It’s Casual Friday! Sam hosts Jamelle Bouie, opinion columnist at the New York Times and co-host of the Unclear and Present Danger podcast, to discuss his recent piece “The Gerontocracy of the Democratic Party Doesn’t Understand That We’re at the Brink.” First, Sam dives right into the Supreme Court’s overturning of the half-century precedent of Roe v. Wade as the first major rollback of any established right in US history, the thirteen trigger laws it enacts, and the future of reproductive health when healthcare professionals are forced to weigh they own well being and security in making decisions. Jamelle Bouie then joins as he and Sam dive right into the growing divide between establishment Democrats and younger progressives in just acknowledging the horrendous state of our politics, as seen in Whip Clyburn’s official response to the Roe decision stating that it was “anti-climactic,” and take on the role of the Gerontocratic leadership of the Democratic party and their ossified perspective on how politics can and does function in the 21st Century, from Pelosi’s requests for a “strong Republican party” to Biden’s praising of McConnell’s integrity. Next, Bouie dives into his recent research into the Republican party that preceded today’s neoconservatism and their shift to hard-edged partisanship, contrasting this with the Democrats’ desire to triangulate in politics, as we saw with Hillary’s comments on sacrificing trans people for the integrity of anti-democratic institutionalism, and refusal to acknowledge that, yes, the GOP does mean what they say. After a conversation on the future of this fight, and the other big fights coming down the SCOTUS pipeline, Sam and Jamelle wrap up the interview by assessing the 1/6 hearings, Mike Pence, and the Democratic leadership’s attempted creation of right-wing heroes. Sam further dives into the other precedents (Griswald, Casey, Loving, etc) that are put in question by this decision and the absurdity of Thomas’ argument that this won’t set a precedent… while encouraging an extension of this decision to future cases.

And in the Fun Half: Sam explores the meaning behind the Majority Report name, James Carville asks for our help, and House Democrats sing God Bless America for some unknowable reason. Katie from Providence dives deeper into the subjectivity around the abortion “exemptions,” and how the objective nature of the punishment for abortions will easily overshadow them. Shannon from the USVIs discusses supporting Black women in the US, Alan and Brendan from North Carolina reflect on the shaping of their perspectives on reproductive rights, Valerie from AZ talks constitutionality and the Supreme Court teeing up myriad elements of queer rights to be overturned, and Mindy reads a statement from the Archdiocese of New York. The crew listens to Mick Lynch’s inspirational responses to the UK media’s insulting coverage of their rail strike, and Ron Johnson throws Mike Kelly under the bus, to which Kelly says, “who?” Jeff Clark can’t believe that Federal Agents wouldn’t let him wear the pants in their relationship, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Jamelle’s piece here: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/14/opinion/beware-the-ruinous-optimism-of-democratic-leaders.html

Check out the Unclear and Present Danger podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unclear-and-present-danger/id1592411580