The Politics Guys

A discussion of the history of the 14th Amendment as it relates to sexual discrimination. Cases of focus include: Frontiero v. Richardson Craig v Boren United States v Virigina Obergefell v Hodges The Politics Guys on Facebook | X  Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On V...

Trey and Ken delve into the aftermath of the 2024 election, focusing on Pennsylvania and the contested Senate race. Trey notes the Wall Street Journal has declared a Republican winner, while Ken holds out hope that the New York Times has not. They also examine the remaining House races and what the losses mean for Democrats. Ken sees it primarily as a messaging issue, but Trey believes there are s...

In this special post-election episode, Mike, Trey, Ken, and May get together to discuss their initial thoughts in the wake of Donald Trump’s biggest win to date. They talk about the issues, the campaigns, fundamentals, shrinking vs growing electoral coalitions, what to expect from a second Trump term, where Democrats should go from here, and lots more. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener su...

Mike and Jay open the preview of this midweek supporters’ episode with a discussion of why so many Americans aren’t happy with their presidential choices. Mike points out that this is a relatively new thing, and he and Jay agree that changes to the nomination process and social media have played a significant role in this. That leads Mike to wonder if there’s any way out of our crummy candidate, t...

Just a quick message to let you know that we'll be recording a special 'all hands on deck' post-election episode of The Politics Guys on Wednesday, November 6. It should be in your feed sometime after 6pm Eastern Standard Time that day.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can s...

Mike and Jay open this final pre-election episode with a look at the closing arguments of Trump and Harris, with a focus on Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally. Mike is feeling fairly pessimistic but thinks that Harris may have an edge in voter enthusiasm and grassroots organization that might just put her over the top. Jay argues that while Trump should be taken seriously but not literally...

Mike talks with Stephen J. Ducat, an author, political psychologist, psychoanalyst, and former psychology professor in the School of Humanities at New College of California. They discuss Professor Ducat’s most recent book, Hatreds We Love: The Psychology of Political Tribalism in Post-Truth America. Topics Mike and Stephen discuss include: - why tribal loyalty often overrides material self-interes...

Jay and Justin spend the entirety of this midweek supporters' episode discussing the F word: fascism. It’s been explicitly applied to Donald Trump recently by not only Democrats but several of his former staffers as well. What is fascism? How does it differ from other forms of authoritarianism? Does Donald Trump tick enough boxes to be one? While Trump exhibits some concerning authoritarian tenden...

Jay and Justin open this episode with their predictions for the upcoming presidential election, with Justin forecasting a narrow Harris victory and Jay expecting Trump to return to the White House. They also discuss how traditional polling methods might be missing key voter segments and how social desirability bias could affect Trump supporters' willingness to participate in polls. Next, they look...

Mike talks with Mark Green, founder of The Democracy Project, twice-elected Public Advocate for New York City, and the author of multiple books, the latest being, The Inflection Election: Democracy or Fascism in 2024?, which they discuss in this episode. Topics Mike and Mark discuss include: - the importance of the 2024 presidential election - if Donald Trump is a fascist - if Trump is an existent...

Mike and May open the preview of this supporters’ midweek episode with their predictions for control of the Senate and House, where they agree that Republicans are all but a lock to win the upper chamber and that things look somewhat more promising for Democrats in the House. Then they turn to a recent ruling in Georgia in which a judge enjoined an election rule that would have required hand count...

Mike and May open with a discussion of Kamala Harris’ interview with Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier. Mike thinks there were several missed opportunities for Harris, while May argues that Harris is a policy lightweight. Mike believes that the focus on immigration and gender transition surgery for inmates says a lot about what matters to the Fox audience, as does the lack of attention pa...

Mike talks with Pedro Domingos, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. He’s an AI researcher, tech industry insider, and author of the best-selling book The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World. Recently, he’s turned his hand to political fiction, in the often hilariously funny novel 2040: A Silicon...

Mike and Jay open the preview of this midweek supporters’ episode with a look at the over 100 lawsuits that have already been filed and how they’re likely to affect the outcome and aftermath of what’s almost sure to be an extremely close presidential race. Next, they turn to a new analysis of how Trump and Harris’ platforms would affect the economy. Mike argues that Jay should be even more concern...

Mike and Jay open with a discussion of the lies told by Donald Trump and JD Vance about FEMA in the wake of disaster relief efforts for hurricanes Helene and Milton. They also get FEMA’s role and whether the agency should be doing more in advance of ever-increasing major natural disasters. Next is a discussion of oral arguments in two major cases that opened the Supreme Court’s new term – one invo...

Mike talks with Rebecca Glazier, a Professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Professor Glazier is the Director of the Little Rock Congregations Study and the author of the book Faith and Community: How Engagement Strengthens Members, Places of Worship, and Society, which they discuss in this episode. Topics Mike and Rebecca Cover Include: - the forms o...

This 14th Amendment Constitution episode focuses on the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. Topics include The context of the 14th Amendment's ratification, Plessy v Ferguson, Brown v Board of Education, and the history behind Thurgood Marshall and the NCAAP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make T...

Trey and Ken start with the Vice-Presidential debate. The conversation begins with an explanation of rejecting the horse-race narrative of analyzing debates and how the VP debate won’t change voting patterns. They also discuss the stability of the presidential polling numbers despite assassination attempts and a candidate dropping out. Next, they look at Iran’s recent missile barrage on Israel. Th...

Jay and Justin open the midweek supporters’ episode with a discussion of the appellate oral arguments over Donald Trump's civil fraud conviction, with a focus on the legal case, process, and political implications. They then turn their attention to the Vance Dossier hack and leak. While the document itself is not a page-turner, it raises important questions about media ethics and campaign security...

Jay and Justin start with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the US, then move to Kamala Harris's visit to the border to talk immigration policy. They wrap up with a pair of political scandals: New York Mayor Eric Adams and NC Gubernatorial Candidate Mark Robinson The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Check out the Sustainable Planet podcast, as well as the free Sustainable Planet Subst...

Mike talks with Matt Grossmann, Director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research and Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University. Matt was on the show in 2019 when we talked about his book on public policy change, Artists of the Possible, and he’s back again for a discussion of his latest book, co-authored with David Hopkins, Polarized by Degrees: How the Diploma Div...

Mike and May open this supporters’ midweek episode with a discussion of Senate Democrats’ failed IVF bill. Both Mike and May think there’s something to be said for the legislation itself while agreeing that it was more of a messaging bill than a serious legislative proposal. From there they turn to strong bipartisan support for emergency funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Mike express...

Mike and May open with a discussion of the 2nd attempt (that we know of) on Donald Trump’s life, which turns into a broader consideration of extremist rhetoric on both sides and political violence. May believes that Trump has been targeted more than any other figure, suggesting more of a problem on the left. Mike thinks that things will get considerably worse, no matter which candidate wins in Nov...

Mike welcomes back to the show George Mason University economist Bryan Caplan to discuss his book, Build, Baby, Build: The Science and Ethics of Housing Regulation. Topics Mike and Bryan discuss include: - why housing prices are so high - bipartisan agreement on housing deregulation - the value of building more high-rise residential units - the many costs of NIMBYism - the Supreme Court and housin...

Mike and Jay open the preview of this midweek supporters' episode with a look at reports from Goldman Sachs and the Penn Wharton Budget Model, both of which conclude that Kamala Harris’ economic plans will be better for the US economy than Donald Trump’s. However, there are some important caveats, which they delve into. Next, they look at where Congress is in the yearly budget process, with the fi...