Month: July 2017

It’s Moochie Time!! (Ep. 111)

In episode 111 of the More Perfect Union Podcast, the gang discuss the new White House Communication director, the old White House Chief of staff, how blue Putin and Trump are after this week’s sanctions on Russia and the borrowed time of Obamacare. It’s a wedding of fun and smart conversation

The Week’s Advice for the Democrats: Hold Firm on Culture, Look for Openings From the Right on Economics

by D.J. McGuire

There has been a good deal of soul-searching within the Democratic Party about how to avoid repeating the 2014 and 2016 defeats. From what I can tell, most of those who (wisely) advise against careening leftward have recommended (not so wisely) downplaying “cultural” issues in an attempt to win back “working-class whites.” While I call myself a conservative Democrat, I have been advising largely the opposite – a move rightward on economic matters, not cultural ones. Events of the past week outside of the Senate health care votes have shown that to be the better approach.

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The Miserable Mind of a Miserable Man

by Kevin Kelton

Imagine the late-night inner thoughts of Donald Trump. Imagine you’re him. You know you lied, cheated, bullied, and bamboozled your way to the presidency, the same unethical way you achieved every “success” in your life. Now Robert Mueller, leading a team of expert prosecutors and the entire FBI, is going through your business and financial life with a lice comb. You know what is out there for him to find. And you know he’ll find it.

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“Single Payer” Myths from Left and Right

by D.J. McGuire

Amidst the wailing, gnashing of teeth, celebrations, and everything in between because the United States Senate has – literally – voted to let itself keep voting on health insurance today, I thought it might be a good idea to address some of the problematic myths surrounding the “single-payer” idea.

To hear American social democrats tell it, “single payer” will at last slay the evil profit motive from health care and ensure better health for all. Republicans, by contrast, view it as a gateway drug to a Venezuelan dystopia.

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A Better Deal for the Bernie Base

by Kevin Kelton

It has been my experience (and probably yours, too) that most people can never take ownership of their bad life decisions. Bosses never call up up to say they were wrong to fire you. Former girlfriends/boyfriends never admit the breakup was a mistake. Drivers never accept fault in an accident. Police officers won’t even admit they were wrong to shoot an unarmed victim.

People don’t reflect on and reverse their poor choices because to do so would cast cognitive dissonance over our self-image as a good/smart/fair person. It goes to the core of who we are.

So it’s about time we stop expecting diehard Bernie Sanders supporters to change their tune on their efforts to derail the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. Read More

Pardon Power (Ep. 110)

In episode 110 of The More Perfect Union podcast series, the gang ruminates about presidential pardons, newly released intel about Jeff Session’s previously undisclosed talks with the Russian ambassador, and co-hosts own Russian connections that the More Perfect Union podcast feels compelled to reveal.

Like what you heard? Subscribe on iTunes and don’t miss a podcast! 

And if you like talking politics, join us in our Facebook political debate group, OPEN FIRE, where you can discuss news and politics with Kevin, D.J., Greg, Rebekah, Cliff, Molly, Helena, and lots of other smart, fun people.

Jeff Sessions Brings Back Federal For-Profit Police with Return to No-Charge Civil Asset Forfeiture

by D.J. McGuire

Amidst the whirl and rush over Donald Trump’s latest temper tantrum to The New York Times, I want to be sure the latest action by Attorney General Jeff Sessions (ironically, one of Trump’s targets) did not go unnoticed – because it’s not good (from the Washington Post). Read More

Senator Kid Rock (Ep. 109)

In Part 2 of this week’s “The More Perfect Union” podcast, the gang tries to negotiate their own bipartisan healthcare bill, argues over the reliability of CBO scores, looks at the political viability of Kid Rock and other celebrities in the era of Trump, and then reveals their own thoughts about someday running for office.

Like what you heard? Subscribe on iTunes and don’t miss a podcast! 

And if you like talking politics, join us in our Facebook political debate group, OPEN FIRE, where you can discuss news and politics with Kevin, D.J., Greg, Rebekah, Cliff, Molly, Helena, and lots of other smart, fun people.

The Hillary Treatment (Ep. 108)

In the first part of this week’s “The More Perfect Union” podcast, the gang discusses former President Jimmy Carter, the Don Jr. meeting with the Russians, and how the Trump Administration is getting “the Hillary treatment.”

Like what you heard? Subscribe on iTunes and don’t miss a podcast! 

And if you like talking politics, join us in our Facebook political debate group, OPEN FIRE, where you can discuss news and politics with Kevin, D.J., Greg, Rebekah, Cliff, Molly, Helena, and lots of other smart, fun people.

A “Clinical” Approach To Healthcare

By Rebekah Chodoff Kuschmider

A few weeks ago my worthy compatriot DJ commented that he is the only one who’s been providing written commentary here on this website and that the rest of us are – and I quote – lazy slobs. I am writing this to prove that I am not lazy. Whether or not I am a slob is a different debate for a different day.

On last week’s podcast, Kevin asked me and DJ what we would do to fix Obamacare. We talked a lot about the aspects of Obamacare that deal with insurance costs, who bears those costs, and how we can better spread the costs around. That has become the cause celebre of healthcare discussions in America since 2009: who can have insurance and who will pay for it.

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Alliance for Securing Democracy: We Need More of This

by D.J. McGuire

Listeners to our podcast know that when the subject of Russia comes up, I’m the one trying desperately to ensure at least some bandwith goes to discussion about the Putinist threat to American interests, human rights, and democracy beyond just attempts to impeach Donald Trump. I’ve tried to make that case here, too.

So, naturally, I am thrilled to hear that the German Marshall Fund has launched the Alliance for Securing Democracy, which will “develop comprehensive strategies to defend against, deter, and raise the costs on Russian and other actors’ efforts to undermine democracy and democratic institutions.”

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My Further Thoughts on Freer Markets and the Democratic Party

by D.J. McGuire

A couple of days after my post on where the modern center is for Democrats, many within the party seemed to confuse my preference for freer markets with support for “the Wall Street elite.” My previous post discussed neither Wall Street nor the economic “elite,” which clearly led a lot of folks on Facebook to assume I was an unadulterated fan of either. This post, I hope, will debunk those concerns.

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