Category: Podcast

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In this listener mail episode, Mike and Jay answer the following questions:

• How big of a deal is the Canadian dairy industry in the overall context of a renegotiated trade agreement, and should we be concerned about the effect of the USMCA on the Canadian dairy industry?
• Why doesn’t the show place more emphasis on the views of ‘rational alarmists’?
• Should corporate tax policy be changed to incentivize paying higher wages to workers?
• Are Libertarian ideas ‘good on paper’ but unworkable in real life?

Show Notes
Who should be the first non-guy Politics Guy? Let us know (and tell us what you think about the current Politics Guys) by taking this short Politics Guys Hosts Survey. We appreciate your feedback!

Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to politicsguys.com/support.

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Mike and Jay open the show with discussion of the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi Arabian security personnel. Jay argues that while President Trump’s rhetoric has been typically Trumpian, in terms of substance his response has been measured and reasonable. Mike calls for strong action in response to the killing and argues that the Trump administration’s decision to go all in on friendship with the autocratic Saudi regime should be reconsidered.

Then it’s a look at the federal budget deficit, which rose nearly 17 percent from last year, due in large part to sharp declines in corporate tax revenue following the GOP tax bill that passed in December of 2017. Mike says that this is no surprise, as economists on both the right and left said the cuts wouldn’t come close to paying for themselves. Jay argues that while this may be the case, growth is strong and we need to wait longer to see if the long term results of the cuts are positive.

After that, the Guys take a look at a new rule proposed by the Trump administration that would require pharmaceutical companies to include price information in their drug ads. Mike applauds the move, though he doesn’t think it will lead to the sort of cost reductions the administration hopes for. Jay agrees, and argues that this is unnecessary government interference in the market.

Show Notes
Who should be the first non-guy Politics Guy? Let us know (and tell us what you think about the current Politics Guys) by taking this short Politics Guys Hosts Survey. We appreciate your feedback!

Listen to Mike being interviewed on the Thales’ Well podcast. He gets into his intellectual origins, Edmund Burke, John McCain, Donald Trump, and lots more.

Check out Outvote, the app Mike mentioned on the show.

Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to politicsguys.com/support.

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Trey Orndorff welcomes Alexandra Filindra from the University of Illinois at Chicago to The Politics Guys this week. The Politics Guys ask listeners to give us your comments and feedback on Alexandra and the show this week.

First up Trey thanks listener Erik who caught a mistake last week. Trey said Justice Kennedy withdrew his support of Kavanaugh when he meant to say Stevens. Thanks Erik, we truly appreciate it!

After the correction Trey and Alexandra get into the midterm question. Specifically Trey brings up Trump’s USA Today op-ed and his apology to Kavanaugh. Alexandra is surprised that Trump would write an op-ed and wonders aloud what the benefit might be. Trey sees a consistent communication pattern and thinks the op-ed is good strategy — as is setting up opposition to Kavanaugh as being for “the mob.”

This leads Trey and Alexandra to talk in detail on the midterm election strategy and transitions to questions of election fundraising in the wake of the Kavanaugh confirmation. Democrats are reporting big dollar donation increases and Republicans are pointing to percentage increases in funds. Both point to Kavanaugh as the reason why.

Trey asks Alexandra what she thinks of the Democrats chances in the Senate given the dip in the polls for Democratic Senator Heitkamp after voting against Kavanaugh. Alexandra brings up it is more difficult for Democrats due to gerrymandering and Trey argues it was a Republican party focused on local elections that set them up for these wins.

Trey and Alexandra then turn to Nikki Haleys resignation. Specifically they discuss the timing, both in relation to the midterm elections and to the Kavanaugh confirmation process. It also gets both of them to discuss party and campaign strategy for 2020 and beyond.

The final story is the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. As of the show’s airing it appears likely that the Saudi King ordered Jamal killed with video evidence coming from Turkey. On the American front it has led to a split between Congressional Republicans and President Trump on the proper response.

Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you are interested in supporting the show, go to politicsguys.com/support/

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This week Trey Orndorff and The Politics Guys is excited to introduce Athena King, a political scientist from Virginia State University. The Politics Guys asks that listeners listen to Athena and send us your feedback on what you think of the show.

After introduction Trey and Athena again dress the newest developments concerning Brett Kavanaugh. Specifically the two discuss Kavanaugh’s Washington Post Op-Ed in defense of his hearings and the Friday cloture vote that opens the possibility of a vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination on Saturday or Sunday. Both Trey and Athena agree that Kavanaugh is likely to be confirmed, but Trey thinks it will be a wider margin with limited Democratic support and Athena believes Mike Pence will be necessary to cast a tie-breaking vote.

Trey and Athena the address “Nafta 2.0” or more properly USMCA. Athena argues that American supply chains need more open markets. Trey agrees but is willing to concede that this is a win for the Trump Presidency and a fulfillment of a large campaign promise. Athena gets into the details of automobiles while Trey focuses on the international economic questions of the shift. Only time will tell if and when the Senate will take up the issue.

Next the pair move to an underreported story out of Bloomberg on the possibility of a Chinese hardware hack on American company servers. Apple and Facebook have denied the allegations, but it appears that China has been trying to infiltrate servers in the U.S. Trey wonders if this might not be an argument for a more nationalist economic policy and is, at a minimum, a question that free marketeers like himself must answer. Athena questions what the Chinese motive is.

Finally Trey and Athena discuss the issue of Trump’s finances in wake of a New York Time story highlighting the dubious — and potentially fraudulent — money policies the Trump family used. Athena and Trey agree that this is unlikely to move the needle of support for Trump, but wonder what the broader picture will continue to be as more information slowly drips out.

Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to politicsguys.com/support.

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This week, Mike welcomes political scientist Will Miller back to the show. Will and Mike open by discussing the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Included is the perspective of Mike’s politically astute friend, Leah. While the Guys differ on whether Kavanaugh is the right person for the vacancy of the Court, they do agree on the credibility of Dr. Ford and her testimony. They also discuss what this means for future nomination battles and the willingness of individuals to even consider being nominated for the Court.

Next is a discussion of the federal budget process, which is progressing surprisingly smoothly. While Mike and Will agree that the budget is largely inflated, they disagree on the causes and solutions. Mike advocates for increasing taxes to balance the books, while Will suggests something akin to zero-based budgeting would require agencies to justify the money they request in a more meaningful way.

After Jay responds to some fairly intense criticism concerning his comments on last week’s show, Ryan provides Will and Mike with their listener mail question this week. Ryan asks the Guys response to a recent Robert Reich opinion piece suggesting Congress or the Supreme Court could annul the totality of Trump’s presidency if he’s found of colluding with Russia to get elected.

Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to politicsguys.com/support.

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This week, Mike and Jay open the show with a look at the accusation of attempted rape leveled at Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh by Christine Blasey Ford. The Guys have a lot of differences of opinion on this issue, though they do agree on the importance of a process that is fair to both Professor Ford and Judge Kavanaugh.

Next is a discussion of President Trump’s call to release intelligence related to the Russia investigation. Jay advances that argument that President Trump is lying when he said he hasn’t read the documents and that the president is timing his order for maximum media impact and the greatest political benefit.

After that, the Guys talk about the latest in the ongoing trade war with China. Mike points out that the best possible outcome for the United States would be President Trump being right about his risky, unorthodox strategy. Jay adds that even if Trump is right regarding China, his trade strategy with our EU and Canadian allies still seems highly suspect.

Then Mike and Jay discuss an important federal court ruling on political contribution disclosure rules. Mike thinks the ruling is both an example of what happens when Congress delegates too much authority to regulators, as well as a win for transparency. Jay agrees on the delegation issue, but has his doubts about the wisdom of the ruling, as well as whether it will be affirmed on appeal.

Our listener mail question this week comes from Don, who asks if terms limits might make government more responsive and effective.

Help Mike decide on the topic of his next book by taking this super-quick one question survey. (The survey is open until Friday, September 28.)

Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to politicsguys.com/support.