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Not a question it's a comment
I am a federal agent and I enjoy both the Realignment and Breaking Points. There is an issue that I never seen addressed on either show. The effect of the George Floyd "Protests" and the subsequent attacks on law enforcement (LE). This is my business and I notice that nobody is connecting the dots. 1. January 6 LE response was because - after the Summer of riots LE did not know how to respond. They were paralyzed with fear and indecision. Hence the sporadic odd response by the Capitol Police on January 6. 2. The rise in crime all over America is related to the fact that police have decided that in this environment if you make a mistake or your judgement is off you will be indicted.. Hence they react so proactive policing is dead.. Imagine telling an ER surgeon if he makes a mistake he will be indicted ? Try it and then monitor ER care see what changes.. 3. This is tied into the response by the police at Uvalde. Once again police are paralyzed and did not want to make decisions for fear of being blamed. Imagine if they accidently killed students or teachers. Ironically, Uvalde occurred at the same time Biden's EO which orders LE to deescalate, wear body cameras and create lists of bad cops. How is nobody connecting all this ? Or pointing out the inconsistency and mixed signals Instead I hear Sagar shitting all over the Uvalde cops and Crystal talking about saving "Babies" 20 times .. How does they know what went on ? It would be great if you guys looked into the correlation between the George Floyd event and subsequent war on LE and how it relates to Jan 6, rising crime rates and Uvalde. Thanks
What do politics mean personally to you?
So many people around me just simply don't care about political discourse or just passively absorb a base level understanding from scrolling through Twitter or cable news. Can you define why you personally pursue a nuanced understanding of American politics? Love the show. Thanks guys.
Celebrity politicians
In the most recent discussion episode, you guys talked about how you don't mind celebrities in politics and in fact think it somewhat "fits" the current moment in the way that men with beards fit with the 1880s. My question is: if you could magically appoint any celebrity to any public office, who would you pick, and for what position? (This is supposed to be more of a fun question, but feel free to take it as seriously or as realistically as you want!)
Spotify connection still not working
Huge fan of the Marshall, Saagar, the Realignment and Breaking Points! The Spotify link button on the subscriber page just links back to the same page (https://realignment.supercast.com/subscriber). You may already be aware of this and still working on getting it set up but just wanted to let you know.
DeSantis vs Trump
I think DeSantis has more support than you guys (primarily Saagar) think amongst voters. Saagar was saying on BP that Trump is just a better version of DeSantis (i.e bigger celebrity, DeSantis is just a Trump carbon copy, etc.), but I feel the opposite. DeSantis seems to have learned a lot from Trump, but actually knows how to govern. Trump is no where to be seen on Social Media. DeSantis is all over conservative meme accounts that people share, he is actually on Twitter, he's governing well, he can claim he saved us from more COVID lockdowns. I also know many "2016 Trump Voter, but 2020 Biden Voter" people who would happily vote DeSantis over Trump (albeit that's not empirical). DeSantis is Trump-Esque, but younger, has a better governing resume, has military experience, visibly/orally sharper, knows how to read the "vibes", and the "libs" hate him (which needs to be a top attribute for the GOP candidate, whether we like it or not). The Trump affect is weaker than it has ever been, but the "anything-but-Biden" vibe is very high. I am reading the FDR bio by Jean Edward Smith, and the 1932 election seems somewhat similar. We have an awful economy, Hoover is not sensitive and set in his ways and the nation is fed up. A politician named FDR is reading the "vibes" of the nation well and ascends to the presidency. I feel like DeSantis could do some of that.. I know it's wishful thinking. Maybe the culture war is too strong. Maybe our media ecosystem hasn't reset yet enough for this. As students of history and far smarter than I am on this topic, I would love to hear your thoughts. I am a recent college grad, live in Texas, went to university in the south. I just feel like DeSantis is the hotter name than Trump.
Great Politicians
(It's Tee-Fen-Taller) I wanted to ask Saagar about his comment calling Joe Manchin a "great senator." The reason you gave was that he uses cultural issues to manipulate voters into overlooking his failures and corruptions, which you called horrific. So when you say he's a great senator, do you just mean he's good at holding on to power? It sounds like you don't approve of what he does with that power. To me a "great senator" would be a senator who uses the power entrusted to them by voters in order to materially improve voter's lives and responsibly execute the responsibilities of the office. In a similar vein, when Saagar talks about that book, Freedom from Fear, the explanation is that all of the myriad New Deal policies made people feel like the government was doing something to alleviate the suffering caused by the Great Depression. Of those policies, however, very few of them were actually effective as far as bringing the Depression to an end. My apologies if I got that wrong. So if FDR's New Deal policies were actually not effective, what is it that makes him such an admirable figure? (before WW2 that is). Are you defending a version of Plato's Noble Lie? Thanks for all the work y'all do putting these shows together. I find them extremely valuable.
The Next Realignment's Big Issue
I have been listening to the 3 Frank DiStefano episodes again and it has me thinking about what the next big issue is that resets our political landscape (ex. westward expansion, slavery, industrial revolution/new deal). What is the new big issue? I keep coming back to "information" or the "data economy". Personal data being monetized has changed our life (ex. social media, amazon using consumer data to make their own products, personalized ads, etc.). I think Andrew Yang said in his Realignment episode that the "freedom dividend" could be the money we get in returnn for everyones personal data being widely used. Curious to see what your pre-midterm thoughts are about this? I know this is the goal of the show and its always a moving target, but love to see how you think about it as of June 2022. Thanks guys.
