Mike and May open the preview of this midweek supporters' episode with a discussion of why Nikki Haley is staying in a presidential primary race she has almost no chance of winning, as well as considering who Donald Trump might choose as his running mate.
Following that, they address a question from a listener who asks if May denies the existence of trans people, getting into a larger discussion of gender-affirming care both for minors and adults.
Next is their take on the most recent Presidential Greatness Survey, which has Abe Lincoln at the very top and Donald Trump in the basement, as well as their thoughts on ideal presidential candidates not named Biden or Trump.
As Kids, They Thought They Were Trans. They No Longer Do. Pamela Paul (New York Times, 2/2/24)
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GOP Primary, May and Trans People, Presidential Greatness, Our Ideal Candidates

The Politics Guys is an independent, bipartisan, ideologically diverse American politics and policy podcast hosted by experts: political scientists, law professors, practicing attorneys, and former government officials. Our mission is to give listeners a much-needed break from conservative and liberal echo chambers through civil, rational, and evidence-based discussion of American politics and policy from multiple perspectives. In addition to our weekly news discussion, we feature regular interviews with leading figures from across the ideological spectrum. Past guests include Representatives Jim Jordan, Thomas Massie, and Rob Wittman; Jeffrey Sachs; Tyler Cowen; Bryan Caplan; Dan Carlin; Larry Sabato; and Lawrence Lessig.

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Mike and Trey open with a discussion of the Biden administration’s recently announced tariffs on China. Trey is no fan of protectionism, but he understands Mike’s points concerning US issues with China’s trade practices. They both agree that Donald Trump’s approach to China would almost certainly be more tariff-heavy than Biden’s.
Then they turn to presidential debates, which will happen without the Commission on Presidential Debates. Trey points out how early the first of the two scheduled debates will be, which Mike attributes to Biden wanting to give debating Trump a try far enough ahead of the election that it won’t do much damage if things go off the rails.
From there they move to the Supreme Court allowing Louisiana’s congressional redistricting map to go into effect. Trey points out the difficult position Louisiana’s legislature is in, caught between the Equal Protection Clause and the Voting Rights Act. Mike is most sympathetic to the view of Justice Jackson, who felt that the Court shouldn’t have gotten involved at this point.
They close with a discussion of US aid to Israel. Mike doesn’t think it unreasonable for the US to put conditions on its support of Israel, or to withhold support entirely if aid is being used in a way we believe to be morally unacceptable. Trey points out that were neighboring countries more willing to take in Palestinians, the situation might be far less dire than it currently is.
Check out Let’s Find Common Ground.
Mike’s other podcast is Sustainable Planet.
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China Tariffs, Presidential Debates, Redistricting, Israel Aid

Mike talks about the The Kevin Rose Show. Hope you enjoy it too.

Introducing The Kevin Rose Show

Mike talks with Tulsi Gabbard, a military veteran and four-term member of Congress who was Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee. She caused a major stir when she left the party, which she’s written about in her recently released book, For Love of Country: Leave the Democrat Party Behind, which is the focus of their conversation.
Topics Mike & Tulsi Discuss Include:
 - what drew Tulsi to the Democrats in the first place
 - how she realized she no longer was a Democrat
 - if Democratic Party elites are warmongers
 - foreign policy and isolationism
 - the ‘wokeism’ of contemporary Democrats
 - the Democratic Party and free speech
Check out Tulsi’s Website and follow her on X
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﻿Mike’s other podcast is Sustainable Planet.
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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Why Tulsi Gabbard Left the Democratic Party

Jay and Justin open the preview of this midweek supporters’ episode with a discussion of South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem revealing in her new book that she shot a dog and lied about meeting Kim Jong Un. They discussed why someone would put that in a book, what this means for the VP contest, and ultimately proposed a third political party whose platform mostly consists of not shooting dogs.
 Next, they talk about the Supreme Court ruling in Culley v. Marshall, dealing with a civil forfeiture case from Alabama. While the Court sided with the state, they seem open to the idea of revisiting the issue of forfeiture in the future. In their discussion, Justin and Jay consider constitutional issues, perverse incentives, and English common law from before the Norman invasion.
They close with a look at recent swing state polling, which shows a statistical dead heat, but with Trump up slightly in all seven of the polled states. How have these states become the ones that matter? Are there others? Will journalists continue pushing the idea that Ohio is a swing state just so they can go to diners and talk to average Americans?
Check out Mike’s other podcast, Sustainable Planet.
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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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Kristi Noem’s Dog, Civil Forfeiture, Swing State Polling

Jay and Justin start off discussing President Biden’s proposed pause in sending certain offensive weapons to Israel if they attack Rafah, including the impact on the conflict, potential reverberations in the international community, and the domestic political implications of conflict over Israel within the Democratic party.
Next, they turn their attention to Marjorie Taylor Green’s failed attempt to oust Speaker Mike Johnson. Why did the Democrats stick by him, what does this say about the state of the Republican party, and what institutional factors got us here in the first place?
Following that, they discussed the delay in former President Trump’s documents case, after Judge Cannon postponed the start of the trial indefinitely pending hearings on a number of motions. Was this the right call? What does it mean for the upcoming election?
They close with a discussion of Representative Henry Cuellar’s indictment on bribery and money laundering charges from his dealings with Azerbaijan and Mexico. Is there an Azerbaijan caucus in Congress? What does the case against Cuellar look like? What does this hold for control of the House in November?
Check out Mike’s other podcast, Sustainable Planet.
The Politics Guys on Facebook | X 
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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GOP Primary, May and Trans People, Presidential Greatness, Our Ideal Candidates

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