Oct 20, 2026 · 1h 38m
Aggressive midterm ads expose libertarian fault lines and JFK’s hidden life
WILD Midterm Ads! Libertarian Votes and the Mistresses of JFK (with Andrew Heaton and Laurence Leamer)
The episode connects volatile 2026 campaign politics with a reassessment of how personal scandal, illness, and myth shaped Kennedy’s legacy.
- 1Early-voting signals and aggressive Ohio and Texas ads offer little certainty about the 2026 midterms.
- 2Libertarian voters remain divided over Trump, immigration, foreign policy, and whether opposing Democrats is enough to drive turnout.
- 3Laurence Leamer argues Kennedy’s affairs, health problems, and risky relationships belong at the center of his historical record.
Don't miss
Laurence Leamer argues that Kennedy’s mistresses and their experiences must be restored to biographies long shaped by the Camelot myth.
The brief
Justin opens with aggressive Ohio and Texas campaign ads, warning that early-voting numbers can mislead and that midterm narratives are forming before votes are counted.
Andrew Heaton and Justin debate whether libertarian-leaning voters will support Trump, Democrats, third parties, or abstention as immigration and foreign policy split the movement.
Their midterm forecast turns on a basic question: can Trump retain libertarian support when many voters oppose Democrats but reject his foreign-policy priorities?
Laurence Leamer argues that John F. Kennedy’s affairs, chronic health problems, amphetamine use, and links to risky political circles are essential—not incidental—to his biography.
The interview’s sharpest challenge to Camelot is its insistence that the women involved, and their accounts of Kennedy, should not disappear behind presidential mythology.
What was said on this episode
29 statements · 9 positive · 13 negative · 2 mixed · 5 neutral
James Tallarico dominates billboard advertising along the Texas campaign corridor.
“James Tallarico is dominating the billboard game.”
Listen at 4:54
Ken Paxton is running a bad campaign and deserves to lose the Texas Senate race.
“I have now officially come to the opinion that he is running a bad campaign and he deserves to lose this race.”
Listen at 8:44
Ken Paxton will narrowly win the Texas Senate race.
“I still believe that he will eke it out”
Listen at 9:03
Early voting trends do not reliably predict final election results.
“They do not reliably predict final results.”
Listen at 9:50
Reported early voting numbers are favorable indicators for Democrats.
“These are very good signs for Democrats”
Listen at 12:35
Libertarian-leaning voters choosing major parties favored Trump over Harris roughly 80–20.
“I'd put it at like probably 80-20 Trump versus Harris.”
Listen at 24:11
In 2024, libertarian-leaning voters gave Harris about 10% and Trump 30%.
“Kamala Harris gets maybe 10% and Trump gets 30%”
Listen at 25:27
About 60% of libertarian-leaning voters chose nonmajor-party or nonvoting options in 2024.
“That gets 60 percent.”
Listen at 25:50
Trump and Harris presented clearly distinguishable political differences in 2024.
“Trump and Kamala Harris, I think, did have very clearly delineated differences between them”
Listen at 27:00
Libertarian divisions increasingly separate libertarians from anti-left participants.
“The fault lines in the libertarians, insofar as I see them, are now more of libertarian versus anti-left.”
Listen at 27:59
Immigration has become a major dividing line within the Libertarian Party.
“the new fault line in the Libertarian Party is the same fault line we're seeing everywhere”
Listen at 30:24
In the cited 2016 and 2024 argument, Trump was viewed as avoiding lethal war despite abrasive rhetoric.
“Trump is an asshole and he says mean things, but he's not killing anybody.”
Listen at 32:45
Ron Paul and Mike Gravel helped drive libertarian opposition to interventionist American foreign policy.
“The libertarians really had a big push with Mike Gravel and particularly with Ron Paul”
Listen at 34:56
The libertarian foreign-policy position favors leaving multilateral treaties and the Middle East.
“we should get out of multilateral treaties, we should get out of the Middle East”
Listen at 35:23
Trump’s immigration and foreign-policy positions would dissuade some libertarians from supporting him.
“Both of those, I think, are things that would dissuade a libertarian from supporting Trump.”
Listen at 37:20
The Trump administration entered another Middle Eastern war.
“we got into another war in the Middle East.”
Listen at 38:30
Trump reduced Washington, D.C., federal employment to its lowest level since the early 1960s.
“He has reduced the... employment headcount in Washington, D.C., apparently to the lowest levels since the early 60s.”
Listen at 40:18
The United States has an excessive federal spending problem.
“the big problem right now is we have a runaway spending problem.”
Listen at 43:32
DOGE-related actions did not provide much evidence of fiscal restraint.
“I don't see a lot of evidence that they were actually doing things to restrain the government fiscally.”
Listen at 44:06
Principled libertarians focused on foreign policy will abandon Trump.
“I think Trump's out. I think they're going to be gone.”
Listen at 47:58
Many libertarians will abstain from voting in the midterms.
“I think there's going to be a significant amount of libertarians that are going to opt for apathy.”
Listen at 48:13
Democrats will narrowly win the House in the 2026 midterms.
“I think it'll be win in name only. I think it's going to be a squeaker.”
Listen at 52:22
Democrats may win the Senate by one or two seats.
“I think the Democrats might take it, but by one or two.”
Listen at 52:55
John F. Kennedy’s health was a central hidden aspect of his life.
“the deep secret of his life was his health.”
Listen at 1:10:17
Kennedy used sexual activity to project a sense of health despite illness.
“Sex was his way of exerting his health, of false health”
Listen at 1:10:26
John F. Kennedy used amphetamines extensively, including by injection.
“he was the king of amphetamines. He was shooting up.”
Listen at 1:12:36
Republicans would have publicized Kennedy’s sexual affairs had he sought reelection.
“I think if he had lived and he run for re-election, I think the Republicans would have brought a lot of this stuff out.”
Listen at 1:25:30
Revelations about Kennedy’s health and sexual affairs together would have damaged him politically.
“I think the two things together. Yeah, that would have damaged.”
Listen at 1:26:10
Kennedy’s sexual relationships should be included in historical accounts of his life.
“I think this is part of his life. And I think we're grown up as Americans these days to be able to see that.”
Listen at 1:30:36
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.
Books & mentions
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