Is It Bad For The Economy?

Democratic strategist Kobi Tirey and the anonymous Banker Bill are joined by Chelsea Rodriguez, Deputy Campaign Manager for the Fred Wellman campaign in Missouri’s second congressional district. Once the mandatory chastising of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s recent declaration that he “is the house now” is out of the way, Chelsea breaks down Missouri’s recent illegal gerrymander scandal and why she’s convinced it’ll net Democrats not one, but two additional seats. Banker Bill explains why St. Louis is an economic engine that should not be underestimated. And Kobi is left searching for real-world examples of data centers that actually do right by local communities. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kobitirey.substack.com

The Wall Street Journal’s Gavin Bade asked to come on Is It Bad For The Economy? to ask: Are data centers Trump’s green new deal? Democratic strategist Kobi Tirey and the anonymous Banker Bill discuss whether the energy revolution AI requires is worth it, what it would take to get American communities on board, and whether Trump stands a chance of doing what the Green New Deal could not: get the American people to buy in.This episode originally streamed on the Lincoln Square Podcast Network here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kobitirey.substack.com

Our national debt just hit a record $40 trillion, and Kobi’s least favorite Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, is playing games. Bond investors, the final bosses of finance who held Trump back on Liberation Day, are not happy. Even Bessent’s former boss, Stanley Druckenmiller, is calling him out. Just as data centers are starting to offer some bonds of their own.For years our national debt has been a political cudgel Republicans used to argue that we can’t have nice things, but Democratic strategist Kobi Tirey asks the anonymous Banker Bill and special guest economics content creator John Polonis if this moment really is different. Is the bill finally coming due?Like, review, and share — and go follow John Polonis for more of the sharpest, most nonpartisan breakdowns of markets and money:* 📈 Substack: polispandit.substack.com* 🎵 TikTok: @polispandit* 📸 Instagram: @polispandit This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kobitirey.substack.com

New York City's democratic socialist mayor is making progress on his promise to slash business regulations by 50% and whittling away at a massive budget shortfall. Democratic strategist Kobi Tirey thinks it’s time for moderate capitalists to rise too the challenge, and even Banker Bill thinks it’s starting to sound, "pretty pro-business." Are we really going to let a socialist out-executing establishment Democrats on the economy?Kobi and Banker Bill break down why Zohran Mamdani's early fiscal forays — plus a heated debate on whether the Fed should hike rates into an energy-driven inflation spike, why 30-year yields just hit 20-year highs, and whether the AI infrastructure boom is in the "late innings" before the bill comes due. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kobitirey.substack.com

My fellow Americans, It is with a heavy heart that I apologize for getting you this episode so late. We take our commitment to getting you an episode every other Wednesday as sacred. Last week we failed. It won’t happen again (it totally will, but hopefully we can go another year+ before the next one). Please enjoy this update on the second round of the Iran war, Kevin Warsh’s probationary period, and Trump's too-little-too-late campaign to try and generate trust for data centers. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kobitirey.substack.com