Politix

Politix•www.politix.fm

Politix is a weekly podcast about the 2024 election from Brian Beutler, Matthew Yglesias, and some occasional guests. We’ll have some good-faith disagreement, some points of consensus, and an overall effort to focus on what’s really at stake in November. Subscribe for new episodes each Wednesday and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

www.politix.fm

Last refreshed: July 1st, 2026 at 10:33 AM

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Episodes

Trump Sells Out

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fm This week on Politix , Matt and Brian discuss: * The biggest political takeaways from Joe Biden’s State of the Union address; * Whether the press corps will do any soul searching after getting bamboozled by Republican special counsel Robert Hur; * Can Politix convince Merrick Garland to resign? Then, paid subscribers get a deep analysis of Trump’s apparent (and abrupt) decision to place Social Security and Medicare on t...

Mar 13, 2024•26 min

Were You REALLY Better Off Four Years Ago?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fm This week on Politix , Matt and Brian discuss: * How Donald Trump wriggled away from his disastrous pandemic response and the horribleness of 2020; * Whether Joe Biden’s pandemic response made voters more inclined to forgive Trump; * The extent to which the switcheroo was the product of rational thinking vs. the political strategies of the two parties. Then, paid subscribers get a prospective look at how Democrats persu...

Mar 06, 2024•42 min

What Democrats Can Learn From #NeverTrump

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fm In this special crossover episode, The Bulwark 's Tim Miller joins Matt and Brian to answer burning questions like: * Why have most Never Trumpers have embraced liberalism and the Democratic Party to some degree or another, rather than remain conservative critics within the GOP? * If Republicans sincerely believe life begins at fertilization, why are they pretending to be the saviors of IVF? * How (and where) do Republi...

Feb 28, 2024•38 min

Who Will Bail Out Donald Trump?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fm This week on Politix , Matt and Brian discuss: * The nearly half-billion dollar judgment Trump owes New York for engaging in fraudulent business practices; * Why MAGA spin that this his fraudulent practices were “victimless” is both bullshit, and irrelevant; * Similarities and differences between this scam and Trump’s other fraudulent schemes. Then, paid subscribers get a bigger picture look at where things go from here...

Feb 21, 2024•32 min

Joe Biden Is Old

This week on Politix , Matt and Brian discuss: * The Robert Hur report, and the fire storm the special counsel ignited with his rule-breaking, partisan attack on Biden; * How Biden could in theory alleviate concerns that he’s too old to be both president and candidate simultaneously—and why his advisers haven’t really tried; * The extent to which Biden’s age really is limiting his ability to throw his weight around in the partisan mosh pit, even if it isn’t limiting his ability to govern at all;...

Feb 14, 2024•1 hr 12 min

Will The Republican Border Security Bait-And-Switch Backfire?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fm This week on Politix , Matt and Brian discuss: * How we reached the point where Republicans wrung a bunch of immigration-policy concessions out of Democrats, then reneged on their own deal. * What was actually in the deal and why? * Would the provisions of the bill have actually succeeded at the nominal goal of creating more order and better asylum screening at the border? Then, paid subscribers hear a more open ended c...

Feb 07, 2024•27 min

Can The Resistance Reassemble BEFORE The Election

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fm This week on Politix , Matt and Brian discuss: * The $83.3 million a New York jury ordered Donald Trump to pay E. Jean Carroll for sexually assaulting then serially defaming her. * The related GOP freakout that America’s most influential person (Taylor Swift) might not like Republicans very much! * Why Democratic Party leaders seem uninterested in pressing their “not led by a rapist” advantage. They also put a pin in th...

Jan 31, 2024•25 min

What Democrats Can Learn From Ron DeSantis's Humiliation

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fm This week on Politix , Matt and Brian discuss: * Ron DeSantis’s humiliation. * What policy literalism and pandering to base activists (as opposed to grassroots voters) has to do with both DeSantis’s failure, and the underperformance of some high-profile Democratic Party politicians. * Is there an optimal middle ground between detailed policy laundry lists and Donald Trump-style bullshitting? Then, paid Politix subscribe...

Jan 24, 2024•35 min

Foreign Governments Paid Trump Millions

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fm This week on Politix, Matt and Brian discuss: * Donald Trump’s predictable, big (but not actually all that big) victory in Iowa * Why leading Republicans (who know Trump is an electoral liability for the party) are trying to end the primary as quickly as possible, even with a semi-viable alternative who could make it a real race. * Whether the media screwed up by calling the caucuses for Trump minutes after they opened,...

Jan 17, 2024•32 min

Taking January 6 Seriously AND Literally

This week on Politix , Matt and Brian discuss: * Was Joe Biden’s January 6 speech a good speech? (No spoilers.) * Was Joe Biden’s January 6 speech good politics ? (No spoilers.) * Was Joe Biden’s January 6 speech true ? (Spoiler: Yes.) * How the truth of what Biden said affects the question of whether liberals should support Nikki Haley in open-primary states. * Glenn Greenwald’s imputation that Haley is worse than Trump, and only Democratic party hacks would prefer her to him. Plus, a Politix f...

Jan 10, 2024•1 hr 19 min

How We Got Here

Thank you for listening to Politix. ( Or for watching it, if you’re some kind of eccentric.) In our pilot episode, we discuss: * The state of the race as we kick off the new year: A dead-heat rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and a greater-than-usual level of uncertainty, given the candidates’ ages and Trump’s legal issues; * Why the early race is so tight, given how disastrously Trump’s single term ended; * Republican buy-in on Trump’s corruption, how it insulates him from what would ...

Jan 03, 2024•1 hr 26 min

Introducing: Politix!

Politix will be a weekly podcast about the 2024 election hosted by Brian Beutler of Off Message and Matthew Yglesias of Slow Boring . We'll bring you good-faith disagreement, points of consensus, brilliant guests, and do our best to maintain a consistent focus on what's really at stake in November. Subscribe for new episodes each Wednesday. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.politix.fm/subscribe...

Dec 20, 2023•3 min

A Very Intriguing 30 Second Teaser

What's up Positively Dreadful fans, it’s me Brian. I know this feed has been quiet for a couple months now, as I’ve been getting my new venture Off Message up and running. (Come check it out!) But I’ve got something exciting in the works, and I want all of you Dreadheads to be the first to know about it. So hopefully you can stay put just a little bit longer. Keep your eyes and ears on the feed. And I’ll share more details here in the coming days. Until then I also want to thank you all for list...

Dec 18, 2023•39 sec

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