Armchair Politics

American history nerd Matt Beat joins the guys to breakdown how Congress’s effective cap on representatives is continually eroding our democracy, and how uncapping the House would change that. You can find Matt’s work at iammrbeat.com or @iammrbeat on most socials. Chapters:00:00 Intro00:35 Matt Beat, the Andy Dufresne of Uncapping the house4:37 How we got here7:15 Power dynamics in representation 10:24 When the House stopped expanding11:10 George Washington’s thoughts on representation17:13 Comping Bear Bryant to uncapping the house19:17 Polarization would decrease22:43 This is the issue that helps fix every other issue28:50 LA County Board of Supervisors finally expanding31:54 The racial impact36:49 State of the movement42:25 Bipartisanship45:10 The history of multi-representative districts 47:23  Uncapping the house is easier to pass 48:48 Moving forward 55:27 Moderate Democrats are like film studio execs

Who do you want to be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives? The guys are joined by Eliza Orlins and Brittany Mahler to draft their democratic leadership team in the next congress, and to opine about where the future of the party resides. You can find Brittany and Eliza on instagram @theblondeseyeview and @eorlins respectively. Chapter List00:00 Intro1:47 Picking old speakers of the house for draft orderOur picks4:37 AOC6:37 Elizabeth Warren10:18 Liz Warren is Jalen Brunson 11:57 Ayanna Pressley 14:25 Gavin Newsom20:36 Martha Stewart 16:59 Current House leadership22:24 Lauren Underwood24:21 Pramila Jayapal26:29 Ilhan Omar27:54 Jon osseff31:40 Maxwell Frost35:16 Joe Neguse37:30 John Stewart42:40 Current Senate leadership46:47 Chuck Schumer and ‘The Baileys’47:53 Dean withers50:54 Raphael Warnock54:31 Amy Klobuchar56:20 Summer lee57:17 Brad Lander58:37 Rachel Maddow1:01:12 Angela Alsobrooks1:03:25 Ms Rachel

The guys are joined by city council district 5 candidate Henry Mantel to discuss Los Angeles’s crushing housing crisis, and his vision for how we can turn the city around.00:00 Intro00:26 Henry Mantel Angeleno/tenant rights lawyer 5:08 Why Henry is running for city council 10:02 LA big housing issue: Single family zoning14:28 Los Ángeles in the Sam Darnold of cities15:29 Municipal matching campaign funds16:41 How owning a home is like owning a sport franchise18:08 Changing public housing24:05 Anger over our poor leadership28:20 Single family zoning as a remenent of segregation 32:01 Good governance is dangerous35:00 Voting against more housing near transit - SB7940:33 Making LA a more transit friendly-walkable city47:10 Preserving green space in our city53:39 Priority bus lanes are like Kyler Murray55:39 Urgency of the housing crisis

It’s Tax Season and the Armchair guys are breaking down America’s budget. From defense spending, to Medicaid,the IRS, and more, they’re discussing what are the best and worst investments of our tax dollars. Check Dr. Carter’s book: The Spirit of Soul Food: Race, Faith, & Food JusticeChapter list:00:00 Intro14:10 Episode overview 00:20 Our budget is a statement of our values1:53 Tax day PSA 3:18 Iran War spending6:25 using religion to justify war8:19 Defense spending8:46 Run military like a business11:20 Monopoly in defense spending 12:28 General Mattis exemplifies defense lobbying 16:24 Dan Campbell 4th down decision making18:02 Juan Soto contract as a comp for defense spending 20:14 Frustrating part about DOGE26:00 Child income tax credit30:00 Cost of defense v cost of child welfare36:42 Myth that people don’t want to work39:19 SNAP42:56 Food justice / growing up food insecure 47:41 Farm subsidies 51:26 Jerry Jones roster building like subsidies /segregation 53:18 Tax breaks53:35 Corporate welfare and regressive taxes55:42 Tax brackets when “America was great”58:48 Healthcare spending59:44 An cent of prevention is worth a dollar of cure 1:04:17 Social security 1:04:57 Sandwich generation 1:06:32 Life needs a purpose 1:07:55 Waste and fraud 1:09:46 IRS1:13:13 Deficit payments and spendings1:15:39 Unemployment benefits 1:17:00 Argument for Universal Basic Income 

