Episodes

  • Jon Favreau: Funny and Horrible

    Jon Favreau: Funny and Horrible
    Dec 20 2024
    While it's still going to be bad, for the first time since the election we're beginning to see that we may actually have a little fun watching these idiots prove they don't know how to govern. Meanwhile, we've also got aspiring authoritarians on the left who think they're right at any cost. Plus, the challenge of holding on to American ideals, how to reach low-info voters, Tim's take from Phoenix on TPUSA, and can Tim make Jon cry? And one more Biden critique (that comes toward the end)... Merry Christmas.

    Jon Favreau joins Tim Miller.

    show notes:

    Jon's piece in The Atlantic
    Clip from Stavros Halkias about not voting Trump that Tim referenced
    Tim's playlist
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Heather Cox Richardson: The Reality Show-ification of the Government

    Heather Cox Richardson: The Reality Show-ification of the Government
    Dec 19 2024
    We are seeing in real time what it looks like to turn a democracy over to an oligarch, namely the unstable guy from South Africa who thinks he's going to be emperor of the universe. It's also authoritarian for that one unstable guy to threaten members of congress with job loss if they vote to provide hurricane relief or to rebuild part of the interstate highway system. Plus, the need for a pro-democracy media ecosystem, the difference between liberal and left, and the terribleness of the William McKinley era.
    Heather Cox Richardson joins Tim Miller.
    show notes
    Some of Heather's books:

    “Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America"

    "Wounded Knee: Party Politics and the Road to an American Massacre"

    "West from Appomattox: The Reconstruction of America after the Civil War"
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    48 mins
  • Mark Hertling: Putin's Weakness

    Mark Hertling: Putin's Weakness
    Dec 18 2024
    Russia is on its weakest footing since it invaded Ukraine: Putin has destroyed his military, his economy is in the toilet, and the North Korean troops who've been deployed to help out are dying in waves on the battlefield. Why would the US bail Putin out? Meanwhile, MAGA world is trying to distract us with phony DEI issues in the military while we're dealing with some of the biggest challenges we've ever faced in the international space. Plus, with 180,000 US troops currently deployed overseas and 100+ Navy ships at sea, the DOD probably needs someone with a little more breadth of experience than a weekend talk show host on Fox. Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling joins Tim Miller.

    Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling joins Tim Miller.
    show notes
    Hertling's piece on the Army's and America's values
    Hertling's piece on North Korean troops fighting for Russia in Ukraine
    Tim and Sarah's live event with Reason magazine in DC Wednesday night
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    46 mins
  • Tom Nichols: Don't Descend into Darkness

    Tom Nichols: Don't Descend into Darkness
    Dec 17 2024
    The existential dread has a strong pull, especially since Trump has made a lot of Americans worse people, but we've had other bad, immoral, and creepy presidents who've sullied the office. Meanwhile, Vance is basically the invisible man while Elon lives in Trump's bedroom, and Andreessen is loading up a pile of BS to justify his vote. Plus, a Tim v Tom Christmas playlist.

    Tom Nichols joins Tim Miller.

    show notes:

    Tom's audiobook version of "The Death of Expertise"
    Tim's Christmas playlist
    John Ganz book Tom and Tim referenced
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    58 mins
  • Bill Kristol: Fake Nicey-Nicey Sh**t

    Bill Kristol: Fake Nicey-Nicey Sh**t
    Dec 16 2024
    ABC News and George Stephanopoulos have joined the preemptive capitulation parade by settling Trump's defamation suit—and by conspicuously paying out protection money ahead of the inauguration. The potential chilling effect on a key First Amendment issue is breathtaking. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney backs off of his criticism of Trump and Vance. Plus, the anti-oligarchic, semi-populist grounds for challenging the incoming administration.

    Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.

    show notes:
    NYT piece Bill mentioned
    Bulwark debate on potentially ending Daylight Saving Time
    Bill's conversation with Jack Goldsmith
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    37 mins
  • Anne Applebaum: Planning for a Techno-Oligarchic Regime

    Anne Applebaum: Planning for a Techno-Oligarchic Regime
    Dec 13 2024
    The billionaires rushing to get on board with Trump, and contributing millions for his inauguration, may have missed this key detail: Enhancing the power of a leader—to bend the rules and undermine the rule of law—is often very bad for business. Meanwhile, Team Trump is distracting the media and the public with the firehose of nominations. Plus, election laws v TikTok and Elon, how brutal regimes can quickly die, and the impact of Israel's campaigns on international law during wartime.

    Anne Applebaum joins Tim Miller.
    Show notes:

    • Anne's recent piece on Syria, and potentially other brutal regimes, falling quickly

    • Video of Clarissa Ward finding a Syrian prisoner who didn't know about the fall of Assad

    • Tim's playlist
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    44 mins
  • Matt Yglesias and Tyler Austin Harper: Popularism v Populism

    Matt Yglesias and Tyler Austin Harper: Popularism v Populism
    Dec 12 2024
    The origins of the Democratic party's current malaise include ineffective messaging on climate and economic policy, too rigid a tent on cultural issues, and Dem politicians just too scared to speak their mind. Like, Kamala could've turned the trans youth in sports convo into one about parents spending boatloads on sports camps so their kids can get into a good college. Plus, Christopher Wray chose the worst option.

    Matt Yglesias and Tyler Austin Harper join Tim Miller to hash it out.
    show notes:

    Tyler's new piece in The Atlantic

    Matt's "Common Sense Manifesto #4" from Slow Boring

    Ben Wittes piece in Lawfare on Chris Wray

    Book recommended by Tyler, "The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America"
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Adam Kinzinger and Pat Ryan: Bring It On

    Adam Kinzinger and Pat Ryan: Bring It On
    Dec 11 2024
    Team Trump is trying to intimidate the opposition. Stop showing them your fear. Plus, Gaetz moves from AG nominee to low-rent MAGA cable channel host, and RT's girlfriend, Tulsi, could have access to the identities of our informants in Russia if she is confirmed. Meanwhile, as Dems plot a way forward, they need to be more clear about calling out the heroes and the villains: When you're trying to be everything to everyone, you're nothing.

    Adam Kinzinger and Rep. Pat Ryan join Tim Miller.

    show notes
    Kinzinger's Substack response to Trump's jail threat
    Jake Tapper's 2017 interview with Tulsi Gabbard after her meeting with Assad
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    1 hr and 6 mins