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The Politics Guys

The Politics Guys

Written by: Michael Baranowski
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The Politics Guys is an independent, ideologically diverse American politics and policy podcast hosted by experts: political scientists, law professors, and practicing attorneys with government experience. Our mission is to give listeners a much-needed break from conservative and liberal echo chambers through civil, rational, and evidence-based discussion of American politics and policy from multiple perspectives.All rights reserved. Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Iran Deal, Paxton’s Texas Win, and the Redistricting Arms Race

    Iran Deal, Paxton’s Texas Win, and the Redistricting Arms Race
    May 29 2026
    Mike, Michael, and Russ open with the tentative U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding and whether it amounts to a real end to the war or just a pause. Michael argues that the deal mostly returns the conflict to where it began while leaving the hardest nuclear questions unresolved. Russ is skeptical that either side is treating the deal with the seriousness it deserves, seeing mostly clashing egos and weak incentives. Mike argues the deal may be worse than the old Iran nuclear agreement because Iran now has stronger reasons to pursue a weapon and fewer reasons to trust U.S. guarantees. Next, the guys turn to Texas, where Ken Paxton’s decisive runoff win over John Cornyn raises questions about Republican Senate prospects and Democratic opportunities. Russ sees Paxton’s win less as pure Trump power than as a sign that Cornyn’s voters lacked enthusiasm while Paxton’s stayed engaged. Mike argues Trump likely endorsed the probable winner to preserve his image of party control, even if Paxton is a weaker general-election candidate. Michael says Paxton may force Republicans to spend heavily in Texas, which could indirectly help Democrats elsewhere even if Texas itself remains a long shot. The guys close with the escalating redistricting fight after new developments in Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee. Mike argues Republican gains from mid-decade redistricting probably will not be enough to save the House if the national environment stays hostile to Trump. Russ says Democrats remain too attached to moral restraint while Republicans are pressing every institutional advantage available. Michael warns that the country is entering a destabilizing race to the bottom, where both parties may keep redrawing maps whenever power shifts. Get 20% off ProTek watches with code Mikeb here. Check out the Future of Our Former Democracy podcast The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. The guys close with the escalating redistricting fight after new developments in Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee. Mike argues Republican gains from mid-decade redistricting probably will not be enough to save the House if the national environment stays hostile to Trump. Russ says Democrats remain too attached to moral restraint while Republicans are pressing every institutional advantage available. Michael warns that the country is entering a destabilizing race to the bottom, where both parties may keep redrawing maps whenever power shifts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    59 mins
  • The Politics Guys Present: The U.S. Constitution, Article II

    The Politics Guys Present: The U.S. Constitution, Article II
    May 28 2026
    This episode explores the intricacies of Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution, focusing on the presidency, electoral processes, and historical debates that shaped the office. Topics covered include: Vesting clause and inherent executive powers Electoral College origins and evolution The 12th Amendment and its impact Presidential qualifications and natural-born citizen requirement Succession and the 25th Amendment ⁠⁠Read Trey's Substack for a deep dive into the Federalist Papers⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Politics Guys on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out the excellent ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sustainable Planet⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcast. Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/politicsguys⁠⁠⁠⁠ or⁠⁠⁠⁠ politicsguys.com/support⁠⁠⁠⁠. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Democracy Group⁠⁠⁠⁠, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    54 mins
  • Introducing Explain Like I'm 5

    Introducing Explain Like I'm 5
    May 28 2026
    Mike talks about the Explain Like I'm 5 podcast. I hope you will enjoy this excellent show as much as we do.
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    2 mins
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