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 Mike thinks end up in “tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracy theory” territory. Given Jordan’s rise to pow...
Oct 18, 2023•45 min
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 level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo we’re @PoliticsGuys. L...
Oct 17, 2023•14 min
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 the guys look at the collapse of Scalise as the next U.S. House Speaker, likely next steps, and the...
Oct 13, 2023•1 hr 14 min
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 influenced Lincoln - Lincoln’s impressive understanding of human psychology - the benefits of engaging wi...
Oct 11, 2023•56 min
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 currently in the Senate that would force Visa and Mastercard to let merchants choose an alternative to t...
Oct 10, 2023•25 min
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 extended government shutdown is avoided. They have a lot to say about Matt Gaetz, none of it complimentary...
Oct 06, 2023•1 hr 11 min
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" - why union workers shifted voting patterns as a result of social network changes - the reason for t...
Oct 04, 2023•1 hr 3 min
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 Twitter) Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of...
Oct 03, 2023•16 min
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. Next, they turn to the ongoing shutdown. As the show went live McCarthy lost his vote for a continu...
Sep 30, 2023•1 hr 10 min
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 - how and why authoritarian leaders come to power - the breakdown of the American “Liberal Consensu...
Sep 27, 2023•1 hr 15 min
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 behalf of convicted rapist Danny Masterson. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps...
Sep 26, 2023•27 min
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. Next, they turn to Attorney General Merrick Garland’s recent testimony before Congress, where he w...
Sep 23, 2023•1 hr 17 min
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’s Dangerous Idea Will Spark a New Revolution, which is the focus of their discussion. Topics Mike a...
Sep 21, 2023•1 hr 10 min
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 booster recommendation, the discovery of significant pandemic unemployment insurance fraud, and an exce...
Sep 18, 2023•25 min
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 McCarthy’s announcement of a Biden impeachment inquiry. They discuss why McCarthy broke his word on hav...
Sep 16, 2023•1 hr 11 min
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 support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at p...
Sep 12, 2023•24 min
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 Enrique Tarrio’s conviction and sentencing. Trey is surprised that mainstream candidates such as DeSa...
Sep 08, 2023•1 hr 18 min
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 foregone conclusion. They also talk about the likelihood of House Republicans initiating impeachment p...
Sep 05, 2023•21 min
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 negotiations are little more than government price setting. Mike sees things differently, believing that this...
Sep 01, 2023•1 hr 7 min
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 alleged attempts to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in Georgia. Next, they turn to President Biden...
Aug 29, 2023•30 min
Mike and Jay open the episode with a discussion of the first Republican presidential debate, featuring eight GOP presidential hopefuls with runaway favorite Donald Trump noticeably absent. Neither Jay nor Mike thinks what we saw was an actual debate, but they did find some value in hearing what the candidates had to say about supporting Donald Trump, immigration, abortion rights, and Ukraine. They also discuss Trump’s decision to skip the debate in favor of counter-programming a pre-taped interv...
Aug 26, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Trey and Ken continue their deep dive into the U.S. Constitution with an examination of Article V. The hosts focus on the amendment process for the U.S. Constitution, along with two issues that our Framers kept from being amended. They also discuss the possibility of a Constitutional Convention along with if there will be a 28th Amendment. The Politics Guys on Facebook | Twitter Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon....
Aug 22, 2023•18 min
This week Trey and Ken are joined by special guest Liz! The Politics Guys trio start by discussing the most recent charges of racketeering against former president Trump in Georgia. Liz and Ken both see this as a good thing. Further Ken predicts Trump will wind up in jail before the end of the year. Trey thinks Ken is wrong, Trump will not wind up in jail for pragmatic political reasons. He also thinks the publicity of the trial will not fair well for Democrats. Next the three discuss how the la...
Aug 19, 2023•1 hr 5 min
In this preview of the second midweek supporters’ episode we’re running this week, Mike, Jay, Trey, and a number of Patreon supporters consider the recent David Brooks NYT article, “What if We’re the Bad Guys Here?” in which Brooks asks the mostly liberal elite readership of the Times to consider how they may have contributed to an economic and cultural environment that allowed Donald Trump to come to power and remain the leading voice in the Republican Party. Learn more about your ad choices. V...
Aug 16, 2023•21 min
In this preview of the supporters' midweek episode, Mike & Jay open with a discussion of President Biden’s recently announced investment restrictions on China. While both of the Guys are free traders, they agree that when it comes to national security it makes sense to put some restrictions on countries that are strategic adversaries. Following that, they look at the Supreme Court’s recent stay of a lower-court judge’s invalidation of Biden administration ghost-gun kit regulations and consid...
Aug 15, 2023•24 min
Mike & Jay open with a discussion of Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appointment of a special counsel in the Hunter Biden investigation after the collapse of a plea bargain between Biden and federal prosecutors. While it may not change much in practical terms, they agree that it makes sense politically. Next is a look at the message Ohio voters sent in resoundingly rejecting a measure that would have made it more difficult to enact a state constitutional amendment protecting abortion righ...
Aug 12, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Mike & May open the preview of this supporters-exclusive midweek episode by discussing May’s recent testimony before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government’s hearing on gender-affirming care. They get into the legal authority for a recently proposed Department of Education regulation on sports participation as well as the larger issue of gender-affirming care. Next, they turn to a special election in Ohio that would raise the bar for approving state const...
Aug 08, 2023•21 min
Mike & May open the episode with an in-depth discussion of the latest indictment against Donald Trump. Neither of them sees the case against the former president as particularly strong, with Mike expressing discomfort for using the criminal justice system to punish a political opponent who has done things that may be bad, dumb, and even unethical, but not clearly criminal. May thinks that, contrary to some theories on the right, special counsel Jack Smith is acting about how one would expect...
Aug 05, 2023•1 hr 3 min
In the preview of this supporters’ exclusive midweek episode, MIke & Jay open with a discussion of the recent UFO hearings held by the House Oversight Committee. They get into the credibility and motives of the witnesses, the likelihood of a big government cover-up, and if government should let the public know about signs of alien life (assuming there are any). Then it’s a discussion of the Civil Rights investigation concerning Harvard’s legacy admission policies. Neither Mike nor Jay are fa...
Aug 01, 2023•23 min
Mike & Jay open the episode with a discussion of the new charges and additional defendant in the federal indictment related to Donald Trump’s retention of classified documents and alleged attempts to obstruct the documents investigation. Mike doesn’t think this will have much of an effect on Trump’s strong likelihood of winning the Republican presidential nomination. Jay, who is less certain of Trump being the eventual nominee, largely agrees on its minimal impact on GOP primary voters, but ...
Jul 28, 2023•1 hr 13 min
