The Politics Guys

Mike and May open with a discussion of the latest developments concerning Israel and Hamas. They look at the case for and against a temporary pause in Israel’s military response in Gaza, the House of Representatives approving $14.3 billion in aid to Israel, and why the U.S. would consider giving billions in aid to a wealthy country like Israel in the first place. After that, they turn to President...

Mike and May open the preview of this supporters' midweek episode with a discussion of the tentative labor agreement between the United Auto Workers and Ford. May doesn’t see how the economics work out for Ford and predicts a government bailout at some point. Mike is more optimistic and believes it’s a reasonable deal for both sides. Following that they consider Donald Trump’s ongoing legal cases...

Mike and May open the episode with a discussion of recently elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. May sees the whole Speaker saga as embarrassing for her party while Mike argues against the portrayal of Johnson as a radical far-right election denier. After that they turn to the Middle East, discussing whether or not Mike was right to suggest Israel is a colonialist oppressor, whether that’s i...

In the preview of this supporters' midweek episode Mike and Jay open by discussing the guilty pleas by Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro in the Georgia racketeering case. Mike thinks it’s a reasonable prosecution and that these pleas may make it easier for prosecutors to get Trump. Jay thinks that “getting Trump” is exactly the problem with this prosecution that he believes shouldn’t have happene...

Mike and Jay open with the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Jay gives President Biden credit for his response but argues that Biden’s words of sympathy for Palestinian civilians were ill-timed. They consider the larger issues involved – whether Gazans are rightfully angry with Israel, what Hamas wants and whether Israel is giving it to them, and if we’ll ever see a two-state solution – as well a...

In the fall of 2017, only a few years after Jim Jordan co-founded the House Freedom Caucus, he had this conversation with Jay, who knew Jordan from their days in the Ohio House of Representatives (Jordan was a freshman legislator, Jay was a staffer). Jordan talks about why he helped create the Freedom Caucus, what it stands for, his views on government spending and debt, as well as some ideas that...

Trey & Ken continue their dive into the U.S. Constitution by overviewing the origins, history, and importance of the Bill of Rights. This episode sets up the next arch of the Constitution episodes as Trey & Ken go through each portion of the first 10 Amendments. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X  Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your leve...

In this deep dive episode Trey & Ken take a longview look at the conflict in the Gaza Strip. This includes a history into the formation of both Israel and the Gaza Strip, along with the key moments that led to the terrorist activity on Saturday. The pair discuss the current crisis, the likely next steps, and the response internationally and in the United States to the crisis. As a second story...

Mike talks with Steve Inskeep, cohost of NPR’s Morning Edition and their Up First podcast. He’s the author of multiple books, including Instant City, Jacksonland, Imperfect Union, and his latest book, Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America, which they discuss in this episode. Topics Mike and Steve Discuss Include: - the myth vs the reality of Lincoln - how growing up poor influ...

The preview of this supporters’ midweek episode open's with a discussion of Mike’s favorite federal agency – the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Supreme Court is considering whether the financing system for the agency set up by Congress is unconstitutional. Mike doesn’t think so, but it’s a tougher call for Jay. After that, they look into the Credit Card Competition Act, legislation curr...

Mike and Jay open the show with a discussion of the ousting of Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, with every Democrat joining eight Republicans in voting to remove McCarthy as Speaker. Mike asks Jay to explain what’s going on with his party, and whether he thinks this will hurt Republicans in 2024. Jay thinks there will be electoral consequences, but Mike doesn’t agree, at least not if an extend...

Trey talks with Lainey Newman, co-author of Rust Belt Union Blues: Why Working-Class Voters Are Turning Away from the Democratic Party about how the changing nature of social networks has shifted Union voters from Democrats to Trump voters. Topics Trey and Lainey Discuss Include: - how Lainey and Theda Skocpol came to work on the book - how social networks including unions defined the "union man"...

