The Progress Pondcast

As the economy teeters, the GOP follows Trump into the threshing blades. Is it a good idea to cut FEMA? The civilized world rejects MAGA, as Texas doubles down. And, a plea to John Fetterman.

Today's episode is chockful of topics!Jesse Welles Sings About Tarrifs;Tarrifs Eating Faces;A Weimar-style Collapse in DC;WTAF John Fetterman;Free Kilmar Garcia; Are We STILL going after DEI?; andHands Off Protests.Tune in! Share with your friends! Share on social media! Subscribe! And please support us on Patreon!

Friend of the pod, Hall Monitor's Bill Hangley—who you may remember from last seaon—spent the mid-1990s reporting from eastern Europe. He's back to discuss how DOGE could affect Philly parks—and ultimately make it impossible to get anything done. Plus, Trump and Putin move to partition Ukraine. Marty has thoughts. It's two hours of fun!Please support us on Patreon.Produced and edited by Brendan Skwire.

The hosts of the Professional Left podcast, BlueGal and Driftglass, drop by to talk a whole lotta politics, from the golden-olden days of blogging, to Never Trumpers, to organizing and nurturing a progressive media ecosytem to counter the stumbling legacy media. Also knitting, and corn. Delicious, delicious corn. Find us and support us on Patreon! The Progress Pondcast The Professional Left We need a new external hard drive, and those things cost money!

The Pennsylvania Policy Center's executive director Marc Stier drops by to chat with the guys about how the GOP is coming for Medicaid and more—and what we can do to stop them. Also, a special holiday post script! Have a listen, like and subscribe, and please support us on Patreon.

We have a great one for you this episode, folks. Philip Longman, Senior Editor at the Washington Monthly and the Policy Director at the Open Markets Institute drops by to discuss how 50 years of weak antitrust policies has hurt the Democrats with working class voters—and what they should do to win them back. If you like what we do at the Progress Pondcast, please support us on Patreon for as little as $5.00 a month. Thanks, and make sure to like and share our show!

Rudy Giuliani keeps digging that hole, while his hero Trump doesn't lift a finger to help him. Maybe that's because Trump is too busy picking through the trash for cabinet members, because they're such garbage even Maggie Haberman can't keep up. The fellas also have a good laugh at the MAGA morons who think Trump is gonna lower prices—boy do they have a surprise coming! Finally, Brendan gets dragged back onto social media kicking and screaming, and finds it's not THAT bad at BlueSky.

Rudy Giuliani faces a reckoning and loses all his stuff. Meanwhile, right wing gasbags bluster about married women voting! And the big story: Marty speculates on the secret plan hatched by Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson to steal the 2024 election. Please support our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/progresspondcast And as always, please like, follow, subscribe, and share with friends and family on social media.

Kind of a rambler this episode. The guys talk about getting old, Brendan has a birthday, Trump melts down several times in public, and Marty worries about low-propensity voters. Plus we're both naked. BTW, this is hard-ass work. Not only are we using data (which ain't free), it takes me (Brendan) at least 2-3 hours to edit a single episode. No one's paying us to do this, so please support us and our work on Patreon, so we can take over the world: https://www.patreon.com/progresspondcast. Thanks, Brendo and Marty

PA State Rep (and lifelong Philadelphian) Joe Hohenstein drops by to talk about state politics—including the disgrace of PA Republicans booing the Capitol Police who defended the House and Senate on January 6—as well as the importance of constituent services, the 2024 election, and protecting our most vulnerable. Oh and his large menagerie of rescue pets. Give us a listen! Like and subscribe! Share with your friends! Support us on Patreon! Like us on Facebook!

We had such a good time last week with Bill Hangley, we invited him back for round two! The guys discuss Kamala Harris's historic candidacy and MAGA's predictable freakout, as well as Trump's racist remarks at the National Association of Black Journalists convention—was it a meltdown or more kayfabe? JD Vance has a lot of problems with furniture, cats, women, and childless people. Who should Harris pick for veep? How Biden's decision to drop out of the race is a real Obi-Wan Kenobi (Joe-bi-Wan Kenobi) move, and how the prisoner exchange with Russia helps Harris. If you like what you hear, please support us on Patreon—and tell all your friends!

Marty, Brendan, and guest Bill Hangley discuss the 2024 campaign, including call for Biden to drop out. Bill discusses his recent opinion piece, "The Case for Kamala" and plays a song off his new album! Less than an hour after recording (but well before editing), Biden dropped out. Please visit us online at the following links, and support us on Patreon! https://progresspond.com/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094674335808 https://www.patreon.com/progresspondcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbg2LJpn3yE

Martin and Brendan share their takes on the Biden/Trump debate, and what Democrats should do. Also, we now have a Patreon page where you can support us. Need more politics and analysis between podcasts? Find us online at Progress Pond.

