Friday on the RealClearPolitics podcast, Tom Bevan, Carl Cannon, and Andrew Walworth discussed the DNC deciding not to publish their long-anticipated 2024 campaign “autopsy,” and the conviction of a Wisconsin judge for obstructing an ICE arrest. After that, Tevi Troy joins the group to reflect on the death of Norman Podhoretz, the so-called “father of neoconservatism,” and discuss a new poll showing a divide in the Republican Party over antisemitism. Plus, details about President Trump’s plan for America’s 250th birthday, including a new youth sporting event people are comparing to “The Hunger Games.” Finally, the panel rounds things out with their picks for the weekly “You Cannot Be Serious?!” roundup of entertaining headlines. You can listen to the show live each day at 11:00 a.m. on SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly Channel 111 and then on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and here on our website. *** The show opens with DNC Chair Ken Martin deciding not to publish the party’s review of what went wrong in 2024, after conducting hundreds of interviews, surveys, and focus groups. Are they trying to shield Kamala Harris or other party leaders from criticism? Should we expect this “autopsy” to leak anyway? Tom Bevan predicts the report found Democrats were too aggressive on certain social issues, alienating swing voters. “But Ken Martin doesn’t want to have that conversation going into the 2026 midterms.” “This is the Democratic Party — that’s the name of the party,” Carl Cannon said. “And in that time, they’ve anointed a presidential nominee without a primary and covered up the sitting president’s compromised health. Now they’re going to deep-six a report that they commissioned and bragged about.” “Why not just release an executive summary on a Friday night?” Andrew Walworth quipped. “Instead, now everyone is talking about it, now I want to see it! It will probably be leaked by the end of the weekend.” *** After that, around minute 11, Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan was convicted of obstructing ICE by helping an illegal immigrant escape arrest. Is the verdict a win for the Trump administration – or another escalation in tensions between federal authorities and local officials? “Nobody is above the law,” Bevan quipped. “There’s the FA, and then there’s the FO, right?” Carl Cannon noted that many officials involved in so-called sanctuary efforts see themselves as acting on moral principle. “They think they’re on the right side of history, to use the phrase they like,” he said. “I don’t think she’ll go to prison, but she should be disbarred.” *** Next, 20 minutes into the show, historian Tevi Troy joins the panel to discuss the legacy of Norman Podhoretz, the former editor of Commentary magazine and “father of neoconservatism” who just passed away at 95. Troy wrote in the Washington Post this week: “Norman Podhoretz, an Intellectual Powerhouse of the Postwar Era” Troy described Podhoretz as “an expert knife fighter in the intellectual world” who was defined by his belief that “America is a force for good.” “Norman Podhoretz and his editors didn’t just publish writing – they made it readable. It was an editor’s magazine,” he said. *** After that, at minute 31, Tevi Troy discusses a new Manhattan Institute survey which finds an interesting split in the Republican Party. It says 65% are “core Republicans,” 29% are “new entrants,” and 17% are what they call “anti-Jewish Republicans.” “Antisemitism has always been there. Norman Podhoretz once said you don’t need to take out a search party to find it. But the important thing is the American government opposes antisemitism,” he said. “Trump had a plan. Biden had a plan. You may not like either, but the government is not fostering antisemitism – and that matters.” *** Finally, around minute 38, the group tries to unpack the president’s plans for what he calls the “Freedom 250” celebration of a quarter-millennium since the Declaration of Independence. The thing people seem most interested in is a new sporting event for young athletes called the “Patriot Games,” which some are comparing to “The Hunger Games.” “He didn’t say if any of those athletes would survive. They may all have to fight to the death. He didn’t say otherwise,” Cannon joked. “I don’t think he does it to troll people. I think that’s an added benefit. It’s a perk. It’s a side effect that he likes.” *** Plus, at minute 43, the group gives their picks for the weekly “You Cannot Be Serious?!” roundup of entertaining headlines. *** Don’t miss a single episode of the RealClearPolitics weeknight radio show – subscribe at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
RealClearPolitics Videos