Month: March 2024

Joe Lieberman, Abortion Pill Access, Eastman Disbarment

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Mike, Jay, and Justin open with a look at the life and legacy of the recently deceased Joe Lieberman, agreeing that the Democrat turned independent is the sort of solutions-oriented moderate we don’t see much of in national politics anymore.

Next is a discussion of oral arguments before the Supreme Court concerning access to the abortion drug mifepristone. It seems like a stretch to argue that those challenging the FDA even have standing, but there is a case to be made that mailing any drug to end a pregnancy is a violation of the 1873 Comstock Act.

They close with a debate over whether attorney John Eastman should be disbarred for his efforts assisting Donald Trump in his attempt to stay in office following the 2020 presidential election. Jay argues that Eastman may have had bad arguments, but he shouldn’t be disbarred for making them. Mike points out that there is a line between pushing bad arguments and telling a client to break the law, though he ultimately agrees with Jay. Justin isn’t so sure that either Jay or Mike have it right in this instance.

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Parliamentary America: The Least Radical Means of Radically Repairing Our Broken Democracy

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Trey talks with constitutional law professor Maxwell Stearns about his new book Parliamentary America which argues the U.S. needs to adapt the U.S. House to include proportional representation.

Topics Trey and Max Cover Include
– how the median voter theory is inaccurate
– why American parties are tending in extreme directions
– proposals to double the size of the House of Representatives
– proposals to transform the selection of president and vice president
– proposals to change how to remove a president
– the historic necessity of convincing relevant actors to agree to these changes.

Follow Max on X, and check out Parliamentary America

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Shutdown Avoided, Apple Lawsuit, OH Senate Primary and Trumpism

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Mike and Jay open with a discussion of bipartisan agreement on a budget that averted a partial government shutdown. Jay thinks it’s good politics, emphasizing once again that Republicans don’t win government shutdowns, and pointing out that Speaker Johnson has a tiny majority to work with. Mike notes that Republicans got a number of things they should like, though he expects that we’ll be in a similar place in just over six months, when the deadline for passing next year’s budget comes up.

Next, they discuss the lawsuit against Apple filed by the Department of Justice and 15 states. Neither Mike nor Jay thinks the government has a particularly strong case, but Mike argues that government pressure on big companies like Apple can serve as a useful check on corporate power.

They close with what starts as a discussion of the Ohio Republican Senate primary, and ends up as a much broader discussion of Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and the media.

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Should Puerto Rico Become the 51st State?

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Mike talks with George Laws Garcia, a former acting director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration and Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Statehood Council.

Topics Mike and George Cover Include:
– how Puerto Ricans are second class US citizens
– Puerto Rico and federal income taxes
– independence as opposed to statehood
– how Puerto Ricans feel about statehood
– US domestic political considerations
– what making Puerto Rico a state might cost
– short and medium-term prospects for statehood

Follow George on X, and check out Puerto Rico 51st

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The Constitution: Quartering Soldiers and Warrants

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Trey & Ken continue through the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights by diving into the 3rd and 4th Amendments.

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Schumer, Liberals Ban Everything, Judge McAfee, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Trump’s RNC

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Trey & Ken start the episode with a deep dive into Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s Senate speech on Israel, Hamas, and Benjamin Netanyahu. This includes a discussion of the norm breaking nature of calling for a vote on a democratically elected leader, if the Biden administration is giving in to more leftist voices, and the extent to which the U.S. may change its behavior in relationship to Israel.

Next is a conversation on a series of orders from Judge McAfee on Trump’s cases, including throwing out six charges, and the requirement that Nathan Wade step down (which is now official).

Finally the pair close the show with a discussion of the recent firings and memos out of the RNC. Ken believes the restructure will take money away from Republican candidates and help Democrats, Trey thinks it is unwise to underestimate Trump’s ability to effectively campaign.

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Women in Politics

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Kimberly talks with Mary Chung Hayashi, national healthcare advocate, former California State Assembly member, Principal of Public Policy & Advocacy Solutions, and author of Women in Politics: Breaking Down the Barriers to Achieve True Representation.

