Electoral Tradeoffs and Tactical Restraint

They’re calling it the liddlest, tiniest government shutdown of all time. Democrats are demanding changes to policy that helps Trump’s immigration police get away with abuses. So they’ve shut down the Department of Homeland Security and only the Department of Homeland Security.

In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:

* How we ended up with such a narrow shutdown, instead of one that spanned multiple cabinet departments;

* Whether this was a mistake or a savvy move;

* What success (or “success”) might look like.

Then, the Epstein Files story is stuck behind our collective unwillingness in the political class to state plainly what we’re after: Whether Donald Trump abused children, and what the consequences should be if he did? Why is the administration so allergic to accountability for non-Trump associates of Jeffrey Epstein? And, was Pam Bondi’s infamous performance before the House Judiciary Committee last week secretly brilliant?

All that, plus the full Politix archive are available to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.

Further reading:

* Brian reconceives of the Trump-2024 campaign as a conspiracy to conceal the Epstein Files.

* Halina Bennet on the ICE accountability gap.

* Roger Sollenberger on a credible allegation of child sexual abuse against Donald Trump.