Trump in 2020, Hicks before the House, Gallagher Trial, and the Actions of Iran

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Will and Brian begin with a discussion about Trump’s official re-election announcement. Both agree that Trump has better odds than the average pundit gives him to keep his position, but they differ slightly on why he could win. Will argues that the base will be enough to see him through while Brian posits that Democrats could likely unseat him if they spent less time debating one another and instead focused on a concentrated campaign against Trump. Ultimately, Brian argues that his base sees him as Teflon Don and that his control of the media is underacknowleged by political opponents. Will argues that with the economy doing well and no actual military conflict, Trump should be able to keep America great.

Next, they turn to Hope Hicks’ testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. Neither Will nor Brian are surprised that Hicks has not been willing to discuss what Democrats want to hear about, but they both acknowledge Democrats will keep trying to find information to help make a case that Trump has obstructed justice. Brian sees this as essential to preserving democracy as we understand it in America while Will believes Democrats are costing themselves time and resources by focusing on an already galvanized issue rather than going after the president on policy grounds. In the end, they both wonder what utility Democrats will ultimately gain from this and what could be accomplished if efforts were devoted to other areas.

They then turn to discussing the Eddie Gallagher trial currently underway. Both believe this is an issue that merits an investigation, but they differ on culpability. Brian finds the alleged actions reprehensible while Will believe Gallagher needed greater support prior to being sent back into a combat zone. While neither excuses his alleged behavior, Will finds the testimony of a medic to raise serious questions. Both believe this is reasonable doubt, but Will points to the immunity granted to the medic as a potential sign that the government was looking to muddy the waters and avoid President Trump having to ultimately pardon Gallagher for his crime. Brian agrees and adds that if we want to improve our image abroad, avoiding allegations of incidents like this would be a great first step.

Lastly, Will and Brian conclude with a discussion of recent activities in Iran, focusing on the Revolutionary Guard’s decision to shoot down an American drone this week. Will is perplexed by the response to last week’s cargo ship bombing allegations and the announcement this week that it must have been a mistake to shoot down the drone. Brian is concerned about maintaining territorial sovereignty while also protecting national interests. Both agree that a war with Iran would not be a useful endeavor given the lack of an endgame.

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2 thoughts on “Trump in 2020, Hicks before the House, Gallagher Trial, and the Actions of Iran”

  1. This is the worst conversation I have heard in a longtime! Will is clearly deluded if he thinks Trump is expanded his base. Both Brian and Will have no concept of how angry the women of America are with the GOP. The literally pretend 2018 midterms never occurred. Maybe step out of your red state bubble occasionally. I’m close to cancelling my Patreon as this podcast is so out of touch

    1. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I definitely agree that Trump hasn’t expanded his base and my belief / hope is that a large number of women in the United States are angry enough to come out in record numbers in 2020, make Trump a one-term president, and give the Democrats unified control of government. (Though even in my most optimistic moments, I think a filibuster-proof Senate majority is too much to hope for. But maybe it’s time to seriously consider removing that anti-democratic procedure.)

      I like to think that one of the strengths of our show is that with four regular hosting teams, listeners get to hear a variety of perspectives. I’m usually on twice a month (twice as much as anyone else, but hey – it’s good to be in charge ?) and I can guarantee that my views – which seem much more in line with yours when it comes to women – will get out there. -Mike

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