Trey and Ken continue their deep dive into the U.S. Constitution with an examination of Article VII. The pair discuss the government bypassing nature of the ratification process, what the ratification process was, how the anti-federalists brought us the Bill of Rights from the ratification battle, and set up an introduction to the Bill of Rights. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X (formerly Twitte...

After a brief discussion of the death of Diane Feinstein, including her legacy both positive and negative, Trey and Ken discuss the GOP debate. Trey just doesn’t see room at the GOP table for anyone other than Trump. Ken thinks that the nominees should have gone after Trump sooner, but now have no way to pivot. They then discuss the possibility of a Trump victory next year in the general election....

Mike talks with Heather Cox Richardson, a professor of history at Boston College and creator of the popular, award-winning “Letters from an American” Substack newsletter. She’s the author of the recently released book, Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, which is the topic of their discussion. Topics Mike and Heather Discuss Include: - if America is on the brink of authoritarianism...

In the preview of this supporters’ midweek episode Mike and May discuss Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s acquittal by the Texas State Senate; if college sports needs saving, whether Congress should act, and what that could look like; why the Senate abandoned its dress code and what that has to do with John Fetterman; and the reaction to Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis’s pre-sentencing letters on...

After a brief look at the recently announced federal corruption indictment against New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, Mike and May discuss the politics of the looming government shutdown. With less than a week to go before the end of the fiscal year, a shutdown looks almost inevitable. Mike and May discuss the political and policy motivation of the key players and how they think things will play out...

Mike talks with Max Bo‍‍‍rders, the founder and Executive Director of Social Evolution —a non-profit organization dedicated to liberating humanity through innovation. Max is also the co-founder of the Future Frontiers conference and festival. He’s the author of a number of books, including The Decentralist, The Social Singularity, After Collapse, and his most recent book, Underthrow: How Jefferson...

In this preview of the midweek supporters’ episode, Mike and Jay open with a discussion of Mitt Romney’s retirement from the Senate, including a look at how the Republican Party has changed since Romney was the GOP’s nominee in 2012 and thoughts on Romney’s opposition to Trump. After that, they discuss why Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his surgeon general are bucking the CDC’s latest COVID boo...

Mike and Jay kick off the episode with a discussion of Hunter Biden’s indictment on multiple federal gun-related charges. While the guys don’t see Biden ending up in a cell next to Donald Trump, they think it’s pretty clear that Hunter is guilty, but that the gun law he violated may be unconstitutional under the current Supreme Court’s view of the 2nd Amendment. Next is a look at Speaker Kevin McC...

Trey and Ken continue their deep dive into the U.S. Constitution with an examination of Article VI. The pair discuss the importance of the continuation of supporting treaties from prior to the Constitution, the details of the Supremacy Clause, and a discussion of the importance of no religious tests for office in contrast to England. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) Listener su...

Trey and Ken open the show with a discussion of Peter Navarro’s conviction of contempt of Congress. Ken points out that this is a new tactic: appealing rulings not to win, but in the hopes of receiving a pardon. Meanwhile, Trey wonders about the larger reasoning for Navarro to go to bat for Trump given he could have been easily saved by Trump earlier in the process. This leads to a discussion of E...

In the preview of this supporters' midweek episode, Mike and May discuss Donald Trump's trial date being set for March 2024, right in the midst of the Republican primary race. They debate whether the timing will help or hurt Trump in the primaries, as well as whether any Republican will end up mounting a real challenge to Trump or if his being nominated by the GOP for a third straight time is a fo...

Mike and May open the episode with a look at the initial drugs selected for Medicare drug price negotiations, a very popular policy made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. May isn’t a fan of the program, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will save the government nearly $100 billion over a decade. She argues that it will stifle innovation and that the so-called negotiati...

Mike and Jay open the preview of this supporters’ midweek episode with a look at the latest developments surrounding Donald Trump’s indictments. They discuss the sensation surrounding Trump’s mug shot as well as House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan’s announcement of an investigation into Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who indicted Trump on multiple felony counts related to his...