Pints & Diplomacy

This weeks episode we traveled to the Iowa State Fairgrounds to interview Trump Supporters during the Trump "Save America" Rally.  We run into Uncle "Jam" along with many other "Patriots" making wild conspiracy claims about Joe Biden.  We conduct a Supreme Court of Horror Movie Villains and we try to figure out the difference between Jodie Foster and Jamie Lee Curtis.  We go "viral" on Tik Tok and gain a new audience while also going to War with Tik Tok!

This weeks episode we meet up with Tik Tok Star Tom Powell Jr. and talk about his days following around The Grateful Dead and how he found his more than 640k followers through Tik Tok!  We also play a game where we name fictional characters and Tom tells us if they would vote Republican or Democrat.  Before our interview we conduct our 4th Supreme Court and this time around we put together the oldest court in the history of Supreme Courts.  

On this weeks episode we sit down with the Founder/Editor of The Bulwark and host of The Bulwark Podcast.  Charlie is also a contributor on MSNBC while also holding the title of Author of the book, "How the Right Lost its Mind" We spend time with Charlie talking about the lasting effects of Donald Trumps legacy and whether or not the Trump era is nearing an end.  During this episode Ryan and Tyler also nominate their Supreme Court of Presidential Quotes and give an update on IA Senator Chuck Grassley.  

This weeks episode we sit down with Former CEO of the Iowa Lottery, Terry Rich.  We conducted this interview after the Party Like A Patriot event hosted by the Dallas County GOP.  Terry talks about his role within the Dallas County GOP while also sharing his vision for the Republican Party moving forward.  He also discusses the many jobs he has held over his lifetime which surprised all of us!  Ryan and Tyler work on their 2nd Supreme Court and this time their Supreme Court covers the best Fall Vibes as Fall is approaching.  They also hand out some Pints of Diplomacy to people in America doing good things for our country!  

We travelled to Marengo, IA to attend the Iowa County Democrats 1st Annual Hot Dog Caucus were we listened to several candidates for office speak while also getting about 5 minutes to speak to almost every candidate in attendance.  We were able to conduct interviews with US Senate Candidates Abby Finkenauer, and Glenn Hurst.  IA-01 Candidate Liz Mathis and State House Candidate Sarah Smith.  Ryan and Tyler also make an attempt at creating a new game called Supreme Court and the first topic they tackle are Hot Dogs. 

We were afforded the opportunity to attend the 3rd Annual Party Like a Patriot event in West Des Moines courtesy of the Dallas County GOP.  This event had guest speakers such as Governor Reynolds, Iowa Wrestling Legend Dan Gable, and Ohio Representative Jim Jordan. We were able to sit down with several people to conduct interviews and they included: State Senator Zach Nunn, State Representative Eddie Andrews, the Co-Chair of the Dallas County GOP, Sheriff Chad Leonard, and a few others with ties to the GOP.  This was a great learning experience for us and we hope we can attend next years event!

We met up with the Johnson County Supervisor @ The Big Twig in Lone Tree, IA.  —  We spent the entire length of the interview drinking Hamms and Big Grove's Easy Eddy while hitting Jon with the hard hitting questions.  We covered many topics including, Star Wars vs Star Trek, his story on how he became involved in politics, and the story of how Johnson County decided to replace their namesake with someone far more deserving!  We do a deep dive into Jon's Spotify playlist and also hear his philosophy on why he is the way he is! You WON'T want to miss this interview!

We met up with Iowa Gubernatorial Candidate Ras Smith at Uncle Nancy's in Newton, Iowa.  —  We spent some time discussing how he plans to stand out from the rest of the Democrats running for Governor.  We also pitched him the most Bipartisan ideas he could use in order to appeal to a larger portion of Iowans.  Other topics covered include, Black Lives Matter, Covid-19 (Delta variant), and the potential for a FUTURE Governor Ras Smith to end the MLB Blackouts.  If you're from a small town then you'll want to listen as this man is the most relatable candidate we have interviewed!

Texas State Rep. Alex Dominguez joins us through Zoom as an alleged "fugitive" of the state! —  We spend some time discussing his decision to flee Texas in order to prevent a voter suppression bill from passing and we discuss the long term plan for the Texas State Democratic Party.  We figure out a way to discuss how Matthew McConaughey has the key to Texas and may even run for Governor.  We wrap up the interview with the State Representative telling us about how he teamed up with Former Governor Rick Perry to pass a bill that created a Psychedelic Drug Study aimed at helping those with PTSD.  We also hand out our first ever Pints of Diplomacy as awards for people doing great things for diplomacy!

Tyler & Ryan go to counseling to uncover all their deeply rooted issues — we met up with Licensed Mental Health Counselor Ben Lehl at Gezellig Brewery in Newton, IA to discuss the importance of taking care of your mental health!  We spend some time discussing the stigma of mental health counseling along with how Covid-19 has impacted the mental health of our country. During this episode we attempt to battle the stigma that surrounds mental health and discuss its importance in a very open and non-threatening manner. 

