Joe and Alex discuss why Joe’s actually feeling… okay about the elections? (At least in a historical context.) Make no mistake, this is a wake-up call for Democrats and we have a lot of work to do. So what’s the real problem here? We still have no counter to the Fox News outrage machine. How do we combat it and build a community to spread the word for democracy? And what is going on with eroding Democratic support among suburban voters? Finally, what's the biggest mistake we keep making as a par...
Nov 05, 2021•31 min
“It’s about digital, but it’s not about digital. Digital is the means.” Occasionally on That Trippi Show, we don’t talk politics but we welcome guests who we find have a unique, interesting perspective. This week we welcome Greek Minister of Digital Governance Kyriakos Pierrakakis to talk about the Greek government’s digital transformation connecting the government and the services it provides more easily to its citizens. How do you develop a portal for simple access to all government services i...
Nov 02, 2021•29 min
Do yourself a favor: Before listening, give Hunter Walker's bombshell article a read here: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/exclusive-jan-6-organizers-met-congress-white-house-1245289/** Investigative journalist Hunter Walker comes on to discuss the stunning story published in Rolling Stone alleging members of Congress and White House staffers worked together to incite the infamous "protest" on Jan. 6. Walker details a "blanket pardon" allegedly dangled by Rep. Paul Gosar -- a...
Oct 29, 2021•32 min
Joe and Alex are back to talk about a ton of big news. Joe Manchin is dangling a possible defection to the GOP caucus if he doesn't get what he wants in the BBB bill. What options do the Dems have? Could he actually do it? And how do we move past the infighting? Then, the governor's race in Virginia is going to be tight, mostly because the GOP candidate hasn't had to commit to Trumpism or moderate conservatism. Democrats must not take this one lightly -- imagine if a GOP governor had to certify ...
Oct 22, 2021•32 min
Joe welcomes Simon Rosenberg, president of NDN and the New Policy Institute. He's a Democratic campaign veteran who is both realistic and optimistic about the coalition Democrats must build to win in 2022. The discussion touches on how infighting among Democrats is becoming an obstacle for the president, and how the difficulty passing the overwhelmingly popular infrastructure bill has led to a decline in polls. But all is not as bleak as it seems. Joe, Simon and Alex have hope for the midterms a...
Oct 15, 2021•35 min
Ralph Neas, prominent civil rights leader, joins Joe and Alex this week to discuss the power of coalition and strength in united numbers, specifically in human, constitutional, and civil rights. Ralph shares his insight on how the GOP could "turn back the clock" many decades and undo a lot of the important bipartisan, pro-democracy strides we have made. Election subversion and voter suppression threaten to disenfranchise millions of Americans and undermine our democracy. The Supreme Court Really...
Oct 05, 2021•32 min
On this week's episode of That Trippi Show, we make history. Our first repeat guest has big news: he's running for Lt. Governor in Texas! Matthew Dowd -- a former Republican, by the way -- has big plans to change the course of Texas' legislative powers. Democracy is the only way to stop the autocratic GOP, and the Democratic party is the vehicle we need to use to achieve it. Support Matthew's run here: https://www.dowdtexas.com/ Follow him on Twitter here https://twitter.com/matthewjdowd?s=20Sup...
Oct 01, 2021•24 min
Today, we're joined by Molly Jong-Fast, host of The New Abnormal podcast and Editor at Large at The Daily Beast. We start with her story on Gabby Petito which shook up the Internet this week, as she examined the coverage, the investigation, and the popularity of the case. Then, Joe and Alex ask Molly about the inter-party fight between Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump, which has the potential to spill into the primaries and maybe even provoke a nasty fight in the Senate. How can the GOP manage t...
Sep 21, 2021•32 min
Journalist Judd Legum joins us this week for a fascinating show. First, Joe, Alex and Judd react to the overwhelming victory by Gov. Gavin Newsom in California's recall election. California isn't exactly a threat to go red anytime soon, but what lessons can be learned from what was once thought to be a fairly competitive race? Then, the conversation shifts towards the power of money in politics. Judd had some groundbreaking reporting earlier this year about how a small foundation essentially cap...
Sep 17, 2021•33 min
Joe is traveling this week, so we're re-offering one of our favorite conversations (in case you missed it) to hold you till next week. In June, Joe and Alex spoke to Ezra Klein, author of Why We're Polarized and New York Times podcaster and columnist. Ezra, Joe, and Alex have a fascinating discussion about polarization, how the two parties relate to each other, why disengaged voters are being pushed even further away, and what happens from here. Plus, Ezra dissects the unique importance of Joe M...
