Armchair Politics

The guys sit down with @Kellieintheknow to discuss who and what they’re voting for in the 2026 California midterm elections.  Chapters: 00:00 Trump threatening Los Angeles and San Diego 1:59 The lack of a real governor’s race in California  9:28 The state of ‘ops’ in social media 14:27 The disappointment of Mayor Karen Bass 20:48 Incumbency in the current environment  24:45 Difference in mayoral c...

Board of Equalization runoff candidate Sam Sukaton joins the show to explain why working folks are getting killed in the trenches of tax policy, and what Californians can do to fix it. Chapters: 00:00 Board of Equalization, the offensive line of government  5:00 Property tax assessments lead to wealth disparity   8:04 Prop 13’s corporate loophole  9:59 The racial implications of prop 13’s passage...

The guys are joined by 50501 national press coordinator Hunter S Dunn to break down the X’s and O’s of the democratic political messaging going into the midterm elections.  Chapters: 00:00 Welcome Hunter 2:38 The Jon Ossoff Dak Prescott comp 10:07 Mary Peltola is coach Boone from Remember the Titans 12:54 Dan Sullivan lead blocking for Mary 15:13 Rob Sand— corn, corruption, cancer  15:47 Sherrill...

Alex and David break down how, over the years, Republicans and some moderates have shaped the ‘liberal’ media into conservationists of the status quo. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:54 Saints Rams no call 3:54 Media responsibility  5:58 The double standard around Hasan Piker 9:30 GOP are ducking Abdul El-Sayed and Angie Nixon 13:04 Jake Tapper is the worst  16:30 Barack Obama disavowing Rev Jeremiah Wri...

The guys get into whether it’s good investments for cities to build sports stadiums with public money, and how sports (like our politics) have become about consumption.  Chapters: 00:00 The beauty of sports is belonging 2:31 Fans are learning that it’s a business first 6:39 Chief and Bears want municipal money for their private stadiums  12:03 NFL’s history of franchise relocation 17:22 Las Vegas...

Union organizer Westley Garcia-Encines joins the show to share his experience starting a Union at CalArts, discuss worker solidarity, and how labor issues are tied to human dignity.  Chapters: 00:00 Welcome Westley 1:47 Imagine If Drew Brees came to Nola 5:33 Why did you start your union? 10:50 Unions are about solidarity  15:19 Carnegie, the steel baron 17:46 The gov’t almost always sides with  m...

We’re going through the interesting senate races to see if the democrats can take control of both houses of congress in the 2026 midterm elections.  Chapters: 00:00 Camp crushes 1:39 Trump’s toxicity is helping everyone 9:58 Jon Ossoff, Stud pass rusher 12:07 The difference between AIPAC and J street 13:48 UNC great, Roy Cooper 15:50 Mary Peltola is a Giant 19:57 Sherrod Brown’s Ohio comeback 22:3...

What happens when loyalty is more important than the law? The guys talk about the corrosive effect corruption has on institutions using the NBA and the US government as examples.  Chapters: 00:00 Why do rules matter? 4:17 Inflection point in the NBA 7:34 Adam silver’s secret apron 14:46 Who actually runs the NBA? 17:19 Who you cheat with really matters 20:54 Control the investigation, control the...

The guys break down the primaries in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota, stress test legacy media’s ‘electability’ argument with quarterback comp analysis, and talk about where the Democratic Party goes from here.  Chapters: 00:00 Intro 2:02 Francesca Hong’s upset loss 8:35 Progressive’s need to advertise on tv 12:01 Francesca Hong is Kyler Murray 14:10 Did Fran’s old tweets cost her? 15:35 Qb pro...

Amanda Informed joins the guys to give us the ins and outs of the August 18th Florida primary, because this is going to be a hot one. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:25 Florida Leadership Blue Summit 1:38 Alex Vindman dodges questions and debates 13:00 Vindman is the Ron Burgundy candidate  14:13 Angie Nixon is a real one for Senate 28:50 Governor race 31:33 GOP to Dem pipeline in Florida 36:39 The devil...

The Guys sit down with Physicians Assistant and Michigan content creator, Nikki Sapiro Vickier to take the temperature of the Senate race there, talk Medicare for all, and racial disparities in healthcare outcomes.  You can find Nikki’s book, We Deserve More: Why Reproductive Healthcare is Broken--And What You Can Do About It on amazon.  Chapters: 00:00 Home Grown 1:00 Pre-primary vibes 2:49 Movin...

The guys use Christopher Nolan’s: The Odyssey as a metaphor for the Democratic Party’s journey over the last 100 years.  Chapters: 00:00 Christopher Nolan’s: The Odyssey  2:17 Right wing backlash to the “woke” film 5:45 The Democratic Party’s Ithaca was the New Deal 12:27 Civil Rights period were the man eating giants 19:19 Reagan is Agamemnon 22:48 Clinton compromise 27:55 Circe and the song of c...

