The Politics Guys

This week’s episode starts with a discussion of the State Department Inspector General’s report on Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal email server while she was Secretary of State. Both Mike and Jay agree that Clinton screwed up, though they don’t quite see eye-to-eye on how big (or how criminal) that screw-up was. Next, they look at the Week in Trump, focusing mainly on his energy policy proposals that seem to suggest that he either doesn’t know or doesn’t care how markets actually work. Then it’s a look at President Obama’s trip to Vietnam and Japan, followed  by discussion of why airport security lines are so long, and what can be done about it.

This week’s Ask The Politics Guys question comes from Chris, who lives near Chester, England.

Does the US electorate suffer from voter fatigue due to democratic overload?

This week, Mike and Jay start by looking at the state of the Democratic race, where Bernie Sanders is still plugging away, arguing that Superdelegates interested in winning in November should support him over Hillary Clinton. Next is a look at new rules for overtime – Mike argues they’re a good redistributive and job-creation measure, while Jay believes that they’ll be a drag on the economy. Finally, the Guys talk about two Supreme Court rulings: one on religious organizations and Obamacare, and the other on the 6th Amendment’s right to a speedy trial.

This week’s Ask The Politics Guys question comes from Samantha, in Honolulu.

“Dear Politics Guys, How can we fix the broken primary system?”

This week, Mike and Jay start by talking about the Democratic presidential race, focusing on Hillary Clinton’s ‘crookedness’ as Donald Trump would almost certainly term it. After that, they look at the Week in Trump, discussing what might be in Donald’s income tax returns and why he won’t release them. Then it’s more on transgender bathrooms, thanks to dueling lawsuits by North Carolina and the federal government along with the Obama administration’s call for all schools receiving federal funds to incorporate transgender bathrooms. Finally, Jay talks about how Hillary Clinton is hoping to capture the all-important UFO enthusiast vote.

This week’s Ask The Politics Guys question comes from Tyler, in Los Angeles. Tyler asks, “Is there a way to hold our politicians responsible for the words that come out of their mouths? If we have a country where the majority of Americans believe a bunch of half-truths and lies perpetuated by our politicians, I believe it undermines our democracy. How can we make informed voting decisions when there is so much misinformation out there?

This week, The Guys start off by looking at how Donald Trump – the Republican Party’s all-but-official nominee – got to this point, what he needs to do next, and what it means for the future of the Republican Party. Next, they discuss the Justice Department’s notice to North Carolina informing them that their recent no-transgender bathroom law is in violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Finally, things get unusually heated when Mike and Jay come to entirely different conclusions about the merits of class-action lawsuits against big corporations.

Here’s this week’s Ask The Politics Guys question:  “I saw an article in Vox.com this week arguing that the smugness of liberals hurts them with voters? Do you think that’s right – are liberals too smug, and does their smugness cost them votes?”

This week’s show starts off with a look at the Democratic and Republican races. On the Democratic site, Hillary Clinton has all but put away Bernie Sanders, while Donald Trump continues his inexorable and, to some, inexplicable, run to the nomination. Next, the Guys talk about a challenge to a voter ID law in Texas which could keep over half a million registered Texans from voting in 2016. After that, Mike and Jay talk about President Obama’s recent push for so-called smart-guns. Finally, the Guys discuss the pros and cons of the ‘Textalyzer’ a new device that would allow police to see if accident victims had been using their phones moments before a crash.

This week’s Ask The Politics Guys question comes from Perry, in Canberra Australia.

Dear Politics Guys, How might compulsory voting affect American politics? Is voting a civic responsibility, like, for instance, jury duty?