The Bulwark Podcast

Donald Cohen: The Privatization of Everything

November 23rd, 2021  |  48 mins 31 secs

bill clinton, bridges, chicago, colleges, covid, democracy, for-profit universities, heads in beds, libraries, morgan stanley, parking meters, patent, prisons, private contractors, private prisons, privatizing public services, public employees, public goods, public sector, roads, ronald reagan, schools, student debt, transparency, vaccines, water, welfare

Should the government really be run like a business, or just be run really well? Author Donald Cohen debates Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

Bill Kristol: Fetishizing Political Violence

November 22nd, 2021  |  47 mins 14 secs

ambassadors, assassination, big lie, bret baier, congress, disinformation, fox news, jfk, jonah goldberg, kennedy, kenosha, kyle rittenhouse, november 22, racism, second amendment, senate, stephen hayes, tucker, waukesha

We are in a dangerous moment when members of the political class celebrate violence and fetishize guns. Plus, contemplating an America if JFK had not been assassinated. Bill Kristol joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

Greg Lukianoff: We Are Creating a Culture of Student Fragility

November 19th, 2021  |  52 mins 11 secs

berkeley, college campuses, college students, dorian abbot, first amendment, free speech, higher education, ideas, k-12 education, microaggression, milo, oppression, safety, schools, trauma, universities, university officials, violence, words

People are actually quite resilient, but when young students are told they can be harmed by words, it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Greg Lukianoff from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

Adam Schiff: The GOP Has Created a Monster

November 18th, 2021  |  35 mins 54 secs

adam kinzinger, battleground states, big lie, bill barr, carter page, collusion, devin nunes, fisa, george papadopoulos, hillary clinton, impeachment, jim jordan, june 2016, kevin mccarthy, kremlin, liz cheney, maga, manafort, midterms, mueller, paul ryan, polling data, qanon, republican party, russians, steele dossier, stolen emails, tea party, trump, trump tower, ukraine, wikileaks

"If you persuade people that we cannot rely on our elections to decide who should govern, then what is left but violence?" Rep. Adam Schiff joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

David Priess: It Wasn't a Hoax

November 17th, 2021  |  41 mins 23 secs

2016, censure, chris christie, collusion, ezra cohen, gina haspel, intelligence, jonathan karl, media, michael flynn, mueller, nicole wallace, paul gosar, russia, steele dossier, trump campaign

The findings of the Mueller report have been overshadowed by the discrediting of the Steele dossier, but the Russia-Trump campaign ties were a real thing. Lawfare's David Priess joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

Brian Klaas: Why Are So Many Leaders Awful?

November 16th, 2021  |  44 mins 59 secs

authoritarians, bannon, boardrooms, central african republic, corruption, despots, dictators, job interviews, kids soccer teams, lauren boebert, leaders, leadership, marjorie taylor greene, middle management, narcissism, new zealand police, police officers, police recruitment, power, psychopaths, school boards, trump, university college london, youth soccer

Tyrants are good at obtaining power, but bad at wielding it. And no, Mussolini didn't make the trains run on time. Author and Washington Post columnist Brian Klaas joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

Tim Mak: Inside the Downfall of the NRA

November 15th, 2021  |  45 mins 6 secs

columbine, gun culture, gun laws, gun rights, las vegas shooting, mass shootings, national rifle association, obama, oiiver north, reese witherspoon, sandy hook, school shootings, second amendment, susan lapierre, taylor swift, the media

After years of pushing fear, the NRA is facing an existential crisis. Government investigations and the billionaire lifestyle of Wayne LaPierre may spell the end for one of the most powerful organizations in America. NPR's Tim Mak joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

Tim Miller: Why Chris Christie Triggers Me

November 12th, 2021  |  45 mins 24 secs

1980s, 2016, aids, big bird, billionaires, catholicism, chris christie, college quarterback, dennis prager, hiv, jobs, john mcentee, mark esper, men in black, sesame street, taxes, transgender people, trump

It's The Bulwark's job to talk about Jan 6, Democrats need to talk about kitchen table issues, and Chris Christie: We remember what you did. Tim Miller joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

Donald Moynihan: Can We Still Govern?

