The Bulwark Podcast

Smart, Conservative, Never Tribal

About the show

Charlie Sykes and guests discuss the latest news from inside Washington and around the world. No shouting, grandstanding, or sloganeering. Conservative, conscientious, and civil.

The Bulwark Podcast on social media

Episodes

  • Jonathan V. Last: No, DeSantis is Not a Safer Choice

    November 1st, 2021  |  47 mins 31 secs
    biden, democratic party, desantis, facebook, gop, mcauliffe, mlb, polls, republican party, spending bill, trump, youngkin

    The GOP cements its role as a lifestyle brand. Why the GOP may not be able to replicate Youngkin. And Facebook's role in the derangement of American politics. Jonathan V. Last joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

  • Tim Miller on Our Political Dingleberries

    October 29th, 2021  |  54 mins 47 secs
    adam kinzinger, adl, anti-defamation league, biden, democrats messaging, diamond & silk, fox news, halloween, hershel walker, liz cheney, locker room talk, mcconnell, moderates, pelosi, polls, progressives, spending bill, the squad, tucker carlson, virginia, war on terror, youngkin

    Adam Kinzinger exits stage left, Hershel Walker enters stage right, and Liz Cheney goes YOLO. Plus, when will Democrats figure out how to sell their bill? Tim Miller joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

  • Tom Nichols: There is No Bottom

    October 28th, 2021  |  48 mins 7 secs
    1968, charlie kirk, cotton, culture war, el paso, election administration, elections, fauci, fox news, garland, katie hobbs, kennedy assassination, mcveigh, michael flynn, murdoch, oklahoma city, rush limbaugh, sasse, school boards, tree of life, violence, wsj

    The Wall Street Journal is trolling, Tucker Carlson has gone full Alex Jones, and Michael Flynn is comparing Dr. Fauci to Dr. Mengele. Tom Nichols joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

  • Jack Goldsmith & Bob Bauer: Restoring the Presidency

    October 27th, 2021  |  44 mins 47 secs
    biden, bipartisan, clinton, constitutional, democrats, house, inspectors general, jan 6, metaxas, presidential pardons, presidential power, republicans, riot, senate, separation of powers, subpoena power, trump

    Presidents of both parties have been exploiting loopholes for years. Trump showed just how urgent the problem of presidential overreach is. Bob Bauer and Jack Goldsmith join Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

  • Catherine Rampell: When Taxing the Rich Doesn't Include Millionaires

    October 26th, 2021  |  43 mins 49 secs
    affordable care act, aoc, ap english, beloved, budget, child tax credit, doctors, inflation, lawyers, manchin, safety net bill, schools, sinema, social policy bill, social spending bill, taxes, toni morrisson, youngkin

    With a wealthier and more highly educated base, do Democrats have the political will to actually tax the rich? The Washington Post's Catherine Rampell joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

  • McKay Coppins: Our Democracy Needs Busy, Bustling Newsrooms

    October 25th, 2021  |  48 mins 7 secs
    alden, baltimore sun, chicago tribune, cities, communities, david axelrod, david simon, democracy, journalism, local news, new york daily news, newspapers, newsrooms, reporters, the atlantic, the wire

    Increasing polarization, misinformation, and the erosion of public trust can be traced to the death of newspapers. Why is a secretive hedge fund hollowing out local newsrooms? The Atlantic's McKay Coppins joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

  • Tyler Merritt: We Are Not Monolithic

    October 22nd, 2021  |  43 mins 31 secs
    african americans, before you call the cops, black americans, black voices, george floyd, karens, race, youtube

    The deaths of Black people awakened our nation last year. What happened to our conversation about race? Author and actor Tyler Merritt joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

  • Bill Kristol: Democrats, Please Don't Let a Political Meteor Hit Us Again

    October 21st, 2021  |  48 mins 47 secs
    2020, biden, colin powell, community college, democrats, irs, manchin, mcauliffe, pre-k, progressives, republicans, sinema, virginia, voting rights, white house, youngkin

