Podcast
Politix
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Politix is a weekly podcast about the 2024 election from Brian Beutler, Matthew Yglesias, and some occasional guests. We’ll have some good-faith disagreement, some points of consensus, and an overall effort to focus on what’s really at stake in November. Subscribe for new episodes each Wednesday and listen wherever you get your podcasts.
www.politix.fm
www.politix.fm
43episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Medicare For Kumbay'all
6d ago00:45:06Tap to summarizeThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fmWhat if the Democratic establishment could take the wind out of the sails of the left wing insurgency by…giving in to progressives on their most morally resonant and popular issue?In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss: * The moral and political advantages of Medicare for All as an abstract concept, and how health care had become the motive force driving the growth of the Sanders movement;* Why no plan to open up Medicare to all beneficiaries has ever become law, and who’s principally responsible;* How the Bernie Sanders plan came into existence, and what it would take to get a version of it enacted without accidentally blowing up the health care system.Then, even if this is a good idea on the merits, would it serve the political purpose of dialing down the factional war? Do progressive insurgents want single payer health care or do they want the issue to run on? Do they want policy wins or do they want to take over the Democratic Party? Is another truce, like the one Joe Biden forged in 2020 with Sanders and his allies possible? And would it hold even if a consensus left-center agenda didn’t drive Democrats back into full control of government?Answers are available in full to listeners—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.Further reading:* WE HAVE A YOUTUBE PAGE NOW! You can watch this episode in full there, and we’ll be rolling out new subscription options over the coming weeks. Hit like, subscribe, and all the other buttons.* Brian’s original case: Why the Democratic establishment should surrender to the left on Medicare for all. * Matt’s blueprint for a center-left counterinsurgency. * Greg Casar: “In the past, there were some progressives, including people I’ve been friends with for a long time who used to say, I’d rather see you lose righteously than win politically and strategically. And I’ve learned to respectfully disagree with those people. We can’t afford to lose anymore because the cost of losing is just so high.”
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Lindsey Graham Platner (Hardly Knew... 'Em?)
2w ago00:57:27Tap to summarizeThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fmWhile Brian was away, Graham Platner’s campaign imploded, rumors circulated that Republicans were playing Weekend At Bernie’s with Mitch McConnell’s corpse. And then Lindsey Graham went and actually died.In this episode: * Matt gives an on-the-ground rundown of how the Maine Democratic Party is going about choosing Platner’s replacement on the Senate ballot;* Brian tries to sniff out whether Maine Democratic voters feel burnt by the Sanders operation, and thus may insist on a nominee from a different faction;* Matt and Brian talk about Monday’s ICE murder in Maine, and how it’s shaken up the race even further.Then, why did Lindsey Graham succeed where other’s failed to use flattery to get what he wanted out of Donald Trump? How will McConnell’s absence, and the fact that the South Carolina governor appointed Graham’s sister as his interim replacement, affect the GOP’s ability to advance its agenda, including Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination? And was Graham secretly a hero of American democracy? Answers are available in full to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.Further reading:* Brian on how to eulogize dead fascism enablers.* Matt on the Trump GOP’s authoritarian approach to immigration enforcement.* Halina Bennet’s rundown of the Maine convention process.
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Tarheels and fish fans
3w ago00:41:21Tap to summarizeThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fmBrian’s vacation continues for a second week, so Matt is joined by Caitlin Legacki, a Democratic strategist and Third Way fellow, to talk about some of the less-covered but more-successful 2026 senate recruits starting with former North Carolina governor Roy Cooper. In this episode Matt and Caitlin discuss: * Why objectively successful red state governors struggle to obtain national attention. * The constraints and upsides of dealing with an opposition legislature.* The New South tradition of business-friendly pro-growth Democrats. * Applications of these points to Alaska, Michigan, and other states that lack the underlying economic strength of California or New York. Paid subscribers also get to hear about the left’s misguided attacks on former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and a brief update on events in Maine. Further reading:* Roy Cooper’s tough on crime ad campaign.* What Mary Peltola means when she says she’s “pro-fish.”* The American Prospect complains that the Commerce Secretary met with commercial enterprises.
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Mainely Politics
4w ago00:38:56Tap to summarizeThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fmWith Brian out on vacation, Matt is joined by Alex Seitz-Wald of the Midcoast Village to discuss Graham Platner and the shifting political tides of Vacationland more broadly. In this episode, Matt and Alex discuss:* Troy Jackson, the man who really is the thing Platner sort of pretends to be.* Paul Le Page, the “Trump before Trump” figure likely to replace Jared Golden in the House. * How a pedophile brought ranked-choice voting to Maine. * Why Susan Collins is probably toast. * Lifestyle businesses and downward mobility. Plus paid subscribers will get an exacting level of detail on the political geography of Maine, Platner’s specific appeal in Washington County and on working waterfronts, and the clash between what made him so fascinating as a primary candidate and what’s objectively the easiest path to win a general election. Further reading: * Susan Collins touts her pork barrel achievements. * ICE detains a small town general store owner.* How Maine’s two most recent governors changed the state. * Refugee resettlement in Lewiston, ME.
