MagMen: Recent Episodes
The Ricochet Audio Network
Called ‘The Architect’ by former President George W. Bush, Karl Rove led Bush to victories in 2000 and the last GOP presidential win in 2004 that secured the popular and electoral vote. Rove goes in-depth on how Texas Republicans did so well in 2020, and where the GOP needs to start winning hearts and minds again to win elections. Rove also takes aim at Steve Bannon, QAnon, Oathkeepers...
Source
Seth and Jay welcomed former White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah to the show to get some more thoughts about the events of January 6th, the “stolen election” lie, and where the GOP goes from here.
Source
Fourteen days after the riots at the U.S. Capitol, Joe Biden took the oath of office on the same grounds that became a scene of mayhem and violence, including the deaths of five people. Jay and Seth discuss the inauguration, what it means in U.S. political culture and the work that will come next for Biden and members of Congress. They also discuss the press’s role and how they have a reputation...
Source
After a hiatus, the podcast is back! In this episode, Seth and Jay along with guest Karol Markowicz, go through 2020 and offer up some ideas about 2021. Also, the editors review the top stories this year from the magazine. Check it out!
Source
President Trump and former Vice-President Biden held their first of three debates in Cleveland with Fox News’ Chris Wallace playing the role of moderator. It was a mess to be sure. How bad was it and what’s the state of the debates after, especially when so many Biden supporters are telling him not to bother with anymore? Seth, Park, Jay, and Grant discuss. Also, they briefly discuss the sports...
Source
Donald Trump, whether people want to admit it or not, scored a pretty big foreign policy win as Israel normalized relations with UAE and Bahrain. Seth, Park, Jay, and Grant discuss the political implications for Trump and why people are so afraid (on either side) to credit anyone, not in their party for policy success. Also, the guys discuss the coronavirus vaccine and the effects of both Trump...
Source
Bob Woodward’s book, Rage, comes out next week. With the release of some snippets come the revelation of Trump admitting to Woodward he played down the coronavirus to stave off a panic. Does that excuse fly? And what of the criticisms of Woodward that if he knew about all of this, why not release it sooner instead of waiting for the book to come out? Grant, Jay, Park, and Seth discuss all of that...
Source
Back to the regularly scheduled broadcast! On this show, Seth, Park, Grant, and Jay discuss Joe Biden’s speech addressing protest violence, how the media narrative shifted to cover the protests, and whether or not Biden’s speech is more effective for quelling violence or for his campaign. Also, Bill de Blasio (with support from Andrew Cuomo) is saying NYC restaurants may not have dine-in options...
Source
The Republican National Convention is over, Trump made his case for a second term and the country is in the middle of shootings, riots, lootings and not to mention, a pandemic. Did Trump make the case for a second term? And how does the violence playing out across the country factor into the campaign and who does it hurt more? Biden? Trump? Jay, Seth, Grant, and Park answer those questions and...
Source
Slim topic on this podcast. Seth, Park, Grant, and Jay mostly discuss the speeches given by Kamala Harris and Joe Biden as well as what their campaign will look like coming out of the convention and if Biden will maintain his center-left posture or fall to the very online mindset. The guys also offer up a preview of what they think Trump will talk about in his speech next week.
Source
Joe Biden made his choice for a running mate and it’s Kamala Harris. There wasn’t much surprise behind the pick as Biden said he’d choose a woman and after the George Floyd protests, Biden had pressure to choose a woman of color. Seth, Jay, Park, and Grant discuss the following: What does it do for Biden’s campaign? How will Trump go after them and since he can’t control his worst impulses...
Source
The gang is all back. This week, Jay, Seth, Grant, and Park talk about the 2020 election. Specifically: The current polling The latest on Biden’s potential running mate How the press will treat Biden once it gets into crunch time The problems with mail-in voting and the warnings of election malfeasance by Trump and the Democrats Also, baseball season started and the guys talk about what they think...
Source
No magazine this week but there is still plenty to talk about! The guys first dive headfirst into the debate about reopening public schools. As is typical of our culture, it turned into a political battle with President Trump wanting schools across the nation to open up and unions decrying the idea of doing so (with the help of Democratic politicians who do what the unions want) unless it is “safe.