The guys breakdown the ramifications of both Lindsey Graham and Graham Platner being replaced on the ballot in November. They also check in on the centerpiece battle in the Michigan Senate primary between Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed. Chapters: 00:00 The Replacements: the movie 1:55 The Character Haley Stevens plays 5:37 Abdul the uncommitted ‘controversy’  9:51 Lindsay Graham, a racist warmon...

With the World Cup in full swing, the guys sit down to VAR review the biggest political mistakes and surprise wins that are in the news.. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 1:03 Trump’s Freedom 250 fest  8:55 Trump weighing in on the USMNT  22:55 2024 DNC autopsy 26:31 Graham Platner 32:40 American men don’t understand consent 38:32 Hawaii blocking Citizens United  47:11 Moderates elevating hasan piker 50:36 Z...

American history buff Matt Beat joins the pod to dispel the talking point that America is in uncharted waters, and discuss what we can learn from our history, so going forward we can make new mistakes, instead of the repeating the same ones over again.  Chapters: 00:00 “These are unprecedented times!” 2:19 1970’s and Richard Nixon aka The undertaker 9:56 Trump, the Iran War, and the midterms 14:57...

The guys sit down with good governance reform advocate Nick Caputo to unpack why Los Angeles is so hard to fix, and how we can get it done anyway.  Apologies for Nick’s sideways camera orientation Chapters: 00:00 Why LA is different from NYC and Chicago 10:39 Historical context of LA’s government  15:43 The challenges facing reform 17:47 New LA County executive 19:47 LA County’s governmental set u...

The guys dive into the civil war (of ideas) happening within the Democratic Party, and how it can be a good preparation to afterwards beat Thanos (the GOP in 2028). Chapters: 00:00 Civil war, but in a good way 4:13 Leadership misreading the moment 5:20 Candidates matter 7:58 Why corporate liberalism is doomed  16:48 History of progressivism within the party 18:59 Hakeem Jeffries is Bill Rawls from...

We are locked in on two things: The state of the Democratic Party and the NBA playoffs. So we put together our very own Corporate Democratic All-Star  team. Who did we miss that deserves a roster spot? Apologies for the echo. Will sort that out before next week. Chapters: 00:00 Victor Wembanyama already a gaot 3:29 Tottenham Hotspur, the mets of the Premier League 6:16 Knicks are in the finals! 9:...

As primary season and the NBA playoffs heats up, the Armchair guys sit down with political commentator and content creator Jordan Uhl to discuss which politicians are on a hot streak, and which are throwing up bricks.   Chapters: 00:00 Intro  00:47 The best song about Cleveland 2:17 Alexandria Ocasio Cortez 5:51 The Argument for president AOC 9:38 Chuck Schumer and the Bailey’s 14:45 In defense of...

Not enough people are talking about the LA county Sheriff’s race, so the guys sat down with award winning Angeleno journalist Cerise Castle to break down all the candidates in the 2026 Los Angeles County Sheriff’s race, and discuss if anything can be done about the prevalence of organized gangs within the department.  Chapters: 00:00 Introducing Cerise Castle 2:15 Growing up black in Los Angeles d...

We’re joined by progressive political strategist Clara J Cox to break down the candidates in all the pivotal races in the June 2nd California primary, both statewide and locally in Los Angeles. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 2:32 Governor's Race 5:25 Does the jungle primary work? 7:41 Pros and cons: ranked choice voting 9:51 Butch Ware is not a serious candidate  11:55 The Katie Porter conundrum  16:49 Tom...

American history nerd Matt Beat joins the guys to breakdown how Congress’s effective cap on representatives is continually eroding our democracy, and how uncapping the House would change that.  You can find Matt’s work at iammrbeat.com or @iammrbeat on most socials.  Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:35 Matt Beat, the Andy Dufresne of Uncapping the house 4:37 How we got here 7:15 Power dynamics in represen...

Who do you want to be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives?  The guys are joined by Eliza Orlins and Brittany Mahler to draft their democratic leadership team in the next congress, and to opine about where the future of the party resides.  You can find Brittany and Eliza on instagram @theblondeseyeview and @eorlins respectively. Chapter List 00:00 Intro 1:47 Picking old speakers of the...

The guys are joined by city council district 5 candidate Henry Mantel to discuss Los Angeles’s crushing housing crisis, and his vision for how we can turn the city around. 00:00 Intro 00:26 Henry Mantel Angeleno/tenant rights lawyer  5:08 Why Henry is running for city council  10:02 LA big housing issue: Single family zoning 14:28 Los Ángeles in the Sam Darnold of cities 15:29 Municipal matching c...

It’s Tax Season and the Armchair guys are breaking down America’s budget. From defense spending, to Medicaid,the IRS, and more, they’re discussing what are the best and worst investments of our tax dollars.  Check Dr. Carter’s book: The Spirit of Soul Food: Race, Faith, & Food Justice Chapter list: 00:00 Intro 14:10 Episode overview  00:20 Our budget is a statement of our values 1:53 Tax day P...