Category: Podcast

This week’s show opens with Mike and Jay taking a look at the current state of the Republican tax reform bills in both the House and the Senate. Mike points out – once again – that it’s a horrible idea to ram a huge, complex tax bill through only weeks after it was introduced, and that the measure is essentially a big tax cut for businesses and the rich that will be paid for by future generations of Americans. Jay believes that in the end the cuts will result in enough growth to make them worthwhile.

After that, the Guys turn to the recent wave of sexual harassment revelations, specifically more women coming forward to accuse Alabama Republican Roy Moore, who maintains his innocence, and Democratic Senator Al Franken, who has admitted his guilt. Mike also shares a personal story, in the hope that it might encourage others to speak out.

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Dollar Shave Club. Go to dollarshaveclub.com/TPG to get your first month of their best razor along with travel size versions of their shave butter, body cleanser, and butt wipes for just $5.

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This week Trey and Jay start by taking on the Senate’s proposed tax plan. It differs from its House counterpart. Trey worries about the deficit and Jay focuses on growth.

Next they turn to the major Democratic wins in Virginia, New Jersey, and Maine. Both hosts agree that they are not necessarily representative of the country as a whole, but they do point to the Trump problem all Republicans now face: to Trump or not to Trump.

After the elections the hosts discuss Trump’s week in Asia. They note that the two big areas of concern were North Korea and trade policy.

Trey and Jay conclude by discussing the recent Washington Post story arguing that Roy Moore had inappropriate relationships with underage girls.

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For the one-year anniversary of President Trump’s election, we brought back Mike’s friend Joe, who Mike talked to in the ‘A Trump Supporter Speaks‘ episode in October of 2016.

At the time, Mike thought it would be good to hear from an actual Trump supporter (as opposed to an ‘anyone buy Hillary’ Trump voter) to get a sense of how Donald Trump convinced so many people to follow him down a path that would surely lead the Republican Party to a crushing electoral defeat giving President Hillary Clinton House and filibuster-proof Senate majorities.

Obviously, things didn’t turn out that way. One year on, how does an intelligent, decent Trump supporter see the Trump presidency? In this interview you’ll find out. (And no – ‘intelligent, decent Trump supporter’ isn’t an oxymoron. Mike says that Joe is one of the smartest and most fundamentally decent people he knows.)

Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.

In this week’s extended episode Trey and Mike start off by discussing the GOP Tax Plan. They begin by analyzing the content of the plan. As to the policy itself, Trey is optimistic, but worried about the 1.5 trillion debt increase. Mike sees both positive and negative aspects to the bill, but overall sees the plan as problematic.

Then its time to talk Mueller’s indictments. Both see this as the first step to a larger set of indictments and both agree that critics of the president ought to moderate their joy. It is unlikely that this will bring down the Trump presidency.

Next it is a discussion of the Halloween ISIS terrorist attack in NYC. Trey stresses that we shouldn’t allow terrorist groups to wield fear to change us. He argues that while terrorist organizations are good at spreading fear, they aren’t as effective at carrying out plots as the media narrative would suggest.

Finally both Trey and Mike address Trump’s nomination of “Jay” Powell to be the next chair of the Federal Reserve, breaking a recent precedent by former presidents.

Mike’s Recommended Reading:

–Ezra Klein Podcast

Trey’s Recommended Reading:

The Presidents Club by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy

We hope you will check out the sponsor of today’s show:

Blue Apron. Check out this week’s menu and get $30 of your first meal — with free shipping — by going to blueapron.com/tpg

This week, Mike and Jay start by talking about President Trump’s declaration of the opioid crisis as a public health emergency. Mike wonders about the timing of the announcement, which came out a week before the president’s opioid commission is scheduled to release its final report, and hopes that significant federal funding will soon follow. Jay thinks federal action may help at the margin, but is concerned about throwing money at the problem.

Then, Mike gets to talk about his favorite regulatory agency – the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) though this week he’s dismayed at the agency’s arbitration rule being overturned by Congress. Jay believes it was a wise move by Congress and the Guys get into a somewhat heated discussion over the merits of class action lawsuits vs arbitration.

After that, it’s a discussion of what Arizona Senator Jeff Flake’s decision to not seek election might mean for the Republican party. Flake’s announcement comes in the wake of another Senate Republican, Tennessee’s Bob Corker making a similar decision.

Finally, Mike and Jay discuss the state of tax reform. Mike’s inner idealist comes out and he makes an impassioned plea for some good faith attempts at working across the aisle. Jay argues that Republicans have to be more realistic.

We hope you’ll check out today’s sponsor:
ZipRecruiter. Politics Guys listeners can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE. Just go to ZipRecruiter.com/politicsguy

Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.

This week, Mike and Jay start by looking at the bipartisan Senate proposal to stabilize Obamacare markets in the wake of President Trump halting cost-sharing subsidies to insurers, as well as the clever way state insurance regulators are dealing with this major change to the Affordable Care Act.

After that, it’s a primer on budget resolutions: when they started, what they were intended for, and why they’re not almost meaningless … with one major exception. Mike argues that legislating through budget resolutions is a Very Bad Idea, and says that it would be better if the Senate dropped this facade along with the filibuster. Jay agrees, and also feels that the Senate tradition of Blue Slips – where home state Senators have an effective veto over federal judicial nominations in the state – also no longer makes sense, a position Mike holds as well.

Then it’s a look at the latest Trump travel ban, which has been blocked by two federal judges. Both Mike and Jay believe that while the travel ban is bad policy, it’s not unconstitutional and expect the Supreme Court to eventually uphold it.

Finally, the Guys look at the ‘Honest Ads Act’ a bipartisan (just barely) Senate proposal intended to make it much harder for foreign governments to use social media ads to influence U.S. elections.

Mike’s Recommended Reading:
– The Drug Industry’s Triumph Over The DEA
– American Rust. Philipp Meyer

Jay’s Recommended Reading:
– The White-Minstrel Show. Kevin Williamson

We hope you’ll check out the sponsor of today’s show:
Blue Bottle Coffee. Sign up for a free trial of fresh, delicious Blue Bottle Coffee right now at bluebottlecoffee.com/TPG

Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.

To begin the show Trey asks about new information from the presidential election. Specifically, Facebook offered to work with both presidential campaigns but only the Trump campaign agreed to it. Then Trey and Jay respond to listener questions. The first question is about the likelihood of a new WW3 or Civil War. Both agree the likelihood is low, but discuss why it might seem more likely than it is. Then they ask a question about gun policy and why the U.S. seems so fatalistic when it comes to gun legislation. Finally, Jay responds to an extended series of questions from a listener asking for clarification on his Healthcare positions.

We hope you’ll check out the sponsors of today’s show:

Casper. Politics Guys listeners get $50 dollars toward any mattress purchase by going to casper.com/tpg and using promo code tpg.

DaVinci. Book your space now at davincimeeting.com/TPG and the first hour is on them!

Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. If you’re interested in supporting the show, go to politicsguys.com and click on the Patreon link.