From our founding fathers to Donald Trump, the Armchair guys tier the biggest cult of personality figures in American  political history. 00:00 Intro / Leon let it be!00:29 ICE at airports3:46 Comping the Trump Administration to the Jets6:14 Defining Cult of personality 10:10 Trump 45 v Trump 4712:43 Cult of personality origins16:53 Effects of Trump’s Presidency19:12 Why cult leaders break down social services 22:09 George Washington and Thomas Jefferson22:57 Lane Kiffin is the Thomas Jefferson of CFB28:03 MLM’s are absolutely cults29:57 Abraham Lincoln35:40 Franklin Delano Roosevelt 44:32 Interest convergence46:14 Martin Luther King53:28 Ronald ‘Mister throat goat’ Reagan54:44 Margaret Thatcher 55:48 Barack Obama59:49 Zohran Mamdani1:03:05 Final thoughts

Using the Illinois Democratic primary as a launching point, David and Alex break down how the Citizens United Supreme Court case has lead to the oligarchy class using Super PACs to reshape our politics the way prop bets have reshaped the way we watch sports. Chapters:00:00 Super PAC spending 2010 v now00:36 Reaction to Kat Abughazaleh, Julia Stratton and the Illinois Primary5:36 AIPAC boosting Bushra Amiwala to divide progressives7:30 Citizens United: The Super Pac’s origin 11:24 David Comps The FEC to Adam Silver stopping cap circumvention, and the creation of Super PACs to the introduction of online sports gambling and the prop bet.13:35 The Free Town project: The libertarian utopia as a metaphor for campaign finance deregulation17:41 Increase in dark money spending over time18:40 The local effect19:22 How Super PACs changed lawmakers constituents 21:44 The attention economy elevating social media stars like Zohran Mamdani24:36 Elon Musk and billionaire ROI on Super PAC donations30:50 How Super PACs have mutated36:10 Phone time is a reason congresspeople like SuperPACs39:51 Virginia’s data centers fight43:31 The Ai and tech lobby44:39 Why all of this is bad for Democrats53:55 How do we fix this?56:00 How it’s a form of voter suppression58:12 Get involved locally

In honor of the 2026 Academy Awards the Armchair guys nominate politicians to their made up, sometimes unhinged Oscar Award categories. They celebrate the worst and best of our political system, and reflect on what has lead us to this moment in American history.Chapters:00:00 INTRO1:04 SINNERS is the best film of the year. It’s running neck and neck with One Battle After Another, like the LA marathon finish. 4:33 The New beginnings, late bloomer award: Senator Chris Van Hollen8:44 Name that old white Senator10:21 The Paul Giamatti, character actor award: Congressmen John Conyers 13:33 Drew Brees’s and the saints playoff heartbreaks14:00 The Illinois Senate race, and the Congressional Black Caucus 18:53 The Miles Canton, who is this guy award: Justin Pearson and Justin Jones27:24 The exciting whites: Cooper Dejean and 28:46 James Clyburn and his succession plan29:55 The Zone of interest, Best Performance as a Representative of Israel: Mike Huckabee, Lindsey Graham37:37 Liberal Zionism in America and the civil rights movement46:11 Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin49:10 The Green Book award: Cory Booker and Bernie Sanders52:53 The intersection of economic populism and race58:45 Chase Infiniti, breakout person of the year: Summer Lee.1:01:42 Democrats are holding their young talent back1:04:41 The NFL’s socialism1:05:31 Graham Platner on Pod Save America1:09:32 Wrap up: Lack of accountability Justin Pearson Exchange-https://www.tiktok.com/@thetnholler/video/7615673433086643469

