Hey folks, Cliff here.
And let me start by saying—David Shuster absolutely crushed it today. The guy is a pro’s pro. While I’m ranting about Trump’s tariffs, candy prices, and Clarence Thomas’s porn habits (all true, sadly), Shuster’s the one keeping this circus from turning into Hardball with a hangover.
His clarity, his data, his ability to connect the dots between Trump’s tantrums and your grocery bill—it’s why I love doing this show with him.
But the real fireworks came when our guest, Tony Michaels, joined the conversation.
Tony is one of those rare Democrats who can talk about working-class America not like an anthropologist, but like someone who is the working class. The man doesn’t just get the politics; he gets the people.
And today he dropped a masterclass on how we lost our way—and how we can get it back. How we advocate for what we support, and how we mock the insanity of MAGA.
Tony started with something that seems simple but cuts deep: stop calling it SNAP. Call it what it is—the food bill.
Because when you sterilize language, you sterilize empathy. You turn hungry families into “data points.” He told us there are parents right now worried about feeding their kids—some who will literally be trick-or-treating for dinner because
Trump’s cruelty machine decided to cut off food aid. That’s not abstract; that’s evil that should be called out as such.
From there, Tony dug into his theory of what he calls the Great Realignment. The idea is that we’re living through a generational shift away from concentrated executive power—what he calls our “Article II addiction”—back toward the people’s branch: Congress, Article I.
For decades, both parties have leaned on presidents to fix what nearly all Republican—and a few too many Democratic—lawmakers were too cowardly or corrupt to fix themselves. Bush abused it for war, Obama out of necessity, as Republicans filibustered everything.
Trump for pure fascist impulse. And now? Americans are waking up to the cost of kings.
Tony’s point hit me hard: if we want to save democracy, we have to democratize it again. That means ending Citizens United, smashing the filibuster, expanding representation for D.C., Puerto Rico, and the territories, and making sure Congress actually reflects the country—not a bunch of guys from cow-heavy zip codes.
He and I may differ on pace, but on principle, we’re dead aligned: power must be diffuse, it can’t rest in the hands of one arbitrarily elected (especially these days) leader and his billionaire buds.
And it’s not just constitutional theory—it’s economics, it’s morality. Every SNAP dollar generates $1.80 in the economy and sends 23 cents straight to American farmers. You want “America First”? Feed America first.
Tony nailed it: the fight for food, fairness, and freedom are all the same fight.
So yeah—huge thanks to Tony Michaels. The guy’s building a movement rooted in the working class, the Constitution, and plain decency. Follow him on Substack at The Coffman Chronicles and on YouTube at The Tony Michaels Show.
And follow David Shuster everywhere you possibly can (but not, like, into his home).
And if you want to help us keep conversations like this going—help us build our movement—head to blueamp.co. Subscribe for free if you can’t pay; go paid if you can.
Because as Tony reminded us: no kings, no dictators—just citizens who still give a damn.
—Cliff
PS: If you missed some of our recent deep dives, make sure to catch up—each one connects to what Tony’s talking about today. Check out our piece on Gavin Newsom’s massive own of the GOP kneeling for Trump, revisit David Shuster’s haunting rewrite of The Raven that started this latest wave of righteous outrage, read Nina Burleigh’s jaw-dropping investigation into the Epstein network and the rot it exposed, and don’t skip my conversation with Michigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist—one of the few Democrats talking about the economy, justice, and dignity in a way that actually resonates with working people.
We just launched our merch store! Check it out!
Blue Amp Media Merch Collection!
When you wear Blue Amp, you’re not just putting on a shirt — you’re joining the movement.
