He's my spirit animal

I like him.

employment.
Has great insight.

Just 2 smart cynical guys chewing the fat ...

they are thoughtful and intelligent with just the right dose of WTF sentiment mixed in

I agree with you that Dems should be coveting the podcast world and that is something that may help get more younger folk in the game. I simply think young people don't have the luxury of doing what previous generations have done - be far into adulthood before becoming politically aware. They have WAY TOO MUCH TO LOSE.

I laugh when he tries to give election or liberal advice. His falling for Biden is weekend at Bernies tells you who the target audience for Tapper's book was. Frankly he can put that subject to bed, please.

Susan's focus groups are frankly frightening.

And I find I am more a fatalist like JVL these days.

in political influencers.

The media is not our friend.

I want him to write another book. From "Why We Did It":

"One big misconception about Washington is that money is the straw that stirs the drink. Activist types always demand we look to the money! Sometimes they are right, but the driving motivator for most during the Trump era was not a desire for riches. This town is not filled with Gordon Gekkos. More often, it's the other, more egocentric motivators that drive nefarious actions in D.C. Raising money remains important, but fundraising is really about status and power."

He's right, smart. So tired of the simplistic yelling how everything's about money, everyone's bribed and corrupt -- used to divide and attack Democrats.

Also Nicole Wallace. BUT.... The republican party before Trump was a shit hole too. In fact it longed to be what it is now but didn't think they would get away with it so took baby steps. And they were both so deep into it it's mind boggling. As you quoted, they were in it for something other than the money. What? And why? Did they think it was OK because the guard rails were in place to prevent the repukes from their true ambitions. Even though I like them, at the very least enablers and normalizers.

I think "They were ok with the Brooks Brothers Riot."

"And on countless occasions, I've heard powerful political admen and strategists boast about how they didn't worry about silly matters like 'governing.' They were hacks through and through, adrenaline junkies who were in it for the fight. No matter which role they were in, staffers began to see themselves as tacticians in this made-for-TV blood sport rather than as functionaries in a system that is aimed to produce the best policy outcomes for their fellow citizens.

"Something you didn't hear much from players in the Game was self-doubt over whether the political tactics they were employing might hurt the people they were purporting to serve. ... The human impact of one's work is not only inadvertently missing but actively mocked. ... In the quarter century from Dole to Romney, the campaign culture incentivized hiring clever assassins over ideologically true believers. ... A friend recently confided to me that he has never voted for a Republican for president in his life, despite being the mouthpiece for a Republican governor and state party! Now, I know there are disingenuous Democratic hacks for hire, too, but I would be hard pressed to believe you could find one who was secretly casting their ballot for Bush and Trump."

Stuart Stevens:

"I can't keep lying to myself to ward off the depressing reality that I had been lying to myself for decades. ... Trump isn't an aberration of the Republican Party, he is the Republican Party in distilled form. I saw the warning signs and chose what I wanted to believe: the party wasn't just a white grievance party; there was still a big tent; the other guys were worse. Mostly though, I didn't think about it. I loved to win and I won a lot. I loved the feeling that I had a big lever and could move if not the world, then a big enough hunk of it to make a difference."

Christopher Wylie says in his book about Cambridge Analytica that the Mercer family invested tens of millions in the company when they started and Wylie assumed the research would be used for Mercer's businesses, to make money. But no, it was to change the world according to his ideology, an alt-right takeover of the Republican Party. Right-wing ideologue billionaires wanting to change the world are much much more frightening than plain old billionaires who only care about money.

since his days working for Jeb. I agree with him about 90% of the time and I don't see much daylight between him and the Pod Save America crew, Keith Olbermann or Thom Hartmann.

and fan of the Bulwark - my favorites are Tim, JVL and Sarah - I have learned a lot from them about the inner workings of the republicans .

I think he wrote columns for their website, and he would appear on the podcasts every now and then.

He's great.
If we could slip him in some maga feeds, he might set their hair on fire.

and listen to Tim, I like him.