The first Democrat to announce their candidacy for Chuck Grassley's Senate seat — we met up with Former Crawford County Supervisor through Zoom to discuss his platform to gain the Democratic Nomination!  We spend some time discussing how he will unite the Democratic Party while also redefining what it means to be a rural Democrat.  We also conduct the first ever Pints & Diplomacy Power Hour with US Senate Candidate Dave Muhlbauer. Other Topics discussed include: Vaccination myths, Shower Beers, and the Senate Filibuster.  Enjoy!

The Future of the Iowa Democratic Party and the Night of the 2020 Iowa Caucuses — we met up with Former Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party through Zoom to discuss what exactly happened the night of the Iowa Caucuses!  We spend time diving into his relationship with the DNC and the role of accountability in politics.  We also take a look at the 2022 midterm elections and discuss potential candidates to replace Governor Reynolds and Senator Grassley. Other random topics discussed include Cancel Culture, Shower Beers, and Tulsi Gabbard!

Authoritarian Leaders and our experience with Cameo — We indirectly bring Tomi Lahren and Anthony Scaramucci onto our pod for a discussion on White Supremacy, Qanon, and the January 6th insurrection. Our Special Guest is Ruth Ben-Ghiat who is an expert on Authoritarian leaders. She is a published author and has made the rounds on shows with the likes of Don Lemon and Morning Joe to name a couple. This episode is a recap of the terrifying events of January 6th, but also an opportunity to look ahead at the implications of Trumps election loss and his ensuing role in the Republican Party. 

MLK Day and Fixing our country — we met up with PA State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta through Zoom to talk about the upcoming inauguration, what MLK Day means to him, and he teaches us what Stunt Queen means while providing us some examples in the US Senate. We spent quite a bit of this interview discussing the importance of Representation in our American Government as Representative Kenyatta is the first LGBTQ person of color to be elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Holiday Craft Beers at Brightside Aleworks in Altoona -- We sat down with Carson King so he could share the finer details of his amazing story and the impact he left on our great state.  We do some deep diving into his personal Twitter history to dig up some "unsavory" tweets while also quizzing him on basic constitutional rights.  Since this is our Christmas Special we also share our holiday plans and leave you with a very unique and special reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.

East Coast Craft Beers and National Polls — we met up through Zoom with Pollster Matt McDermott so he could explain to us what actually happens with polling.  We discover that Nate Silver is not a pollster while also discovering that America has been using polls incorrectly for years! Matt teaches us that polling does matter and we somehow work Ina Garten and L. Ron Hubbard into the conversation. This was a remarkably productive interview that deserves a listen or two.

Iowa Craft Beers and Video Journalism — we met up with Emmy award-winning political journalist Caroline Cummings to discuss what her job has been like during the Trump Era.  We also discuss her life being the "Enemy of the People" and we even sneak in a little conversation about "The Office" and share our most "cringe-worthy" episodes while Jared pouts silently in the corner.

Local Beers and a New York Comedian living in California — we met up with stand up comedian Steve Hofstetter through Zoom to talk about his well connected high school, his experience on the MLB Network, and we discuss the treatment of Dave Chappell. We also had the opportunity to talk with Steve about his views on the Trump Presidency and how that has impacted his successful comedy routine.

Raygun IPA's and Election Recap — we met up with the Founder of Raygun: The Greatest Store in the Universe on Zoom to recap the 2020 Presidential election. We pitch Mike million dollar T-shirt design ideas for his store and he shares the BEST and WORST T-shirt ideas people have ever pitched to him over the years. Mike also shares the story of the early years of Raygun and how he was able to meet Jon Stewart! 

Smoothie Sour Beers and The Iowa Lottery — we met up with State Auditor Rob Sand at Lua Brewing Company in Des Moines, IA to talk about the upcoming Presidential election. We visited with Rob about his prosecution of Eddie Tipton in the Hot Lotto case, and we spent a bit of time talking about why this election is a battle for the soul of our nation.  We also ask Rob if he prefers the sound of Senator Sand or Governor Sand.  Enjoy!

National Award Winning Beers and deep conversations about West Wing and the Miami Dolphins— we met up with House District 29 Republican Challenger Jon Dunwell at Gezellig Brewery in Newton, Iowa, to talk about his upcoming election. We challenged Jon on his Republican beliefs and he challenged us on our own and we came out of the interview knowing and understanding more about the other side of the aisle.

Zoom Beers and Celebrity Name Dropping — we met up with IA-4 Candidate for US Congress JD Scholten through Zoom to talk about his upcoming election, his plans to reform our healthcare system, and we discuss how important it is to show up to your Congressional Debates. We also had the opportunity to hear how authentic JD's path to politics happens to be while also talking about the effect shower beers has on a person. 

Iowa Beers and Liberal Stereotypes — we met up with IA-2 Candidate for US Congress Rita Hart at her family farm in Wheatland, IA to talk about her upcoming election, her plan to tackle the Student Loan Debt Crisis, and we work our way through some stereotypes that Liberal politicians tend to have in politics. We also get a chance to hear Rita Harts first hand account of how her farm was severely damaged in the Iowa Derecho.

Sour beers and sour reactions to our new presidential debate rules — we met up with Iowa Representative Wes Breckenridge at Gezellig Brewery in Newton, Iowa, to talk about his upcoming election, the intersection of national and local politics, and the idea of adding some super-serious, definitely not sarcastic new rules to the debate scene...