The Politics Guys

Democratic Identity Crisis, Trump’s Culture Jabs, 80s Icons Exit


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Justin and Joey open this midweek supporters’ episode by exploring the Democratic Party’s post-2024 crossroads, sparked by a socialist win in New York and Hunter Biden’s provocative media appearances. Justin argues the party’s aging leadership and weak bench leave it vulnerable and fragmented, with no clear 2028 frontrunner. Joey sees a party ideologically fractured between moderates and a resurgent left, raising questions about whether Democrats can unify—or even keep their voters—heading into the next presidential cycle.

Next is Trump’s push to reinstate Native-themed sports names like the Redskins and Indians. Justin, once more strident, now sees the issue as complex and notes even Native opinion is divided; he finds Trump’s micromanaging of cultural matters more noteworthy than the naming itself. Joey defends the names as tributes rather than slurs and frames the episode as part of Trump’s broader fight against elite-driven cultural conformity that politicizes even leisure spaces like sports.

They close by reflecting on the deaths and cultural impact of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Hulk Hogan, and Ozzy Osbourne. Joey praises the Cosby Show’s enduring humor and the unifying presence of Hulkamania, seeing both as touchstones of American optimism. Justin offers a heartfelt tribute to Ozzy as a musical innovator who helped birth heavy metal, arguing his creative legacy far outshines his controversies. Both agree that these icons transcended politics and offered generational moments of shared meaning.

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Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys.

The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.


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The Politics GuysBy Michael Baranowski

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