Politicology

Did anyone land a successful punch at the Republican Debate? (And did it matter?) Our reactions to Trump’s interview with Tucker Carlson, and the new song that catapulted a relatively unknown country singer to conservative folk hero and progressive hate object status

Join our host, Ron Steslow, as he explores the most important political news with guests Susan Del Percio (MSNBC political analyst and crisis communications expert), Liam Donovan (Principal at Bracewell LLP) and Liz Gilbert Cohen (President of the 2020 Democratic National Convention).

Segments to look forward to:

(02:18) A deep dive into the first Republican primary debate, who won and who lost, Nikki Haley’s swipe at Donald Trump, and Vivek Ramaswamy’s annoying performance that could endear him to MAGA voters

(31:50) Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson counterprogramming the debate with a pre-taped interview where they discussed whether Trump’s political rivals would try to kill him and whether we’re heading toward a civil war. 

(41:40) The little known Virginia country singer who was catapulted to conservative folk hero and progressive hate object status for the song “Rich Men North of Richmond”  

[Politicology+] The continued legal troubles for Hunter Biden and how Joe Biden can respond to the Republican attacks. 

Politicology+ is our private, ad-free version of this podcast, with subscriber-only episodes, strategy, and analysis. To join us there, visit politicology.com/plus or subscribe in Apple Podcasts.

Follow this week’s panel on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

https://twitter.com/LPDonovan

https://twitter.com/DelPercioS

Related reading:

Segment 1: 

Politico—How Fox’s Republican debate moderators are thinking about the Trump question - POLITICO

NYT—Debate Live Updates: Republican 2024 Candidates, but Not Trump, to Face Off - The New York Times

Segment 2: 

X—Tucker Carlson Interview with Donald Trump 

CNN—Trump already taped interview with Tucker Carlson that will air on GOP debate night | CNN Politics

The Hill—Tucker Carlson asks Trump: Are you worried ‘they’re going to try and kill you?’ | The Hill

Segment 3

YouTube—Oliver Anthony Rich Men North of Richmond

AZ Lyrics—Oliver Anthony - Rich Men North Of Richmond Lyrics | AZLyrics.com

NY Post—What people are getting wrong about 'Rich Men North of Richmond'

NYT—How ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ Reached the Top of the Charts

Intelligencer—Oliver Anthony and the Incoherence of Right-Wing Populism

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Imagine a world where candidates no longer need to pander to the extremes, where minor candidates don’t tip elections one way or another, and where your vote can truly represent your values. Sounds like a dream, right?

States like Alaska and Maine are already proving it's possible. And they’re doing it with Ranked Choice Voting.

In this episode host Ron Steslow and Deb Otis (Director of Research at Fair Vote) break down ranked choice voting, how it works, the way it’s changing politics in states like Alaska and Maine, and what it could mean for other campaigns and how it could help us reign in extremism.

Segments to look forward to:

(02:12) How Deb started working on Ranked Choice Voting reform 

(03:05) What Ranked Choice Voting is and how it differs from our current system 

(07:40) Different forms of Ranked Choice Voting 

(12:00) How Ranked Choice Voting pushes candidates to appeal to more of the electorate

(14:36) Ranked Choice Voting in partisan primary elections 

(17:30) The impact on extremist candidates like Sarah Palin in the 2022 Alaska House Race 

(20:50) How Ranked Choice Voting helped Lisa Murkowski hold off a primary challenge from her right 

(22:01) The repeal effort in Alaska 

(28:48) How Ranked Choice Voting has changed the way states are governed

(31:51) Ranked choice voting in New York City primaries

(35:35) Why Democrats are fighting Ranked Choice Voting in Nevada 

(43:37) What other states can learn from Alaska and Maine 

(47:47) Using Ranked Choice Voting in Presidential Primary elections. 

Learn more about Fair Vote: https://fairvote.org/

Learn about how Ranked Choice Voting is being used in presidential primaries: https://bit.ly/3QXWwz0

Follow Ron on Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

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On Monday, Donald Trump was hit with his fourth criminal indictment of the year this time by a Grand Jury in Fulton County, Georgia. 

What are the allegations in this newest indictment? How is the District Attorney, Fani Willis, using a law designed to fight organized crime to prosecute Trump’s plot to steal the 2020 election? What will the timeline for these cases be? 

Join our host, Ron Steslow, as he explores these questions Michael Zeldin (former federal prosecutor). 

Segments to look forward to:

(01:23) An overview of the current criminal cases Donald Trump is facing

(12:40) Why prosecutors will need to prove criminal intent in the Washington, D.C. case (and why they won’t in the Mar-a-Lago documents case)

(16:00) How a Grand Jury returns a true bill of indictment in Georgia 

(22:00) What the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is and how it’s used in Georgia  

(28:50) How normally legal activity can be charged when it’s part of a criminal enterprise.  

(35:00) How the RICO charges will allow prosecutors to show the full story of the plot to steal the election in Georgia 

(40:00) Whether defendants will have to serve prison time if convicted

(44:00) Why Mark Meadows wants to move the case to federal court

(56:58) Why the Georgia case and the indictment in Washington, DC can have overlap 

(1:07:40) The differences between Willis’s and Smith’s strategies. 

(1:15:34) What the timeline of these trials might look like 

(1:23:05) Whether Doanld Trump should be pardoned if convicted of a federal crime

Read more about the differences between Georgia and Federal law about lying to officials: The Two Big Questions Answered by Trump's Georgia Indictment

Follow Ron on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

Check out Micahel’s Podcast That Said: https://apple.co/3qAaPz6

Related reading:

The full indictment

NYT—Trump Georgia Indictment: Read the Full Text, Annotated - The New York Times

(Video) ABC News—Fulton County, GA District Attorney Fani Willis announces indictment against Trump

NYT—The Two Big Questions Answered by Trump's Georgia Indictment

AJC—Who's who in the Georgia Trump indictment

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Géraldine Blanche (Intellectual Property Lawyer and PhD candidate in Intellectual Property Law at the Sciences Po Law School in Paris) joins Ron Steslow to discuss the politics of fashion and intellectual property law

(01:25) History of laws protecting creativity 

(09:20) What IP lawyers do

(12:50) What led Géraldine to fashion IP

(20:50) Fashion as political

(35:50) How politicians send messages through fashion choices

(41:41) Fashion as a signifier of political groups

Follow Ron on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

Follow Géraldine on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/designedbylaw/

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To unlock subscriber-only content, visit: https://politicology.com/plus

Géraldine Blanche (Intellectual Property Lawyer and PhD candidate in Intellectual Property Law at the Sciences Po Law School in Paris) joins Ron Steslow to discuss the politics of fashion and intellectual property law

(01:26) Fashion in Politics 

(05:36) Iteration, interpretation, and inspiration

(09:47) The need for time in fashion and democracy

(14:24) Environmental impact of fashion

(26:42) The impact of AI on fashion

Follow Ron on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

Follow Géraldine on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/designedbylaw/

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Should Donald Trump be pardoned if he’s convicted? Why are state legislatures trying to consolidate power and limit ballot referenda? What do spending decisions have to do with the Gerontocracy? 

Join our host, Ron Steslow, as he explores these questions with guests Lucy Caldwell (Walsh 2020 Campaign Manager) and Zack Czajkowski (Principal at Title Fight).

Segments to look forward to:

(02:00) Why the election subversion case against Trump is harder to prove than the documents case and whether Trump should be granted clemency if convicted.

(21:21) Ohio voters defeat a measure to make amending the Constitution harder and what it says about the balance between direct democracy and the legislative system. 

(38:38) Breaking down the Medicaid maintenance after Covid protections end, the challenge of reigning in deficits without political backlash, and how this relates to the gerontocracy. 

[Politicology+] The lawsuit against Lizzo and “the narcissism of singular personalities.”

Politicology+ is our private, ad-free version of this podcast, with subscriber-only episodes, strategy, and analysis. To join us there, visit politicology.com/plus or subscribe in Apple Podcasts.

Follow this week’s panel on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

https://twitter.com/lucymcaldwell

Related reading:

Segment 1: 

NYT—https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/08/us/politics/trump-indictment-fake-electors-memo.html

The Dispatch —The New Trump Indictment Is Less Clear Cut - The Dispatch

NYT—Opinion | The Trial America Needs - The New York Times

Segment 2: 

NYT—Ohio Voters Reject Constitutional Change Intended to Thwart Abortion Amendment

Axios—Ohio referendum win for abortion rights sets stage for fights in other states

Politico—Ohio’s Abortion Ban Is Rekindling a Century-Old Battle Over Direct Democracy - POLITICO

Segment 3

Politico—Biden's health care wins are being undone — and at the worst possible time

Bloomberg—US Treasury Boosts Quarterly Borrowing Estimate to $1 Trillion

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To unlock exclusive content, visit: https://politicology.com/plus

What does it take for a mid-west mayor to become a viable presidential candidate?

