December 13, 2025

“Let Them Eat Tariffs”—The Weekly

1 hour 12 minutes

In this episode, Ron is joined by Lucy Caldwell (Board Advisor to the Renew Democracy Initiative) to confront the question hanging over Democratic politics: Can the Democratic Party keep pretending we’re not in a populist era?

Lucy breaks down the party’s internal struggle between centrists and insurgents—and why both sides are wildly overinterpreting recent election results. Using the Maine Senate race as a case study, they examine how primaries reward disruption and narrative power, often at the expense of general-election viability, and why nationalized politics makes it harder than ever for candidates to outrun the Democratic brand.

Finally, Ron and Lucy dig into affordability—the disconnect between elite economic narratives and everyday experience—and why dismissing those pressures only fuels the kind of toxic populism Democrats say they fear.

In Politicology+ they talk about the current healthcare landscape and the ongoing debate about how we pay for healthcare. They critique the ACA’s effectiveness, the challenges of health insurance coverage and explore market-based solutions. They also highlight the importance of personal advocacy in navigating healthcare and the evolving discourse around health and wellness, particularly in the context of AI's role in healthcare advocacy.

DONATE FOR UKRAINE

To support equipment requests for our frontline communicators and psyop-ers in Ukraine, you can use this link: paypal.me/MollyKMcKew

POLITICOLOGY+

Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus.

CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY

politicology.com/donate

SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code RON at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬

Listen to The Last Invention: https://bit.ly/4pob891

Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter):

https:/x.com/RonSteslow

https://x.com/lucymcaldwell