Hocus Potus

"The Passion of the Steve"Back after an extended absence, our intrepid heroes find themselves folded into into the multimedia conglomerate that is Meddlesome Priest Productions. Under pressure to increase listenership, the boys decide to be a little more combative and a little less genteel. Steve, perhaps taking the new direction a little too much to heart, unleashes a host of indignation upon the Republicans in general and the Orange president. Exorcised in particular about the Republican attempts to repeal the ACA, Steve lets loose in a particularly unfortunate rebuke to Senator McCain for voting to allow continued debate, which comments became even more unfortunate, and dare we say more douchey, several hours after recording when McCain cast the deciding vote to derail the repeal. Dave blasts Steve and the "resistance" for being misdirected and overdramatic and continues to lambaste Steve for ridiculous hyperbole and radical, unsupported conspiracy theories. Steve, predictably, scoffs at Dave's naivete

“Crossover Crossfire” Not content to simply tape extra episodes without Dave (frankly – Dave considers it a blessing to have missed that episode with Steve and the ‘Liberal Lady” discussing the future “leadership” of the DNC), Steve has crossed the rubicon into full scale podultery and has started a brand new podcast called “Angst & Daisies” with his pal Caroline Aaron. Fear not fans, Hocus POTUS is not going anywhere, but Dave can only surmise that Steve feels the need to express himself in a new forum unrestrained by Dave’s penchant for "rationality." For the record, however, Caroline is pretty danged rational (for a Democrat) and it’s clear who wears the tin foil hat in that relationship. Die hard Hocus POTUS-ites will recall that Caroline was our guest on our very first episode so it is only fair, and symmetrical, that Dave should be the first guest on A&D in this joint episode that will be featured in both podcast’s streams. Steve and Caroline pepper Dave with questions as to the Republica

“Beware of the Ides of March” It's only fitting that the fellas go Shakespearean on the grand play that is the 45th president see. Opinions may differ as to whether we are part of a drama, tragedy or comedy but oh the intrigue. Dave does his best to hang in while convalescing with a herniated disc. Steve of course shows no mercy in this dojo with is usual relentless rants and raves (which of course is met with the usual response of “Are you done yet?” from Dave). Of course we talk Russia and of course the attempts to overhaul the healthcare system, which apparently is pretty complicated, Who knew?

Shhhhhhh, Don't tell Dave we did a DNC Chair Election Special!In this one-off special Steve brings Liberal Lady back so the liberals can discuss what happened at the recent DNC Chair election and what it means for the Democratic Party. Don't worry folks, Dave will be back on the next episode!

(Not My) Presidents Day SpecialSteve makes no pretenses and starts the show wearing and actual tin foil hat (replete with Antennae) and Dave doubles down on his real estate smack dab in the center defending POTUS (sorta) and, in the fine tradition of New York area Italian Catholics, criticizing just about everyone. Steve pledges fealty to the Resistance and Dave is thoroughly exhausted by the oft hysterical and relentless criticism from the militant left, as well as the polyannish and oft undiscerning praise and acceptance from the equally militant Trumpsters. The fellas have plenty of back and forth in a lively and brisk discussion over 1:05 that seems no longer than 55 minutes.

"End of the Beginning/Beginning of the End"  We're baaaack!! Due to overwhelming popular demand we have decided to bring Hocus Potus back to talk ongoing presidential politics. Yes we are easily overwhelmed but yes there is much to talk about. Steve has traded in his tin foil hat for a pussy hat but the conspiracy theories (some would call them facts, but Dave writes the blurbs) are in midseason form as the fellas cover the last 3 months talking Russia, pee parties, cabinet picks, the inauguration address and the Women's March. Dave, the rationalist, still has grave concerns over the narcissism and questionable judgment but doesn't understand what could be protested on day 2, while Steve was at the March and brought back some audio for the show! No alternative facts here. Well maybe a couple.

