7.01: The Ticket

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It’s the Season 7 premiere! Which begins, naturally, with a scene from the Season 10 premiere! Suspense hovers over this episode, like a space station in need of maintenance—or a baker about to be sent home from the tent—as Josh and Hrishi sort through both the wise and foolish acts of our heroes.

CORRECTION: I got a thing wrong in this episode: I forgot that Leo didn't know about the MS during the campaign. I was thinking about how when Leo was told, he didn’t push to disclose the information immediately. Anyway, getting rusty. My bad. — Hrishi

footnotes —
Too Close for Comfort: An Insider’s View of Presidents and Their Attorneys General

0.14: Veep (with Gary Cole and David Mandel)

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We wanted to honor the end of Vice President Bob Russell's storyline in The West Wing with Gary Cole, who played Bingo Bob. Gary also plays Kent Davison in the brilliant, vicious, hilarious Veep, so we decided to celebrate two great(?) Vice Presidents in one episode. It's a Veep special! We're also joined by Veep showrunner David Mandel, a huge West Wing fan, to talk about where these two very different, political, Emmy-winning shows intersect.

6.22: 2162 Votes (Live with Mary McCormack and Lawrence O'Donnell)

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We wrap up Season 6 with a live taping from Washington, DC, joined by special guests Mary McCormack (@marycmccormack) and Lawrence O’Donnell (@lawrence). Cue the balloons! Go balloons! Uhhh, where are the balloons?!

footnotes —
Lawrence O’Donnell’s book, Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics
Khizr Khan’s speech at the 2016 DNC
Joanna Gleason as The Baker’s Wife in “In the Woods”
Rod Stewart - ”Young Turks”
Balloon Drop Fail at 2004 DNC
”Wait for It” from Hamilton
Sad Affleck
Thanks to our Odysseus – Dave Nadelberg of the Mortified podcast!


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6.21: Things Fall Apart (with Jennifer Palmieri)

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Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the DNC,
The delegate tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of democracy is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity. 
With special guest, Jennifer Palmieri.

footnotes —
The Other Glass Ceiling: Kamala, Warren, and The Trouble With “Tough” Women by Jennifer Palmieri
Lin Miranda on stage with Crazy Ex Girlfriend: Live at Radio City Music Hall
Tom Lehrer - Wernher von Braun
Hillary Clinton is Nominated - Aided by Bernie Sanders

6.20: In God We Trust (with Alan Alda and Rev. Katey Zeh)

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The legendary Alan Alda joins us this week to discuss Arnie Vinick, the Constitution, and eating ice cream. Plus, we speak to Reverend Katey Zeh, the executive director of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

footnotes —
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Women Rise Up: Sacred Stories of Resistance for Today's Revolution by Katey Zeh
Clear + Vivid with Alan Alda
Alan Alda receives the Life Achievement Award at the 25th Annual SAG Awards