). Mike, who was hoping against hope that US would stay in, is disappointed, feeling that President Trump is stuck in the past and that his actions may have a negative effect on the environment, future job growth, and US global leadership. Jay, on the other hand, thinks President Trump made the right call.

Then it’s a look at the US role in Afghanistan in the wake of a major terrorist attack last week that left 90 dead and hundreds wounded. Should the United State up its military commitment to the country and try to turn the tide against the Taliban, or would it be best to cut our losses, given the potentially unwinnable situation?

After that, the Guys look at Ohio’s recently announced lawsuit against Big Pharma for allegedly misleading doctors and the public about the dangers of prescription opioids. The state’s move is part of a growing trend of states and counties taking legal action against pharmaceutical companies. Mike feels this is a step in the right direction but Jay, who agrees that the opioid crisis is extremely serious, says he’s not crazy about the approach Ohio is taking.

What Mike’s Reading This Week:
– The Conversation

What Jay’s Reading This Week:
– The Case for Nations. Roger Scruton (WSJ – paywall)