The Dispatch Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Coronavirus, Variants, and Vaccines Mar 26, 2021

Show notes

We heard from many of you that you are having trouble persuading people close to you to take the COVID vaccine. You wished there was something you could pass along to people with the actual facts about the vaccine, not scary myths about why a person should not get it. You asked, and we listened. Former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden joined Sarah and Andrew Egger (subbing in for Steve) to discuss all things vaccine related. Not only is Frieden an expert on the COVID vaccines, but also on listening to those who are concerned about taking it and trying to give them the scientific facts that support getting the shot. As he says, “Effective communication starts with listening. … I understand your concern, but I’ll share with you some information that may be helpful to you.”

Show Notes:

-Dr. Frieden’s bio

-Resolve to Save Lives website

-Pew Research polling on who would get the vaccine

-Frank Luntz focus group with Dr. Frieden

-Impact COVID has had on the flu

-Dr. Frieden’s guide to a bike trip with his son

-VaccineFinder from CDC’s website

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The World as It Is Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

This week (so far) we have seen a mass shooting, a crisis at the border, a major walkback from President Trump’s favorite lawyer, Sidney Powell, and more. On today’s Dispatch Podcast, Steve, Sarah, Jonah, and David talk about all of it and then some. Gun violence has been front and center in the news, and rather than yelling about it, the gang has a well-informed, meaningful discussion about how best to solve this problem in the U.S. Plus, after discussing the border and China, all four talk about just how ridiculous the motion by Sidney Powell to dismiss the case against her is and what it means for center-right media. As Jonah puts it, “If you gave her a platform on your network, on your radio show, either in person or by proxy or simply reading their stuff and then you don’t tell your audience that this woman … has treated you all like suckers … then you’re part of the problem.”

Show Notes:

-Study on effectiveness of state gun regulations

-American Psychological Association study on gun laws

-Washington Post Fact Check on 1994 assault weapons ban

-Reuters article on how and why kids are “smuggled” into the U.S.

-Is there a “surge” at the border? Washington Post looks at the data

-Jonah’s column on the China bilateral meeting

-Last week’s Dispatch Podcast with Danielle Pletka

-The Morning Dispatch: ‘The Kraken is Backtrackin’

-Court filing in Sidney Powell’s case

-Major Biden is BACK

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Speak Loudly and Carry No Stick? Mar 19, 2021

Show notes

Danielle Pletka, senior fellow and foreign policy expert at the American Enterprise Institute, joins Sarah and Steve to discuss all things foreign policy. The conversation starts with the fiasco that was the first bilateral meeting between the Biden administration and China, and then focuses on Pletka’s expertise related to foreign policy in the Middle East. The three also discuss Danielle’s recent piece for The Dispatch, a conversation she had with a Ph.D. candidate who was imprisoned in Iran for four years.

Show Notes:

-Danielle’s AEI page

-“What the Hell is Going On?” podcast

-Biden Administration/China bilateral fiasco

-Biden/Putin spat

-‘They Wasted Away Four Years of My Life’

-“How Mean Tweets—And Bad Predictions—Threaten to Derail Another Biden Nominee”

-Profile of Xiyue Wang by Graeme Wood

-“Internal Biden memo said to back 2-state solution along 1967 lines” - Times of Israel

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Migrant Surge at the Border Mar 17, 2021

Show notes

In a St. Patrick’s Day edition of The Dispatch Podcast, Sarah, Steve, Scott, and Declan start off today’s discussion with the ongoing migrant crisis at the border. Plus, the gang explains how while most of the conservative world was talking about Dr. Seuss and Pepe le Pew, Democrats jammed through the biggest advancement of the welfare state since LBJ’s administration. Scott points out, “When you really dig into the details you see Democrats laying the groundwork for a very substantial increase in the welfare state, and in ways that Democrats have long wanted.” And, what’s the fallout after a Biden administration official actually spoke strongly against the North Korean regime?

Show Notes:

-The latest GOP attack on Biden has a huge hole in it - Greg Sargent/Washington Post

-Four people matching terror watchlist arrested at border - Axios

-'Migrant president' Biden stirs Mexican angst over boom time for gangs - Reuters

-Leaked NRSC polling data on immigration

-Scott’s latest Capitolism newsletter

-Conservatives Drift Leftward in the Plan to Rescue America - Ryan Streeter

-Biden officials comments on North Korea

-Biden Risks Repeating Mistakes of the Past if He Ignores the Evidence on Iran - The Dispatch

-Declan’s TMD item on filibuster reform

-Scott’s “Gridlock is good!” newsletter

-The Dispatch March Madness Tournament

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Always. Be. Shilling. Mar 12, 2021

Show notes

For the first time on The Dispatch Podcast, author of the Capitolism newsletter and neoliberal shill extraordinaire Scott Lincicome joins Sarah and Declan. On topics ranging from free-market fundamentalism to the crazy world of semiconductors, Scott brings his expertise to break it all down. As he says on today’s episode, “You know, Glengarry Glen Ross? It’s Always. Be. Shilling. … I will literally make any issue about trade and markets. It doesn’t matter what, whether it’s the chicken sandwich wars … or cheap T-shirts.” To cap it off, Scott speaks to being the reigning champion of the “Neoliberalism Shill'' tournament.

