Beyond Politics

In the past two weeks, we've learned a lot more about the role of Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, behind the scenes in the runup to the January 6 insurrection.  Matt joins West Virginia broadcasting legend Howard Monroe to talk about just how deep this goes. Also, Howard and Matt discuss a congressional ethics scandal and where to draw the line on how members of congress use their staff and their campaign funds. 

Neil Levesque oversees the Saint Anselm College Survey Center poll, one of the most respected polls in any swing state in the country.  Their newest survey shows an uptick in voter mood over the past two months, creating some hopeful signs for Democratic incumbents facing re-election, including in the most-watched Senate race in the country. So what's going on here, how much further do Dems need to go to pull things out in 2022, and what issues are driving the discussion heading into the summer? Neil and Matt break it all down. 

According to Jason Sattler, better known to his army of Twitter followers as @LOLGOP and a former columnist and member of the USA TODAY Board of Contributors, "Marjorie Taylor Greene could marry Hunter Biden, put her pronouns on her Twitter bio and give herself a real-time abortion on Tucker Carlson’s desk while wearing a rainbow-colored N95 mask – she’d still win." So why are Dems giving her opponent so much darn money?  This question, which he posed in a great article on The Editorial Board, provoked my own upcoming article on that site (subscribe free here) and today's conversation, which covers why Dems pick the wrong targets, what the role of social media is, whether Republicans have an in-built advantage, and what Democrats can do to win more and protect democracy better.  You can follow me on Twitter at @MattLRobison.

Matt catches up with Chris Hill, host of Motley Fool Money, and what's going on in business: an unsettled market that might be finding its footing, what the CODA Oscar win means for the big streamers, the future of Uber, and the wild story of what Fred Smith did for the shipping business.

In the summer of 2014, Washington Post Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian and his wife were arrested and held as hostages in order for the Iranian government to be able to exert leverage in its negotiations with the US. Ultimately imprisoned for 544 days, 100 longer than the US hostages seized in 1979, Jason has since continued his reporting and analysis on similar cases, including in his book “Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison.” Recently, he teamed with producer Kate Woodsome to create the powerful short documentary film “Bring Them Home” about the family of American citizen Emad Shargi who is currently held hostage in Iran. Jason and Kate join us to tell us about the film and what the US government and all of us can do to bring Americans held overseas home.  If you want to learn more or provide resources for students about this issue, there is lesson plan and viewing guide available through the Pulitzer Center. If you want to write directly in support of Americans held overseas, go to the documentary page and scroll down for resources.  And finally, if you want to support the James Foley Foundation mentioned in the episode, you can find them here. 

Isaac Saul left a career writing for some of the biggest media outlets - including Time Magazine, Vox, and The New York Daily News - to found Tangle, an independent, ad-free, nonpartisan newsletter that has been recognized by The New York Times, Forbes, and Substack as one of the most successful political newsletters on the internet with over 35,000 daily readers. Tangle breaks out of the usual partisan mold by giving readers a summary and the strongest arguments from each side of an issue, along with straight-shooting analysis. So why is this model growing so quickly, and is this the future of news? Check out Tangle here (https://www.readtangle.com/?ref=beyond) and judge for yourself. 

In a rare host-only episode, Paul and Matt dive into what's going on with Dem's maneuvers to boot Iowa from the early presidential nominating process, and whether the entire system should be blown up.  Also, are we fighting a war against autocrats both abroad and at home?  Remembering colorful Congressman Don Young. And should we make Daylight Savings Time permanent?

What happens to people who were deeply enmeshed in politics once they move "beyond politics?" What perspective do they gain working in our government and political system that applies to the normie world, and how does living in the rest of the world change their perspective on politics? Cicely Simpson served as the Legislative Director for two Congressmen on Capitol Hill, and then became Executive Vice President of Public Affairs at the National Restaurant Association, where she was recognized by the newspaper The Hill as one of Top Lobbyists in America in 2015, 2016, and 2017. But now she's focused everything she's learned into becoming a public speaker, leadership coach, author of the new book "Pull Up Your C.H.A.I.R," podcaster, and Founder / CEO of Summit Public Affairs.

In 1989, Elaine Kamarck wrote a blunt wake-up call to Democrats, saying: “Too many Americans have come to see the party as inattentive to their economic interests, indifferent if not hostile to their moral sentiments, and ineffective in defense of their national security.” That missive helped steer the party back Presidential success. She has now published a widely circulated and much discussed follow-up called “The New Politics of Evasion: How Ignoring Swing Voters Could Reopen the Door for Donald Trump and Threaten American Democracy.” Elaine Kamarck is a contributing author for the Progressive Policy Institute, the Director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institution, and a Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. 

Chris Hill, host of Motley Fool Money, the #1 stock investing radio show in America, explains why the down market won't be like March 2020 this time around.  Also, why is Disney+ adding a subscription with ads, and are baseball owners the dumbest business leaders in America?