Topics Kimberly & Mary discuss include:

  • Why we’re still having the same discussions about increasing the number of women in politics, even though not only women—but Americans as a whole—benefit from having women in elected government positions
  • Why women shouldn’t focus on what they’re lacking, but instead focus on what they can ‘bring to the table’
  • How Mary’s personal experience as an immigrant woman of Asian descent has brought her face-to-face with the plethora of challenges all women face running for—and serving in—public office, and strategies to overcome these barriers
  • The often-invisible biases against women of color running for office
  • Why it’s important for women with political ambitions to cultivate the support of men
  • The many ways in which men seeking or in political office benefit from a societal double standard for men and women
  • Why women should be encouraged, regardless of their political affiliation, to participate in politics
  • The importance of breaking down the imagination barrier to encourage both men and women to rethink their own preconceived notions about women’s roles
  • While money matters, and men almost always have more financial support, deep pockets aren’t necessarily the only way to win an election

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Super Tuesday, Trump Insurrection Ruling, State of the Union

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Mike & Jay open the episode with a look at the results of the most uncompetitive Super Tuesday ever, considering Nikki Haley’s position and whether the 2024 Presidential race is Donald Trump’s to lose at this point. They also discuss Senator Mitch McConnell’s endorsement of Trump in the context of McConnell’s remarks concerning Trump in the aftermath of the January 6th Capitol riot.

Following that they consider the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling that states can’t remove Donald Trump from the ballot for being an insurrectionist. Both Mike and Jay agree with the decision. Mike argues that the Court’s three liberals and Justice Barrett were right in arguing that the opinion was too broad, a position with which Jay disagrees.

They close by discussing President Biden’s State of the Union address, both on policy and whether or not it demonstrated that Biden may be up for the rigors of a presidential campaign. That leads to a broader discussion of campaigning, communicating, and governing.

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The Economic Government of the World

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Kimberly Weir, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Northern Kentucky University talks with Martin Daunton, Professor Emeritus of Economic History at the University of Cambridge. Professor Daunton is a former president of the Royal Historical Society and author of The Economic Government of the World From 1933-2023.

Topics Kimberly & Martin discuss include:

  • Why considering the economic events of 1933 is necessary for understanding the multilateral policies and institutions that emerged out of World War II
  • That food and labor security—not economic policies—were much more immediate concerns for policymakers in the first international conferences at the end of World War II
  • How domestic considerations are imperative to successfully coordinate international economic policies
  • Dealing with autocratic governments and increased populism when pursuing global economic governance
  • How global institutions (particularly the IMF, World Bank, FAO, and WHO) can aid developing countries, rather than just perpetuate a global economic divide advantaging developed countries
  • How China and Russia, along with the BRIICS bloc, impact global economic governance
  • How resolving countries’ debt is unquestionably tied to tackling climate change

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Trump’s Immunity, Presidential Race, Government Funding

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Mike, Jay, and University of Northern Iowa political scientist Justin Holmes open the episode with a discussion of the Supreme Court’s decision to hear Donald Trump’s ex-presidential immunity case. While they all agree it’s an important issue that needs to be ruled on by the Court, Mike and Justin are more concerned about the Court’s schedule than Jay is.

Next, they consider the results of the Michigan primary elections and what they might suggest about the near-inevitable Biden-Trump rematch. Mike argues that the seemingly large number of ‘uncommitted’ Democratic votes isn’t as big of a deal as many have made it out to be. Justin makes the case that the results point to issues for both Biden and Trump. Jay thinks most Democratic and Republican voters will ‘come home’ in the end.

They close with an examination of the recent short-term continuing resolutions to avert a government shutdown. Jay once again makes the point that Republicans almost always suffer politically when they shut down the government. Justin says government funding by continuing resolution is both common these days and not at all desirable, while Mike wonders about what this all says about Speaker Mike Johnson and his promise to return to a ‘normal’ budget process.

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