Source
In this episode, the guys keep it simple, discussing Bari Weiss’s departure from the New York Times. She quit and wrote a scathing open letter, detailing the reasons for her resignation. Also discussed is Andrew Sullivan’s departure from New York Magazine, with both stemming from what looks like intolerance from not only readers but staff members who increasingly are hostile to points of view that...
Source
After a week off, the crew is back and have an in-depth conversation about: Trump’s Mt. Rushmore speech and the media’s awful portrayal of it Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s characterization of the speech is a total lie Cancel culture and the goofy claim it doesn’t exist and what the future holds There is no magazine this week, so the guys will talk about their top picks in the next issue!
Source
Seth had the day off today so it was just Jay, Grant, and Park. In the first part of the show, the guys were joined by attorney Kyle Sammin to discuss his latest piece in the magazine called, Solving the social media standoff. Kyle goes into some possible solutions that don’t go as far as eliminating Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act but perhaps adding a new category specifically...
Source
There is an in-depth discussion this week covering three issues that broke just this week First, the guys talk about the SCOTUS Bostock decision regarding Title VII of The Civil Rights Act, Neil Gorsuch’s majority opinion, and whether or not it was the court writing legislation instead of interpreting the law. Also, Josh Hawley’s fiery Senate floor speech is covered and whether or not he’s right...
Source
Note that at the 10:33 mark we had some technical difficulties noted with a record scratch and we began recording again as best we could where we left off In the wake of the protests over the death of George Floyd, a “Defund The Police” movement has emerged. Some argue it doesn’t really mean to defund but others are buying into the idea of getting rid of police departments as if it will be a...
Source
It’s something when there is worse news than over 100K people dying of a virus and 40 million people filing for unemployment in the last several months. Add protests, both peaceful and violent to the mix resulting in millions of dollars in property damage, injuries, and death. The guys take a 50,000 view of the protests and also discuss what stands out the most and good, if any, will come of it.
Source
It was one thing when people argued over ventilators and lockdowns. But naturally, a culture war had to arise out of the coronavirus, and wearing masks is it. Who should wear them and when? Should the government mandate it and for how long? Also, is it right to shame people who choose not to wear one? Links to the stories Park mentions: The Fish Rots From The Head and The Herd Immunity Taboo...
Source
There’s no magazine for the Memorial Day weekend but the guys from Mag Men are still around. In this episode, the group discusses the sometimes absurd and makes-no-sense reopenings and how its confusing. There’s also the criticism of keeping parks, tennis courts, soccer fields and hiking trails closed. Also up for discussion is Ben Smith’s piece in the New York Times about Ronan Farrow and how...
Source
Everyone is here and the guys have a long discussion about the Michael Flynn case and the dropping of charges by the Justice Department. It’s a mess and even those critical of Trump and Flynn are not thrilled with how this played out, including the co-hosts. The Democrats want to see Trump’s financial documents. Trump refused and now the Supreme Court will make the decision. Is it legitimate or...
Source
With all the news still going on about the coronavirus, the guys decided to discuss several issues that aren’t directly related to the pandemic. First up is the contraceptive mandate in Obamacare. The Trump administration relaxed the rules for having to provide them for employees and appeals court stopped it. The Supreme Court took up the issue. Also, the Super PAC called The Lincoln Project...
Source
It’s a coronavirus free episode! I mean, it’s mentioned but only in the context of other discussions. Grant was MIA for this episode, it was just the Three Amigos. Joe Biden finally dealt directly with the sexual assault allegations made against him by Tara Reade. He appeared on Morning Joe and likely was not expecting such a tough interview. He didn’t look good, but it also wasn’t terrible and...
Source
It’s been several weeks and so much has changed. Instead of discussion continued lockdown, states are beginning to talk about getting people back to work. The guys discuss the pros and cons and what people will choose to do, outside of whatever permission they’re getting from Governors and state legislatures. There’s also a long discussion about the press and its treatment of the Tara Reade sexual...
Source