Postrider Podcasts

The Postriders pitch their ideas, directors, and cast for the next "great" movies about American politics—two historical dramatizations and one fiction. 

For every dollar the national Democratic Party has, how should they allocate it per Senate race? Michael makes Lars justify how each cent is spent as they chat about what states Democrats are underperforming in.

What does modern American believe deserves permanence? Lars and Michael propose new national monuments to commemorate the nation's 250th birthday.

As the Postriders catch up on the previous month, it's time to play "Trail Markers" here on the Postrider Roundup: can Michael successfully connect every single trail marker subject to the major news events of May 2026?

In this Roundup, Lars gets 100 points to divvy up how the Democratic Party focuses on reclaiming ground in the 2026 redistricting war. Should Democrats abolish independent commissions, find a clever legal strategy, just try to make the better pitch to voters, or a bit of everything? 

The Postriders play "Something, or Nothing?" again as they discuss May 2026's major news stories with potentially long-term consequences and justify whether they're worth keeping an eye on or being blown totally out of proportion. 

The Postriders discuss why Democrats are struggling to find a host city for their 2028 convention, what city they should choose, and what cities might be better choices to hold a convention in the future.

In this Roundup, Michael gets 100 points to divvy up the generic Democratic nominee's focus on each swing state in 2028. Should the Democrats maintain the Rust Belt strategy, reclaim the Sun Belt, diversify towards new states, or spread themselves thin doing all of the above?

In a new segment, The Postriders are given a series of political trade-offs to determine whether they'd take the deal or let the cards fall as they otherwise may.

The Postriders assess which parties in America they feel are getting too much, too little, or just enough blame for the Iran War, and whose future careers will be tied to it.

Starting with Bill Clinton and the "Golden Age of Television," Lars and Michael catalogue what they see as the definitive television show that reflects the zeitgeist of each presidency.

In this Roundup, Michael gets 100 points to divvy up to various Democratic policy issues as he crafts a messaging strategy, while Lars provides real world polling data to supplement the numbers. Does Michael go all in on affordability and leave foreign policy off the table, and does that make sense?

The Postriders are back with another segment of "Out to Pasture," in which Lars and Michael each present an idea in the discourse, kick it around, poke some holes, and determine whether it's worth riding out on, or whether it should stay in the stable. This week: is Graham Platner what Democratic "moderation" looks like and would we be better off had Trump won in 2020?

The Postriders play "Something, or Nothing?" as they discuss five major news stories with potentially long-term consequences and determine whether it's worth keeping an eye on or being blown totally out of proportion.

To cover the dizzying array of stories over the last few weeks, the Postriders engage in a round of Quick Draw, concisely giving the summary and take on every topic from Iran to the Supreme Court's tariff ruling, the Texas primary, the Clintons testifying in the Epstein investigation, and much more.

Michael and Lars share which 2028 Democratic presidential prospects are overrated and underrated and pivot to addressing what might really be explaining Trump's diminished approval ratings.

The Postriders try something new with a segment called "Out to Pasture," in which both Lars and Michael present an idea in the discourse, kick it around, poke some holes, and determine whether it's worth riding out on, or whether it should stay in the stable.

Michael Lovito highlights a notable shift in popular culture away from villainizing conspiracy theorists and towards increasingly justified paranoia, and how this connects to contemporary American politics.

Horror in Minneapolis and tensions across the Atlantic dominate this episode, forcing conversation on how far Trump might go and whether MAGA can be reconciled with isolationism.

The Postriders issue their awards for 2025. Who won, lost, fell on their face, was chronically overrated, or made the biggest moves in the last year? Listen to our picks and let us know yours!

As the year comes to a close, the Postriders talk about Indiana's failure to redistrict despite Trump's urging and have some fun making some predictions about 2026.

It's time for a foreign policy roundup as the Postriders try to suss out what the Trump administration's plan is for Ukraine and its continued military buildup in the Caribbean.

What did the 2025 elections mean? What is going on in the Republican Party? And what did the end of the shutdown and the return of the Epstein files tell us about the current moment in politics? Michael and Lars hop on the Roundup to find out.

Lars and Michael preview the upcoming off-year elections in New York City, California, Virginia, and New Jersey. How should you assess the results and what will these elections mean for the national scene?

The Postriders discuss the continued government shutdown and the series of text-related scandals that have beleagured prospective candidates and nominees over the last month.