Politics War Room with James Carville & Al Hunt

While Trump's outrageous behavior may still shock some, there are plenty of the most savvy and seasoned political veterans who see him for what he really is: a desperate charlatan who is capable of anything. Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft president Andrew Bacevich is even able to look forward, beyond this dark period, to the larger issues America faces as a global player. Dr. Michael P. McDonald, professor of political science at the University of Florida, predicts a brighter future for Democrats. And Texas Democratic Party consultant Billy Begala enjoys a hearty laugh at the recent follies of Trump supporters in his state.

Any opponent of Donald Trump has their work cut out for them, as his use of disinformation, dishonesty and disorder are unprecedented. So the U.S. representative from Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district Conor Lamb fully understands the rough road ahead for Vice President Biden over the next few months. Yet Lamb also is keenly aware of the candidate's realist perspective, and just how useful that will be for campaigning in the part of his state often referred as "Trump country." Plus Dr. Rashawn Ray, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution and Professor of Sociology and Executive Director of the Lab for Applied Social Science Research at the University of Maryland, College Park lends his considerable expertise to the conversation on what should be done in the wake of the protests throughout the nation.

Senator Jeff Flake separates Conservatism from Trumpism seeking to reclaim the soul of the Republican Party while Wall Street Journal Executive Washington Editor Gerald F Seib examines Reagan as the precursor to Trump in his new book 'We Should Have Seen It Coming: FROM REAGAN TO TRUMP–A FRONT-ROW SEAT TO A POLITICAL REVOLUTION.'

Meanwile, James Carville pursues discussion with both guests on the concept that the base of the Republican party is preoccupied by racial resentment laying the foundation for Donald Trump to capitalize on this by speaking directly to the issue where others would not, and he was, in turn, embraced by Republican voters. 

Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, reflects on the Committee’s bipartisan report on Russia's interference in our elections, the US Government's response to prevent a repeat of 2016 this November, the details of Steve Bannon's indictment representative of the Trump Administration's serial corruption, and a recap of the Democratic National Convention. 

House Majority Whip James Clyburn champions the House bill to save the Post Office securing American's right to vote-by-mail. The Democratic Congressman from South Carolina discusses the races in his home state, Biden's strong pick of Kamala Harris as his running mate, and Michelle Obama's speech at the DNC. James and Al truly wish they were in Milwaukee, and dissect the latest revelations from the Senate Intelligence Committee which point to mounting evidence of collusion. 

COVID-19 has changed the landscape of American politics in countless ways. The logistics of the November election leave a lot of questions lingering in the air. However, the chair of the Democratic Party for the state of Wisconsin Ben Wikler has plans laid out, not only for the national convention, but also for addressing voter suppression and Trump's dismantling of the United State Postal Service. Senior Vice President of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Dan Mathews also underlines the  the troubling inadequacies in how the country treats its aging population while discussing his unique relationship with his schizophrenic mother, as detailed in his new book "Like Crazy: Life with My Mother and Her Invisible Friends."