Episodes

So what’s up with James Craig’s “almost running” campaign for Governor? Mark and Jeff analyze the shaky rollout for the GOP’s chosen one, and also discuss Governor Whitmer’s massive campaign fundraising which was helped by the numerous efforts to recall her from office. In the second segment they are joined by the Democratic Leader of the Michigan House of Representatives, Donna Lasinski. Lasinski is serving her third term in the state House. She represents Michigan’s 52nd House District, whic...

In the opening segment, Jeff Timmer discusses how the departure of Michigan Republican Party executive director Jason Roe hurts the party as the internal RINO cleansing continues, and details his campaign finance complaint against soon-to-be-official gubernatorial candidate James Craig. Jeff and Mark Brewer are then joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tom Hamburger. He is an investigative reporter on the national desk of The Washington Post who has covered the White House, Congress and ...

Jeff Timmer and Mark Brewer are joined by outspoken attorney George Conway. Conway, a lifelong conservative, was considered by President Donald Trump for the position of Solicitor General of the United States, and a post as an assistant attorney general heading the Civil Division at the United States Department of Justice, but withdrew himself from consideration. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard, and was Law Journal editor at Yale. In 2018 Conway emerged as a vocal Trump critic. During ...

Mark and Jeff discuss the repercussions of Republicans paying a $200,000 fine after the former party chair turns in the current party chair for a campaign finance violation, as well as the possible gubernatorial candidacy of former Attorney General MIke Cox. Then they are joined by Congressman Andy Levin for a review of President Biden’s first six months, the aftermath of the attempted insurrection, and the likelihood of breaking through congressional stalemate. Congressman Levin carries on a h...

Highlighting this week’s discussion: Jeff Timmer and Mark Brewer take note of the Trump Education Secretary’s recent high visibility in Michigan GOP events … and ask longtime political consultant/analyst Matthew Dowd if the west Michigan billionaire may be angling to take on Gretchen Whitmer in 2022. A native of Detroit, Dowd began his political career as a Democrat, as a member of Senator Lloyd Bentsen’s Senate and campaign staffs. In 1999, he switched parties to become a Republican. During th...

While state and national Republicans continue their assault on voting rights, a grassroots reform is taking shape in Michigan and across the nation. This week’s mayoral election in New York City is the most visible demonstration to date of Ranked Choice Voting, also known as “instant runoff elections.” Ranked choice voting is also used statewide in both Maine and Alaska. In the latter case, RCV could well protect moderates like Republican Lisa Murkowski from falling victim to extremist electoral...

Joining the conversation this week: Ron Fournier, the former Washington DC bureau chief for the Associated Press and former publisher and editor of Crain’s Detroit Business. He now serves as president at Truscott Rossman, one of the state’s most respected public relations firm. A Detroit native, Ron began his family and career in Arkansas, covering then-governor Bill Clinton before moving to Washington in 1993, where he covered the White House and national politics for The Associated Press durin...

Joining the conversation: former Republican National Committee Chair and Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele. Steele is a lifelong conservative who finds himself in pitched battle with those usurpers, thugs, kooks, and cowards who call themselves Republican today. He served as the lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007; he was the first African-American elected to statewide office in Maryland. From 2009 until 2011 he chaired the Republican National Committee (RNC); he was the first A...

Joining Mark and Jeff this week: one of the top leaders in the U.S. House, Flint Congressman Dan Kildee. Kildee was first elected to the U.S. House in 2012 when succeeded his uncle – Dale Kildee – who had represented the Genesee Valley in Congress for 36 years. Previously he was Genesee County treasurer where he became nationally known for starting the Genesee County Land Bank in 2002. It was a first-of-its-kind-in-the-nation governmental authority dedicated to urban decay in cities such as Fli...

Mark and Jeff analyze the political calculations and impact of this week’s visit by President Joe Biden to the Dearborn Ford Motor plant, and his full-throated promotion of the new electric F-150 pickup truck. Then they are joined by one of the national leaders in the revolt of the pre-Trump Republicans, Steve Schmidt. Steve is a longtime communications and public affairs strategist who is best known as a co-founder of the Lincoln Project. In his career he has been a top adviser and strategist...

Mark and Jeff are joined by one of the most famous state’s witnesses in political history. Michael Cohen has gone from spending 12 years as Donald Trump’s “fixer” to being a key witness for multiple criminal investigations of the ex-President. Cohen was a vice-president of the Trump Organization, and the personal counsel to Trump. He served as co-president of Trump Entertainment and was a board member of the Eric Trump Foundation, a children’s health charity. From 2017 to 2018, Cohen was deputy...

