Matt Mackowiak's Mack On Politics

The Trump election legal challenge and the Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs are the subjects of the 267th episode. Our returning guest is Georgia statewide radio host Erick Erickson. In this conversation we begin by talking about what makes good radio and what he’s learned these past few years. Our conversation continues with an examination of the claims made by Trump’s legal team and our guest’s own conclusions based on conversations and reviewing the evidence. We finish by looking at the U.S. Senate runoffs in Georgia and take the measure of Trump’s presidency.

Longtime Republican consultant Mike Murphy, an NBC News analyst and co-host of the “Hacks on Tap” podcast returns as our guest.In this conversation we look back at the 2020 election, consider how Trump performed, discuss the U.S. Senate runoffs in Georgia, the Biden transition, and look forward to the 2024 election.

The 2020 election and the Biden transition are the subjects of the 265th episode. Sirius XM chief DC correspondent Olivier Knox returns to our podcast. In this conversation we consider the Trump campaign’s election challenges, evaluate the Biden transition and legislative outlook for 2021, and discuss the urgent need for help at food banks across the country, a topic that is close to our guest’s heart.

The battle for the U.S. House is the subject of the 264th episode.Our returning guest is David Wasserman, House editor for the Cook Political Report.In this episode, we examine where current races stand, why the Democrats lost seats when the expectation was that they would gain seats, why polling was so bad, what lessons both parties can learn, and how Speaker Pelosi’s narrow majority will change things for the next two years.

The Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs are the subject of episode 263. Our guest is longtime GOP ad maker Fred Davis, who is producing ads for the reelection campaign of Sen. David Perdue. In this conversation we look back at the presidential campaign, consider whether Trump overperformed, examine whether Trump can maintain his hold over the GOP, and look ahead to the crucial Senate runoffs on Jan. 5.

The 2020 presidential race is our subject for episode 262.Our guest is Saul Anuzis, former Michigan GOP chairman and current president of the 60 Plus Association.In this conversation, we examine the current state of the presidential elections returns, where things stand in GA, PA, AZ and NV, consider whether Trump can still win, look ahead to the Senate map for 2022, and muse about how Washington will change with a President Biden and how the GOP will change in a post-Trump era.

This is our final episode before the presidential election.Our guest for the 261st episode is journalist Howard Fineman, an NBC News analyst and contributor to The Washington Post.In this conversation we take stock of the race, answer the question of whether Biden has earned a win, discuss the importance of unity, take a deep dive into Pennsylvania, discuss the electoral college map, consider a Biden presidency, and discuss the need that the losing candidate ultimately concede.

The 2020 presidential race is the subject of our 260th episode. Our returning guest is Brad Todd, Republican ad maker and co-author of “The Great Revolt”. In this conversation, we discuss whether Trump can win, the battle for the suburbs, the electoral map, the state of polling, key Senate races, one possible scenario and whether populism is here to stay.

The Mueller inquiry is the subject of the 259th episode.Our guest is former Trump deputy campaign manager Rick Gates, author of “Wicked Game: An Insider’s Story on How Trump Won, Mueller Failed, and America Lost”.In this conversation we talk to our guest about his early career, how he came to partner with Paul Manafort, who the final few months of the Trump campaign were like, how he got ensnared in the Mueller inquiry, what choice he faced, why he pled guilty, what he would do if he could do it all over again, and what he still wants to know.

The 2020 presidential campaign is the subject of the 258th episode. Our returning guest is Marc Lotter, director of strategic communications for the Trump-Pence campaign. In this episode, we discuss the VP debate, the state of the race, future presidential debates, and when President Trump can return to the campaign trail.

Cuba is the subject of the 257th episode. Our guest is David Landau, the author of “Brothers From Time to Time” about two brothers on opposite sides of the Cuban revolution in the 1950s and about what Cuba shows about socialism. In this conversation we examine why he wrote the book, how Castro was viewed in Cuba in the 1950s and since, who the two brothers were, how he wrote the book and fought to get it published, what the response has been from Cuban refugees in the U.S. and what Cuba’s experience can teach us about socialism.

Judge Amy Coney Barrett is our subject of the 256th episode.Our guest is her friend and colleague, Carter Snead, fellow law professor at Notre Dame.In this conversation, we discuss their friendship and her reputation, her time at Notre Dame, her likely selection for the Supreme Court, questions about her Catholicism, her views on Roe v. Wade, and the confirmation battle.

The Trump White House is the subject of the 255th episode.Our guest is former Trump White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, author of the new bestseller, “Speaking for Myself”.In this episode we discuss how she approached writing a memoir, a secret trip to Iraq on Christmas in 2018, what President Trump is really like, what she thinks about diplomatic efforts with North Korea, how she views the current media landscape, where she thinks the 2020 presidential race stands, why she thinks the debates will matter more than usual, and what lies ahead for her future.

For our 254th episode, we check in with U.S. Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), who is co-author of a new book, “Capitol of Freedom: Restoring American Greatness”. In this episode we discuss why he wrote the book and what he sees in the left’s efforts to change our Constitution, why he wrote a letter to DOJ about the funding of rioters in our cities, why he thinks Big Tech companies constitute a modern-day monopoly, and how he sees the 2020 election shaping up.

The U.S. Senate and the 2020 election are the subject of the 253rd episode. Our guest is U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), author of the new book, “The Mind of a Conservative Woman: Seeking the Best for Family and Country”. In this conversation we look back to August recess and the RNC convention, and look forward to the 2020 election, why she wrote this book, how the issue of abortion is viewed by women, why the Senate has devoted so much time to confirming judges, what she wants to see in the next COVID relief bill, why Nashville is a boomtown, and what she’s learned serving in the U.S. Senate.

The GOP convention is the subject of the 252nd episode. Our returning guest is Congressman Jim Banks (R-IN). In this conversation we examine the convention’s political impact, discuss President Trump’s speech which he witnessed at the White House, dig into new legislation he is proposing related to riots in our cities, explore whether violent riots could be classified as terrorism, and look ahead to legislative battles on COVID relief and government spending.

The 2020 race and the Democratic National Convention are the topics of the 201st episode. Our guest is Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty. In this conversation we look back at the Democratic Convention, evaluate speeches by Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, look forward to the GOP convention, discuss the upcoming debates, and preview her new biography of Nancy Reagan.

Wisconsin is the subject of our 200th (!) episode. Our guest is former two-term Governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker. In this episode we explore the battleground status of his state for 2020, his thoughts on Biden’s VP choice, how he sees the economy rebounding, whether there are echoes to the violence in our cities and what he saw as Governor, whether the debates will decide the election, and what he is up to now.

The Constitution is the subject of the 199th episode. Our guest is UC-Berkeley law professor, Hoover Institution fellow and author John Yoo, whose new book is, “Defender in Chief: Donald Trump’s Fight for Presidential Power”. In this conversation we begin with our guest’s revelation that he just walked out of the Oval Office before our interview. Then we discussed his career, the Supreme Court’s DACA decision, the central thesis of his new book, rioting in American cities, his memo on enhanced interrogation during the Bush years, and what he makes of recent Supreme Court decisions.

Overcoming obstacles is the subject of the 198th episode.Our guest is Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD), the co-author of the new book, “Still Standing: Surviving Cancer, Riots, a Global Pandemic, and the Toxic Politics that Divide America”. In this conversation we examine why he wrote a memoir and how he did it with his very busy day job, what it’s like to run as a Republican in Maryland, how he overcame challenges like his business going bankrupt and surviving cancer, and how he’s led during riots and a global pandemic. Finally, we explore whether his governing model is one that could work nationally.