Michael D’Antonio joins the program to discuss his latest book, The Shadow President: The Truth About Mike Pence.  Mike Pence has had his sights sent on the presidency since beginning his career in politics. D’Antonio  believes Mike Pence is the most powerful “Christian supremacist” in American history. Pence grew up in a typical New Deal Irish Catholic family before becoming an Evangelical christian and launching a career as an AM talk radio host who railed about homosexuals and extramarital affairs in the military. As a legislator for in 10 years in the House, Pence did not sponsor a single bill which later became law–but he was a great fundraiser. His fundraising prowess made him many friends on Capitol Hill and helped parlay his greater political ambitions. After being elected in deep-red Indiana, he set about passing conservative christian  laws (namely, RFRA) that most Hoosiers did not support. D’Antonio describes Pence’s style of uncompromising governing as one that vacillates between dogmatically christian and mercenarily hard-core conservative. Given his less-than-mediocre track record, how did he end up as Trump’s vice president? D’Antonio believes it’s a combination of his relationship to the donor class and the christian right’s belief that Pence is destined to assume the presidency–in the meantime Pence plays the roll of Daniel to Trump’s Cyrus, to put it in biblical terms. Even still, given the amount of chaos in the White House, does Pence have a plan to accelerate his ascent to the presidency? D’Antonio thinks so–he sees real potential in a Pence/Haley 2024 ticket–the Trump presidency is not the final chapter of Mike Pence’s political career.

And in the Fun Half: Would Sam be the face of Arby’s net national ad campaign? Why Nancy Pelosi’s proposed tax measures will hurt progressive causes, Sam to debate libertarian YouTube host Adam Kokesh, Mike Lee lets his libertarian freak flag fly at the Federalist Society, the coming civil war between the conservative and progressive political factions, an awesome MAGA tattoo, Ohio is gerrymandered to hell and its newest legislation is terrifying, a Kansas county commissioner’s musings on the “master race,” how utility subsidies and monopolies hurt consumers and constituents, the whisper campaign has begun–Seder Schumer primary 2020? Trump’s new epistemological take on the Khasshogi murder, the student loan crisis will continue to become a greater issue, why progressives prefer Richard Ojeda to Kamala Harris. Plus your calls and IMs!

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