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LET A THOUSAND ALGAES BLOOM!!!
Jun 2400:43:55Tap to summarizeThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fmDonald Trump, in his haste and corruption, has wrecked the historic reflecting pool that spans the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial.In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:* How this lazy and corrupt endeavor went to shit so quickly;* Why it serves as a useful metaphor for Trump’s Iran war, and just about every initiative he’s undertaken autocratically;* Whether this should also be a cautionary tale for Abundists, who often see the appeal of sweeping aside red tape and process to Get Things Done Fast.Then, Brian briefly ventures into amateur architecture and engineering with some proposals for fixing the reflecting pool for all time. (Surely no one’s thought of THIS before!) But we mostly assess the damage done by Jewish-American Iran hawks, via their effort to make Israel an appendage of the GOP (currently controlled by a corrupt con artist) and steer the U.S. into a losing war. Will they ever reflect on the harm they’ve caused? Is schadenfreude the order of the day? Or is that just whistling past the graveyard? And are there lessons here for leftists who are now tempted to make common cause with Trump against Israel?Answers are available in full to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.Further reading:* Brian on the self-righteous, right-wing American Jews who were being cavalier with Jewish lives all along. * Matt on how Trump’s (autocratic) war on state capacity is coming home to roost.* Brian again, on how Trump switching sides in the war he lost doesn’t make him a Palestinian liberationist. * Matt, again, on how Trump’s “reflecting pool” foreign policy is “violent and cynical and bad.”
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Yes Retreat, Baby, Yes Surrender
Jun 1700:53:14Tap to summarizeThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fmDonald Trump will either surrender to Iran on Friday in Switzerland, or scuttle the deal—sorry, “memorandum of understanding”—in the face of overwhelming opprobrium and humiliation. Who can say!In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:* Why the terms of the peace deal, such as we understand them, are so unacceptable to the Iran hawks who made strategic alliance with Trump because they thought they could manipulate him into war;* How a deal that’s both weaker than JCPOA and leaves Iran with de facto control over the Strait of Hormuz changes geopolitics—and is likely unacceptable to Israel;* Whether Democrats should rub Trump’s defeat in his face, or let him pretend he won to reduce the risk that he goes back to war. Then, Elon Musk became a trillionaire last week, after taking SpaceX public. And he did so thanks in large part to Nasdaq, which changed its own rules to require Nasdaq index funds to buy SpaceX stock, and bid up its price, despite the fact that the company lacks any near-term path to profitability. Is this a reasonable evolution in Wall Street’s treatment of mature companies when they go public? Or was Nasdaq snookered by Musk’s many grandiose promises of future growth and technological development? Should passive investors really have no recourse to scrutinize and challenge these companies when they change rules governing how our money is invested? And what should happen if it turns out Musk is just exploiting laws, rules, and markets to turn our IRAs and 401ks into piggy banks to bail out his failing companies?Answers are available in full to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.Further reading:* Catherine Rampell on the SpaceX IPO.* Vanguard urges calm on the SpaceX IPO.* Former AIPAC spox can’t believe the leopard ate his face.
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Pride Before The Prattfall
Jun 1000:28:19Tap to summarizeThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fmThe results from California are (mostly? almost completely?) in. They are mixed, and extremely consistent with pre-election polling. Naturally, Republicans are subjecting the country to a blizzard of lies. In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:* The results, and the merits of the California election system, which maximizes ballot access, but at the expense of quick ballot counting.* What should California Democrats, and the national party, do about the scourge of GOP election lies?* Would Democrats really have been better off if they’d managed to lock Steve Hilton out of the governor’s race, like they locked Spencer Pratt out of the LA mayor’s race?Then, how do you solve a problem like Graham Platner? How do you catch an oyster, and snarf it down? How embellished is his self-depiction as a blue-collar outsider? How consistent is a clear, chronological recitation of his checkered past with his redemption story? Are we even anywhere near the point where it would make sense for Democratic voters in Maine to stay home or vote for Susan Collins, rather than Vote Blue No Matter Who as a harm-reduction strategy? The answer to the last question is “no,” but the answers to the rest are available in full to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.Further reading:* Matt’s 17 thoughts about Graham Platner, from before the latest developments. * Brian argues California Dems should streamline their election process and simultaneously disqualify proven election liars from ballots in the state. * Andrew Weissmann’s Liar’s Kingdom.* Brian’s 2017 piece on the pitfall of embracing “believe all women” as a political standard (tl;dr, some women are committed Trump loyalists with MAGA ethics).
