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The Politics Guys

Germany Drawdown, ICE Budget, Redistricting, Flipping Fetterman

The Politics Guys

Michael Baranowski

Politics, News

4.4783 Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2026

⏱️ 17 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Mike, Trey, and Terry open this supporters' exclusive midweek episode with Trump’s planned troop drawdown from Germany and what it says about America’s shifting posture toward Europe. Terry argues the 5,000-troop reduction itself is not strategically decisive, but looks more like retaliation than planning. Trey sees it as part of a broader Trump effort to demote NATO and reorder U.S. alliances, while Mike worries that America may be giving up a relatively inexpensive source of leverage, deterrence, and global reach. Next, they turn to the Senate reconciliation package, the parliamentarian’s limits on what can be included, and the huge increase in funding for immigration enforcement. Trey explains why reconciliation has become central in a Senate where ordinary legislating is increasingly blocked by the filibuster. Mike focuses on the institutional damage of Congress pre-funding executive priorities for years at a time, while Terry argues that although the congressional abdication is real, Trump is delivering the immigration crackdown he openly campaigned on. After that, the guys discuss Florida’s new congressional map and the escalating national gerrymandering war. Trey lays out how DeSantis is trying to maximize Republican seats while framing the map as race-neutral after the Callais decision. Mike argues that Florida’s Fair Districts Amendment should make this kind of map legally vulnerable, though he suspects the state supreme court may find a way to uphold it. Terry emphasizes that both parties are abandoning anti-gerrymandering principles when power is at stake, while also warning that Republicans may be overreading recent Hispanic voting trends. They close with Republican efforts to flip John Fetterman and what his alienation from Democrats means for the Senate. Terry thinks Fetterman has little reason to switch parties now and give up leverage. Trey notes that Fetterman still votes with Democrats most of the time and argues that party activists now treat even modest dissent as betrayal. Mike sees Fetterman as politically stranded: far too liberal to be a real Republican, too estranged from Democrats to be effective, and likely headed for a very difficult 2028 primary. The Politics Guys on Facebook | X Listener support helps make The Politics Guys possible. You can support us or change your level of support at patreon.com/politicsguys or politicsguys.com/support. On Venmo, we’re @PoliticsGuys. The Politics Guys is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

This episode is brought to you by Expedia and Visit Scotland.

0:04.6

Start your story in Scotland.

0:06.9

Experience the pool of wide, untamed landscapes and fresh cuisine that feels rooted in place.

0:13.6

Discover castles steeped in legend.

0:16.6

And feel the genuine warmth from locals you meet in a place that will stay with you long after you leave.

0:23.2

Start planning your own Scottish holiday.

0:25.7

Today at expedia.co.uk slash visit Scotland.

0:30.9

Some follow the noise.

0:33.4

Bloomberg follows the money,

0:35.6

because behind every headline is a bottom line.

0:39.4

Whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings,

0:43.9

there's a money side to every story.

0:46.6

And when you see the money side, you understand what others miss.

0:51.0

Get the money side of the story.

0:53.0

Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com.

0:57.9

Atheists, agnostics, long-haired, weirdos, short-haired widows, vand-roll,

1:02.7

culligoths.

1:03.2

Love the government, hug the government, hug the government, love, the government, hug the government,

1:07.5

love the government, hug the government, love the government, hug the government.

1:09.7

Welcome to politics, guys. I'm political scientist Michael Baranowski, an emeritus professor at North Kentucky University.

1:16.2

I am joined today by not one, but two political scientists, just like in the weekend show,

1:21.8

Treendorf and Terry Casey. Guys, welcome to the midweek show. Thanks. Always wonderful. We'll be back. So, as I mentioned,

...

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