The Politics Guys

The Politics Guys - Government Democracy & News
  • 4.4 (752)
  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

The Politics Guys is an independent, ideologically diverse American politics and policy podcast hosted by experts: political scientists, law professors, and practicing attorneys with government experience. Our mission is to give listeners a much-needed break from conservative and liberal echo chambers through civil, rational, and evidence-based discussion of American politics and policy from multiple perspectives.

  1. 2d ago

    How Algorithms Are Gouging Us

    Mike talks with Lindsay Owens, president and CEO of the Groundwork Collaborative and author of Gouged: The End of a Fair Price and What That Means for Your Wallet, about how new technologies are changing what companies know about consumers—and how much they can charge them. They discuss an Instacart experiment that found shoppers being shown different prices for identical groceries, the RealPage controversy over algorithmic rent-setting, and the growing use of dynamic and surveillance pricing. Lindsay explains why the shift from posted prices toward individualized “willingness to pay” pricing could fundamentally change how markets work. Mike and Lindsay also dig into junk fees and all-in pricing, right-to-repair restrictions, deliberately difficult subscription cancellations, and “algorithmic wages” that may allow companies to pay workers different amounts for essentially identical work. They close with Lindsay’s proposed “shopper’s bill of rights,” the political prospects for stronger consumer protections, and why consumer backlash may be one of the most effective checks on increasingly sophisticated pricing technology. Lindsay Owens on X The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

    How Algorithms Are Gouging Us

  2. 2d ago

    Introducing What Could Go Right?

    Mike talks about the What Could Go Right podcast. For our listeners interested in global events, it offers a refreshing and more balanced view of what’s happening in the world. I hope that you'll enjoy it.

    Introducing What Could Go Right?

  3. 3d ago

    Media Power, College Sports, and Crypto

    Mike and Jay open this supporters’ exclusive midweek episode with California’s settlement of its antitrust lawsuit challenging Paramount Skydance’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. They debate whether California extracted meaningful concessions or folded under pressure, how the relevant media market should be defined, and whether concerns about David Ellison’s growing influence over CBS and CNN really belong in an antitrust case at all. Next, they turn to the Protect College Sports Act and Congress’s attempt to bring order to the chaotic post-NIL world of college athletics. Mike and Jay discuss federal rules for NIL deals, transfers and eligibility, limited antitrust protection for the NCAA, athlete compensation, and whether big-time college football and basketball should finally acknowledge that their players function more like employees than traditional student-athletes. Then it’s cryptocurrency and the stalled CLARITY Act. Why did Senate Democrats block debate on legislation that had strong bipartisan support in the House—and that several Democratic senators helped negotiate? Mike and Jay examine the fight over whether crypto should be regulated primarily as securities or commodities, concerns about the Trump family’s crypto interests, stablecoin interest payments, and the electoral politics complicating any deal before the midterms. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

    Media Power, College Sports, and Crypto

  4. 5d ago

    A Blue Wave?, Xi’s Visit, Trump vs. the Press, Diesel Prices

    With just over a month until the midterms, Mike and Jay look at the increasingly difficult electoral environment for Republicans. They discuss Democrats’ generic-ballot advantage, unexpectedly competitive Senate and gubernatorial races, the GOP’s major fundraising edge, Trump’s effect on Republican candidates, and why campaign spending may reveal more than the polls. Next, they turn to Xi Jinping’s state visit and the striking contrast between the elaborate White House pageantry and the summit’s limited substantive results. The guys discuss the temporary tariff truce, Taiwan, Trump’s treatment of a $14 billion arms package as a negotiating chip, China’s purchases of Russian and Iranian oil, and the limits of personal diplomacy between great powers.   Then it’s Trump’s attempt to ban CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. Mike and Jay examine the court ruling temporarily restoring reporters’ press passes, the due-process and First Amendment questions, the administration’s national-security justification, and how much power presidents have to decide who gets access to the White House. Finally, diesel prices have hit record highs, prompting calls for a temporary ban on U.S. diesel exports. Mike and Jay consider whether Trump has the legal authority to impose a ban, whether it would actually lower prices, the logistical problems it could create, and what Trump’s growing willingness to intervene in markets—including government equity stakes in private companies—says about his economic policy. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

    A Blue Wave?, Xi’s Visit, Trump vs. the Press, Diesel Prices

  5. Sep 23

    Why Democrats Keep Losing Working-Class Voters

    Mike talks with Joan C. Williams and Jared Abbott, authors of The Left’s Coalition Crisis, about why Democrats have struggled with working-class voters and what they can do about it. Williams and Abbott argue that the familiar progressive-versus-moderate debate misses the point: successful candidates need “class competence”—an understanding of working-class values around hard work, security, family, and respect. They discuss striking survey findings on affordability, immigration, crime, abortion, childcare, expertise, and defending democracy; why anti-corruption may resonate more than warnings about authoritarianism; how progressive policies can gain support when framed around everyday concerns; and whether Democratic donors and activists are capable of building the cross-class coalition the party needs. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

    Why Democrats Keep Losing Working-Class Voters

  6. Sep 22

    The Empirical Limits of Ideology

    On this midweek supporters-exclusive episode of The Politics Guys, Trey Orndorff (Oklahoma Christian University) and Justin Holmes (University of Northern Iowa) bring their year-long subseries on Contemporary Political Ideologies to a close.Shifting away from political philosophy and the formal content of political doctrines, Trey and Justin dive into the empirical, behavioral, and psychological research surrounding how average citizens actually hold, process, and express political beliefs. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

    The Empirical Limits of Ideology

  7. Sep 19

    Kash Patel’s Vetting Revisions, Pardons for Cash, War Powers Votes, and Fed Rate Hikes

    On this week’s episode of The Politics Guys, Trey Orndorff (Oklahoma Christian University) is joined by political scientist Justin Holmes (University of Northern Iowa), filling in while Ken Katkin takes a short hiatus. The hosts break down a bizarre Senate Judiciary oversight hearing with FBI Director Kash Patel, an explosive congressional report on executive pardon brokers, a House vote to end U.S. military operations in Iran alongside a parliamentary standoff that sent Congress home early, and the Federal Reserve's first interest rate hike in three years. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

    Kash Patel’s Vetting Revisions, Pardons for Cash, War Powers Votes, and Fed Rate Hikes

  8. Sep 16

    Socialism and the Democratic Party

    Mike talks with Blake Ashby, co-founder of the Institute for Urban Capitalism and author of Socialism and the Democratic Party: The Case for a Return to Moderated Capitalism. They discuss why younger and older Americans hear very different things when they hear “socialism,” what Marx got right about capitalism—and where socialism goes wrong—and why Ashby argues that neither laissez-faire capitalism nor state control offers a workable answer. They also examine worker cooperatives, public utilities, deregulation and inequality, the role of government in making markets possible, capital flight, taxation, and Ashby’s case for “bubble-up economics.” The conversation closes with a political question for Democrats: if many policies associated with socialism are popular, does the label matter—or should the party stop worrying about the word and focus on the substance? Blake Ashby on X The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

    Socialism and the Democratic Party
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4.4
out of 5
752 Ratings

About

The Politics Guys is an independent, ideologically diverse American politics and policy podcast hosted by experts: political scientists, law professors, and practicing attorneys with government experience. Our mission is to give listeners a much-needed break from conservative and liberal echo chambers through civil, rational, and evidence-based discussion of American politics and policy from multiple perspectives.

Information

  • Creator
    The Politics Guys - Government Democracy & News
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Michael Baranowski
  • Show Website
    The Politics Guys

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