November 11th, 2021  |  51 mins 55 secs

anti-wokeism, august wilson, bari weiss, ben shapiro, bret stephens, campus, covid, fences, free speech, gerrymandering, jan 6, john mcentee, kansas, kenosha, kyle rittenhouse, mark meadows, pandemic, pence, progressivism, redistricting, school boards, scott walker, tommy thompson, trump white house, universities, university of austin, welfare reform, wisconsin politics

Members of Congress are being threatened over infrastructure, the banning of books is back with a vengeance, and Americans are still paying the price for Trump's loyal lieutenants. Georgetown's Donald Moynihan joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

Dana Milbank: McCarthy is All-in

November 10th, 2021  |  43 mins 42 secs

blake masters, chris sununu, democrats, gop, jan. 6, kevin mccarthy, liz cheney, mcconnell, new hampshire, partisanship, republican party, senate, tommy tuberville

When the Republican Party is only about enabling the Big Lie and fomenting outrage to get on Fox News, Kevin McCarthy doesn't get a pass for averting his gaze. The Washington Post's Dana Milbank joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

Shannon Freshour: A View From Outside the Beltway

November 9th, 2021  |  43 mins 38 secs

culture war, democratic party messaging, dominion voting machines, infrastructure bill, j.d. vance, jane timken, jim jordan, josh mandel, midterms, mike gibbons, ohio, ohio gop senate primary, redistricting, rural broadband, sherrod brown, tim ryan, voters, working class

Republicans are in a purge mood, while Democrats are stumbling in the dark trying to figure out how to talk TO voters, rather than AT them. Former Ohio congressional candidate Shannon Freshour joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

David Jolly: Funding Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

November 8th, 2021  |  48 mins 22 secs

american history, biden presidency, critical race theory, democratic messaging, democratic party, infrastructure bill, liz cheney, national review, polls, progressives, republicans, schools, the squad, voters

Democrats have to go all in on owning their victory on infrastructure. And Biden's "Yeah, he's not Donald Trump!" honeymoon is over. Former Congressman David Jolly joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

Bill Kristol: The Party Gets Defined by the President

November 5th, 2021  |  50 mins 3 secs

After this week's drubbing at the polls, Democrats have to get some stuff done, improve their messaging, and they need to tell voters, "We hear you." Bill Kristol joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

Adam Kinzinger: What Comes Next?

November 4th, 2021  |  39 mins 35 secs

blue states, culture war, democracy, democrats, house of representatives, illinois, midterms, red states, redistricting, republicans, trump, trumpism, weekend at bernie's

The fight for the soul of the GOP may be over, but Rep. Adam Kinzinger sees a political future — maybe even a challenge against TFG. "I'm willing to lose to get the message out." The retiring congressman joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

Mona Charen: Swing Voters Swung

November 3rd, 2021  |  51 mins 36 secs

college-educated voters blue-collar voters, democrats, dog whistle, education, elections, gifted education, new jersey, phil murphy, racism, rural voters, schools, virginia, youngkin

Yes, there was a white backlash against Critical Race Theory, but there was also genuine concern about equity trumping excellence in education. Plus, Democrats forgot to speak to the Black and Latino working class. Mona Charen joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

Peter Wehner: Faith Has Become a Hood Ornament

November 2nd, 2021  |  46 mins 4 secs

catechism, christianity, christians, david platt, evangelical church, evangelical movement, faithful, gospel, grievance, hatred, idolatry, jesus, male dominance, masculinity, mclean bible church, ministry, pastor, politics, religion, the bible, trump

With many evangelicals spending hours a day watching Fox News and OANN, but just 25 minutes a week listening to a sermon, political culture has overwhelmed the culture of the church. Peter Wehner joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.