Steve Scaffidi and Kristin Brey brought back the “4pack” for Friday’s Political Power Hour, joined by Republican strategist Bill McCoshen and Democratic strategist Joe Zepecki — and they had plenty to react to.
The show started with a blunt breakdown of Tuesday’s Wisconsin Supreme Court election, where Judge Chris Taylor defeated Judge Maria Lazar in a landslide. Bill didn’t sugarcoat it, calling the state Republican Party “lazy” despite favorable maps and saying the campaign strategy simply failed. Joe countered that Democratic enthusiasm was the difference, describing a fired-up base compared to what he called a “depressed” Republican one.
From there, the panel zoomed out. What does this mean for the next Supreme Court race in 2027? Bill said Republicans need to start earlier and find a more compelling candidate, while both sides compared this cycle to the last two high-profile court races.
Then the conversation shifted — dramatically.
“We almost ended a civilization.”
That’s how the panel described the escalating conflict with Iran. Joe called the situation a mistake, arguing the ceasefire doesn’t solve much with key global shipping lanes still impacted. Bill questioned how long the conflict would last and what it would continue to cost Americans. Kristin pressed both sides on what a “political victory” would even look like, while Steve asked the bigger question: how does this actually end? They also touched on the role of Israel and the complexity of decision-making behind the scenes.
In the second hour, the show took a breather with a conversation about the Artemis II mission to the moon. Steve and Bill reflected on how moments like this used to unite the country, while Kristin and Joe highlighted the emotional significance — especially for women in space exploration.
The rest of the hour brought some balance back to the show with Say Something Nice, Grab Bags, and the Week-In-Review, along with everything from Wisconsin politics to Buc-ee’s chaos to Steve celebrating his dad’s 90th birthday.
Find more of Point Taken on the podcast page and check out Steve and Kristin’s newsletter, Extra Points.
