That Trippi Show

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

Joe announced this week that he'll be joining the Lincoln Project to help elect Democrats to fight the autocratic movement on the right. Steve Schmidt returns to talk to Joe about the cause and how if Democrats don't defeat Republicans, "we lose the country." He explains why the media, corporations and the public at large don't understand the stakes of allowing power to return to authoritarians. Joe and Steve talk next about the plans for The Lincoln Project and anti-authoritarianism in America in general. They name two huge companies that are still writing checks to pro-insurrectionists, and their plans to foment rebellion among employees. Plus: How do you defeat a movement that believes they're living in an occupied country with an illegitimate president? Do we really have to win decades of elections just to withstand authoritarianism? Read Joe's editorial in USA Today about why he's joining The Lincoln Project here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/07/06/stop-trump-authoritarianism-joe-trippi-lincoln-project/7814381002/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Gillmor, co-founder of Arizona State's News Co/Lab, is an expert on civil literacy and the role of journalism in our changing world. He joins the show to discuss the many changes to journalistic norms in the past few years and how to navigate a path forward. How should journalists cover politicians who intentionally and, sometimes dangerously, lie without consequence? What do former guardians of truth and once-trusted establishments still do their job when they're dismissed summarily by significant portions of the populace? And why was it so hard for journalists to just say, "Trump lied," instead of, as Dan says, using every other word in the thesaurus? Read the blog post Dan and Joe discuss here: https://medium.com/@dangillmor/dear-journalists-please-declare-independence-from-business-as-usual-fe8d3681f932  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Macks has spent most of his career writing for comedians like Jay Leno and Chris Rock. But before he was writing jokes for The Tonight Show and The Academy Awards, he started out working in politics with Joe. Jon joins the show to discuss whether it's possible to lampoon people like Donald Trump or Marjorie Taylor Greene, how comedy writing and political speech writing flex a lot of the same muscles, and whether the backlash to Jimmy Fallon and SNL giving Trump the usual political treatment was justified. Plus, Macks talks about prepping presidential candidates, including Joe Biden, for big debates. How do you prepare for Donald Trump? Finally, how has "cancel culture" affected the process of writing comedy? Are we better or worse off? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe is joined by Atlantic Senior Editor and CNN correspondent Ron Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) this week. The Republicans enjoy a structural advantage in the Senate, but that's amplified even more by the age and racial makeup of the American electorate at large. Ron explains why the Trump movement and the Nixon movements are similar, and what that means for the future of elections in the country. Also, Ron is a bit more bullish about the potential for Democrats to outperform expectations in the 2022 midterms. He explains why, and he and Joe get into the strategy needed for Democratic campaigns to motivate people to vote for good candidates, but also to sound the alarm about the rise of authoritarianism. Then, a discussion about President Biden's unique temperament, which does not lend itself to the urgent/hair-on-fire moment we're in with the Republican Party. Biden's popularity is likely because of his place as a vestige of politics long gone, but is his calming temperament actually a disadvantage politically when it comes to the urgency of the moment? Buy Ron's book, Rock Me On The Water, here: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/rock-me-on-the-water-ronald-brownstein Check out Ron's analysis of 2022 here: https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/22/politics/democrats-2022-turnout-congress/index.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ezra Klein, author of Why We're Polarized and NYT podcaster and columnist, joins Joe and Alex for 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

Steve Schmidt, former Republican and co-founder of The Lincoln Project, joins Joe for a striking conversation about what's propelling the authoritarian movement forward in our country and how we can fight it. The conversation touches on the composition of the authoritarian movement, how to view the importance of the 2022 elections, the power of Fox and the right-wing propaganda machines, the likelihood of future violence in American politics, and more. This is a must-listen for anyone thinking about how we can stop authoritarianism before it takes over, and the scope and urgency of the fight ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A voicemail from a listener this past week got Joe thinking: instead of focusing on working together and Democrats winning elections, how can we focus on anything but the very real threat of authoritarianism? Joe argues bipartisanship can't work right now, because there is only room for one "party" in America right now -- an anti-authoritarian, pro-democracy party. Joe suggests all of us need to take a stand against anti-democracy, from corporations to media to politicians, and accept that there is only one functioning political party at the moment. By framing today's politics in terms of the usual business in Washington, we're all missing the point. Joe argues we have to understand the big problem in front of us, and that until we deal with the black mold in our country, everything else comes second. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National Security expert Max Boot joins Joe and Alex to talk about the staggering danger of the GOP's grasp of authoritarianism, and the impact of swing Democrat Joe Manchin backing away from voting rights legislation. They touch on the dangers of the poisonous conservative media ecosystem, how difficult it is to bridge the conversation between Americans of differing beliefs, the danger of failing to imagine worst-case scenarios, and what the biggest threat to the United States is. Plus, the story of military hero Edward Landsdale, and what unity and patriotism even looks like in the Trump era. Buy Max's latest book, The Road Not Taken, here: https://www.amazon.com/Road-Not-Taken-Lansdale-American/dp/0871409410 Max's book, The Corrosion of Conservatism, is available here: https://www.amazon.com/Corrosion-Conservatism-Why-Left-Right/dp/1631495674 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Perhaps no one is more qualified to examine the current state of American politics than a political observer who happens to be a psychotherapist. Nick Carmody joins Joe and Alex to discuss how right-wing politicians and influencers have preyed on fears and misperception to heighten paranoia and the pervasive sense of danger on the right. He explains why the two sides in American politics are unable to communicate, and why QAnon is more religion than political ideology. Plus -- is there more to the story than politics and the media? What is really going on here? And what do we do about all this? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matthew Dowd, the chief strategist for President Bush's re-election campaign in 2004, sits down with Joe to discuss the decline of Republican principles, and how to move forward with the presence of Pres. Trump in the modern GOP. Also, a look ahead to the 2022 and 2024 races, who's standing out, and if some Democrats are too relaxed about their prospects in the midterm elections. Plus, Matthew reveals who the 2004 Bush campaign was most afraid of running against (the answer may surprise you). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe and Alex are joined by Greg Sargent of The Washington Post, author of "An Uncivil War" and the Plum Line blog. Greg joins for a somber conversation about the state of the GOP, including how low the bar has gotten in the Senate for Republicans to do the right thing. What does compromise look like in a world where pro-democracy Republicans are purged from the party? How do we hold the liars accountable while reaching out to those who were lied to? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices