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How different is Washington from what you expected growing up?
Hey Marshall and Saagar, this is something we touched on a bit in my interview with Marshall but what was it like going from being political/history nerds to knowing and interviewing politicians? In what ways did it live up to or fall short of your expectations, and what do you wish regular Americans knew about Washington? Love the show, keep up the good work!
What can RFK accomplish in office?
The recent hubbub about ranking presidents made me think of where RFK could end up. Presidents are often appraised by their legislative achievements. If Kennedy were to actually make it to the White House, he would be a president without a congressional caucus to back him up. What's more, we should expect the Republicans and the Democrats to be ever so slightly miffed at the situation. How would any third party candidate be able to govern effectively with such weak influence over Congress? They would not just have a legislative minority, but would actually have both parties actively gunning for them.
Gulf War Era Book Recs
Hey Marshall and Saagar, Curious if either of you have any book/media recommendations if I'm seeking to understand the history and circumstances leading into/during the Gulf War and its ripple effects. Being born in the late 90's, I grew up with the Iraq/Afghan wars in the background, yet have never been able to fully grasp why and how we got there, so any help would be greatly appreciated. As always, thanks for your exceptional work! Best, Mose
Accepting US Pres. Election Results
After the 2020 election and Jan 6, I quickly came to the conclusion that the results of US presidential elections will never be fully agreed upon by Americans going forward. The results of 2016 were contested by Democrats because of Russia's interference in the election, 2020 was contested by Republicans for a variety of different reasons. I think that, going forwards, the losing side will always come up with some reason to reject the legitimacy of the outcome and their own closed off media bubble will feed into that claim. Is there a way to avoid this future? Am I wrong? Is it just another example of how people on the right and left live in different information and media bubbles?
Baby Boomers on the Demographic Decline
As of right now millennials are the largest proportion of the American population when sorting by generation. Baby Boomers are growing older, retiring, and passing away. I think this is what largely prevented the "hard landing" from the interest rate hikes, since a large chunk of the economy was retiring, providing more job openings and preventing the expected rise in unemployment. What ramifications will the retirement and eventual passing away of the boomer generation have on American economic life? Or on our political life, our culture, etc.