Polis's Clemency Record and Context

Donald Trump is more unpopular than he’s ever been. But he’s still got a tight grip on the GOP, he keeps making progress on his plan to subvert elections. And Democrats…well it’s unclear what they intend to do about it.

In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:

* Jared Polis…what the fuck?

* Are Republicans simply winning the fight for historical memory of January 6?

* Would impeaching Polis, or removing Virginia supreme court justices, be purely expressive, or is there value in showing strong intolerance for fascism?

Then, if Democrats aren’t really looking for procedural toe holds for resisting Republican election theft, are they at least maximizing their electoral advantage ahead of the midterms? The picture is mixed! Will they prevail on Republicans to quash Trump’s pro-insurrection slush fund, filled with $1.8 billion in stolen public money? Are they broadening the map as much as possible? Does the end of Bill Cassidy’s career doom us to 40 years of insurrectionist right-wing politics? The short answer to all of those questions is “maybe.” The long answers are much more fascinating and available in full to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.

Further reading:

* Brian noticed a positive change in Democratic partisan fighting back in September.

* But he worries they haven’t reached clarity on the need to maximize procedural advantage at every turn.

* Matt: Out with moderation, in with “schmoderation.”

* Mother Jones on the progressive case for Tina Peters clemency.