The Briefcase: The Psychology of It All

In today's episode of the Briefcase, we talk about the appointment of H.R. McMaster. It seems that his appointment will lead to reorganization within the foreign policy teams and we discuss reports that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is being sidelined. 

Discord in the White House is nothing apparently compared to the discord found at Congressional Town Halls across the country - specifically growing concerns about the repeal of Obamacare. We talk about Senator Tom Cotton's town hall specifically. We discuss Vox's Sarah Kliff's trip to Kentucky to investigate the Affordable Care Act and the political climate surrounding it. Beth is concerned at the lack of replacement plan. Sarah is concerned the replacement plans help the wrong people. 

Also, we loose our nuance for this. McConnell: 'Winners make policy, losers go home' 

We correct our coverage of the FEC.

We also talk about the Trump administration's decision to revoke the Obama administration's guidance on transgender restrooms in schools, the role of the judiciary and the legislature, and the cultural polarization around these issues. Sarah recommends This Is How It Always Is - a novel that deals with this issues in a beautiful way and analogizes the personal experience with cultural issues that shift our society's position on things, such as gay rights. She cited Ilyse Hogue's speech about abortion at the Democratic National Convention. 

We end with listener feedback on our last episode. We discuss whether or not we are rational animals and how we can design your life (and voting decisions) in the face irrationality.  We also discuss a message from Autumn about Trump's creation of an "in group" and "out group." 

Also, a final plug for our book club on goodreads and the book that they are currently reading Strangers In Their Own Land!