S2 #12: Political Playbook - The Dynamics of New York 21 and Maine's Senate Race

S2 #12: Political Playbook - The Dynamics of New York 21 and Maine's Senate Race

New York 21 Primary Recap, Daily Show Spotlight, and Maine’s Platner Campaign in Crisis Host Kodie, joined by Arthur and Joe, updates on New York’s 21st district after the primaries: Republican Anthony Constantino won 58–39 (about a 19-point margin) after spending about $7 million of his own money and earning roughly 26,500 votes, while Democrats Blake Gendebien and Stuart Amaral totaled about 24,000, with Gendebien winning the primary but losing a second ballot line after challenged signatures; Constantino secured an additional “Taxpayer Rights” line, raising concerns about Democrats’ single-line disadvantage. They review voter-registration and turnout figures (Republicans outnumber Democrats by about 79,000; 2024 general saw about 360,000 votes) and discuss The Daily Show’s segment on Constantino and his response. The episode then covers Maine’s Senate race turmoil after rape allegations against Graham Platner, volunteers urging withdrawal by July 13 and rallying around the movement and potential replacement Troy Jackson, with nomination timing and process still developing. 00:00 Welcome and agenda 01:43 NY21 primary quiz 02:07 Who votes in NY21 06:38 Ballot lines drama 09:49 Daily Show reacts 15:17 What kind of candidates 18:04 Democrats strategy update 21:29 Culture War Boot Camp bit 23:07 Maine Platner allegations 26:06 Volunteers want new nominee 35:36 Movement over personality 38:56 Deadlines and wrap-up 40:54 Closing and outro Resources for this episode - Main Senate Race - https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/maine-graham-platner-sexual-assault-senate-troy-jackson NY-21 https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/trumps-new-york-congressional-pick-anthony-constantinos-cringeworthy-rap-video-mocked-by-daily-show/ https://www.nny360.com/top_stories/gendebien-loses-independent-ballot-line-in-ny-21-race/article_51528194-a16b-5a73-9ed2-a260094974cd.html https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/53648/20260703/smullen-drops-conservative-party-line-in-race-for-ny-21 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-elections/new-york-us-house-district-21-results https://censusreporter.org/profiles/50000US3621-congressional-district-21-ny/

S2 Book Club #2: Minority Rule by Ari Berman (Ch. 4-6)

Propaganda Loves You Book Club: Minority Rule (Chapters 4–6) on Voter Suppression, the Courts, and Georgia Organizing In this Propaganda Loves You Book Club episode, the hosts discuss chapters 4–6 of Ari Berman’s Minority Rule—“The Death of the Autopsy,” “The Most Dangerous Branch,” and “The New American Majority”—and revisit a prior conversation about originalism by framing the Constitution as a changeable document aligned with the Declaration of Independence, including the idea of a constitutional convention. They argue the 2012 GOP “autopsy” urged broader outreach but Republicans instead pursued minority rule through institutional levers like voter suppression, highlighting Wisconsin’s voter ID impact in 2016 and Trump’s voter-fraud commission that found no evidence. The judiciary chapter focuses on the Federalist Society, originalism, lifetime appointments, and McConnell’s obstruction of Obama’s nominees. The Georgia chapter contrasts Stacey Abrams’ organizing with Brian Kemp’s election administration tactics, noting close margins, provisional ballots, and Abrams’ creation of Fair Fight Action. 00:00 Slippery Lost Thoughts 00:55 Book Club Kickoff 01:28 Living Constitution Debate 06:51 Convention Or Revolution 09:26 Chapter Death of the Autopsy 10:37 GOP Autopsy And Power 16:38 Wisconsin Voter ID Fallout 21:27 Future Suppression Tactics 25:50 Crosscheck And Big Lie 28:21 Voter Fraud As Cover Story 29:17 Voter Fraud as Emotion 30:30 Judiciary Takeover Plan 32:23 Originalism Under Fire 34:27 McConnell Blocks Judges 37:46 Scalia and GOP Operators 44:13 Organizing in Georgia 54:18 Kemp Strategy and Fair Fight 58:50 Closing Thoughts and Outro