Mark and Jeff are joined by the unofficial leader of Michigan’s progressive Democrats, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. The runner-up in 2018’s gubernatorial primary has gone on to national prominence and voice for new generation of Democrats. Dr. El-Sayed is a physician, epidemiologist, educator, author, speaker, and podcast host. He is a commentator at CNN and his newsletter, The Incision, cuts into the trends shaping our moment. His books include Healing Politics: A Doctor’s Journey into the Heart of Ou...

Mark Brewer and Jeff Timmer open this week’s show with the inside view of efforts they are leading to disrupt statehouse Republicans: Timmer’s promised recalls aimed at legislators voting for the GOP voter suppression package Brewer’s fight against the “sleazy” and sometimes downright illegal petition drive seeking to restrict the emergency powers of future Governors. They are then joined by one of the nation’s top experts in gerrymandering, the every-ten-years political exercise to influence...

Brett, Ben and Jordan Meiselas: “The Meidas Touch” The three brothers who created the Meidas Touch PAC are the new happy warriors of politics. They gleefully donate their time and talents to skewering MAGA-preaching politicians. Their fast-response videos have generated millions of hits, and led to a burgeoning grassroots movement that supports a growing multimedia structure and an ever-increasing number of local Meidas Touch chapters. Jeff Timmer and Mark Brewer talk about one of the most impr...

Mark and Jeff are joined by 1988 Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis. Dukakis the longest-serving Governor in Massachusetts history, winning his first term in 1974. After losing his reelection bid in 1978, he regained the governorship in 1982, serving for two more terms. (He’s only the 2nd Greek-American Governor in American history.) Since leaving office, Dukakis has served on the board of directors for Amtrak and has taught political science at Northeastern University and UCLA. ...

Mark and Jeff are joined by former Ohio Governor and 2016 presidential candidate John Kasich to discuss the future of the Republican Party, the nadir of traditional GOP fiscal conservativism and Joe Biden’s progressive populism. Kasich was one of the nation’s most popular Governors (reelected in 2014 by a two-to-one margin) but now is branded a “RINO” by the ruling Trumpian establishment of his party. Kasich’s reelection in 2014 came after he supported Medicaid expansion after enactment of Obama...

Joining the conversation is outspoken author/commentator/political strategist Rick Wilson. His many credits include the New York Times best-sellers “Everything Trump Touches Dies” and “Running Against the Devil.” He writes for The Daily Beast, Politico,The New York Daily News, The Federalist, The Independent Journal Review, and Ricochet,and is a frequent guest on various cable and network news outlets. Rick is a veteran Republican strategist and ad guru dating back to George H. W. Bush‘s 1988 ...

Courtesy of Brennan Center for Justice We’re joined by one of the nation’s leading experts on voting rights, Michael Li from the Brennan Center for Justice. Li is senior counsel in the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program where his work focuses on redistricting, voting rights, and elections. He was the author of a widely cited blog on redistricting and election law issues that the New York Times called “indispensable.” He is a regular writer and commentator on election law issues on cable news and...

We’re joined this week by veteran pollster Stan Greenberg. Greenberg is a best-selling author and polling adviser to presidents, prime ministers, and CEOs globally and right now, is conducting deep research in multiple countries. He was the senior pollster for President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and President Nelson Mandela. Greenberg’s corporate clients have included Microsoft and other global companies. Greenberg’s research and writing on dis...

Jeff and Mark talk widespread voter suppression efforts in state legislatures across the country, including Michigan, with Time magazine’s National Political Correspondent Molly Ball. Also on the pod: good policy is good politics as President Biden prepares to sign into law the highly popular $1.9-trillion American Relief Act. And Mark reflects on the special magic of “Eternal General” Frank Kelley who passed away last Friday. Transcript and Links

The Conservative Political Action Conference played out in Orlando over the weekend and turned into a three-day tribute for keynote speaker Donald Trump. What are the implications for future politics in America? Mark and Jeff share thoughts with longtime neoconservative journalist and advocate Bill Kristol, editor-at-large of The Bulwark and a regular panelist on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Kristol also hosts the Conversation With Bill Kristol podcast. Social Media Links for Bi...

Welcome to a sneak preview of “A Republic, If You Can Keep It.” Mark Brewer and Jeff Timmer take a look at the turmoil within the national and state Republican parties, and what that could mean for 2022 and beyond. They ponder a basic question: is it the Republican Party … or the Trump Party? A lot of future elections may depend on the answer to that question.