Dennis, The Menace

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Former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert died this week, and it’s almost like he never molested a bunch of children then got busted for buying their silence.

In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:

* The told and untold story of Denny Hastert;

* Did Democrats agree to sweep it all under the rug because they had fond professional memories of Hastert, specifically? Or is this part of a broader asymmetry?

* How does it all portend for the post-election and post-Trump worlds, when Democrats will probably have to be quite partisan, if they mean to revive liberal democracy in America.

Then, what’s the deal with the bipartisan permitting bill that Sheldon Whitehouse helped spearhead in the Senate? Why are environmental organizations split on it? Why do Republicans support it? How many of them are unexposed sexual predators? And what’s the best case, if there is one, for Democrats to walk away from this deal?

Answers are available in full to paid subscribers. Only the first half’s available to freeloaders and viewers on YouTube. Upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.

Further reading:

* Matt’s case for the permitting deal.

* Brian huffs hopium, and then buzzkills with a does of realism.

* Reflections from the Mark Foley scandal and the end of the Hastert speakership.