Between the Headlines

Trump is continuing to dispute their election loss, not accepting Biden's transition. He and his Republican colleagues, together with his media machine, are creating a false world of fraud based on weak evidence, making it seem like the results are disputable. Their actions now, though, will affect the highly consequential Senate runoffs in Georgia. Their are four potential reasons for Trump continuing to fight: personal financial gain; he is a sore loser; he genuinely believes he won; he is attempting a coup to dismantle American democracy.

For more detail, listen to the full episode.

By electing Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States, we made a decision we can be proud of. The pain of election week was worth it, and now we can celebrate.

But, current president Donald Trump is still attempting a coup, undermining the election results. What's next for the Republican Party: do they have a future without Trump, where they can move on? Or has he co-opted the entire institution? I'm glad the media learned from their mistakes, but I'm still annoyed that they criticize polling. The victory is imperfect, where Senate control will come down to the two Georgia runoffs, and there will likely be gridlock due to McConnell's obstruction.

I'm excited for Biden's presidency. So far, he has outperformed our expectations — which have been drastically lowered by Trump's absurdity — in his appearances. He can heal this country, unite us, restore democracy, and move us into the 21st century. In doing this, Joe Biden will actually make America great again.

For more detail, listen to the full episode.

Joe Biden is our president-elect. I can't even describe how amazing that is.

Updated from 'Too Close To Call'.

In this final episode before election day, I take a moment to acknowledge and reflect upon the historic nature of the 2020 elections; the stakes are high, and we'll soon see an unimaginable future. Then, I launch into my case against Donald Trump: he lacks the open-mindedness, empathy, responsibility, and honesty/integrity to be president.

Trump, currently behind, can only win if an October surprise like 2016 happens. 

There have been a couple opportunities: him contracting Covid-19, or the death of Justice Ginsburg and the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court vacancy. He tried to artificially create them, like Hunter Biden's emails or QAnon. However, as a one-dimensional candidate, he cannot change course from his losing strategy. With mail-in voting and a much smaller pool of undecided voters, an drastic upset will be difficult. However, a November surprise is still certainly possible, where the outcome is yet to be determined even after election day.

Joe Biden could "win" the election, but not the presidency.

All statistical signs point to a Biden/Democrat victory: an expanded battleground and consistent polling leads in swing states. But, the Trump administration has revealed an explicit willingness to cheat, suppressing the vote, and undermining election integrity, to set up to challenge a loss. What happens to the ballot itself holds unusual importance in 2020.

1. We need to change the way we conduct presidential debates, 2020 and election cycles beyond. I describe how exactly.

2. Biden-Kamala won the debates. They presented a more palatable image and message; simply, their narrative and style is the one that appeals.

3.  Trump contracted Covid-19, a reminder to be careful. Somehow, Trump brushes it off, but it will still hurt him.

4. I offer commentary on Wednesday's debate. I absolutely loved it, a reminder that high-quality political discourse is alive in America. We saw great arguments from both, as they stayed on narrative (i.e. dodged questions): Harris to hit the anti-Trump issues home through prepared speeches and one-liners, Pence to make the election an ideological choice through traditional conservative talking points and demeanor. 

The first clash of Biden vs. Trump was utter chaos. 

The president was aggressive and interrupting his opponent the entire time. Meanwhile, Biden spoke to the American people, ridiculing Trump and staying relatively on point — that Trump doesn't care about your family. Trump stayed true to his Trump brand hostility, and Biden reinforced his moderate, calm persona. It was a front-stabbing match, with plenty of signature Trump lies and a frustrated Biden. But in the end, the results of the 2020 election will come down to: will the election be carried out fairly?

For more detail, listen to the full episode.

Expanding on episodes from this season. Topics include: why a Trump upset is unlikely, why Trump keeps claiming 'America is great', why Trump is incentivized to create conflict, and the battle over Justice Ginsburg's replacement on the Supreme Court.

It's unacceptable that Trump is President — from when was his behavior allowed?

Covid-19 can be contained, but Trump's reckless mismanagement has gotten the situation out of control. As president, his words kill, by discouraging masks/social distancing and raising doubts about the seriousness of the pandemic. Even still, he promotes racial division, conspiracy theories, and openly cheats in the election. In the end, it comes down to voting him out.

For more detail, listen to the full episode.