    Republicans have no agenda beyond denying the truth about 2020, and changing election rules. But if the Democrats can't get it together, there could be a Trumpian restoration. Bill Kristol joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

  • Charlie Warzel: I Should Have Warned You

    October 20th, 2021  |  51 mins 10 secs
    careers, contempt, far right, jan. 6, jobs, journalism, liz cheney, media, millennials, pandemic, press, steve bannon, trump, work from home, work life

    Can our media rise to meet the dangerous moment we are in? Journalist Charlie Warzel joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

  • Will Saletan: The Vaccination Culture War

    October 19th, 2021  |  52 mins 20 secs
    bill cassidy, charlie sykes, dennis prager, gop, january 6, slate magazine, trump, tucker carlson, unvaccinated, will saletan

    After its embrace of the unvaccinated and the Jan. 6 insurrectionists, the GOP can no longer claim it's the party of law and order. Do the Democrats have it in them to take on that role? Will Saletan joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

  • Ben Schreckinger: The Bidens and the Media's Credibility

    October 18th, 2021  |  42 mins 9 secs
    art, art gallery, burisma, colin powell, delaware, fox news, hunter biden, hunter's laptop, jim biden, joe biden, painting, the bidens, the big guy, the delaware way, the mainstream media, tony bobulinski, trump, tucker carlson, ukraine

    While there has been no shortage of exposés about Trump, his administration, and his family, a new book about the Bidens is getting relatively limited attention. Is the mainstream media applying a double standard? Ben Schreckinger joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

  • Bill Kristol: Clowns to the Left, Jokers to the Right

    October 15th, 2021  |  48 mins 40 secs
    abbott, biden, classrooms, democrats, desantis, hb 3979, holocaust, independents, jan. 6, josh mandel, kevin mccarthy, maga, mask mandates, mcauliffe, pledge of allegiance, republicans, schools, southlake, texas, virginia governor's race, youngkin

    When you can't align with the people who equate mask mandates to Nazi Germany — or with people who get triggered by the Federalist Society — where does the Rational Center belong? BIll Kristol joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

  • Ian Bassin: Putting Democracy First

    October 14th, 2021  |  44 mins 12 secs
    charlie sykes, congress, democracy in crisis, gop, ian bassin, school board meetings, trump

    Our democracy is in a crisis, but there's also a growing movement across the country to join forces to fight for it. Protect Democracy's Ian Bassin joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

  • Emma Green: Is the Claremont Institute saying the silent part out loud?

    October 13th, 2021  |  47 mins 38 secs
    2020 election, civil war, claremont institute, criminal justice, federalist society, flight 93 essay, jan. 6, john eastman, jon gruden, judge luttig, michael luttig, national conservatism, prisons, systemic racism, the atlantic, trump

    The Claremont Institute is the intellectual home of America's Trumpist right — as well as election theft mastermind John Eastman. The Atlantic's Emma Green joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast. Is the conservative think tank just giving words and ideas to the ball of energy that elected Trump, or further inflaming our already inflamed politics?

  • David Priess: Getting the Truth on January 6

    October 12th, 2021  |  45 mins 28 secs
    ashli babbitt, bannon, biden, china, cia, claremont, fake furs, insurrection, jan 6, jon gruden, nfl, pompeo, republicans, saudis, subpoenas, trump, veep, white house

    Not only is Trump doubling down in support of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists, he's turning Ashli Babbitt into a martyr. Plus, when will Biden build back better bumper sticker-style messaging from the White House? Lawfare's David Priess joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast.

  • Larry Sabato: Our Divided America

    October 11th, 2021  |  43 mins 19 secs
    ballots, biden voters, big lie, civil war, dejoy, democracy, election, grassley, infrastructure, maga, mail, mcauliffe, politics, sabato, scalise, secession, trump voters, usps, virginia governor's race, youngkin

    Americans hate the other side so much, they want to bust up the country, censor media they don't like, and allow "their"president to act without checks and balances. That's according to recent polling by Larry Sabato, who joins Charlie Sykes on today's podcast. As long as Donald Trump remains on the stage, democracy in America is not safe, says Sabato.