Month: January 2022

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This week it’s a special three-person episode: Mike, Jay, and Ken. They kick things off by discussing the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, including his role on the Court, potential replacements, and the upcoming confirmation battle.

They stick with the Supreme Court in their discussion of two big affirmative action cases the Court has agreed to hear, both concerning alleged discrimination against Asian Americans in college admissions. 

Next, it’s a look at a federal judge’s ruling that halted the largest oil lease sale in US history. Why did the Biden administration hold the sale in the first place? What was the Trump-era Interior Department’s argument about drilling having less of an environmental impact than not drilling? Mike, Jay, and Ken discuss that and more.

Following that, they turn to recent economic news, including strong growth in 2021 — with even stronger inflation. Mike stands by his optimistic economic predictions (while admitting that he might have been somewhat too optimistic) and Ken largely agrees. Jay, on the other hand, thinks the economy won’t be improving nearly as quickly as Mike and Ken seem to believe.

The show closes with a look at the American Museum of Natural History’s decision to remove an allegedly racist statue of former US President Theodore Roosevelt. Mike and Ken agree that the statue should have been removed, while Jay feels it should have stayed in place.

Recommendations

Ken: Lost Cincinnati Concert Venues of the ’50s and ’60s: From the Surf Club to Ludlow Garage. Steven Rosen

Jay:  Supreme Court of the United States Website

Mike: Station Eleven (HBO Max)

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This week Trey and Ken host the show. The first story is discussing the filibuster and the Democrats inability to change it for voting rights. Trey gives a brief history of the filibuster. Ken argues it has been weaponized since the 1990s. Trey suggests weaponization depends on the policy outcome desired.

Next, they turn to the Supreme Court’s ruling on the January 6 Committee’s request for documents. Trey talks about the implications of the Supreme Court ruling the earlier court as dicta and Ken talks about how he sees this as evidence against a stacked court.

After that they discuss the New York Attorney General’s newest revelations. They discuss the implications of pleading the 5th in a civil case as opposed to a criminal case and the possibility of not engaging in civil lawsuits.

They move on to talk about what gerrymandering in 2022 might mean for the midterms. Ken sees Ohio as an ideal model and Trey wonders if what Democrats really want is to ditch single member districts.

Up last is a discussion about Biden’s polling, what the polling predicts about the midterm elections, and why and when his numbers hit bottom.

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This week Mike, Jay and Trey all host the show. Mike pays tribute to his late mother and this episode is dedicated to her memory.

The first story is vaccine mandates. The trio parse out the questions of legality from policy. All three hosts are in large agreement on legality, but there are some differences in the best policy moving forward.

Next, they turn to Biden’s speech in Georgia and his accompanying failure to pass, or even start, a voting rights bill through the Senate. The hosts debate the underlying strategy and why the White House believed it was possible to pass such a sweeping bill.

After that they discuss the failure of Cruz’s Russian pipeline sanctions. This leads Jay and Mike to agree on a new era of Cold War policy, while Trey has doubts about the success of true real politic style relations.

They move on to talk about the dustup between Dr. Fauci and Senator Paul. Trey finds the rhetoric disturbing while Jay thinks it is warranted.

Up last is a discussion about those who were part of January 6 now running for office. This leads to a protracted conversation between Trey and Jay on Babbitt and the use of force.

We’d really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes for The Politics Guys 2022 Listener Survey. 

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Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the podcast, go to patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys 

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Mike & Jay start the first Politics Guys show of 2022 by looking back at the events of January 6th, 2021. They discuss how they viewed the Capitol riot then, how they see it now, the value of the House January 6th Commission, and how much of a hold Donald Trump and “The Big Lie” has on the Republican Party.

January 6th happened in large part because of Congress’ role in certifying presidential election results. Mike & Jay move on to discuss how that process works and whether it’s time to clarify or even repeal the Electoral Count Act.

Next, they turn to the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s December meeting, which were released this past week. Mike & Jay agree that it’s good that the Fed is moving to moderate inflation, but they disagree on how quickly inflation is likely to fall.

After that they discuss Chief Justice Roberts’ year end report on the state of the federal judiciary. Roberts acknowledges problems with transparency and discrimination in the judicial branch, but argues that these problems can be dealt with internally. Mike is skeptical about the ability of the branch to police itself, and even Jay thinks there may be a role for Congress to play here, though he’s more cautious about regulation than Mike is (which is generally the case).

They move on to talk about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Twitter ban and the larger issues of Big Tech censorship, free speech, and the marketplace of ideas. 

The show closes with Mike & Jay responding to listener questions on workforce development policy and the future of the Republican Party.

We’d really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes for The Politics Guys 2022 Listener Survey. 

Mike’s Recommendations

Chief Justice Roberts’ 2021 Report on the Federal Judiciary

The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6. Miles Davis & John Coltrane

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Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the podcast, go to patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys 

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