Beyond Politics

Republicans coming out of the woodwork to take on Trump, the shrinking political battleground in America, is Alito a leaker, the impeachment train loads up at the station, a real American hero, and a World Cup shocker.

How does a narrow majority in the US House of Representatives work, what will Republicans have to do to manage it, and what can Democrats do to overcome it?  Our inside expert walks us through it. Jerry Hartz worked in Congress for 28 years, most recently as Senior Adviser and Director of Legislative Floor Operations for Nancy Pelosi. There is no one on Earth who knows more about how to run the House of Representatives, and how things may play out in the coming years.

Part two of the conversation with Dr.  William Ewell, a  political science professor and expert on Congress and American elections, discussions the odds that: Democrats will reverse their decline among Hispanic voters in 2024, Biden will be impeached, Republicans will learn their lesson and run more moderate candidates in swing districts, Democrats look back in two years and realize there were some major downsides to how well they did in the 2022 midterms, and that we have a constitutional meltdown in 2024 

What are the odds that: Kevin McCarthy will be Speaker in January 2024; The government will shut down in 2023; Trump will be the Republican nominee; The next Congress passes any legislation beyond funding bills and naming post offices; Biden will catch Trump on appointing federal judges by the end of 2024? Matt is joined by Dr.  William Ewell, a political science professor and expert on Congress and American elections, in Part One of this two part pod. 

Chris Hill of Motley Fool Money explains why inflation may be easing off, but businesses are tightening belts.  Also, what Mark Cuban told him about his surprising new venture, and why inventories matter.

The panel dissects Donald Trump's impending announcement of another run for President, including Republican analyst Alicia Preston's theory that he might form his own party.  Either way, the question is whether he is going to fatally divide Republicans for the next two years.  Also, the latest from Ukraine, the painful struggle session for Kevin McCarthy, and the impact of gerrymandering.

USA Today's Rex Huppke is one of America's sharpest voices on politics and society, and he joins Beyond Politics to discuss what we really learned about America and politics from the 2022 midterms. Did voters side with "decency"? Where do Republicans go from here on Trump? Does polling do anything good for us? What does it mean that America pushed back against election deniers? What do Republicans need to fix to be more successful? And what do Democrats need to fix to be more successful? 

David Beard, Contributing Editor at DailyKos Elections and co-host of The Downballot podcast, joins Matt to walk through exactly how Democrats could still win the US House of Representatives, and what an ultra-thin margin in the House would mean for both parties. 

The election appears to be a stunning win not just for Democrats, but for the fight against the Big Lie and election denialism. In this extended discussion on the bipartisan Balance of Power round table, Matt, Paul, and Alicia discuss what the results mean for democracy, Democrats, Republicans, Trump, polling, the media, campaigns, and the future of America. 

The midterms could still go either way. That's the message from Michaeleen Crowell, former Chief of Staff and strategist for Bernie Sanders.  She's the rare Washington insider with insights from across the full political spectrum, someone who's seen Democratic and Republican polling and who thinks this election is still up for grabs. Is a Republican sweep possible? Sure she says. But, is a Democratic win possible?  Absolutely. Also...why Democrats' accomplishments have gotten buried, and who's been holding the shovel.