Pro Politics: Liam Donovan Returns

I joined veteran Democratic pollster Zac McCrary for his Pro Politics Podcast to unpack the events of the past two weeks, and what we should expect from the House GOP conference going forward.

Listen to the full episode here.

Show notes via Pro Politics:

Liam Donovan, a principal at Bracewell and longtime insider and observer of the Hill GOP, returns to weigh in on a chaotic couple of weeks in the House – including the surprise sidestepping of a government shutdown, the toppling of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and the budding race to fill his shoes. In this conversation, Liam talks the factors that led to McCarthy’s ouster, how House Democrats could’ve “saved” him (and why they didn’t), how he’s thinking about the nascent race to be the next Speaker, a check-in on the ’24 GOP presidential primary & more.


IN THIS EPISODE

Liam’s take on the 9-month tenure of Speaker McCarthy…


Liam’s biggest surprises in the saga of the toppling of Kevin McCarthy…


Why the CR to keep the government open both antagonized GOP rebels while alienating House Democrats…


Why Democrats might have chosen to “save” McCarthy…and why they didn’t…


How Liam is looking at the Jordan vs. Scalise battle for Speaker…


Liam on the possibility of a McCarthy Restoration…


Why acting-Speaker Patrick McHenry could be a default longer-term option…


A couple members of the GOP conference who Liam thinks will be predictive of who emerges from the fight for Speaker…


Liam on a possible shutdown after the 45-day CR elapses…


The path forward for additional funding of Ukraine…


Liam’s latest take on Trump’s strength in the GOP presidential primary and the campaigns of Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley…


AND big bargaining chips, catching the fly, Wile E. Coyote, the debt limit crisis, Diet Trump, discharge petitions, evil-genius super villains, Brian Fitzpatrick, the Freedom Caucus, the Gaetz 8, the Full Ginsberg, Lindsay Graham, gratuitous shutdowns, Garret Graves, Ben Jacobs, Hakeem Jeffries, jousting with totems, Mitch McConnell, nihilism, AOC, Nancy Pelosi, Politico, procedural blockades, Punchbowl, The Republican Study Committee, revocable non-support, tipping points, Glenn Youngkin…& more!

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The Lobby Shop: Special Episode on House Speaker Drama

Special 🚨 Speaker madness episode

We tracked Liam down between media interviews to get his take on the historic vote last night that ousted Speaker McCarthy. Liam, Josh, and Paul discuss the tensions within the GOP and with Democrats leading up to the vote, who has put their hat in the ring to be the next Speaker, and what this all means for issues such as funding for Ukraine.

Listen to the full episode here.

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The Dispatch Podcast: On the Brink of a Government Shutdown

I joined Mike Warren of The Dispatch to discuss the likely government shutdown and the politics thereof.

Via The Dispatch:

GOP hardliners aren’t negotiating with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as government shutdown looms. Government Relations Strategist Liam Donovan joins The Dispatch to break down how we got here and:
-Ukraine’s funding
-Senate pushing a Continuing Resolution to stave off a shutdown
-McCarthy’s House resistance
-Gaetz pushing for a betrayal

Show Notes:

-Watch this episode on YouTube

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Politicology: $MOKE AND MIRRORS

This week I joined my old NRSC colleague Ron Steslow along with Andy Kroll from ProPublica and Romina Boccia from the Cato Institute to discuss the week in political news.

via Politicology:

While lawmakers argued over the federal budget, our national debt passed $33 trillion dollars this week.

On this week’s roundup, host Ron Steslow and guests Liam Donovan (Principal at Bracewell LLP), Andy Kroll (Investigative Reporter at ProPublica), and Romina Boccia (Director of Budget and Entitlement Policy at the Cato Institute) discuss why it’s significant and break down the fighting within the Republican party as they argue over a budget.

Then they break down how the auto worker strike has Joe Biden caught between two key democratic constituencies

They also discuss the migrant crisis in New York City and how it’s growing rifts in the Democratic party

Finally, they look at Biden’s defiance in the wake of a Federal Appeals Court ruling that said his Administration likely violated the First Amendment and his campaign’s alarming move to combat what it’s calling “political misinformation.”

Segments to look forward to:

(02:40) The Debt and the Budget fight

(31:31) The United Auto Workers Strike

(46:00) New York City Migrant Crisis

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Politicology: The Vice Presidential Debate

I joined my old NRSC colleague Ron Steslow along with Susan Del Percio and Liz Gilbert to discuss the first GOP presidential debate.

Via Politicology:

Did anyone land a successful punch at the Republican Debate? (And did it matter?) Our reactions to Trump’s interview with Tucker Carlson, and the new song that catapulted a relatively unknown country singer to conservative folk hero and progressive hate object status.

Join our host, Ron Steslow, as he explores the most important political news with guests Susan Del Percio (MSNBC political analyst and crisis communications expert), Liam Donovan (Principal at Bracewell LLP) and Liz Gilbert Cohen (President of the 2020 Democratic National Convention).

Segments to look forward to:

(02:18) A deep dive into the first Republican primary debate, who won and who lost, Nikki Haley’s swipe at Donald Trump, and Vivek Ramaswamy’s annoying performance that could endear him to MAGA voters

(31:50) Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson counterprogramming the debate with a pre-taped interview where they discussed whether Trump’s political rivals would try to kill him and whether we’re heading toward a civil war.

(41:40) The little known Virginia country singer who was catapulted to conservative folk hero and progressive hate object status for the song “Rich Men North of Richmond”

[Politicology+] The continued legal troubles for Hunter Biden and how Joe Biden can respond to the Republican attacks.

Politicology+ is our private, ad-free version of this podcast, with subscriber-only episodes, strategy, and analysis. To join us there, visit politicology.com/plus or subscribe in Apple Podcasts.

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