Month: November 2023

The Misunderstood Rural Voter

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Mike talks with Colby College political scientists Nick Jacobs and Dan Shea about their book The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America.

Topics Discussed Include:
– what it means to be a rural voter
– misconceptions of rural voters
– if conservatives in rural areas are truly distinct
– what rural identity is, and why it matters
– why Democrats have been doing so poorly with rural voters
– Donald Trump’s appeal in rural areas
– ruralness and racism
– if Democrats can ever compete again outside of cities and suburbs

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Israel-Hamas, Insurrectionist Trump, Voting Rights

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Mike, Jay, and May open the episode with a discussion of the hostage-for-prisoner swap between Hamas and Israel. They all agree on the importance of Israel getting their hostages back as well as on Hamas’ determination to destroy Israel. But Mike feels that Israel should find a way to give Gazans a positive path forward, something Jay and May are less optimistic about (not that Mike is all that optimistic).

Next, they turn to a Colorado judge’s ruling that Donald Trump is an insurrectionist, but that he can still appear on the ballot because the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment doesn’t apply to him. All of the hosts agree that the clause doesn’t apply to Trump, and that voters should have the opportunity to decide whether to elect an insurrectionist, or if Trump is an insurrectionist in the first place.

They close with a look at the 8th Circuit’s recent ruling that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act doesn’t give private individuals the right to bring suit. Mike sees it as wrongheaded conservative judicial activism, a position Jay and May dispute.

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Is Amazon good for consumers? The FTC has its doubts.

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Mike talks with Adam Kovacevich, founder and CEO of the Chamber of Progress and former head of Google’s US policy strategy and external affairs team about the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit against Amazon.

Topics Mike and Adam Discuss Include:
– FTC Chair Lina Khan’s views on Big Tech and antitrust
– if Amazon is hurting consumers
– how dominant Amazon is in retail
– potential effects of FTC lawsuits against tech firms
– if antitrust law needs to be updated for the 21st century

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The Constitution: The Free Exercise Clause

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Trey & Ken continue through the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights by diving into the 1st Amendment and the Free Exercise Clause. Topics include Reynolds, Smith, and the separation between belief and action inherent in the Supreme Court’s understanding of the phrase.

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Palestinian Hospital, Xi Jinping and Biden, Laddered Continued Resolution, Santos’ Ethics Report, Supreme Court Ethics

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Trey and Ken start the episode with a discussion of the escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip. Trey argues that Israel’s drive south is the result of the asymmetric nature of the conflict. Ken agrees, but believes that Israel must account for the human suffering and collateral damage a push out of Gaza City entails.

Next they turn to the meeting between Xi Jinping and Biden in San Fransisco. Trey lauds the positive rhetorical improvement from a few months ago and attributes this to the need for economic ties, which is the foundation of international liberalism.

After that is an overview of the newly passed laddered continuing resolution. Ken believes that deficit spending and the recent downgrade in US credit sits at the feet of the Republican Party. Trey argues it is the lack of a majority between Democrats who want to increase spending and Republicans who are deeply divided over what kinds of spending cuts are needed.

Then it is a brief overview of Representative Santos’ Ethics Committee Report outlining his fraud. Trey and Ken predict the likelihood of him being removed from the House of Representatives. They close with a brief discussion on the Supreme Court’s recently released ethics code.

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Why Flying is Miserable – And How to Fix It

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Mike talks with Ganesh Sitaraman, a Professor of Law at Vanderbilt Law School, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and a longtime advisor to Senator Elizabeth Warren. He’s also the author of multiple books, including The Counterinsurgent’s Constitution, The Great Democracy, The Crisis of the Middle Class Constitution. His latest book is Why Flying is Miserable and How to Fix It, which they discuss in this episode.

Topics Mike and Ganesh cover include:
– what makes flying miserable
– the main eras of air flight regulation
– cross-subsidies and cream skimming
– the old, highly regulated system
– what led to deregulation
– how the deregulated system has performed
– how to make flying less miserable

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Manchin Out, No Labels, OH KY VA Elections, GOP Debate

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Mike and Jay open the episode with a discussion of West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin’s decision to not run for reelection in 2024. Mike thinks it makes sense given his likely defeat, and Jay makes a case for a Biden-Manchin 2024 ticket. They also consider what Manchin would bring to the No Labels presidential ticket, and how a No Labels candidate might affect the race.

Next they turn to the elections in Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia. Abortion rights were a big winner in Ohio and played a role in all three states’ elections. Mike thinks it’s a great issue for Democrats to run on, and Jay argues that Republicans were stuck by past votes for pre-Roe laws they didn’t expect to go into effect.

They close with a loot at the latest Republican presidential debate. Mike wonders if there’s a point to the debates given Trump’s commanding lead. Jay thinks there is, and explains why.

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Israel and Hamas, Biden’s A.I. Order, Election Integrity

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Mike and May open with a discussion of the latest developments concerning Israel and Hamas. They look at the case for and against a temporary pause in Israel’s military response in Gaza, the House of Representatives approving $14.3 billion in aid to Israel, and why the U.S. would consider giving billions in aid to a wealthy country like Israel in the first place.

After that, they turn to President Biden’s Executive Order on artificial intelligence. Mike likes it overall but thinks that the administration doesn’t have the authority to mandate that A.I. developers give the federal government information concerning their models. May agrees with that but thinks it’s a bad idea even if it were to come via legislation.

They close by addressing listener questions concerning May’s comments last week about election integrity. For listeners who want a fuller understanding of Republican concerns, May recommends Mollie Hemingway’s book Rigged: How the Media, Big Tech, and the Democrats Seized Our Elections.

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