Mailbag: Are Democrats Built For What’s Coming?

Mailbag: Are Democrats Built For What’s Coming?

Author: CLNS Media Network February 13, 2026 Duration: 10:40
Support the show by signing up to our Patreon and get access to the full Weekender episode each Friday as well as special Live Shows and access to our community discord: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast. It’s a full mailbag Weekender and it starts with Jared Yates Sexton hitting the wall after another long day on the road and Nick Hauselman catching heat for being too friendly with the devil machines. A listener asks whether the Democratic Party can be rebuilt or if it has to be replaced and the answer is not comforting. Another wants to know what it looks like when elections stop being free and fair, and they talk through the warning signs and why the “somebody will step in” instinct isn't realistic. Then a higher ed administrator writes in about the AI push inside colleges and why the people selling efficiency are really selling layoffs and hollowed out institutions. The questions keep coming on surveillance tech, local wins that feel too small, and what happens when public pressure stops working. They get into burnout, dissociation, and which Star Wars prequel we’re living through right now. They also hit the California governor race and why Jared treats every billionaire like a crime scene. It wraps with a question about where their politics came from and why the neoliberal era is decaying into something meaner. Happy Valentine’s Day, to all you lovers out there.

Hosted by political analysts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman, The Muckrake Political Podcast operates on a simple premise: the daily headlines are just the surface layer. Produced by the CLNS Media Network, this podcast actively resists the repetitive spin cycle that defines so much political coverage. Instead, each episode is an exercise in excavation, where Sexton and Hauselman pick apart a current event to uncover its roots and ramifications. They consistently reach for historical parallels and viewpoints often sidelined by mainstream discourse, arguing that understanding the past is crucial for navigating the present. The goal isn't just to inform, but to impose a framework for thinking critically about power, rhetoric, and policy as they unfold in real time. For listeners fatigued by shallow takes, this show offers a substantive alternative, replacing noise with nuance. The conversation you'll hear is analytical yet accessible, designed for anyone who feels the news moves too fast to comprehend. It’s a deliberate attempt to find signal in the noise, providing context that makes chaotic political developments feel more intelligible. Tune in for a discussion that treats politics as the complex, consequential force it is, beyond the day's predictable talking points.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Muckrake Political Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Weekender Preview: The Regime Comes For It All [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:39
Nick Hauselman has scheduling issues, so Jared Yates Sexton dives into ABC censoring Jimmy Kimmel on behalf of the Trump Administration and the Right, detailing how past authoritarian regimes wrote the playbook and where…
What This Literal Turning Point Means for America [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:49
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman break down the chaotic aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination and how the right is exploiting it. They unpack the instant anti-trans scapegoating, JD Vance’s open calls t…
Soft Targets, Hard Narratives [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:24
This is a free preview of our Weekender. Get the full episode, every Weekender, special live shows, and our community Discord by supporting us here: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast. Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nic…
Charlie Kirk Assassinated: America on the Brink [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:30
In an emergency broadcast, Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman break down the shocking assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Beyond the tragedy itself, they explore the dang…
If The Democrats Ever Figure It Out... [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:16
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton (fighting off an Oasis-induced cold) and Nick Hauselman break down a 6–3 Supreme Court move that lets ICE ramp up racial profiling in Los Angeles and what that signals for Chicago, protest cra…
The Death of Expertise, Long Live Disease [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:52
This is a preview of the Weekender. Get full access to the entire episode on our Patreon: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast Co-hosts Nick Hauselman and Jared Yates Sexton unpack a wild week: The Epstein survivors speak…
How Firings Lead To Fascism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:34
👉 This is an excerpt from the full Weekender episode. Click here for full access and to support the show: Patreon.com/MuckrakePodcast. On this Weekender edition, co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman break down…
My Kingdom for a (Golf) Course [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:16
Donald Trump’s Oval Office rant took a darker turn this week, openly flirting with dictatorship while floating executive orders on flag burning, renaming the Department of Defense, and even eyeing a federal troop occupat…
Is Trump Fading? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:20
👉 Support The Muckrake Podcast and get exclusive content by joining us on ⁠Patreon⁠ In this Weekender, co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman dig into shocking reports that the Trump administration is drawing up…
Putin’s Puppet Show: Trump Tangled in the Strings [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:46
Donald Trump just welcomed Vladimir Putin to American soil and rolled out the red carpet—literally clapping as the war criminal strutted into Alaska.. Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman break down what really…