Iowapalooza, Pt. 1: Dave Kochel on Democrats’ Potential Hopium O.D. in the Hawkeye State

John welcomes longtime Democratic consulting partners and Clinton 1992 icons James Carville & Paul Begala to discuss their party’s prospects in the midterm elections. James and Paul argue that the House is rapidly shifting from a blue wave to a blue wipeout; that Democratic optimism about flipping Senate seats in deep red states (Alaska, Kansas, South Carolina and even Mississippi) is warranted, even as their side is danger of losing on more hospitable territory (Michigan, Maine, and even Minnesota). They also offer theories as to why Donald Trump can't stop talking about Ohio GOP Senator Jon Husted’s ass.

John welcomes Cook Political Report election guru Dave Wasserman to discuss the outlook for the midterms. Wasserman argues that rising prices, an unpopular war, voters’ increasing focus on government corruption, and Republicans’ failure to distance themselves from Donald Trump have put them in an “impossible position” two weeks out from Election Day; Trump’s record-low approval ratings, coupled with his insistence on making the election a referendum on himself, are making his party’s already dire situation even worse; the GOP’s mid-decade redistricting gambit has ended up yielding next to nothing; and Democrats are all but guaranteed to retake the House (potentially picking up north of 20 seats) and narrow favorites to recapture the Senate, too.

John welcomes Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, to discuss the midterm elections and the fierce fights among the Democratic Party’s warring factions. Tanden explains the combination of factors that she believes will lead to a thorough repudiation of Donald Trump and the GOP on November 3; why the unexpected strength of Democratic Senate candidates in ruby red states such as Alaska, Kansas, and Iowa illuminate a path to consigning MAGA to the dustbin of history; and her view of the place the DSA should have in the big-tent coalition her party needs to build. She also offers what she claims will be her final words on her ongoing feud with leftist streamer Hasan Piker.

John welcomes journalist Anand Giridharadas to discuss his new best-selling book, “Man in the Mirror: Hope, Struggle, and Belonging in an American City,” about the death of Jordan Neely on a New York subway train after being placed in a chokehold by another passenger, Daniel Penny. Anand explains what drew him to the headline-making story of Neely, a homeless, mentally ill Black man, and the white Long Islander who subdued him, that became a Rorschach test for the country’s political and racial tribes; and how despite their conflicting views of public order in post-pandemic America, those tribes are animated by a shared sense of abandonment by the institutions meant to protect and serve us all, which Giridharadas argues is the defining emotion of our time.

John welcomes back Skybridge Capital founder and Trump Wall Street apostate Anthony Scaramucci to discuss the president’s mindset and machinations as he barrels towards a brutish repudiation in the midterm elections. Scaramucci—who served an inglorious, 11-day stint as White House communications director in 2017—explains how Trump’s view of his power to save his party sits alongside his barely concealed desire to see its members crash and burn; how his attacks on the Pope earlier this year were a roundabout effort to mess with JD Vance; and why Natalie Harp is more likely to be Trump’s nursemaid than concubine. The Mooch also expounds on his new book, “All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump.”