Oct 21, 2026 · 1h 8m
Trump’s politics collide with America’s weakening alliances
Mike Murphy and Mark Hertling: Vivek Is a Despicable Creep
The episode connects Republican electoral vulnerabilities to a broader argument that transactional leadership is damaging U.S. military credibility and democratic alliances.
- 1Mike Murphy sees Trump’s economic record and unpopular policies creating openings for Democrats across a surprisingly broad Senate map.
- 2The discussion treats Vivek Ramaswamy’s attack on Amy Acton as a revealing example of desperate, potentially self-defeating politics.
- 3Mark Hertling argues that Ukraine, NATO, and Iran expose a leadership problem: military action without coherent political objectives or strategy.
Don't miss
Mark Hertling delivers a personal account of his anger and sadness over the erosion of military institutions and alliances he spent decades building.
The brief
Mike Murphy sketches a favorable midterm landscape for Democrats, citing Trump’s weak economic numbers, unpopular policies, and Republican exposure in several Senate contests.
The Ohio race becomes a case study in political desperation as Murphy and Tim Miller condemn Vivek Ramaswamy’s attack on Amy Acton’s estranged birth mother.
Murphy then weighs Trump’s pro-Russia posture, Elon Musk’s political ambitions, and the possibility that Republican losses could reshape the party without ending Trumpism.
Mark Hertling argues that restricting Starlink access in Ukraine damaged trust while underscoring how Russia’s invasion failed through poor leadership, logistics, and mismatched means.
Hertling’s central warning is strategic: abandoning Ukraine and NATO, or relying on force against Iran, leaves the United States without a coherent political end state.
The standout exchange comes when Hertling describes his anger and sadness over institutions and alliances he spent decades building, then condemns performative military leadership.
What was said on this episode
51 statements · 21 positive · 29 negative · 1 mixed
The Vivek Ramaswamy campaign’s attack ad is exceptionally reprehensible.
“It is, I think, the most despicable act that we've seen from a campaign in recent memory.”
Listen at 1:07
The Vivek Ramaswamy attack ad will backfire politically.
“the good news is it's going to backfire. It's going to backfire.”
Listen at 3:38
Ohio supporters should spend extra time canvassing for Amy Acton.
“If you're in Ohio, I'd encourage you to spend an extra hour knocking on doors for Amy Acton this weekend.”
Listen at 3:48
Democrats will win the House in the approaching elections.
“Dems are going to win the House”
Listen at 8:40
Democrats have a realistic chance to win the Senate.
“they actually have a real shot at winning the Senate.”
Listen at 8:55
A Democratic candidate will win Maine’s Senate race in a Democratic wave.
“in a wave, I think they're going to get her”
Listen at 10:16
Susan Collins’s political appeal has substantially declined.
“she's hit her sell-by date, I think.”
Listen at 10:36
Abdul El-Sayed will probably win Michigan’s Senate race in a Democratic wave.
“I think in a wave he'll still probably make it”
Listen at 12:03
Abdul El-Sayed will probably win, but Michigan’s Senate race will be close.
“I think he's still going to make it, but I think it's going to be close.”
Listen at 12:41
Abdul El-Sayed should emphasize attacking Trump rather than himself.
“he needs a little less of him, a little more of fire Trump.”
Listen at 12:47
The Ramaswamy attack ad will backfire.
“I think it'll backfire.”
Listen at 15:40
Amy Acton will win the Ohio Senate race.
“who I believe is going to win.”
Listen at 16:48
Ohio is the likeliest Republican-held state for a Democratic Senate pickup.
“I would tip it to Ohio.”
Listen at 17:36
Texas has become more competitive for Democrats.
“Texas has moved.”
Listen at 18:10
Kansas could produce a remarkable Democratic Senate victory.
“I think Kansas could be kind of the remarkable win.”
Listen at 19:33
The Democratic Alaska Senate candidate is the favorite.
“she's the favorite to me.”
Listen at 20:20
Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat could unexpectedly flip to Democrats.
“I even think the Lindsey seat could pop.”
Listen at 22:28
South Carolina is Murphy’s likeliest major Senate upset.
“that one is probably my biggest upset”
Listen at 25:00
The United States will spend considerable time repairing its foreign-policy damage.
