“There’s a feeling of distance to tell yourself, ‘I am not on the progressive left, but I am not calling people authoritarian extremists. I’m not part of this group outside of the boundaries.’ But, to bring it back to the first generation of Republicans—the thing about sketching boundaries is that they can always expand. Once you give anyone the authority to begin shrinking the circle of belonging, it’s only a matter of time before you find yourself outside of it as well.”
-Jamelle Bouie, episode 421 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
From the opinion pages of The New York Times to his popular TikTok feed, Jamelle Bouie is a leading voice in American politics.
This week, Bouie helps us sift through the inner workings of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” (4:38): its promise of prosperity for the middle class (8:44), the “moral economy” guiding the legislation (13:00), the projected losses in healthcare coverage across the country (18:07), particularly in right-leaning, rural communities (23:50), the GOP’s vision for the future (33:30), and how strict reporting requirements will put SNAP benefits at risk for millions (36:46).
On the back-half, Bouie reflects on the ghost of Democrats past (43:35), campaign lessons from Zohran Mamdani’s bid for New York City mayor (46:18), the recent ICE raids sweeping Los Angeles (1:03:54), and the historical antecedents that help put this moment in American life in perspective (1:08:08).
This episode was recorded at Spotify Studios. Subscribe to our new YouTube page. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at mail@talkeasypod.com.
Show-notes:
- Read Jamelle’s column in The New York Times.
- Follow him on TikTok, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.
- Learn more about Jamelle’s blog, podcast, and more on his website.
- Find his conversation with author of Charles Sumner, Zaakir Tameez.
- For more talks, hear Astead Herndon, Jia Tolentino, and Ezra Klein.
- Order your Talk Easy mug in cream and navy or our vinyl record with Fran Lebowitz.
Original illustration by Krishna Shenoi.
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