The Latest

“It’s about digital, but it’s not about digital. Digital is the means.” Occasionally on That Trippi Show, we don’t talk politics but we welcome guests who we find have a unique, interesting perspective. This week we welcome Greek Minister of Digital Governance Kyriakos Pierrakakis to talk about the Greek government’s digital transformation connecting the government and the services it provides more easily to its citizens. How do you develop a portal for simple access to all government services in the middle of a pandemic that’s citizen-centric, not government-centric? And just as important, how do you get the users (citizens) to buy in? Listen to our discussion with the Minister now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do yourself a favor: Before listening, give Hunter Walker's bombshell article a read here: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/exclusive-jan-6-organizers-met-congress-white-house-1245289/** Investigative journalist Hunter Walker comes on to discuss the stunning story published in Rolling Stone alleging members of Congress and White House staffers worked together to incite the infamous "protest" on Jan. 6. Walker details a "blanket pardon" allegedly dangled by Rep. Paul Gosar -- and whether Trump himself was aware of what was to come. Plus, the turning point of the whole "protest" on Jan. 6 -- which involved Trump himself. January 6th will be infamous in American history forever, but, as Walker says, the story is far from over. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe and Alex are back to talk about a ton of big news. Joe Manchin is dangling a possible defection to the GOP caucus if he doesn't get what he wants in the BBB bill. What options do the Dems have? Could he actually do it? And how do we move past the infighting?  Then, the governor's race in Virginia is going to be tight, mostly because the GOP candidate hasn't had to commit to Trumpism or moderate conservatism. Democrats must not take this one lightly -- imagine if a GOP governor had to certify election results in a contested state in '24.  Finally, the GOP is infighting as well -- Mitch McConnell has tried to focus Trump on the future instead of the Big Lie. Will Trump still turn out voters when he's not on the ticket? And how could the results of 2022 affect the prospects of Trump running for president in '24?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe welcomes Simon Rosenberg, president of NDN and the New Policy Institute. He's a Democratic campaign veteran who is both realistic and optimistic about the coalition Democrats must build to win in 2022. The discussion touches on how infighting among Democrats is becoming an obstacle for the president, and how the difficulty passing the overwhelmingly popular infrastructure bill has led to a decline in polls. But all is not as bleak as it seems. Joe, Simon and Alex have hope for the midterms and 2024, and Simon would still "rather be us than them." Memo: Time for the Dems to Come Together Volunteer to get out thee vote with VAA Turnout Project Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ralph Neas, prominent civil rights leader, joins Joe and Alex this week to discuss the power of coalition and strength in united numbers, specifically in human, constitutional, and civil rights. Ralph shares his insight on how the GOP could "turn back the clock" many decades and undo a lot of the important bipartisan, pro-democracy strides we have made. Election subversion and voter suppression threaten to disenfranchise millions of Americans and undermine our democracy. The Supreme Court Really Matters: Huffington Post Op-Ed Chronology: How the Arizona Senate Audit in Maricopa County Is an Assault on Voting Rights Response: The Truth Behind the Results of the Maricopa County Election Audit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's episode of That Trippi Show, we make history. Our first repeat guest has big news: he's running for Lt. Governor in Texas! Matthew Dowd -- a former Republican, by the way -- has big plans to change the course of Texas' legislative powers. Democracy is the only way to stop the autocratic GOP, and the Democratic party is the vehicle we need to use to achieve it. Support Matthew's run here: https://www.dowdtexas.com/ Follow him on Twitter here https://twitter.com/matthewjdowd?s=20 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we're joined by Molly Jong-Fast, host of The New Abnormal podcast and Editor at Large at The Daily Beast. We start with her story on Gabby Petito which shook up the Internet this week, as she examined the coverage, the investigation, and the popularity of the case. Then, Joe and Alex ask Molly about the inter-party fight between Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump, which has the potential to spill into the primaries and maybe even provoke a nasty fight in the Senate. How can the GOP manage to win general elections when they have to move to the extreme right to win a primary? Finally, the discussion shifts to Texas, where Beto O'Rourke has reportedly decided to challenge Gov. Greg Abbott in the 2022 election for Governor. Could he actually unseat the Governor? Is Texas -- for real this time -- a place where Democrats could make some gains? