The Political Notebook

Are Democrats likely to do better or worse than they did in 2022? Are the GOP candidates any better?

Will the pay-to-play accusations against Hobbs hurt her chances? What about Biggs and January 6? Will the first ever Lieutenant Governor of Arizona be an Independent?

William F. Buckley was the founder of modern American conservatism. In this episode, we talk about how Buckley fused together a conservative coalition while also drawing the boundaries that defined the movement. How did Buckley deal with the John Birch Society, and how does this compare to how Kevin Roberts today is dealing with Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes? Is there any hope for traditional conservatives to regain political significance in the modern era?

Republicans are blaming Katie Hobbs for the condition of the state economy and the state budget. Fair or foul?

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Links:

- Robert Robb column on Hobbs's narrow political playing field (https://robertrobb.substack.com/p/hobbss-narrow-political-playing-field)

- Go big on civics education (https://chollaexpress.substack.com/p/go-big-on-civics-education)

Can a Reagan conservative win a primary in the MAGA Republican Party?

How are the Democrats doing in opposition? What about Kelly and Gallego?

What are the political and practical consequences of Trump's on-again off-again tariffs? Is Karrin Taylor Robson the new Martha McSally?

Are Trump and the U.S. Senate headed for conflict? Can divided government in Arizona produce results?

Links:

"The beginning of the end of U.S. leadership of the free world" https://robertrobb.substack.com/p/the-beginning-of-the-end-of-us-leadership

"A big GOP win, but not really a mandate" https://robertrobb.substack.com/p/a-big-gop-win-but-not-really-a-mandate

"Politics Will Return, Part 2" https://thedispatch.com/article/politics-will-return-part-2/

Kathy Petsas is a long-time Republican activist in Arizona. She was recently featured in a book about how the MAGA movement has taken over the Republican Party at the ground level. Kathy shares her first-hand experience dealing with MAGA true believers who started showing up in waves to precinct meetings in 2021. We also discuss the defining characteristics of MAGA movement, and how MAGA's ideology is different from conservativism.

The book is titled "Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movement’s Ground War to End Democracy"

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Ground-Game-MAGA-Movements-America/dp/0316497517

What are Harris and Trump's end game strategies? Will they work? What would be the effect of a Lake loss on the future of the Republican Party?