Show Notes:

-“Capitolism” newsletter

-Scott’s Cato bio

-Scott’s Twitter profile

-Scott’s latest Cato paper “Manufactured Crisis”

-Declan’s piece on semiconductors in TMD

-Scott’s article on semiconductors

-Vote your conscience in this year’s Neoliberal Shill Tournament

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The Battle Over H.R. 1 Mar 10, 2021

Show notes

Congressional Democrats’ omnibus voting rights, campaign finance, and ethics bill, H.R. 1—also known as the “For the People Act”—passed in the House last week, and our hosts are here for the breakdown. Stay tuned to hear the gang chat about retirements in the GOP Senate, whether arguments about cancel culture are trumping more substantive public policy debates, and a surprise tabloid-y topic you won’t want to miss!

Show Notes:

-Democrats’ For the People Act and Republicans’ Save Democracy Act.

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The Once and Future Right Mar 05, 2021

Show notes

The Dispatch’s associate editor and Morning Dispatch guru Declan Garvey joins Sarah to ask Oren Cass what his mission is with American Compass, a center-right organization of which he is the executive director. Cass thinks it’s time the conservative movement reforms itself and he is trying to do so from within. Cass says, “What has been missing from American politics and policy making is a conservatism that takes seriously the ways that public policy could really take on and address failures in our markets and things that are not going well in the economy.” Chief among the issues debated in this episode is Sen. Mitt Romney’s new child allowance proposal. The trio also discusses what Donald Trump’s lasting legacy will be in the Republican Party, and what it would mean for the party if he won again.

Show Notes:

-American Compass website

-“The Once and Future Worker” by Oren Cass

-Sen. Mitt Romney’s child allowance plan

-Oren Cass’ op-ed in the New York Times

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The Politics of Relief Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

The Senate is set to debate the Biden administration’s COVID-19 relief package this week, and today the gang talks about the politics of getting it passed. Steve posits the administration’s strategy is more focused on public opinion, rather than what Republicans want: “They say ‘we care about bipartisanship outside the beltway, not inside the beltway.’” Along with the relief bill, the group discusses the ongoing situation in Afghanistan and debates whether an “endless war” in the country is a good idea or a bad one. Jonah and Sarah disagree on how important voting actually is. And finally, some good old-fashioned election punditry. The hosts talk about the strategy memo that came out from the GOP on how to retake the House in 2022.

Show Notes:

-The Remnant with Michael Strain

-Morning Consult polling on COVID stimulus

-“Last Exit From Afghanistan” by Dexter Firkins

-SCOTUSblog write up of the Arizona voting rights case

-House GOP 2022 strategy memo

-Democratic Party autopsy - New York magazine

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Coronavirus and the Return to Normalcy Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

Is the Biden administration bungling their Covid-19 and vaccine messaging? As Steve put it to Jonah, “It’s awfully cynical of you to suggest that what they’re doing is withholding information because they want to pass their emergency relief bill, and you’re absolutely right to be that cynical.” Also up for discussion: why Xavier Becerra should have been the Biden nominee to have gotten the Neera Tanden treatment instead of Neera Tanden, U.S. relations with Iran and why Republicans who are not Trump loyalists cannot simply turn into Democrats.

Show Notes:

-The Case Against Xavier Becerra - The Dispatch’s David French

-Audacity: How Barack Obama Defied His Critics and Created a Legacy That Will Prevail - Jonathan Chait

-What about Joe? - Bill Kristol

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Mitt Romney Has a Plan Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

Hot off of his latest policy proposal, Sen. Mitt Romney joins the podcast to discuss his and Sen. Tom Cotton’s plan to raise the minimum wage, a proposal that also mandates that businesses use E-verify to prevent the hiring of undocumented workers. Sarah asks him about partisanship in the Senate, what he thinks of the current state of the Republican Party, and whether he’ll start a third party. He said, “There’s no question I’m in the minority of the Republican party these days. … A lot of people talk about ‘Why don’t you start a third party?’ That’s just not realistic.” Then, the gang breaks down the interview. Everyone agrees that it’s nice to finally be talking about policy again. They also explore why Romney (and some others) is committed to staying in the Republican Party.

Show Notes:

-Romney’s Office Press Release - Minimum Wage Plan

-Is It Time for the Republican Party to Split Apart? - The Dispatch’s Declan Garvey

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