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Matt Mackowiak's Mack On Politics

Smart political talk every week from Austin, Texas political consultant Matt Mackowiak, who has served in senior roles for two U.S. Senators and the Bush administration.
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Now displaying: April, 2018
Apr 25, 2018

Andy Puzder was one of the most successful CEOs in the past few decades, leading CKE Enterprises which brought back national fast-food chains Hardees and Carl’s Jr.

He was then nominated to be Labor Secretary by President Trump before he withdrew after questions were raised from his past. 

Now he is the author of the new book, “The Capitalist Comeback: The Trump Boom and the Left’s Plot to Stop It”, which is a very timely read.

In this conversation, we first check in with his current assessment of the U.S. economy and the tax law and then discuss the regulatory rollback and trade. Finally, we discuss his personal relationship with President Trump and his unpleasant experience being nominated to serve in the Cabinet as his nomination was brought down by decades-old allegations.

Apr 19, 2018

We examine the political environment and the midterms in the 79th episode with our guest, Josh Kraushaar, politics editor for National Journal.

Our topics: The current state of play, how fundraising is going for both sides, what factors could help each party, whether GOP enthusiasm will catch up, why House GOP retirements are so high, whether Democratic primaries will threaten their chances, how the GOP may deploy Trump in the fall and whether vulnerable GOP incumbents will distance themselves from him.

Apr 10, 2018

Syria is the subject of the 78th episode.

Our guest is Danielle Pletka, Senior Vice President at the American Enterprise Institute.

As President Trump weighs his response to the most recent chemical weapons attack in Syria, we discuss whether Trump’s past military response has boxed him in, how this mess was created in the first place, what Iran and Russia are up to, how ISIS plays into this, what military options exist and what Assad’s future might be.

Apr 4, 2018

Our guest is EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.

He’s been in the news lately, with questions about a room he rented on Capitol Hill and the costs of his travel and security detail.

This was not why we initially wanted to speak to him, though we did ask him those questions. 

In this conversation, which was taped in The Washington Times newsroom with the video live-streamed online, my guest co-host Charlie Hurt and I discussed his mission at EPA, how it is working with President Trump, and what he believes he has accomplished in his first 16 months on the job. 

We then specifically talked about the “Waters of the U.S.” regulation, Superfund cleanup, fuel economy standards for automobiles, ethanol and the renewable fuel standard, and the decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord.

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