Welcome to the Reason Round Table, you're a weekly reminder that when it comes to politics

and government, you don't have to do it that way.

I am Matt Welch, joined by a late summer replacement crew, Reason Editor in Chief Katharine

Mangueud Ward is here per usual, but subbing in for those other two guys and returning to

the program are Reason TV, Senior Producer Zach Weiss Mueller, and why we can't have

nice things podcast host Eric Bame himself, welcome podcasters.

Howdy.

Happy Monday.

Wow.

Love the throwback.

Did they do that up in advance?

That's nice.

All right.

Let's do this.

Last week, the American political calendar was dominated by Republicans.

On Wednesday, we had the first debate night of the presidential primary season featuring

eight of the top nine GOP candidates.

Then on Thursday, the runaway leader of the pack, former president Donald Trump, who had

opted out of the debate in favor of a softball Twitter interview with former Fox host Tucker

Carlson, was reigned in Georgia on racketeering charges, posing for a mug shot that went

instantly iconic.

So what do these three events, the debate, the Tucker interview, the arrangements, and the

...