“un-e-lect-a-ble/Best show ever” After an unprecedented presidential campaign, we now have a President-elect. The fellas come full circle, jumping in the way back machine to episode 1 where Dave dubbed HRC unelectable (which may be the only thing he got right in 27 episodes) and then proceeding into a lively dialogue breaking down what happened, why it happened and what happens next. Steve (with the Clash) foresees a bleak dystopian future while Dave explores the irony, and tedium, of people who spent 2 weeks complaining that Trump might not accept the election results now protesting and refusing to accept the election results. The guys talk about the whether the tenor of the campaign will translate into a “meaner, rougher” America and whether Trump the president will differ from Trump the candidate. Of course, Steve rails about Putin, and expresses fear about racism, bullying and persecution in Drumpf’s America. And what kind of a presidential podcast would we be without a rousing discussion of the E

"End of Days" Is it the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning. Our humble little podcast comes full circle as the fellas welcome back original guest Caroline Aaron from episode 1. Dave laments the lost episode from last week where he did some of his best Hilary bashing but mostly laments the level of discourse and quality of both candidates. Steve continues to predict a new Drumpf media footprint and even dusts off the tin foil headware for a brief moment. The shows detours briefly into wonkville but closes strong as we try to predict the most volatile and unpredictable race of .. well... ever. Is it over yet? (Please let it be over!)

"The Old Styrofoam Noodle Trick/Nasty" Another 2 part show where the fellas do about 40 mins of debate prep (where they get just about everything wrong) and 25 minutes on the actual, relatively uneventful debate. Far from the expected non stop negative insult-a-thon, the guys do their best to breathe life into a non-event that didn't move the needle at all. Steve posits that Drumpf's gaffe on the concession answer is game over. Dave gets exorcised by a couple of really bad HRC answers and laments the lack of a candidate who could have capitalized.

“Uncivil War” The fellas recap the bleak and surrealistic exercise that was the Second Presidential Debate and ponder quizzically on the concept of Trump taking the shackles off, and in what way his performance to date could possibly be considered shackled. Dave and Steve talk about the fallout from Trump’s open declaration of hostilities against the Republican establishment and the likely post –election future of the GOP and the Donald. They talk about Hilary too, Dave still hates her, but it really doesn’t matter because, well..… you’re still thinking about pussy aren’t you? Admit it. It’s ok. The whole country is too. That being the case, there really isn’t any reason to keep writing …. Sad emoji.

"Pussy Galore". C'mon. Were you seriously expecting it to be anything else? Dave and Steve start by recapping the vice-presidential debate which was relatively unimportant on Tuesday when it happened and decidedly less important by, say, midday Friday. Inevitably our intrepid heroes -ahem - dive right in to the topic of the day and lament how superficial, albeit offensive banter is somehow more relevant to the electorate than issues or qualifications.The fellas then grab the discussion by the Putin, preview the 2nd debate with a mix of glee and dread for the spectacle to come and Steve breaks the tin foil hat out of mothballs

“It’s the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man” It’s Hocus Potus’ first 2 part episode with the fellas doing an impromptu 20 minutes debate preview/predictions and then re-convening for part II the next day for the debate post-mortem. The fellas have a rollicking good time deconstructing the highs and the lows, the kill-shots and missed opportunities, the expected and the bizarre tangents and who the heck cares what Sean Hannity says. Dave laments that the election has devolved into the closing sequence of Ghostbusters where we are simply choosing the form of our destructor. Steve speaks of his "liberal elite" debate watching party complete with Trump Asswipe toilet paper and complimentary anti-donald swag bag (in other words, everyone got a pocket Constitution). Did Hilary win or did Trump lose. Was Lester Holt fair? And what was with all the sniffing? Listen up and tell us what you think. ,

After a long layoff and a lost episode the Jersey boys dive into lively argument faster than forks into the meatball dish at Sunday dinner. Steve doubles down on the “basket of deplorables”, faulting HRC for apologizing when she was right. Dave on the other hand, thinks that she made a huuuge mistake in attacking “deplorable” people rather than “deplorable” ideas. Steve chafes at the criticism of her health while Dave points out that it is not necessarily her health that is the issue but the 5 different stories about her health and departure from the Ground Zero ceremony floated by the campaign, culminating in a mystifying 3 day delay in disclosing a prior diagnosis. Steve goes on his trademark rant on the new round of allegations (some say observations) as to Trump and both guys agree, and lament, that the race has become a student council popularity contest between 2 really unpopular kids. Where is Reese Whitherspoon when you need her?