S2 #11: Debates, Deepfakes and Democracy

New York 21 Primary Quiz, DC’s Rising Progressive, and AI Deepfakes in Texas Politics Host Kodie, joined by Arthur and Joe, previews midterm updates with a quiz on New York 21 candidates’ debate positions, contrasting Democratic stances on ICE and war powers with Republicans’ deference to Trump, and noting personal attacks between Republican contenders Anthony Constantino and Robert Smolin. With the NY-21 primary on Tuesday, June 23, the panel discusses the possibility of both Republican candidates staying on the November ballot via independent lines and questions prediction markets favoring Constantino. Joe highlights DC Council member Janeese Lewis George’s primary win and detailed, union-backed platform as she heads toward the mayoralty. The episode then examines AI political ads, including a Citizens for Sanity deepfake targeting Texas candidate James Talarico without an AI disclaimer, outlines uneven state deepfake laws, and critiques federal efforts to challenge state AI regulation. 00:00 Show Setup and Agenda 00:55 NY21 Candidate Quiz 03:03 Debate Moments and Takeaways 08:34 NY21 Primary Update 11:39 Voting Logistics and Sign Wars 15:14 DC Spotlight Janeese Lewis George 17:58 Website Narrative and Policy Deep Dive 23:32 Endorsements Unions and YIMBY Talk 25:12 DC Election Outlook and Socialist Mayors 26:12 Socialism in America 26:50 DSA Mayors and Cities 27:18 California Redistricting Stakes 28:16 LA Mayoral Showdown 29:29 Oregon and Governor Races 31:14 Top Two Primary Explained 34:33 Satirical Truth AI Ad 36:43 Texas AI Attack Ad 39:17 Backlash and Legal Risks 45:45 Deepfake Laws and Loopholes 46:56 Satire Versus Propaganda 50:05 Wrap Up and Next Episode Resources for this episode - https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/53573/20260616/ny-21-democratic-candidates-debate-ahead-of-june-23-primary https://www.wktv.com/news/republican-candidates-for-ny-21-face-off-in-debate/article_8dae01c9-267c-41b1-a3db-f67753fffbbc.html https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/cbs6-to-host-ny-21-gop-primary-debate-constantino-agrees-to-participate-sticker-mule-smullen-stefanik-republican https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/53554/20260612/constantino-leans-into-trump-support-business-record-in-ny-21-republican-primary https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/politics/2026/06/17/4-races-to-watch-in-new-york-2026-primaries-for-congress https://www.wamc.org/news/2026-06-10/ny-21-candidate-profile-democrat-blake-gendebien https://www.cityandstateny.com/prediction-markets/races/ny-21-republican-nominee https://www.huffpost.com/entry/creepy-ai-ad-texas-senate-race_n_6a287216e4b0d7105b0e33cf https://dailycaller.com/2026/06/09/exclusive-trump-aligned-group-campaign-james-talarico-texas-senate-race-transgender/

S2 Book Club #1: Minority Rule by Ari Berman (Ch. 1-3)

The hosts launch season two of the Propaganda Loves You Book Club with Ari Berman’s Minority Rule, covering the prologue and chapters 1–3 (“Fear of a White Minority,” “Laboratory for Oligarchy,” “The Fear of Democracy,” and “The New Nullification”). They discuss how the book traces backlash to the civil rights era and the Voting Rights Act and argue the U.S. was never a pure democracy, citing anti-democratic structures like the Senate, Electoral College, gerrymandering, and the capped House. They connect elite fear of majority rule to founders’ class interests, quote Thurgood Marshall’s critique of constitutional mythmaking, and examine how dark money after Citizens United and state-level test cases like Wisconsin entrench minority rule. The conversation weighs cynicism against hope, emphasizing rereading, rising public consciousness, and using states to push democratic reforms, and previews covering chapters 4–6 next.

S2 Episode #10: NY 21 Midterms - Candidates and Campaigns

Propaganda Loves You: Who’s Running for Congress in New York’s 21st District (2026) Hosts Kodie, Arthur, and Joe, introduce a new focus on local races through an informative and propaganda lens, starting with New York’s 21st congressional district ahead of 2026. After brief personal updates and a true/false history quiz tied to their upcoming book series on Minority Rule, they outline NY-21’s geography, rural character, R+10 Cook PVI, and history from Bill Owens’ 2009 win amid a GOP split to Elise Stefanik’s tenure and past power-holder Bertrand Snell. They review two Democratic primary candidates—Blake Gendebien farming-and-community narrative and Stuart Amaral’s more detailed issue-focused approach—and two Republicans: Assemblyman Robert Smullen, whose debate included discussion of a 2018 felony tax fraud guilty plea, and Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino, a Trump-endorsed self-funder with highly personal and pro-Trump messaging. They note upcoming debates, limited polling, and plans to follow the primaries and messaging. 00:00 Cold Open Banter 00:44 Show Intro and Catch Up 03:37 True False Icebreaker 07:06 NY 21 District Overview 08:18 Seat History and Stefanik Era 11:18 Flip Chances and Strategy Talk 16:44 Democrats Blake Profile 21:51 Democrats Stuart Profile 23:38 Republicans Smullen Profile 34:05 Republicans Constantino Profile 40:52 Polls Wrap and Outro Resources for this episode - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XAtnqjuixI - Republican Primary Debate 2021 https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/cbs6-to-host-ny-21-gop-primary-debate-constantino-agrees-to-participate-sticker-mule-smullen-stefanik-republican https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/53490/20260528/ny-21-both-republican-and-democratic-candidates-will-debate-before-the-primary Candidate Pages - https://blakegendebienforcongress.com/meet-blake/ https://www.constantino.com/about/ https://www.amoriell.com/about https://www.robertsmullenforcongress.com/about