“we're going to be digging out of a foreign policy hole here for quite a while.”
Listen at 26:52
A Democratic Senate victory will significantly change global politics.
“the world is going to change if the Democrats win the Senate.”
Listen at 27:00
Republican politicians perceive J.D. Vance’s political prospects as weak.
“I think most of the Pauls smell death on J.D. Vance”
Listen at 28:44
Donald Trump is about to become a major political loser.
“he's about to be the biggest loser in American politics.”
Listen at 29:30
Democratic congressional control would enable investigations into Musk’s businesses and contracts.
“the Dems can go investigation happy now.”
Listen at 32:09
Elon Musk will face significant political and business difficulties.
“I think Elon's in for a bumpy road is my prediction.”
Listen at 32:21
Xavier Becerra will win California’s gubernatorial race.
“because he's going to win”
Listen at 33:34
California voters will reject the billionaire tax initiative.
“People are going to kill the billionaire tax. That's going to lose.”
Listen at 34:09
The California billionaire tax is poorly designed and unlikely to work.
“it's a horrible way to try. Nobody thinks it'll work.”
Listen at 35:25
Nithya Raman will probably win the Los Angeles mayoral race.
“I would still bet on Rahman winning”
Listen at 36:13
Rick Caruso could emerge as a major Los Angeles political alternative in four years.
“he could be the lorry in 4 years”
Listen at 36:39
Los Angeles voters should support John McKinney for city attorney.
“McKinney, please”
Listen at 38:28
Starshield outages disrupt battlefield command, air defense, and intelligence operations.
“When it goes dark, your battlefield goes dark too.”
Listen at 41:33
Starshield shutdowns place Ukrainian forces in a severely dangerous position.
“it's putting the Ukrainian forces in just horrific position.”
Listen at 41:51
U.S. actions toward Ukraine undermine trust between the countries.
“it just undercuts trust.”
Listen at 42:42
Russia failed to achieve its first four strategic objectives in Ukraine.
“the Russians have failed”
Listen at 45:46
Russia lacked the capabilities and resources to achieve its invasion objectives.
“they didn't have the ways and means to do it.”
Listen at 45:54
Russia has failed in every phase of its Ukraine campaign.
“Russia has failed in each, in each phase.”
Listen at 46:57
Ukraine is currently succeeding more than in any previous campaign phase.
“Ukraine, more than any of the other first 10 phases that they've been through, are succeeding”
Listen at 47:02
The United States is restricting Ukraine’s current battlefield success.
“we are throttling that success.”
Listen at 47:13
Current U.S. policy abandons its historical support for democracy and territorial integrity.
“We're celebrating our 250th year of freedom. And if you take a look at our history, we have always helped individual nation states to achieve democratic processes and protect their entire territorial integrity. And we're not doing that right now.”
Listen at 48:37
Failing to plan evacuation of Bahrain military families was a dereliction of duty.
“I just find that to be a dereliction of duty.”
Listen at 51:31
The United States has relied almost exclusively on military power in recent decades.
“We have used nothing but the military element of power”
Listen at 53:01
Relying on only military power creates strategic problems.
“When you only use one tool, you're going to get yourself in trouble.”
Listen at 53:30
The United States has lost willing international partners.
“We are now completely devoid of any other nation that wants to work with us.”
Listen at 54:39
U.S.-led military operations in the Middle East have been tactically excellent.
“the naval, Air Force, some Army elements conducting an operational campaign has been exceedingly good.”
Listen at 55:35
The Middle East military campaign lacks a defined political end state.
“it's not tied to a political end state.”
Listen at 55:46
The administration has not adequately planned its desired Iran-war outcome.
“they haven't thought it through.”
Listen at 56:39
The U.S. military institution and alliances have been seriously damaged.
“it's been really harmed.”
Listen at 59:29
Current service members are being directed by leaders lacking competence.
“they're being asked to do it by people who don't know what the hell they're doing.”
Listen at 1:00:06
America’s diversity remains a strength of its military.
“I continue to think that that is our strength”
Listen at 1:01:34
Performative politics is not appropriate military leadership.
“But that's not the kind of leadership we want.”
Listen at 1:04:24
Insulting soldiers does not constitute effective military leadership.
“That's not how you influence people. That's not leadership.”
Listen at 1:05:44
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
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