This week’s episode starts with a look at the annual meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference, headlined by President Trump himself. Mike and Jay take a look at the president’s stridently anti-media rhetoric as well as discuss someone who wasn’t there: conservative provocateur and former Breitbart senior editor Milo Yiannopoulos, who was disinvited after video surfaced suggesting that Yiannopoulos wasn’t entirely against pedophilia in some circumstances.
After that, the Guys discuss the recent Justice Department rollback of the Obama rule concerning the right of transgender students to use the bathroom corresponding to their gender identity. Mike sees it as a setback for LGBTQ civil rights, while Jay questions the extent to which this is a right in the first place, and argues that states should have greater say in their education policies – including bathroom access for students.
Mike surprises himself by actually complimenting President Trump – for his choice of H. R. McMaster as his appointee to replace Michael Flynn as National Security Advisor. Both Mike and Jay agree that this was a great pick, though it remains to be seen how much President Trump will rely on McMaster’s advice, as opposed to that of Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner.
Then it’s a look at the state of our immigration policy in light of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration enforcement. Mike and Jay consider this in the broader context of our current relationship with Mexico, with Mike pointing out that while Mexico relies on the United States, the relationship works both ways, and that should President Trump decide to come down hard on Mexico, the Mexican government could take significant action of its own in response.
Finally, the Guys turn to the Town Hall meeting protests that many Republican members of Congress met with during their ‘week off’. Neither Mike nor Jay thinks that protests alone can make a huge difference, though Mike believes (hopes?) that his Democratic Party has learned the organizational lessons of the GOP, and will combine public protests with plenty of behind-the-scenes organizing.
I just recently found you guys when you did the cross over with pantsuit politics. I have really enjoyed your show. I wanted to comment that I went to a townhall for Rep Gaetz last week. There were at least 500 people there. None of which we bussed in. I am offended that people think that local people don’t care enough about the issues to show up to the townhalls. Our townhall was loud but Congressman Gaetz was able to answer questions. I give him credit for showing up.
Hi Charlotte! Thanks so much for commenting. I know that conservative media has been suggesting that the protests aren’t entirely genuine, but based not only on your experience but on looking at examinations of protests across the country, there doesn’t seem to be any evidence for this. It reminds me a lot of how some Democrats reacted to the Tea Party protests during the passage of Obamacare. It’s always easier to pretend that opposition doesn’t ‘really’ exist than to face it squarely, I suppose.