Sep 10, 2021•40 min
We're joined this week by Reed Galen, co-founder of The Lincoln Project, to talk about the monumental news out of Texas and the Supreme Court early Thursday morning. The Supreme Court essentially let Roe v. Wade get undermined. What do the Democrats do to recover lost ground and serve their constituents? Is it time to pack the courts? What do you do when you're trying to play chess and, as Reed puts it, the other party is eating the pieces? And, Joe and Reed address the question that's been eati...
Sep 03, 2021•31 min
Joe Biden has hit the roughest patch of his young presidency, combating the crisis in Afghanistan and very worrisome trends with COVID. Joe and Alex give their take on what's moving Biden's approval ratings and how they look in context. Plus, despite the FDA approving the Pfizer vaccine, Trump-lite governors in Florida and Texas continue to put their own citizens in danger with anti-mask and anti-vaccine policies. Mask mandates are overwhelmingly popular nationally -- how is it a smart move poli...
Aug 27, 2021•33 min
Congressman Seth Moulton, Marine & member of the House Armed Services Committee, joins the pod to talk the situation in Afghanistan, what we need to be doing right now to save lives, and how you can help. Read Rep. Moulton's statement here: https://moulton.house.gov/press-releases/moulton-statement-on-the-situation-in-afghanistan This David Rohde piece in the New Yorker stood out to us: https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/trying-and-failing-to-save-the-family-of-the-afghan-who-saved...
Aug 20, 2021•33 min
First, a look at some races that are flying under the radar -- governor's races. Governors of course have a massive impact on local politics -- just look at Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott -- but they also have a critical role in certifying elections. DeSantis (Florida), Evers (Wisconsin), and Georgia (Kemp) are all up in 2022 -- Joe wants to make sure Democrats are focused on these elections too (in addition to holding the House and Senate). Thanks to Jennifer Rubin, whose Washington Post op-ed go...
Aug 13, 2021•35 min
On this special episode, Joe and Alex are joined by Norm Ornstein, Contributing Editor at the Atlantic and emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Norm gives his take on the rise of authoritarianism in mainstream Republicans, and how this time feels different even from the McCarthy era. Will congressional and party leadership be able to turn things around? How do you negotiate with a party in which the majority of members believe the election was stolen? And what if the Republican...
Aug 10, 2021•39 min
Tucker Carlson is fighting for democracy ... in Hungary. Tucker met with Hungary's Prime Minister to discuss, among other things, how he built a wall, changed the judiciary, and rode anti-immigrant and anti-democracy waves to change the trajectory of a nation in short order. How revealing is this for the desires of the American Right? When will dalliances with authoritarianism become doctrine? Then, Trump scored a special election win in Ohio, but Joe and Alex are skeptical about what it actuall...
Aug 06, 2021•28 min
The Supreme Court's reputation as an apolitical body has been permanently changed. How did we get here? Jackie Calmes from the LA Times has studied the changes in Supreme Court politics that hit a new low during the Trump presidency. Despite two impeachments and a single term, Trump and the Republicans managed to reshape the Court for decades -- and it's possible Democrats have underestimated and under-organized around the impact of the GOP's stranglehold on the judicial system. Jackie, Joe and ...
Aug 03, 2021•38 min
After 6 months, President Biden did what Trump couldn't do in 4 years -- got an infrastructure bill through the Senate. A large bipartisan majority coming together for substantive change? What is going on? Alex and Joe unpack the progress made -- and not made -- to make big strides on infrastructure. Plus, Nancy Pelosi stopped the Jan. 6 commission from turning into a Jim Jordan-imbued circus, but the Republicans did their best to sink it. What will come of this investigation, and will it move t...
Jul 30, 2021•31 min
Political risk... What is it? World-renowned defender of democracy Trygve Olson joins Joe this week to discuss his ideas on the risks of economic fallout faced by political action. In this episode, Joe and Trygve lay out the bigger implications we face if the U.S. doesn't denounce and fight the autocratic movement from the right. Trygve explains the American "fraud democracy" in comparison to other historically authoritarian governments and how ultimately, this could lead to our economic and pol...
Jul 23, 2021•39 min
Joe Biden called it. Democracy vs. autocracy. Sound familiar? Now it's on all of us to keep spreading the word. Joe and Alex talk about Biden's Philadelphia speech ("Have you no shame?") and how it reset the battlefield for everything we've been fighting for. Then they hit on the latest in Texas and the heroic protest staged by Democratic lawmakers, why the corporate pressure campaigns are so critical, and your role to play in this fight.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/that-tripp...
