Cheerleading
Dear BP, You make this argument about perception in our public figures and even the appearance of impropriety is often enough. I’d like to see you both address the obvious Marriane cheerleading we see routinely. Since RFK is polling higher shouldn’t he be getting these questions more so than her? He could very well be not asked these questions at all and I’m just imagining this. But after the way you steam rolled RFK with no evidence in the vaccine debate and the consistent coverage of Marianne, not to mention her officiating your wedding Krystal. This all just gives the appearance of favoritism that you’ve claimed to try and avoid.
AI versus Lobbyists?
Something I've heard on various podcasts including BP is that the inappropriate influence of lobbyists over government policy is exacerbated by the asymmetric power relationship between lobbyists and public officials. That is to say, public officials have a budget that has been slashed down to nothing in the name of Reagan inspired neoliberalism who are negotiating with corporate lobbyists who have a virtually bottomless war chest - to the point where the lobbyists are the only party capable of crafting legislation which the public officials then pass, having insufficient resources to craft their own legislation or even parse through what they've been fed by the lobbyists. Your recent segment on potentially harmful AI policy being snuck into various legislation made me wonder - if the government were able to leverage AI to make up for the shortcomings forced upon them by neoliberal policy, could that help level the playing field with the lobbyists and give public officials more options in terms of circumventing the influence of third parties? ChatGPT vs Purdue Pharma. Think about it.
Government shutdowns
As a long-time federal employee, I wanted to correct the record on government shutdowns. The one in 2018 and early 2019 actually lasted 5 weeks: 35 days. There was a 3-week shutdown in October 2013. Shutdowns are stressful and unnecessary. People say, "Oh government employees get a paid vacation!" We would rather go to work, and it's no vacation if you're worried about when you'll get paid again. Thanks for all you do. It was great to meet both of you (and Kyle and Corin) at the show in Austin!
Why is RFKJr’s stance on vaccines and the CDC a “Red Line” for Krystal, but Williamson’s near identical stance is not?
Quote from a Facebook post of Marianne Williamson - “As President, I would order the CDC to establish an independent commission to review/reform vaccine safety. Calling people who express any concern or questions about bundling, number of vaccines, neurons-toxins and so forth “anti-vax” is both incorrect and unfair. All parents want only that their children be safe. Given that as of 2019, over $4B has been paid out in compensation for vaccine injury (the National Vaccine Injury Protection Act was passed in 1986), concerned parents should not be demonized nor their concerns minimized. The call for certitude that vaccines are safe and responsible is not “anti-science” but rather “pro-science”, as it is a call for Independent scientific research to review and establish vaccine safety.”