77 Comments

2 episodes in 2 days? America doesn’t deserve heroes such as these.

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Listening to Democrats claim that voter ID laws are racist because they disadvantage those too poor to afford them makes me wonder why they didn't use the half a million dollars covering the cost of picture IDs instead of boosting some MAGA troglodyte. I wish Meijer would run as an independent but it might be hard to compete given the huge sums of cash it requires.

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Anyone else listen while doing other things and pop their primary focus back into the discussion and wonder if it’s The Congressman or The Welch speaking? Wonder if he’ll be one of those active on mic producers when he comes on board.

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i did the same thing. I think there’s a small chance he could replace Welch one episode without everyone noticing. As long as Europe, baseball, or libertarians aren’t on the list of topics

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Meijer has a deeper, sexier voice than Welch

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author

Did y'all who found them similar listen at higher speed? (Had many on Twitter make similar comments.)

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Aug 5, 2022Liked by Matt Welch

I wouldn’t dare voluntarily minimize such valuable aural real estate.

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I listen to you guys at 1.25 speed. The one time I didn't it was by error and I was convinced you guys were more wasted than usual, or had done the long promised 420 episode with no fanfare. All I'm saying is, if I ever make it across the pond to a live event, y'all will need to speak much faster.

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Here's how I told you guys apart. You sound almost exactly like Ed Helms and he doesn't. (At least at 1.2X speed)

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I listened fairly attentively the whole time, and from the start I thought Meijer sounded like Welch.

TBF, I've thought several times recently that someone on a podcast to which I was listening sounded like Welch. I've never thought someone else sounded like Kmele or Moynihan.

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I’ve had to pause and restart a couple of times and yeah, he sounds a lot like Matt. (And to answer Matt’s question, I listen on normal speed.)

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Peter, please run again. For something, anything. Please.

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president

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Aug 7, 2022Liked by Matt Welch

Have had a few today (10-13), and am jamming to Paul Westerberg solo albums. I think Matt and Michael would get down with the jams. Hell, Kmele might love them as well!!

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Aug 6, 2022Liked by Matt Welch

For those of you interested in such things, looks like legendary friend-of-pod Ben Dreyfuss is setting up another banger of a tweetstorm. He opened by gently belittling New Zealand and ramped up to “the entire world surreptitiously wants to give America unlimited blowjobs” in all of fifteen minutes. Who knows where this could end.

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I enjoyed your conversation with Congressman Meijer, about the state of Republican politics. From what I’ve seen, the Marjorie Taylor Greene’s and the John Gibbs’ of the world are a demand-driven phenomenon. They are what primary voters largely want, as the Congressmen noted. I’ve personally witnessed this. The question is when did this turn happen. I first noticed it, with the birther stuff, during Obama’s first presidential run. That’s when I started getting emails from people about conspiracies and having conversations about previously uncommented on topics such what a natural born citizen is. I’d be curious to see the Fifth Column examine this question more deeply, since you’ve been watching this stuff more closely than I have.

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I’m outraged that Meijer lost.

And I love the fact that his first post-lost move was to come on the Fifth Column.

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I honestly can't say if I'm outraged or not, as this was my intro to Meijer (but I think that I think "boosting" is scummy, and if that is the reason he lost, then I too would be outraged).

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I’m concerned Trump is immortal. I doubt even hell will accept him.

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Here's a serious suggestion for what Peter can do next.

There are good people out there who might be willing to get into politics but who have no idea where to start, especially given the state of the two major parties. Giving those people information, support, and a mentorship network to help them get started. I agree with him -- whatever the problems with our political system, they aren't going to get better if good people sit on the sidelines.

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Well, you finally got a hyperlink in the NY Times. Proud of yourselves, now?

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No, never. Never.

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Respect to Welch for being the only one not openly flirting with the congressman’s wife. Boys, control yourselves!

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We've all got reputations to uphold.

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founding

Is Moynihan heartily endorsing war crimes on a TFC bingo card yet? I feel like its been a few episodes in a row now. I think he said something to the effect of, "listen, if you and 5,000 of your buddies don't want to be baked alive and/or suffocated in shipping containers under the blistering Afghan sun, perhaps you should have considered that before joining the Taliban."

Tough but fair.

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He's had a pretty war-crimey 2022.

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Pelosi was just sanctioned by China. There goes her plan to retire peacefully in Beijing.

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Aug 6, 2022·edited Aug 6, 2022

Is that good or bad? Was her visit there a good idea or a bad one?

One thing I've thought, ever since I first read that it was going to happen, is that Britain had never made the deal to give Hong Kong back to China.

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I think it was a good one. I have to believe she had similar intelligence to Biden that China’s reaction would be mostly smoke but no real fire. Biden probably wanted her to go but publicity said otherwise to mitigate China’s response. Or Pelosi intentionally boosted the democratic brand in congress without boosting Biden for a second term. Rare instance of doing the right thing and being politically savvy.

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Peter Meijer has the best sense of humor of any member of congress. "BINO: Butcher in Name Only." Prove me wrong. Tell me who's funnier.

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Possible solution to the primary system: total cessation.

Make the parties pick a candidate however they want and then have them run in a general. No primary voting at all. I think this would keep the party responsible for producing an electable candidate. Also makes the party, and only the party accountable for the person they put up.

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Genuinely curious: in the places where it has been tried, how well has ranked choice voting fared?

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If I’m not mistaken that’s the way it used to be. People complained that gave the parties too much power. It would have kept trump out, however.

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