The Politics Guys

In this episode of Ask The Politics Guys, Mike and Jay answer this question: What can the government do to decrease gun violence, especially all of the mass shootings we’ve been seeing?

This week, The Politics Guys start off by talking about the police killings in Cleveland and Chicago. Mike argues that the system sets up a basic conflict of interest and calls for independent prosecutors. Jay has more faith in the system than Mike but agrees that independent prosecutors might be a reasonable response, thought he … Continue reading "PG35: Police Killings, GOP Field Narrows, 2015 in Review, Predictions for 2016, Transgender VA Clinics"

In the inaugural episode of Ask The Politics Guys, Mike and Jay answer this question: Why is it that even though Donald Trump is way ahead in the polls, almost all of the so-called experts say he doesn’t have much of a chance? And would it really be all that bad if he won?

This week, the Politics Guys start off with something new and strange – bipartisanship breaking out in Congress. While neither Jay and Mike think this is the start of a trend, they’re glad that the U.S. has a budget for fiscal year 2016 (which started on October 1, 2015). Next, the Guys discuss the latest … Continue reading "PG34: Budget Bipartisanship, GOP Debate, The Fed, Big Pharma, Obama Doesn’t Drink His Own Urine, Bombing Fictional Cities"

This week’s top story is the international climate agreement reached after two weeks of negotiations outside of Paris. Mike says that while it won’t prevent the catastrophic effects of climate change, it’s a step in the right direction. Jay feels that nothing will come of it, and that that’s probably a good thing. Next is … Continue reading "PG33: Climate Accord, Obama vs Trump on Terror, The End of No Child Left Behind & (Possibly) College Affirmative Action"

The top story this week is the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, which is the worst terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11. Mike and Jay talk at the calls for more gun regulation, the decades-long decrease in gun violence, and why Congress has been keeping the CDC from studying gun-related deaths. Next is … Continue reading "PG32: Terrorism in California, Women in Combat, Agreement on Infrastructure, Climate Talks, and Trump’s Perfect Health"

This week starts off as it has too many times before – with discussion of yet another mass shooting, the latest tragedy being at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Guys also talk about the recently passed defense authorization bill that keeps the Guantanamo Bay prison open and makes President Obama’s executive … Continue reading "PG31: More Shootings, Guantanamo to Stay Open, Voting Felons, ‘Greedy’ Companies & the U.S. Tax Code, and FDR’s Bold Thanksgiving Move"

This week, the Politics Guys lead off with the effort to halt the admission of Syrian refugees into the US. Both Jay and Mike believe that the US has a moral obligation to take in refugees and that the media has done its usual awful job explaining how the current process works. Donald Trump made … Continue reading "PG30: Syrian Refugees, Fighting ISIS, Trump’s Latest Brainstorm, Frankenfish, Hillary’s Sense of Humor"

This week, the Guys start things off by briefly commenting on the tragic terrorist attack in Paris – while it’s not directly an American politics story, it’s something that should deeply offend everyone who cares about Western Civilization. Next, they talk about why the federal courts are stopping President Obama from implementing his immigration reforms … Continue reading "PG29: Paris Attacks, Immigration, More Debates, College Protests, Baby Hitler, and the Medal of Honor"

This week’s episode starts with a look at Tuesday’s elections, the latest in a series of disasters for the Democrats. Not only did Tea Party favorite Matt Bevin trounce Jack Conway to become Kentucky’s next governor, but Ohio voters decisively defeated a marijuana legalization measure. Mike and Jay survey the electoral landscape, where things look … Continue reading "PG28: The Democrats’ Horrible Election, Ben Carson’s Tall Tales, Obama Rejects Keystone, and Papa Bush Slams Cheney & Rumsfeld"

This week’s lead story is the multi-year budget deal Congress sent to President Obama. Both Mike and Jay agree that it’s nice to talk about something Congress actually managed to do for a change. Next is the third GOP debate, which Mike hated – but then again, Mike hates all political debates. After that is … Continue reading "PG27: Budget Deals, GOP Debate, Speaker Ryan, Syria, and Runaway Blimps"

This week’s podcast opens with Mike and Jay discussing Paul Ryan’s decision to run for Speaker of the House. Jay is a Ryan fan from way back, and even Mike respects Ryan – though he doesn’t agree with him on very much. Does this sort of inside-baseball thing matter to Real Americans? Jay thinks maybe … Continue reading "PG26: Ryan Runs (Biden Doesn’t), Hillary Grilled, Bush Flounders, and the Special Bond between the US, Liberia, and Burma"

This week, the guys lead off with a discussion of President Obama’s announcement that he won’t be pulling all US troops out of Afghanistan, a reversal of earlier promises that all troops would be gone by the end of his presidency. Next, Mike and Jay turn to presidential politics, where they take a look at … Continue reading "PG25: No Afghan Pullout, Democrats Debate, Presidential Campaign Funding, Pot Legalization in Ohio, and Pork Returns to Federal Prisons"

The battle for the House Speakership leads off this week’s Politics Guys. Jay thinks it’s a result of the GOP being a victim of its own electoral success and that the media is making much ado about very little. Mike agrees, more or less, but points out that changes in how campaigns are financed, as … Continue reading "PG24: The GOP Leadership Mess, Big Trade Deals, Hospital Bombings & the Limits of Airpower, and Inmate Debaters Stick it to Harvard"

The Politics Guys devote most of this week’s episode to the mass shooting in Oregon and what, if anything, can be done to decrease the insane number of gun deaths in the United States. They also look at the situation in Syria, where both Mike and Jay find themselves in the strange position of agreeing … Continue reading "PG23: Another Mass Shooting, Russia & Syria, The Pope and Kim Davis, Goat Sacrifices and the Invincible Sun God"