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist Judd Legum joins us this week for a fascinating show. First, Joe, Alex and Judd react to the overwhelming victory by Gov. Gavin Newsom in California's recall election. California isn't exactly a threat to go red anytime soon, but what lessons can be learned from what was once thought to be a fairly competitive race? Then, the conversation shifts towards the power of money in politics. Judd had some groundbreaking reporting earlier this year about how a small foundation essentially captured national attention by pushing a debate about Critical Race Theory into national consciousness. But money can be used for good too, especially when it comes to forcing companies to take a stance on political issues. Join Judd's Substack here: popular.info Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe is traveling this week, so we're re-offering one of our favorite conversations (in case you missed it) to hold you till next week. In June, Joe and Alex spoke to Ezra Klein, author of Why We're Polarized and New York Times podcaster and columnist. Ezra, Joe, and Alex have a fascinating discussion about polarization, how the two parties relate to each other, why disengaged voters are being pushed even further away, and what happens from here. Plus, Ezra dissects the unique importance of Joe Manchin, how rare he is in today's political climate, and how his strategy on key issues will create massive policy and procedural implications. Buy Ezra's book, Why We're Polarized, now available in paperback here. Read Ezra's column on Joe Manchin here: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/17/opinion/joe-manchin-filibuster-voting-rights.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're joined this week by Reed Galen, co-founder of The Lincoln Project, to talk about the monumental news out of Texas and the Supreme Court early Thursday morning. The Supreme Court essentially let Roe v. Wade get undermined. What do the Democrats do to recover lost ground and serve their constituents? Is it time to pack the courts? What do you do when you're trying to play chess and, as Reed puts it, the other party is eating the pieces? And, Joe and Reed address the question that's been eating away at progressives: how do you convince voters they need to vote Democratic when Democrats are in power everywhere and this can still happen? One place Democrats are not in power is Florida, where COVID cases continue to pace the nation and Republican anti-governance is on full display. How can we organize to defeat the DeSantis, Abbotts, and other right-wing extremists putting their citizens in danger? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Biden has hit the roughest patch of his young presidency, combating the crisis in Afghanistan and very worrisome trends with COVID. Joe and Alex give their take on what's moving Biden's approval ratings and how they look in context. Plus, despite the FDA approving the Pfizer vaccine, Trump-lite governors in Florida and Texas continue to put their own citizens in danger with anti-mask and anti-vaccine policies. Mask mandates are overwhelmingly popular nationally -- how is it a smart move politically for GOP'ers to position against them? Finally, some listener questions, and hopefully the last-ever discussion of the absurd Arizona election audit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congressman Seth Moulton, Marine & member of the House Armed Services Committee, joins the pod to talk the situation in Afghanistan, what we need to be doing right now to save lives, and how you can help. Read Rep. Moulton's statement here: https://moulton.house.gov/press-releases/moulton-statement-on-the-situation-in-afghanistan This David Rohde piece in the New Yorker stood out to us: https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/trying-and-failing-to-save-the-family-of-the-afghan-who-saved-me Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First, a look at some races that are flying under the radar -- governor's races. Governors of course have a massive impact on local politics -- just look at Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott -- but they also have a critical role in certifying elections. DeSantis (Florida), Evers (Wisconsin), and Georgia (Kemp) are all up in 2022 -- Joe wants to make sure Democrats are focused on these elections too (in addition to holding the House and Senate). Thanks to Jennifer Rubin, whose Washington Post op-ed got us thinking about this. Then, despite the trends for midterm elections historically, Joe is optimistic about the Senate map in 2022. There are vulnerable Republicans across the country and several high-profile retirements. Joe and Alex dive in to the key races and the places in which Democrats are actually on the offensive, and one very important swing race. Lastly, we address some listener questions (keep sending them to thattrippishow@gmail.com), including one about why Joe is willing to join Republicans at The Lincoln Project given the damage done by their party to the political system. CNN piece on the Senate: https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/11/politics/2022-senate-race-rankings-august/index.