Good morning, today the MR crew breaks down the live news from Barr’s Mueller Report press conference and the fight for the Democratic nomination’s latest war of words between Bernie Sanders and the Center for American Progress. While the Mueller Report has ostensibly been released by the Department of Justice. However, to any shrewd political observer, Barr’s press conference was a textbook demonstration of how a ruling party disseminates news. It’s not a coincidence that Bill Barr gave a speech looking to exonerate Trump of any wrongdoing the day before the Easter and Passover holidays.
Taking a quick break from the Mueller Report, Sean McElwee from Data for Progress joins Sam to discuss the changing landscape and left-punching developing in the Democratic Party. For McElwee, this fight began with the DCCC decision to blacklist political vendors who work with candidates who primary sitting Democrats, even if that Democrats is an anti-choice right leaning official like Dan Lipinski. This decision has metastasized to an effort to squash the Justice Democrats and their desire to push the party left. It seems the Democratic leadership has forgotten the messages that won them the house in 2018: that they will concentrate on investigating Trump and advocate for voter rights policies like HR 1. Democratic leadership has capitulated to the bad faith Republicans demands to condemn and ostracize new Democratic members of Congress like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. McElwee believes the reactions to the 2018 midterms comes down to a generational divide in the new Democratic majority. Pelosi, Hoyer, and Cummings wish things could go back to the “Beltway as Usual” while AOC, Omar, and Jayapal are trying to push a more aggressive party with bold reform like the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. McElwee and Sam wrap their discussion with an insider’s look into how the DCCC and Democratic leadership is presented and consumes polling in DC.
And in the Fun Half: Barr’s interpretation of Mueller’s Findings reminds us of the SCOTUS Citizen’s United ruling from Justice Roberts, Even Fox News thinks Barr sounded like a defense attorney, AOC’s spokesman explains why Appalachian coal miners would dig the Green New Deal, John Bolton receives thunderous applause for [checks notes] restricting travel to Cuba, Kamala Harris apologizes for the punitive truancy laws she enacted as California AG, Beto wants to address corporate concentration by leaving Amazon alone, Quilette wonders if the IDW is ideologically diverse and decides Dave Rubin is right wing, Dave Rubin defends his Ideas Only platform, Bernie’s call to eliminate private insurance, plus your calls and IMs!
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