The Politics Guys

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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

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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.

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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

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)

This week’s show opens with Mike and Jay talking about something they won’t be covering – the continuing drip, drip, drip of Trump scandal leaks. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t concerned with the serious allegations that have been raised (especially true in Mike’s case) but that the leaks don’t tell us much of anything. For the most part, they’re going to hold off until there’s substantive news on the leak investigations, as opposed to juicy tidbits leaked from anonymous sources.

After that, Mike and Jay talk about what President Trump accomplished on his first foreign trip, and whether he was right to downplay human rights in Saudi Arabia and push NATO allies to pay up.

They also take a look at a recent Supreme Court decision on redistricting, in which the very conservative Justice Thomas sided with the Court’s liberals. There’s a reason why that happened, and Mike and Jay discuss it, as well as the bigger picture of redistricting challenges over the last few years.

What Mike’s Reading (and listening to) This Week:
– The Daily Standard Podcast
– Profile of Secretary of Defense James Mattis

What Jay’s Reading This Week:
–Why History Will Repay Your Love. Peggy Noonan (WSJ – paywall)
–The American Spirit. David McCullough