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this special episode, Joe and Alex are joined by Norm Ornstein, Contributing Editor at the Atlantic and emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Norm gives his take on the rise of authoritarianism in mainstream Republicans, and how this time feels different even from the McCarthy era. Will congressional and party leadership be able to turn things around? How do you negotiate with a party in which the majority of members believe the election was stolen? And what if the Republicans drive so many moderates away that the GOP ceases to function? Wouldn't that be good for the Democrats? Well... not really. How many elections will it take to convince the Republicans to change course? What should be done about the filibuster? And what is possible when there is fundamental disagreement about the very existence of government? Buy Norm's book here: https://www.amazon.com/One-Nation-After-Trump-Disillusioned-ebook/dp/B06XW24YY6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tucker Carlson is fighting for democracy ... in Hungary. Tucker met with Hungary's Prime Minister to discuss, among other things, how he built a wall, changed the judiciary, and rode anti-immigrant and anti-democracy waves to change the trajectory of a nation in short order. How revealing is this for the desires of the American Right? When will dalliances with authoritarianism become doctrine? Then, Trump scored a special election win in Ohio, but Joe and Alex are skeptical about what it actually means. But they draw some more insight from the Democratic result, where a moderate outpaced a more left-leaning candidate. How affirming is that for the Biden way of doing things? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court's reputation as an apolitical body has been permanently changed. How did we get here? Jackie Calmes from the LA Times has studied the changes in Supreme Court politics that hit a new low during the Trump presidency. Despite two impeachments and a single term, Trump and the Republicans managed to reshape the Court for decades -- and it's possible Democrats have underestimated and under-organized around the impact of the GOP's stranglehold on the judicial system. Jackie, Joe and Alex talk about the change in political strategy when it comes to appointing justices, how the Brett Kavanaugh nomination process completely missed another massive scandal, and how we recover from a climate where the Supreme Court is viewed by Republicans as the surest way to extend its minority rule. Jackie's new book, Dissent: The Radicalization of the Republican Party and Its Capture of the Court, is available here: https://www.amazon.com/Dissent-Radicalization-Republican-Party-Capture/dp/1538700794 Follow Jackie on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/jackiekcalmes?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After 6 months, President Biden did what Trump couldn't do in 4 years -- got an infrastructure bill through the Senate. A large bipartisan majority coming together for substantive change? What is going on? Alex and Joe unpack the progress made -- and not made -- to make big strides on infrastructure. Plus, Nancy Pelosi stopped the Jan. 6 commission from turning into a Jim Jordan-imbued circus, but the Republicans did their best to sink it. What will come of this investigation, and will it move the needle for voters? And will Joe Manchin finally backing voting rights measures mean it can get through the Senate? Also, a look at a TX state-wide election that Trump endorsed and lost. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Political risk... What is it? World-renowned defender of democracy Trygve Olson joins Joe this week to discuss his ideas on the risks of economic fallout faced by political action. In this episode, Joe and Trygve lay out the bigger implications we face if the U.S. doesn't denounce and fight the autocratic movement from the right. Trygve explains the American "fraud democracy" in comparison to other historically authoritarian governments and how ultimately, this could lead to our economic and political downfall. To stop the collapse of our democratic system, Joe warns that citizens, Washington, and corporate America can't get comfortable with this being the "new normal." As Trygve states, engagement is required to be part of the solution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Biden called it. Democracy vs. autocracy. Sound familiar? Now it's on all of us to keep spreading the word. Joe and Alex talk about Biden's Philadelphia speech ("Have you no shame?") and how it reset the battlefield for everything we've been fighting for. Then they hit on the latest in Texas and the heroic protest staged by Democratic lawmakers, why the corporate pressure campaigns are so critical, and your role to play in this fight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices