This week on Sea Change Radio, we give you one last pre-election episode with two keen political journalists. First, a free-flowing conversation about the presidential election with John Stoehr of the Editorial Board where we discuss the state of polling, take a look at the closing days of the two candidates and evaluate the impact of the Harris campaign having a significant ground game advantage. Then, we speak to Daniel Nichanian of Bolts Magazine as he breaks down his site’s new voting guide - a useful tool to get a better grasp of the many amendments on state and local ballots across the country.

Narrator | 00:02 - This is Sea Change Radio, covering the shift to sustainability. I'm Alex Wise.

John Stoehr (JS) | 00:21 - We don't even talk about self-inflicted wounds with him because there's so many of them. There's so many. We just toss it in the pile of more of the same. We won't think of it until he loses. When he loses and all the dread is gone, then we'll look back and say, of course, of course he was going to lose.

Narrator | 00:39 - This week on Sea Change Radio, we give you one last pre-election episode with two keen political journalists. First, a free-flowing conversation about the presidential election with John Stoehr of the Editorial Board where we discuss the state of polling, take a look at the closing days of the two candidates and evaluate the impact of the Harris campaign having a significant ground game advantage. Then, we speak to Daniel Nichanian of Bolts Magazine as he breaks down his site’s new voting guide - a useful tool to get a better grasp of the many amendments on state and local ballots across the country.

Alex Wise (AW) | 01:20 I'm joined now on Sea Change Radio by John Stoehr. He's the founder and editor in chief of The Editorial Board. John, welcome back to Sea Change Radio.

John Stoehr (JS) | 01:37 - Thanks for having me back, Alex.

Alex Wise (AW) | 01:39 - I really wanted to get a chance to speak with you before the election one last time. I think we're all on pins and needles a little bit. There's that sense of dread, not necessarily because we think Kamala Harris will lose, but because if she does, the downside is just so terrible. I think you, just like myself, have, have skipped over a lot of the articles that we've seen. Here's what will happen to the Department of Education if Donald Trump should win. Here's what will happen to the EPA if Donald Trump should win. I'm just not clicking on any of those articles right now. Well, why don't you speak to this greater dread that we're all feeling and and what it means from your perspective.

John Stoehr (JS) | 02:18 - Well, I, I think first of all, the dread is appropriate. It's appro. We are all, we're not crazy. You know, we, we do think, we do, we all understand the risks that we we're facing and that we are all feeling a bit of hype. Hypervigilance is really what that is. It's a anticipation, a bracing of oneself or some i some impact that's coming, and that's, that is appropriate. And I think, I think a lot of people, uh, actually see things in, in an upside down kind of way. Like, this is a bad thing that we're all feeling and we actually can't wait for it to be over. Now, I do think we can all, we all want it to, to be over. That's true. And I think that's also reasonable. But let's not forget how reasonable it is to be bracing for impact . You know, we, it is not crazy. And I think that's where we should, you know, if you're, if you're, um, doom scrolling or trying to get ahead, read ahead about project 2025 and so on and so forth, yes, there can be some, maybe some unhealthy obsession with that. But it's also, it begins with a very reasonable impulse to protect oneself, at least mentally and emotionally. I think, I think we can, we can spiral off into doom. And I think if you're into doom, you've, you're going too far because it hasn't happened yet. , you know, the future is unwritten.