Jul 16, 2021•32 min
Joe announced this week that he'll be joining the Lincoln Project to help elect Democrats to fight the autocratic movement on the right. Steve Schmidt returns to talk to Joe about the cause and how if Democrats don't defeat Republicans, "we lose the country." He explains why the media, corporations and the public at large don't understand the stakes of allowing power to return to authoritarians. Joe and Steve talk next about the plans for The Lincoln Project and anti-authoritarianism in America ...
Jul 09, 2021•33 min
Dan Gillmor, co-founder of Arizona State's News Co/Lab, is an expert on civil literacy and the role of journalism in our changing world. He joins the show to discuss the many changes to journalistic norms in the past few years and how to navigate a path forward. How should journalists cover politicians who intentionally and, sometimes dangerously, lie without consequence? What do former guardians of truth and once-trusted establishments still do their job when they're dismissed summarily by sign...
Jul 02, 2021•40 min•Ep. 53
Jon Macks has spent most of his career writing for comedians like Jay Leno and Chris Rock. But before he was writing jokes for The Tonight Show and The Academy Awards, he started out working in politics with Joe. Jon joins the show to discuss whether it's possible to lampoon people like Donald Trump or Marjorie Taylor Greene, how comedy writing and political speech writing flex a lot of the same muscles, and whether the backlash to Jimmy Fallon and SNL giving Trump the usual political treatment ...
Jun 29, 2021•39 min
Joe is joined by Atlantic Senior Editor and CNN correspondent Ron Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) this week. The Republicans enjoy a structural advantage in the Senate, but that's amplified even more by the age and racial makeup of the American electorate at large. Ron explains why the Trump movement and the Nixon movements are similar, and what that means for the future of elections in the country. Also, Ron is a bit more bullish about the potential for Democrats to outperform expectations in the 2...
Jun 25, 2021•39 min
Ezra Klein, author of Why We're Polarized and NYT podcaster and columnist, joins Joe and Alex for a fascinating discussion about polarization, how the two parties relate to each other, why disengaged voters are being pushed even further away, and what happens from here. Plus, Ezra dissects the unique importance of Joe Manchin, how rare he is in today's political climate, and how his strategy on key issues will create massive policy and procedural implications. Buy Ezra's book, Why We're Polarize...
Jun 22, 2021•39 min
Steve Schmidt, former Republican and co-founder of The Lincoln Project, joins Joe for a striking conversation about what's propelling the authoritarian movement forward in our country and how we can fight it. The conversation touches on the composition of the authoritarian movement, how to view the importance of the 2022 elections, the power of Fox and the right-wing propaganda machines, the likelihood of future violence in American politics, and more. This is a must-listen for anyone thinking a...
Jun 18, 2021•47 min
A voicemail from a listener this past week got Joe thinking: instead of focusing on working together and Democrats winning elections, how can we focus on anything but the very real threat of authoritarianism? Joe argues bipartisanship can't work right now, because there is only room for one "party" in America right now -- an anti-authoritarian, pro-democracy party. Joe suggests all of us need to take a stand against anti-democracy, from corporations to media to politicians, and accept that there...
Jun 11, 2021•29 min
National Security expert Max Boot joins Joe and Alex to talk about the staggering danger of the GOP's grasp of authoritarianism, and the impact of swing Democrat Joe Manchin backing away from voting rights legislation. They touch on the dangers of the poisonous conservative media ecosystem, how difficult it is to bridge the conversation between Americans of differing beliefs, the danger of failing to imagine worst-case scenarios, and what the biggest threat to the United States is. Plus, the sto...
Jun 08, 2021•38 min
Perhaps no one is more qualified to examine the current state of American politics than a political observer who happens to be a psychotherapist. Nick Carmody joins Joe and Alex to discuss how right-wing politicians and influencers have preyed on fears and misperception to heighten paranoia and the pervasive sense of danger on the right. He explains why the two sides in American politics are unable to communicate, and why QAnon is more religion than political ideology. Plus -- is there more to t...
Jun 04, 2021•37 min
Matthew Dowd, the chief strategist for President Bush's re-election campaign in 2004, sits down with Joe to discuss the decline of Republican principles, and how to move forward with the presence of Pres. Trump in the modern GOP. Also, a look ahead to the 2022 and 2024 races, who's standing out, and if some Democrats are too relaxed about their prospects in the midterm elections. Plus, Matthew reveals who the 2004 Bush campaign was most afraid of running against (the answer may surprise you).Sup...
May 28, 2021•33 min