Since the United Staes went to war with Iran, the Armchair guys explain how we got here by breaking down the biggest warmongers in American history and compare them to the professional wrestler they most encapsulate. 00:00 Intro 1:58 Texas and North Carolina primary recap13:41 defining the rules and setting the theater Intercontinental division:18:23 John Foster Dullus21:05 Teddy Roosevelt 24:35 Henry Kissinger 28:55 Alan Dullus and Richard Bissell32:22 Stephen Miller36:04 Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld 39:21 John BoltonHeavyweights champion war mongers:39:31 George W Bush42:40 Americans may finally be anti-war45:47 LBJ49:06 Richard Nixon 53:25 Ronald Reagan 55:27 America and Trump currently in the Iran war

The Armchair guys break down the California governor’s primary and tell you which democratic candidates are viable and which need to drop out ASAP to keep a Republican from getting into the runoff..Episode chapters:Intro 0:01Overview of the primary 1:25State Superintendent Tony Thumond 6:15Congressman Eric Swallwell 14:38State controller Betty Yee 24:30Former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra 27:15Former mayor of LA Antonio Villlaraigosa 28:45Former congresswomen Katie Porter 30:15The good news in all this 40:15Mayor of San Jose Matt Mahan 42:10Billionaire Tom Steyer 48:45Wrap up 1:01Link to Emerson College Poll:https://emersoncollegepolling.com/california-2026-poll-hilton-swalwell-bianco-lead-nonpartisan-primary-for-governor/

The Armchair guys debate which politicians would win the gold medal in different winter olympic events.  While deciding their podium of politicians, they recount Cory Booker’s 25 hour marathon speech, break down how Bill Clinton always skis past accountability, pitch how Zohran Mamdani could be the metaphorical future of American figure skating, more. The five Winter Olympic events covered are:Cross country skiing CurlingFigure skatingMoguls skiing BobsledEpisode links:Julian bond story - https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/georgia-state-house-refused-to-seat-julian-bond/Eillen Gu’s interview answer of perspective - https://x.com/alvinfoo/status/2023955713760850190?s=46Bill Clinton playing the sax on Arsenio Hall Show - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_WuGDYawFQAmber Glenn’s statement after winning gold - https://x.com/pinknews/status/2021890808383717758?s=46

Alex, Chris, and David sit down to tier the biggest choke jobs and fumbles in modern politics: Jimmy Carter in the 1980 election, Ted Kennedy not knowing why he wanted to be president, Hillary in 2016 election, Alabama GOP party for nominating Roy Moore for senate, Rick Perry's debate oops, Obama's Wall st bail out, John Edwards cheating on dying wife w/ on the campaign trail, Mark Sanford's 'Appalachian Trail', Newt Gingrich impeachment of Bill Clinton, George HW Bush going to a grocery store, Michael Dukakis tank picture, andNixon debating JFK. Link to HW Bush at Grocery store and Ted Kennedy's answer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akLjzTisZoIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDh2iKzBh4E

Alex, Chris, and David sit down to see who can make the best athlete comparisons to racist and radical US politicians. The politicians they comp are: George Washington, Bernie Sanders, John Lewis, Bull Conner, Shirley Chisholm, Ted Cruz, Joe McCarthy, and Ronald Reagan. 

Alex, Chris, and David sit down and make a way too early tier list of the 2028 potential democratic presidential nominees. Jokes and sports metaphors abound as they break down how the following politicians fit into the upcoming presidential primary:Pete Buttigeig, Gavin Newsom, JB Pritzker, AOC, Josh Shapiro, Kamala Harris, Andy Beshear, Cory Booker, Gretchen Whitmore, Raphael Warnock, Stephen A Smith, John Fetterman, Chris Murphy, Ro Khanna, Rahm Emanuel, Wes Moore, Mark Cuban, James Talarico, Jasmine Crockett, and Mark Kelly. Yes, we've changed the name of the podcast since recording this episode.