Bob Cesca Joins Cliff and Shuster—and It Goes Exactly Where You Hoped

Three things happened on this week’s Amped Up. We brought on our old friend Bob Cesca—sexy liberal in the Stephanie Miller sexy liberal universe, podcaster-before-podcasting-was-a-thing, and brilliant Trump-era analyst. Exactly the right wingman for a long-form takedown. The convo went exactly where you hoped it would—unless you were drinking any kind of beverage at that particular moment you could shoot out of your nose in hysterics. David Shuster—the Emmy-winning former MSNBC anchor—turned in a comedy set so relentless Bob had to admit on the record he had to up his game. Shuster, a man who used to read teleprompters at Hardball was now riffing on six-inch ballroom glass and Trump’s confused relationship with measurement. Cliff joined the party with Stephen Miller’s use of “Ballroom” (it’s just “ballroom” to Trump, all articles have been removed for their safety) to draft his plans for “Liebenstraum,” and all hell broke loose. In a good way. Yes, very serious issues were discussed, we berated corporate media and implored Democratic leadership to go more on the offensive, per usual. But very serious issues are always discussed on Amped Up. Sometimes, we have to laugh, so we don’t cry, and Cliff, David, and Bob made this one of those moments. It’s independent media, kids! David even explained geopolitics of ball-shaver inflation in a post-Hormuz economy. If you’ve never seen Shuster fully off a leash, let’s just say he could’ve added an Emmy for Best Comedy Performance on a Live Stream to the one he earned in his days as an anchor at MSNBC. David Shuster, Emmy Winner, displaying a whole other skill Underneath the laughs is a real argument. Bob discussed the Trump-ballroom shakedown—Chuck Grassley quietly tacking $1 billion in “security” onto a DHS bill while 20 million Americans are about to lose ACA subsidies, 4.3 million families have already lost their SNAP beneifts, and the predator class throws itself a Versailles dress-up party in front of the Oval Office. The conversation runs through Trump’s increasingly visible cognitive collapse on camera (mutilization is now a word, apparently), Republican primary-challenge cowardice, the right-wing influencer rebellion already chewing into the MAGA base (Megyn Kelly, MTG, Tucker, Massie, Alex Jones), the Suicide Squad cabinet, the Marco Rubio “taint” question, and the most ruthless Chuck Grassley take you’ll hear this year from Cliff—including the fact that he’s the only sitting senator who voted against the MLK holiday in 1982 and is currently fourth in line to the presidency at the ripe young age of roughly 122. Hit play. Pour something. This one delivers. This is the kind of show that will never, ever happen on corporate cable news—because cable doesn’t allow substance or comedy. It was the funniest bit Shuster has ever turned in, and a brutally honest read on the predator class without three executives having panic attacks about lost ad revenue. Blue Amp Media is independent, uncaptured, and only here because you fund it. Subscribe to BAM at $60 a year—five bucks a month, you spend more on a latte in a day and it doesn’t fight fascism day-in and day-out. Can’t swing it? Throw us a few bucks at our Ko-fi. Then share this episode with the friend who still thinks cable news is funny… … and drop a comment below with your favorite Shuster moment of the night—Bob and David read them, and so do I. Every subscription, every donation, every share, every comment is a punch back at the people who’d rather you stay quiet. Same fight. — Cliff