"Digital Bukake/Hair Bitch" The quest for the perfect hashtag continues with Steve's entry symbolizing the alt-right, ahem, immersion into HRC's digital footprint. The fellas review the week that was including Drumpf campaign shakeup pt deux, trois, quatre, cinq..., a new record staying on message without gaffe (96 hours) and Hillary's inability to avoid further damaging herself and just let the Donald implode. Dave tries to turn the conversation to fantasy football and scoffs at Steve's vision for the future of the GOP entry (#Trumpocalypse- next week's hashtag) and they take a walk down memory lane into steve's past in the indie rock business (music is a business?)

“Gover-tainment” A decidedly less cranky Steve, okay a positively gleeful Steve, recounts the week that was for the Donald including the lingering dust-up with the Khan family, Baby-gate and, of course, the 2nd Amendment reference, all of which combined to turn the polls upside down. Dave points out that there is no place to go but up when you’re on the bottom and momentum is a tricky thing, especially where Hillary continues to stumble regarding her emails. Steve rails about the Republican politics of delegitimaization or as Dave calls it, garden variety partisan obstructionism practiced by both sides. The fellas discuss the sometimes tricky distinction between fact and opinion (sometimes called Dave's love of "Truthiness") and, of course, an episode wouldn’t be complete without Steve’s traditional tin foil hat moment.

“Piss and Vinegar (mostly Piss)” or ‘Steve-Bob Crankypants” Despite a DNC convention widely acclaimed as positive, polished and professional, Steve does his best impression of the angry not-so-young man, spewing a non-stop stream of invective and displaying why our humble little podcast so richly deserves the red “E” rating. Mostly, Steve is angry that regardless the Donald’s flaws and a successful convention, Dave and other moderate Republicans are still unwilling to accept Hillary as a viable alternative. The fellas discuss whether “shrill” is a code word for sexist and break down the convention including Barry’s oral mastery (we did that one for the hashtag) and the most famous Khan since William Shatner chewed scenery in the Genesis cave. Also, we frame the debate going forward on the philosophical question of whether America is going to prefer a candidate whose character they don’t trust, or a candidate whose judgment hey don’t trust.

"Bucking Convention" No it's not a rhyming game (or is it?) Its just that "conventional wisdom" would have been sooo uninspired, maybe even derivative, though certainly not plagiaristic ;) The fellas review the convention from top to bottom discussing Melania's speech, the Kardashian...err Trump kids, the Ted Cruz (non) effect, the John Kasich (non) attendance and, of course, the Donald's huuuuuge speech. Our intrepid heroes then shift gears rapidly to preview the upcoming Democrat soiree including the Kaine (zzzz) pick, and Steve again puts on his Oliver Stone (foil) hat to theorize about the Moscow connection to WikiLeaks and the fall of Debbie Wasserman Schulz.

"I got so much trouble on my mind”As usual, Chuck D tells it like it is. Since our last episode the descent into the Terrordome continues with Baton Rouge, Minneapolis, Dallas, Nice and Baton Rouge again. The fellas try to make sense of the madness and its impact on the race and sensibilities of the electorate. Steve rails on about for profit prisons and the need for criminal justice reform - for like 17 minutes so if you were waiting to hear Dave you have time to re-upholster a chair or read Hamilton.   The guys also discuss the Pence choice, the potentially unfortunate logo and whether the ticket  sounds like a Cockney punishment ("eat your pudding or you will get a stern trumpence" - use anglo accent of choice)

"Reckless-Schmeckless/Exonerated(!)(?)"“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means” No, it’s not the Princess Bride but it is inconceivable as Dave is flabbergasted by Steve characterizing the Comey presser as an exoneration of Hilary. Steve sees validation. Dave sees a horrible person unfit for the presidency. They both see the non-indictment as removing a huuuge roadblock from her path to Madame President. The fellas also discuss yet another surreal week in Trumpland with praise of Saddam and allegations of anti-semitism. Steve also goes all TMZ with early reports of Cosby-esque behavior.

"Cat-a-clys-mic" The guys spend some tine talking about 4 syllable words. Not just any 4 syllable roads, they have the best 4 syllable words. They also spend some time on nar-cis-sis-tic. Steve and Dave mourn the grievous loss that was Orlando and discuss the differences in the candidates reaction, Drumpf's problems staffing and raising money and Dave continues to insist Hilary will be a bad president, the only difference being that the tech problems have been fixed and now you can hear him. Recorded on the evening of June 23rd.