This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch discuss New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new Commission on Government Efficiency (COGE). The panel examines Mamdani’s claim that bureaucracy is preventing New York from delivering housing, transit, and other services, while questioning whether the commission represents a serious effort at reform or simply a rebranding of the city’s existing political priorities. They also consider what Mamdani’s embrace of efficiency rhetoric says about the state of the Democratic Party and the growing recognition that government often struggles to deliver on its promises.
Next, the editors discuss former Vice President Mike Pence’s claim that “Democrats have lost their mind” and examine the Democratic Party’s continuing attraction to polarizing candidates, from Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner to California’s unsettled gubernatorial race. The panel then checks in on the endlessly unresolved Iran conflict, before debating a proposal to eliminate property taxes for senior citizens and what it reveals about the growing trend toward narrowly targeted tax breaks. Finally, the editors answer a listener’s question about whether late Sen. John McCain’s (R–Ariz.) opposition to mixed martial arts helped shape the cultural forces that eventually brought the UFC to the White House lawn.
0:00—The Commission on Government Efficiency
14:04—Mike Pence’s comments on Democratic Party
22:21—Graham Platner and Democratic candidate quality
30:19—Iran war update
33:01—Listener question on the White House UFC event
42:30—Should seniors pay property tax?
50:05—Weekly cultural recommendations
Mentioned in the podcast:
“Elon Did DOGE. Now Mamdani Is Trying COGE,” by Megan O’Rourke
“Mamdani ‘Balanced’ New York City’s Budget—With a Bailout From Albany,” by Joe Lancaster
“Confidence in Market Principles,” by Mike Pence
“Mike Pence’s Sensible (and Probably Doomed) Plan To Fix the National Debt,” by Eric Boehm
“Today Mike Pence May Find That All His Temporizing and Obfuscation About the Election Sacrificed His Integrity for Nothing,” by Jacob Sullum
“Ken Paxton’s Primary Victory Shows How Trump’s Grudges Undermine His Party’s Interests,” by Jacob Sullum
“Don’t Get a Nazi Tattoo or Praise Hitler: Advice for New Politicians,” by Robby Soave
“Bleeding into the Mainstream,” by Greg Beato
“Government’s Ongoing Effort to Shutter Mixed Martial Arts,” by Kerry Howley
“UFC: One Man’s Brutal Spectacle Is Another’s Eden,” by A. Barton Hinkle
“Stop Giving Property Tax Breaks to Senior Citizens,” by Eric Boehm
“Baby Boomers Are the Richest Generation in History. Why Do Politicians Keep Spending More on Them?” by Eric Boehm
“Abolish Property Taxes?” by Christian Britschgi
“Helen Lewis: The Dark Side of Genius,” by Nick Gillespie
