Episode 42 - Ad-Vance or Retreat?

Welcome back to the Rational Policy Podcast! In this installment, Episode 42, your steadfast hosts Mike Coté and Art Vandelay break down the week in news, touching on policy, politics, and foreign affairs. We start with the latter, delving into the latest updates on the Iran ‘deal’ and how things look a week later. (Spoiler alert: not great!) We talk about the Iranian refusal to comply with the very terms it agreed to, the piss-poor and contradictory statements from the Trump administration, and the centering of Vice President JD Vance as a pro-deal messenger to the American public. We also discuss the potential resumption of fighting, what this war has accomplished, and how we could still win the peace, in spite of the White House’s best efforts. Mike also posits an alternative and more ambiguous end to the conflict, one that might be more consonant with American interests.After this discussion, we remain overseas but shift to rank politics, talking about the rapid and stunning decline of the just-resigned British prime minister Keir Starmer. We mention how the Labour Party has squandered its historic electoral landslide, the very real issues with migration and related violence in Europe, and why the left’s inability to deal with the problems they ran against could open the door for a dramatic pendulum-swing in the region’s politics. Finally, we come back stateside to talk about the recent New York primary elections, focusing on the far-left Democratic Socialist (read: communist) primary winners who will be in Congress early next year. What do these results say about the future of the Democratic Party in America? (Hint: nothing good.)Check it out, follow us on Twitter/X (Mike / Art), and share the podcast with anyone you think might appreciate it. Thanks for listening. We’ll be back next week with two Very Special Episodes. Until then, enjoy the summer weather and the air conditioning! USA! USA! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rationalpolicy.com