Dinner Table Politics

Fresh from her internship in Malawi, Eliza returns to Dinner Table Politics to discuss how gender roles affect income and education, as well as other things she learned on the other side of the world. (Spoiler alert: It seems Trump has fans in Africa, too!) Jim and Eliza then discuss the events she missed here in the United States, including the Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination and whether or not he views Roe vs. Wade as "settled law." Paul Manafort's convictions on eight counts prompts an impeachment discussion, and, in the midst of the podcast recording, Michael Cohen plead guilty to eight more felonies! Could it be that Robert Mueller's "witch hunt" is coming up with more than a few real witches? Also, which member of the Royal Family would Eliza be willing to die for? 

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Abby and Jim, fresh from a visit to London and France, discuss the history of the British crown and the differences between the governments of the USA and the UK.  Learn why Oliver Cromwell was the LeBron James of his day and whether or not Winnie the Pooh was named after Winston Churchill. Many questions: would America be better if Donald Trump were only the head of state, not head of government? (Or vice versa?) Why does D-Day still matter over seven decades after the fact? And is Disney's animated Robin Hood movie historically accurate?

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Jim and Abby discuss free speech, most notably how expensive it is. A political attack from 1800 comes under scrutiny, as does the Citizens United Supreme Court decision. Plus: should James Gunn be rehired as the Guardians of the Galaxy director? Why can't we go back to the moon? (Hint: It's a wardrobe problem.) And is the best proof that no alien life exists the fact that none of it has tried to contact us? 

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Abby and Jim ask the question: Is Bernie Sanders's "Medicare for All!" proposal a good idea? (Spoiler alert: no.) Also, Bob Woodward's latest book calls to mind "Bobby B's" Watergate history, and Sacha Baron Cohen's "Who Is America?" comes under fire for helping to create the divisions it seeks to expose. Plus - Arthur the Aardvark's sister D.W. needs to tell us what her initials stand for, and a White House version of The Bachelor is an idea whose time has come. 

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With Donald Trump's approval rating soaring among Republicans and sinking with everyone else, Abby and Jim discuss their picks for the best presidents in history and why Thomas Jefferson left his presidential tenure off his tombstone. Abby doubts that Jim had the word "jowls" in his vocabulary at the time of Nixon's resignation, and she also identifies who was the heaviest president (Taft) and the one with the the best tan (Kennedy), and why weight doesn't necessary correlate with presidential greatness.   Also, who was uglier - Abraham Lincoln or Daniel H. Wells?

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Abby and Jim discuss President Trump's disastrous summit in Helsinki and why George Will called the Commander-in-Chief a "sad, embarrassing wreck of a man." That leads to the incredible story of Bill Browder and the 2012 Magnitsky Act, which leads Abby to predict that Melania will likely soon be jumping out of airplanes a la Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. Also, is the EU really a foe? Why does the difference between integrative and distributive trade matter? And how is Putin's attempt to get vengeance on Bill Browder like the Battle of Hogwarts? 

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President Trump's nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court leads to a discussion of the history of the Supreme Court, as well as Abby's spontaneous performance of excerpts from the musical "Hamilton" amid scattered Harry Potter references. We also discuss Abe Lincoln playing judicial hardball, FDR's attempt to pack the court, and why "Borking" is now Abby's favorite verb. 

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Happy Fourth of July! Abby and Jim discuss the conspiracy theory that this year's 4th will be the beginning of a new civil war, as well as a number of other conspiracy theories, both political and non-political, including the one that Jim actually believes. Hear about Jim's 3rd grade Watergate-themed Show-and-Tell, as well as Abby's confidence that Tupac is still out there. Is Anthony Kennedy's retirement from the Supreme Court a conspiracy, too? And should voting machines make funny noises while you're in the booth? 

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Abby asked that we take a step back from talking about the news of the day and have an in-depth discussion about how government works, including all twelve (sic) articles of the Constitution. As a result, Schoolhouse Rock gets sung more than a few times as we discuss the difference between emanations and penumbras - i.e. what they are and why they makes for bad constitutional law. Plus: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the travel ban decision, and a very loud dog. 

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The separation of children at the southern border has launched a new round of "Trump is Hitler" memes. Jim argues that this actually helps Donald Trump, while Abby wonders why no one is comparing Trump to Vlad the Impaler and insists that memes that say "TEMPERED RHETORIC" aren't likely to go viral. 

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