In This Episode:

Clay welcomes Alex Wagner and Mark McKinnon of Showtime’s The Circus to get the inside scoop on the current state of the two parties.  In the quest to get along, talking to anyone and speaking with the people who make a difference are key to understanding what’s next for us– and Alex and Mark share the many insights they’ve gained from dedicating their careers to understanding the electorate.  After impeachment, will the Republican party coalesce around a less controversial leader?  Can Joe Biden continue to unify the party?  Or is this year going to have more surprises than 2020?

Guests:

Mark McKinnon is a political advisor, reform advocate, media columnist, and television producer. He was the chief media advisor to five successful presidential primary and general election campaigns and is cofounder of No Labels, an organization dedicated to bipartisanship, civil dialogue, and political problem solving.

McKinnon has worked for many causes, companies, and candidates, including former President George W. Bush, Senator John McCain, late former Governor Ann Richards, and Bono. He serves on the boards of numerous organizations dedicated to reforming the influence of money in politics. In 2014, McKinnon launched Mayday PAC to force ethics reform in the United States Congress, along with Harvard Law Professor Larry Lessig and tech moguls Steve Wozniak, Peter Thiel, and Reid Hoffman. McKinnon and Julian Castro, HUD Secretary, served as co-chairs of Southerners for the Freedom to Marry before the historic Supreme Court ruling affirmed the right of all Americans to wed.

For 20 years, McKinnon worked at Public Strategies, Inc., where he was an owner and served as vice chair. In 2010, Public Strategies merged with Hill+Knowlton Strategies, where McKinnon served as global vice chair. He remains an advisor to the firm. An award-winning media producer and communications strategist, McKinnon has been awarded more than 30 Pollie and Telly Awards, honoring the nation’s best political and public affairs advertising.

President Bush appointed McKinnon to serve as a governor of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. He serves on the board of the Austin Film Society and he lectures frequently at universities, including the JFK School of Government at Harvard University and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

McKinnon has been a regular columnist for THE DAILY BEAST and THE DAILY TELEGRAPH (U.K.) and a consultant to the television series THE NEWSROOM and HOUSE OF CARDS.

Get more from Mark McKinnon with: Twitter | Instagram | The Circus | Trumped

Alex Wagner is currently an anchor and correspondent at CBS News, co-anchoring CBS THIS MORNING: SATURDAY and reporting stories throughout the week. She is also a contributing editor at THE ATLANTIC and co-host of their weekly news and affairs podcast, RADIO ATLANTIC. In April, she will release her first book, FUTUREFACE, which examines questions about American identity in the 21st century.

Previously, Alex served as an MSNBC analyst and hosted the Emmy® nominated program NOW with Alex Wagner. She has been a frequent guest host for several political shows, including ALL IN and THE LAST WORD. Before joining MSNBC, Wagner was a reporter with Huffington Post, where she covered innovation in the American economy, investigating the intersection of business, politics, and new technology. Prior to this, she served as the White House correspondent for Politics Daily and the Executive Director of Not on Our Watch, an advocacy and grant-making non-profit focused on combatting genocide and founded by actors George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle.

Get more from Alex Wagner with: Twitter | Instagram | The Circus | Future Face | The Atlantic

Host Clay Aiken has sold 6 million albums, authored a New York Times bestseller, and ran for Congress in North Carolina in 2014 almost unseating a popular Republican incumbent.

Follow Clay Aiken further on: Twitter  | Instagram | Facebook

Email your questions to podcasts@politicon.com

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Host:

Clay Aiken