Podcast Summary: Bulwark Takes – Democratic Leaders STILL Don’t Understand Raw Power

Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Date: October 3, 2025
Participants: JVL (Jonathan V. Last), Andrew Egger

Episode Overview

In this lively Bulwark Takes episode, JVL and Andrew Egger dissect what they see as the strategic naiveté of Democratic Congressional leaders in the current government shutdown standoff with Donald Trump and the GOP. The hosts bemoan what they consider Democrats’ chronic misunderstanding of political power—arguing that Democrats focus on good policy (healthcare, Medicaid, Obamacare subsidies) when they should leverage their position to make hardball demands that would shift the balance of power or directly limit Trump’s authority. The tone is blunt, frustrated, and shot through with both dark humor and sharp language.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Are the Democrats Even Asking For?

• [00:29–01:42]
  • Andrew explains the Democratic ask:
    • Reverse some recent Medicaid cuts from the “one big beautiful bill act.”
    • Renew COVID-era Obamacare exchange subsidies to prevent a spike in healthcare premiums for millions.
  • These are, Andrew says, “things that will make people's lives slightly better.”

2. JVL’s Core Argument: Democrats Are Playing Checkers, Not Chess

• [01:42–03:56]
  • JVL is scathing:
    • Dems help pass a bill Republicans can’t get over the line and “their ask is that you do this thing that will make people's lives slightly better that you will then get credit for.”
    • Quote (JVL, 01:48):
      “This is the dumbest fucking politics that has ever been politicked in the history of the world.”
    • Suggests their approach saves the Trump administration from its own political consequences, especially protecting rural Trump voters from Medicaid cuts.
    • JVL contends Dems should pursue structural changes, not “band-aid” policy asks—example: D.C. statehood:
      • “Make Washington D.C. a state. Give it two Senate seats, motherfuckers. Yeah. Then we'll help you pass your bill.” (02:56)

3. Other Missed Power Plays

• [03:57–05:49]

  • Andrew offers more strategic alternatives:
    • Procedural reforms: Curb the President’s emergency powers (Article 1 Act: national emergencies expire in 30 days unless approved by Congress).
    • Tighten guidelines so Trump can't sidestep Congress using “likely illegal decision packages.”
    • These asks would “actively constrain the way that Donald Trump is running the government.”
    • Quote (Andrew, 04:50): “Is it like, breaking some kind of norm...to have these asks that are specifically about constraining Donald Trump from doing all of these things?”

• JVL adds: End “qualified immunity” for federal law enforcement, require ID/maskless officers—obvious, hard-edged asks that are simply not being made.

4. The “Joe Biden Theory of the Case” and Why It’s Outdated

• [05:49–08:10]
  • JVL critiques Biden’s approach: Act normal post-Trump, de-escalate, focus on bipartisan wins to return to normalcy—argues this misreads the post-Trump political landscape.
    • “That was not a crazy theory in 2021, but it was wrong, right?...We do now.” (06:32)
    • Now, only “extraordinary things” focused on power will work.

5. Steel-manning the Democratic Approach

• [07:23–09:38]

  • Andrew plays devil’s advocate:

    • Maybe Democrats want to “raise a big stink,” fail publicly, and then frame Republicans to voters for rising health costs—hoping for a midterm victory.
    • But admits “it is this humongous shot.”

  • JVL interjects sarcastically:

    • Why make Trump fix his vulnerabilities for him? Dems are still misunderstanding power.
    • Quote (JVL, 09:38): “Just don't fund it. So you guys, you guys go nuke the filibuster. You want us to come to you? Fuck you. You come to us.”

6. The GOP’s Real Strategy & Democrats’ Failure to Read It

• [09:39–12:35]

  • JVL observes that Trumpers are, in reality, not confident in a shutdown—if they truly welcomed this, “they wouldn't be trying so hard to convince you they're enjoying it.”

    • Wishes for “a Democratic Party that understood how to do politics and play hardball and understood the stakes and knew what time it was.”

  • Andrew details Senate dynamics:

    • Chuck Schumer (D-Minority Leader) and John Thune (R-Majority Leader) in feckless “cordial” negotiations while the likes of Russ Vought brag about targeting blue states.
    • Both parties act in bad faith, Democrats engaging in “focus-group radicalism” rather than real power politics.

7. Pining for Different Leadership

• [12:35–13:14]
  • JVL (unironically) fantasizes that Gavin Newsom would at least “be a hard ass” and understand “what the stakes were and how to play.”
    • “I can't believe that this is where we are. We're living in a world where I'm pining for Gavin Newsom.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• JVL, 01:48:
  “This is the dumbest fucking politics that has ever been politicked in the history of the world.”

• JVL, 02:56:
  “Make Washington D.C. a state. Give it two Senate seats, motherfuckers.”

• Andrew, 04:50:
  “Is it...breaking some kind of norm...to have these asks that are specifically about constraining Donald Trump from doing all of these things?”

• JVL, 09:38:
  “Just don't fund it. So you guys, you guys go nuke the filibuster. You want us to come to you? Fuck you. You come to us.”

• JVL, 12:35:
  “God help me, Gavin Newsom wouldn't do this. Say what you will about Gavin Newsom, if he was in charge, he would be a hard ass here and he would know what the stakes were and how to play.”

Structure & Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Introduction & Democratic shutdown asks (Medicaid, ACA) | | 01:42 | JVL’s critique: Dems don’t demand structural changes | | 03:57 | Andrew: Other “power-focused” asks they could pursue | | 05:49 | JVL: Why the Biden “return to normalcy” approach failed | | 07:23 | Andrew: “Steel man” argument for Democrats’ current plan | | 09:38 | JVL: Dems should play true hardball, not policy softballs | | 10:32 | Reading the GOP’s real confidence level | | 11:03 | Senate dynamics: Schumer, Thune, and shutdown politics | | 12:35 | Comparisons to Gavin Newsom and the search for hard-nosed Dems |

Final Thoughts

JVL and Andrew deliver a withering critique of Democrats’ strategic shortsightedness in the shutdown standoff. Their core argument: the times require power plays, not incrementalist policy asks—especially when these help the opposition. The episode crackles with frustration at institutional inertia, exasperation at old “normalcy” political mindsets, and grudging admiration for anyone on the left with true killer instinct.

For listeners wanting a clear-eyed, unsparing analysis of Democratic strategic failings—with a fair dose of gallows humor—this episode delivers pointed insights and memorable takeaways.