In this special episode from Milwaukee, Seth speaks with Marquette political scientist Julia Azari about what we can learn from Donald Trump’s unusual approach of silently presiding over the Republican convention so far. No pastries or cocktails are discussed.

In this episode, John asks Seth a bunch of great questions about party conventions, how platforms are made, what good and bad convention moments look like, what kinds of effects they have on voters, and more. Seth sort of answers them. Also we discuss baking and cocktail catastrophes.

In the episode we discuss a particular cocktail failure. Below is the textbook cover, the gorgeous cocktail Lindsay Merbaum designed based on it, and Seth’s monstrous attempt to replicate it at home.

In this episode (recorded prior to the recent Biden-Trump debate), John and Seth discuss just what usually makes presidents popular or unpopular, why those don’t seem to affect Biden’s popularity much, why economic perceptions and coverage remain perpetually gloomy, why Biden gets blame for starting a war he didn’t start but no credit for ending a war he actually ended, and what this all tells us about the incentives that presidents and presidential candidates face. We also discuss the best available tools for cake decoration.

We are pleased to announce a new podcast, “Power and Flour,” brought to you by political consultant John Hagner and political scientist Seth Masket. In addition to scintillating conversations about the 2024 election cycle, they also talk about their passions for and experiences with baking and cake decoration.