Getting Young People to Vote
Young people and the kind of person who watches YouTubers usually don't vote. You understand the cynicism and despair behind that, but is there any way to get them to invest in politics so their concerns register? Obviously there are obstacles in their way, like primaries, meant to keep them out. David Foster Wallace even argued back in 2000 that making young people cynical was an establishment move to discourage the youth vote. But it seems like there's a doom spiral happening where their disinterest keeps them from being served, which keeps them from being interested, and helps keep politics broken.
Gas Cards?
Why couldn’t the government give people a debit card they can use on gas? In it’s most simple form, it could be just a regular debit card with a certain amount of money on it to be used at gas stations. What do you think about a system where people can apply for a government credit card, that then sends them a scheduled fuel bill with most of the cost covered by the government. So for example, if you spent $400 on gas on the card, you’d get a bill from the government for $100. It could also be means tested.
If not sanctions, if not war, then what?
Saagar and Krystal seem to be full bore on the train of sanctions against Russia was a bad idea, going to war with Russia would be a bad idea, putting troops in Ukraine would be a bad idea, allowing Ukraine into nato would be a bad idea, allowing Ukraine into the EU would be a bad idea. So what are THE good idea? It is easy to criticize, but what I don't hear is any kind of "If I were President, I would do this." or "The best option is xyz."
Saagar's Graduate Studies
Hey guys, I greatly appreciate the work you all are doing! I wondered if Saagar could talk a little more about his graduate studies. I am finishing a master's program and am considering an additional graduate degree. My course of study is predominantly in national security/defense policy, and I would like to hear Saagar's perspective on his degree.
Go for the ink not the printer - Gun Control
Hi Marshal and Saagar, I am curious on your views on ammo regulations over gun regulation. The general concept is similar to printers, it's not the printer that kills your wallet it's the ink/toner. Why not just make ammo expensive / put a tax on it. Seems like a way easier sell to the public, and the actual dedicated gun users can make their own ammo that they area probably doing already.
Red flag laws
Hey guys, great Q&A sessions last week. One question I had for Saagar around his passionate takes on red flag laws their constitutionality. How does he square that with proposals from Michael Shellenberger or Andrew Yangs proposals to commit homeless people to institutions? Aren’t those laws subject to the same potential misuse? I can’t believe any society that criminalizes abject poverty or addiction can claim due process concerns.
Presidential Rank
Hey guys, I think similar to you both I am a 1992 baby. Right now it seems like Joe Biden will go down as the most ineffectual and perhaps worst president of my lifetime, which I feel like is saying something because I don't feel like I've had any notably good ones. So I'd be curious how you would rank the presidents since Clinton on from best to worst? What your criteria would be for making that determination? And do you think any of them rank in the top 10 or 20 in American history?
RBG’s Greatest Legacy
Is it hyperbolic to say RBG’s greatest legacy is not stepping down under Obama and letting Trump pick her replacement, allowing Roe v Wade to be overturned? Is it true she wanted to wait for Hilary to become president, so that she could step down and be replaced by the first Female president?
Efficiency on Sanctions
Marshall I've listened to your interview with nate Shibley on the early days of war where Nick said sanctions were a medium to long term play and how the export controls were the most important part. Having taiwan and Japan have strict export controls on chips and having usa tell China at beginning of war not to help Russia were important. I don't understand why Marshall never pushes back. What in the world is Russia going do with all that money they have ? Their airline industry has 10 months to live, auto industry is going belly up, they can't make their advanced tanks due to lack of chips so WTF is the point of the money?! Seems like what nick said would happen exactly happened and now you guys did a 180.
Does Zeihan exonerate the Blob?
After your show with Zeihan, I got his book and he predicts some pretty serious change, much of it harmful and especially to poorer countries, if the U.S. stops underwriting globalization and trade returns to more regional blocs. If that's reasonably likely, doesn't it end up justifying the foreign policy establishment's fixation on preserving the "global order" even if one disagrees with their strategy and overreach? This was the first time I encountered an argument I could accept for why we need to preserve the post-WWII settlement and from an unexpected place, so I'm curious for your take.
Have you guys watched For All Mankind?
I’m 100% in alignment with the Realignments view on dynamism. So is Ron Moore (Star Trek TNG and Battlestar Galactica remake). For All Mankind is about an alternate history where the Soviets beat us to the moon. This made America go all out on Nasa which leads to significant technological breakthroughs, better race relations, less culture wars, and a golden age of scientific advancement.
Clarance Thomas's take on Loving vs Virginia
Just finished listening to your episode on the Roe v Wade decision. You mentioned how Clarance Thomas's concurrence that also raised rolling back other privacy-based decisions on gay marriage and contraception. Notably absent from his concurrence was any mention of Loving Vs Virginia, the only one of these cases that could impact him personally. On the face of it, it seems like "rules for thee, not for me" hypocrisy, but I'm wondering if you've heard anything about his take on the supreme court ruling on inter-racial marriage? Thanks