Colin Powell’s Passing As a Metaphor For the Death of Republican Moderation

We begin with the passing of Colin Powell as both a milestone as well as a metaphor for the death of moderation in the Republican party as the party of Lincoln devolves into the party of Trump, abandoning all principle, civility, integrity and ideals to become a cult in the thrall of a sociopathic con man whose corruption is only exceeded by his incompetence. Joining us to discuss what it will take to restore the GOP to sanity and decency as well as comment on the life and legacy of Colin Powell is Geoffrey Kabaservice, the director of political studies at the Niskanen Center in Washington DC as well as the author of several books including Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, from Eisenhower to the Tea Party. 

 

Texas’s Nakedly Racist, Greedy and Undemocratic Redistricting Maps

Then we look into the nakedly racist, outrageously greedy and brazenly undemocratic redistricting maps just passed by the Republicans in the Texas legislature and speak with Lydia Camarillo, who serves as the President of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, a national non-profit non-partisan organization based out of San Antonio, Texas. She plays a key role in developing the tactical strategies for the SVREP nonpartisan voter registration, voter education and get out the vote (GOTV) campaigns and previously served as the National Director of the Leadership Development Program for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

 

Do Democratic Politicians in Washington Realize Trump’s GOP Wants to Drive Them Into Extinction?

Then finally we speak with Aaron Scherb, a former congressional staffer and currently the director of legislative affairs at Common Cause where he helps craft and gain support for various good-governance proposals related to campaign finance reform, voting rights, redistricting reform, and ethics and lobbying reform. He joins us to discuss whether the Democratic politicians in Washington have the survival instinct to recognize that the Republicans don’t just want to beat them in future elections, they want to drive them into extinction.