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Platner?! Hardly Knew 'Er! ... ('em)
Jun 300:56:36Tap to summarizeThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fmIt’s a been a busy seven days, so we race through a bunch of topics, with a special focus on Graham Platner, the state of the Maine Senate race, and then some stake driving on how Democrats should prepare for the likelihood that they’ll inherit the country back in economic and budgetary shambles.In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:* Would the Democratic Party be better off or worse off with two Democrats (Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer) at the top of the California ballot?* Is Donald Trump’s spiraling presidency cause for schadenfreude, alarm, or both at once? * Is the latest Platner scandal worse than the previous ones? Part of the same story?Distinct in ways that might be more likely to put off older voters? And what should he do to get back into a commanding position?Then a look ahead to 2029 (but possibly sooner). Inflation and interest rates and deficits and debt are all high. When Democrats next regain power (if not sooner) they will face enormous pressure to cut deficits—and unlike in 2009, it’ll be for a good reason. How should they present this to the public. What’s a sound and moral way to retrench, particularly given the rapacious greed that ballooned deficits under Trump? And how should they frame their opening bids, so they don’t get stuck in another lopsided austerity negotiation with Republicans?Answers are available in full to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.Further reading:* Brian argues Democratic operatives planning for the post-Trump era need to go back to the drawing board.* Matt argues it’s time to start freaking out about the national debt.* Josh Kovensky’s précis on the Broadview Six fiasco. * A reminder that Colorado Dems still could and should oust Jared Polis.
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Aging Loser Donald Trump Is Old And Losing
May 2700:43:49Tap to summarizeThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fmDonald Trump went back to the hospital Tuesday for his third “checkup” in just over a year, but faces fewer questions about his age and vitality than Joe Biden. He lost a war of choice, at serious cost to the U.S. and the world, but we don’t hear much about how weak and discredited he is. Why are these critiques missing?In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:* Jared Polis…what the fuck?! (Redux.)* Jake Auchinchloss…what the fuck?!* Democratic National Committee…what the fuck?!Are all these intraparty recriminations why Dems seem like they’re MIA in the fight against Trump? Or are there structural issues that prevent Democrats from driving attention to GOP weaknesses? Are progressive and mainstream media outlets covering Democratic infighting because that’s where the conflict is? Or are their readers and viewers simply more interested in Democratic factionalism than in the partisan food fight? If Democrats took a page from the GOP and made a big stink about everything—Trump’s physical deterioration, his humiliating defeat in Iran, his impeachable corruption—would media outlets cover it? Or is the media ecosystem really just rigged against them?Answers are available in full to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.Further reading:* David Seligman on Colorado Democrats’ obligation to investigate Jared Polis.* Lauren Egan on why Trump’s failing health isn’t a media or opposition-party obsession, the way Biden’s was. * Josh Barro: Impeach Todd Blanche.* Brian Beutler: Democrats shouldn’t fall for the revisionist history of Trump’s impeachments—it is wrong to say they backfired.
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Jared Polis, WTF?!
May 2000:42:42Tap to summarizeThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.politix.fmDonald Trump is more unpopular than he’s ever been. But he’s still got a tight grip on the GOP, he keeps making progress on his plan to subvert elections. And Democrats…well it’s unclear what they intend to do about it.In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:* Jared Polis…what the fuck?* Are Republicans simply winning the fight for historical memory of January 6?* Would impeaching Polis, or removing Virginia supreme court justices, be purely expressive, or is there value in showing strong intolerance for fascism?Then, if Democrats aren’t really looking for procedural toe holds for resisting Republican election theft, are they at least maximizing their electoral advantage ahead of the midterms? The picture is mixed! Will they prevail on Republicans to quash Trump’s pro-insurrection slush fund, filled with $1.8 billion in stolen public money? Are they broadening the map as much as possible? Does the end of Bill Cassidy’s career doom us to 40 years of insurrectionist right-wing politics? The short answer to all of those questions is “maybe.” The long answers are much more fascinating and available in full to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.Further reading:* Brian noticed a positive change in Democratic partisan fighting back in September.* But he worries they haven’t reached clarity on the need to maximize procedural advantage at every turn.* Matt: Out with moderation, in with “schmoderation.” * Mother Jones on the progressive case for Tina Peters clemency.
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