The guys celebrate Memorial Day! Brendan honors family and friends who served, Marty speculates on what verdict the jurors will render in Trump's New York trial, both of us make fun of thug-turned-schlub Michael Cohen, and we also have some fun with Rudy Giuliani's new barista gig.

The fellas laugh and laugh at Donald Trump's legal travails. Will Donald melt down if Stormy testifies?

Mike from Ohio, longtime commenter at Progress Pond, drops by for our first guest visit. We crap on Vince McMahon; discuss politics and chili in Ohio; and savor the trifecta of the DeSantis collapse, Trump's problems, and Rudy911's continuing descent. Intro/outro music, "The Walk," provided by The Royal Hounds. "Some Kinda Gold," provided by The No Good Crowd. Podcast written and produced (where not ad libbed) by Martin Longman and Brendan Skwire. Engineered, and edited by Brendan Skwire. Visit us online at Progress Pond, or find us on Facebook.

Brendan and Marty ponder magnets and how they work; Joe Biden saddles Trump with a hilariously obscene nickname; taking Trump down to the studs; and the Moms for Liberty are back and getting their freak on.

The guys roast Henry Kissinger over an open fire, make fun of professional liar George Santos, smack their heads over Israel, and point and laugh at the scandal-beset Moms for Liberty. Plus, Brendan has a new song out and both the guys have microphone problems.

Martin and Brendan discuss the fallout from the 2023 (dare we say it) Blue Wave. Then it's Speaker Mike Johnson, who wants everyone to know he doesn't watch porn, and has an app on his phone monitored by a special someone to make sure he keeps his filthy paws to himself. With all that porn-resistance, will the Speaker have time to avert a government shutdown, or will his hands be occupied? And on a serious note, some deep thoughts on Israel, Gaza, and Hamas.

Martin and Brendan are both fighting colds. Martin does a victory lap as the House GOP “majority” collapses.

Boneheads and Bigots: Can the stupidest man in Washington keep his gavel and cling to power? And, chairs goes flying as a Pennsylvania school district descends into chaos over LGBTQ+ policies. Kevin McCarthy sources: https://progresspond.com/2023/01/02/kevin-mccarthy-has-already-lost/ https://progresspond.com/2023/05/30/its-kevin-mccarthys-moment-of-reckoning/ https://progresspond.com/2023/06/29/kevin-mccarthy-hopes-cabinet-impeachments-will-save-him/ https://progresspond.com/2023/07/03/at-risk-house-republicans-are-getting-restless/ https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/kevin-mccarthy-faces-perfect-storm-demands-shutdown-looms-rcna104490 https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triad/news/2023/09/12/gaetz-says-impeachment-inquiry-not-enough--threatens-to-oust-mccarthy https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/13/defense-bill-house-republicans-00115530 Central Bucks School District: https://whyy.org/articles/aclu-files-federal-complaint-against-central-bucks-school-district-alleging-discrimination-against-lgbtq-students/ https://buckscountyherald.com/stories/aclu-hits-central-bucks-school-district-with-a-new-complaint-discrimination-lgbtq-students,26853 https://whyy.org/articles/us-department-of-education-investigating-central-bucks-school-district-after-aclu-complaint/ https://www.tapinto.net/towns/doylestown/articles/after-papers-are-thrown-cb-school-board-meeting-spirals-out-of-control https://www.cbsd.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=141296&dataid=215506&FileName=Internal%20Investigation%20Presentation_2.PDF https://www.brookings.edu/articles/school-shootings-what-we-know-about-them-and-what-we-can-do-to-prevent-them/

Brendan's student loans get forgiven! Awkward Americans identify with/are disgusted by Ron DeSantis! Oliver Anthony Terhunes amorous Republican blowhards! And, who won the GOP debate thing (hint: not America)! All this week on the Progress Pondcast! Brent Terhune: https://youtu.be/WYueFnyAWy0?si=6kzN78Qyo9QjXtPe Oliver Anthony: https://youtu.be/cv9uMXiY29s?si=lTlob_xgJxgVmtaI Awkward Americans: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/08/17/ron-desantis-awkward/

In this week's episode, we discuss perennial wanker Joe Klein's Washington Post column on Hunter Biden amounts to more wanking. Also, why are pundits trying to get Trump out of a jail sentence when the dude hasn't even been convicted yet?

Welcome to the Progress Podcast with Martin Longman and Brendan Skwire. In our inaugural episode: Jason Aldean is a moron, and Brazil solves its Bolsonaro problem.