Good Guys Getting Better

What is JD Vance doing to Ohio?

This may be one of the better pods we’ve done yet, Christian having the flu notwithstanding. John came prepared with the questions, digging into the impacts of JD Vance’s lies (yes, lies) about Haitian immigrants and the people of Springfield, Ohio — people who Vance represents in the United States Senate. Zooming out from the very real harm Vance and his unhinged and baseless accusations are causing, we dig into why this line of attack would work in the first place. How is it that people would even believe such an obvious falsehood, and a ridiculous one at that? And why is a rumor that’s inherently racist in nature almost guaranteed to gain traction above all others? We get into Trump’s equally appalling and ongoing attacks on Kamala Harris’ ancestry and identity, and try to answer the question of why he and Vance can’t seem to understand how babies are made and why their ancestry would be mixed. Of course, this begs the far bigger and less political question of why, more than 400 years after colonization and nearly 250 years after independence, are so many Americans preoccupied with another person’s ancestry, particularly those of mixed ancestry? It’s a deep dive under the surface of what’s happening in our politics. A little history, a little amateur sociology, and surprisingly, a few laughs along the way. Hope you enjoy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christianhanley.substack.com [https://christianhanley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

How big is the Democrats' big tent?

It’s the first pod since Christian’s trip to the DNC, but don’t worry! John is still pursuing his new passion hosting Good Guys Getting Better. We kick off the pod with a quick recap of the convention from Christian’s point of view on the ground, talking about what happened at the DNC that you didn’t catch on TV, including the protests inside the convention center and beyond, as well as the speeches and VIPs. We also look forward to the road ahead now that conventions are in the rearview. Can the Democrats really build a coalition big enough to pull off a win in November? And was the breadth of opinions and ideologies we all saw at the DNC made for TV, or what it proof that inclusion for today’s Democratic Party really means making room for everyone? Right now, Harris has support from the progressive left to moderate centrists and a handful of conservatives ready to put country over party. Inclusion has become a buzzword, but it may well be that the enthusiasm the campaign is currently enjoying comes, at least in part, from voters feeling like there’s a place for them inside the tent. Since Kamala Harris has chosen Tim Walz as her running mate, we discuss his position in the race, both as a strategic pick to help win over key voters in swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin, and as a role model. When the Republican frontrunner has been found liable for sexual assault and his running mate has made dictating the reproductive choices of American women a key part of his stump speech, how does Walz show the country — and especially young boys watching — a healthier, more positive masculinity? That and more, all squeezed into this pod. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christianhanley.substack.com [https://christianhanley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The Joy in our politics

In his first appearance after joining the ticket, Tim Walz turned to Vice President Harris on stage in front of a packed crowd in Philadelphia and thanked her for bringing the joy back into our politics. It was a striking comment, both for its sincerity and for what it reminded us all about the state of our political process. Since 2016, we’ve all been living on the edge of our seats. Joe Biden took the Democratic nomination in 2020 not because he promised hope or change, but because he stood as a symbol of a return to normalcy and offered a tired electorate the most probably path to victory. Until now, the 2024 cycle hadn’t offered anyone a sense of civic pride or levity. Rather, millions have been living in fear that we may once again be plunged into the bad old days of hatred, chaos, governance by tweet, and toilet paper shortages. (Yes. That all happened.) Now, with a self-described happy warrior leading the ticket and a VP pick so excited to win the election in less than 90 days he’s declared he’ll sleep when he’s dead, can we all get a little happy about our politics again? The election isn’t over yet and no one is advocating taking a victory lap this early. But do we need to be angry or afraid to win this fight, or can we do it happily, knowing we’re fighting for each other, for our rights, our children, and our future? That’s what we’re getting into on this pod, as well as a recap of the Olympics and what it means to have a sense of shared pride outside our political process. We also dig into a new issue we’re all confronting as parents: how to recognize and discuss misinformation with our kids. It’s a great episode, filled with laughs and yes, some joy. Don’t miss it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christianhanley.substack.com [https://christianhanley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

We have a fighter!

After summer travels, a joke of an RNC, an assassination attempt and the weird yet predictable cult behavior that followed, we’re back and just in time for the news that has eclipsed all the rest: the end of Joe Bidens’s reelection bid and the meteoric rise of the Kamala campaign. We talk about the new enthusiasm among Democratic voters and the huge push Vice President Harris is getting from young voters on social media, and of course, the natural next question ahead of the sprint to November: who should be her pick for VP? We go over the usual suspects, but then of course Aleem has to come out of left field with something altogether different. John debuts a new fantasy sports league. It’s not basketball or football though; it’s our Harris cabinet dream team. See! Nerds can do fantasy sports too! Last but certainly not least, we each have our list of the top five lies about America that the right wing has invented and popularized. Did we miss any whoppers? Trying out a new format with this episode with John hosting for the first time. May make it a recurring thing. What do you think? Let us know in the comments! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christianhanley.substack.com [https://christianhanley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Court sanctioned assassinations

There’s no way to sugarcoat it. The Supreme Court has handed down one of the most disastrous decisions in modern history. Ignoring history, legal precedent, and common sense, the Roberts Court has given Donald Trump — and anyone who serves a term at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue — almost blanket immunity for crimes committed while in office. All an alleged perpetrator need do, if the are also a former president, is claim that whatever they did was an official act. It would be unprecedented if it weren’t also the same tactic employed by dictators throughout the modern era. Commit a heinous act, whether it be the defenestration of a journalist, poisoning of a political opponent, or torture of citizen activists, and claim it was an official act intended to preserve the peace or protect national security. Be it in Putin’s Russia, in North Korea, or in the fascist regimes of the 20th century, we can all think of examples. In short, the Supreme Court has elevated former presidents above the law itself and in doing so, created a king-like, almost magical person in the form of the former president, a position that, until now, did not exist in American law. Once a person served as president, they then returned to the position of citizen like the rest of us, from George Washington to Barack Obama. Apparently, that’s no longer the case. This sickening news comes just after President Biden had a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, appearing weary and feeble, unable to take the fight to Trump or to know when to recite a fact and when to fire back at his opponent with a zinger. Fortunately, the polling seems to indicate, for now, that the debate has had little impact, but there is no doubt that anyone who tuned into the debate saw a performance that was even weaker and more devastating than anyone could have imagined. Spin won’t change that fact. Given the stakes of the election, made all the more daunting by the Supreme Court’s democracy defying decision, what are the next steps after the disastrous debate? Biden’s record makes clear he’s overdelivered as president, but his performance now casts doubt on his abilities after nearly four years in office. We dig into all of these questions in the pod. It’s not all uplifting, to be sure, but John saves the day with some history and with a rallying cry for Americans of good will. The fight isn’t over. Not yet. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christianhanley.substack.com [https://christianhanley.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]