Midterm Madness: Political Ads from Michigan to Texas (Half the Answer #98, with Jonathan M. Katz)

It's an unhinged political ad round-up, featuring racist memes from Donald Trump himself and Ken Paxton's rancid, deep-fried AI slop rip-off of one of the most famous ads from history. Author Jonathan M. Katz helps us make sense of the hideous soup of extremism, slander, bad art, and dirty dealings that we're all floating in.

Midterm Madness: Political Ads from Michigan to Texas (with Jonathan M. Katz)

Podcast Episode · Half the Answer · August 18 · 1h 5m

Apple Podcasts

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Resources:

https://www.theracket.news

https://www.forever-wars.com

"Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America's Empire": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781250135599

"The Big Truck That Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781137278975

"The Legend of Skokie: A Story of Free Speech and Fascism in America": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781250427519

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-elections/michigan-senate-results

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/08/the-right-is-targeting-abdul-el-sayeds-family-members/

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/trump-backed-candidate-michigan-loss-dropped-out/73357749

https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/racist-book-camp-saints-gains-popularity/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Turner-Diaries

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/08/an-infamous-attack-ad-just-got-an-ai-resurrection/

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/13/arts/rachel-pollack-dead.html

https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/turner-diaries-other-racist-novels-inspire-extremist-violence/