Episode

6/19 Hawks Circle Iran, Dems Clouding M4A, & Biden’s Favorite Segregationists

June 19, 2019

On today’s show, the MR team discusses Trump’s lonely cabinet, the State Department’s threatening posture towards Iran, the state of Medicare for All’s popularity, and how the Democratic Party is losing its grip on House legislation.

Yesterday, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan stepped down from his post after it was revealed that he and his son have a history of domestic violence. As Bolton and Pompeo ratchet up tensions with Iran, Shanahan was reportedly a check on the hawks calling for war; now with his exit, there is a vacuum in the White House and one less person on the National Security Council telling Trump that war with Iran would be catastrophic.

New polls from Kaiser Family Foundation and Navigator Research show that most Democratic voters are misinformed about Medicare for All. Only a quarter of Democratic are aware that the Sanders and Jayapal bill would completely eliminate deductibles, in fact, more Republicans (28%) knew Medicare for All would eliminate deductibles. The lack of clarity on M4A is a feature not a bug in Democratic leadership. Ironically, Democrats are running again on health care, but with a message less clear than 2018’s campaign to protect the ACA. The horizon has expanded for the 2020 Democratic primary, hatred of Trump and threat of losing ACA protections will not bring about the same popular mobilization as platforms that include policies like M4A, the Green New Deal, student debt relief, and $15 minimum wage.

Joe Biden’s Unite the Right tour through the 2020 Democratic primary continues to highlight his worst instincts. Last night, at a fundraiser in NYC, Biden stressed the need to reach out to the GOP, referencing his old Senate colleagues James Eastland and Herman Talmadge, segregationists who brought “civility” to American discourse. While Biden’s staff say they lament him exemplifying segregationist, it doesn’t seem like these examples will stop anytime soon.

Finally, Jimmy Dore…What you doin??

And in the Fun Half: Sam gives some relationship advice to a budding UK socialist, why it’s Medicare for All and not Medicaid for All, explaining the Fox News “concentration camp” concern troll and what “never again” really means, Trump’s 2020 kickoff, and why Boomers love Biden, plus your calls and IMs!

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