What’s it like to be a crisis communications expert in the eye of New York City Tabloids?

What does it take to go from a field organizer to one of the most well respected communications strategists in American politics?

Lis Smith (former senior advisor to presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg) joins host Ron Steslow to discuss her career working on twenty-something political campaigns, and her new memoir, Any Given Tuesday: A Political Love Story 

(01:25) Why “Any Given Tuesday?”

(02:56) What drew her to politics?

(07:48) Candidates as people, not two-dimensional characters

(10:57) What can losing campaigns teach you?

(14:45) Being in the eye of a tabloid news story

(29:32) How not to use Twitter (and how you can use it well)

(37:50) Tailoring comments on cable news

(45:11) Candidate Pete’s communications strategy

(56:21) The Gay Talk Express

You should read Any Given Tuesday: https://bit.ly/3AimMu7

Follow Lis and Ron on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3AimMu7

https://twitter.com/Lis_Smith

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

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What will Donald Trump’s third indictment mean for his presidential campaign? How does the breakdown of Hunter Biden's plea deal impact President Joe Biden? How will New York City's migrant crisis shape national politics?

Join our guest host, Susan Del Percio, as she explores these questions with guests Lanae Erickson (Senior Vice President for Social Policy, Education, and Politics at Third Way) and Andy Kroll (Investigative Reporter at ProPublica).

Segments to look forward to:

(02:42) Understanding the latest indictment of Donald Trump for his attempts to subvert the 2020 election

24:20) Analyzing the collapse of Hunter Biden’s plea deal, the testimony of his business partner before Congress, and the potential implications for Joe Biden

(34:34) Unraveling the crisis unfolding in New York City as it grapples with a surge in migrants

[Politicology+] The hot button topic of California's new math framework, the drive for equity in math education, and the critical need to support high achieving students.

Politicology+ is our private, ad-free version of this podcast, with subscriber-only episodes, strategy, and analysis. To join us there, visit politicology.com/plus or subscribe in Apple Podcasts.

Follow this week’s panel on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/DelPercioS

https://twitter.com/AndyKroll

https://twitter.com/LanaeErickson

Related reading:

Segment 1: 

CNN—Takeaways from the indictment of Donald Trump for efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat | CNN Politics

NYT—Trump Faces New Charges in Mar-a-Lago Classified Documents Case - The New York Times

NYT—Can the Race Really Be That Close? Yes, Biden and Trump Are Tied.

NYT—Trump Faces New Charges in Mar-a-Lago Classified Documents Case - The New York Times

NYT—Biden Shores Up Democratic Support, but Faces Tight Race Against Trump

Segment 2: 

NYT—Hunter Biden Plea Deal Put on Hold as Judge Questions Its Details - The New York Times

CNN—Takeaways from the stunning Hunter Biden hearing and what happens now | CNN Politics

WP—Opinion Why the Hunter Biden plea fiasco will be a drag on Democrats

CNN—Devon Archer: Former business partner says Hunter Biden sold 'illusion' of access | CNN Politics

FOX News—Biggs says Archer didn’t know anything about a bribe

Segment 3

ABC7—Calls for federal action as asylum seekers wait in line outside Roosevelt Hotel

NYT—Migrants Will Sleep Outdoors Because ‘There Is No More Room,’ Adams Says - The New York Times

Politico—NYC Mayor Adams warns Biden about spiraling migrant crisis - POLITICO

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For the full and ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus

In our digital age, people have grown to see social media platforms as mere tools and applications. 

Marcus Collins, the award-winning marketer, former digital strategist for Beyoncé, and author of "For The Culture", argues otherwise. 

Join host Ron Steslow as he sits down with Marcus to unravel the deep-seated influence of culture on social media and our daily choices.

Marcus elaborates on his assertion that "social media is people" and why understanding this fundamental idea changes our approach to digital platforms. He also delves into the crucial role of culture in hyperpolarization and how it weaves into the fabric of our society.

Segments to look forward to:

(01:20) How Marcus came to study culture: "I feel like I'm at my best when I'm helping people realize the best version of themselves…”

(04:26) The connection between marketing and psychology

(08:42) The importance of purpose in advertising: "Start with what you believe and when you start with what you believe people who see the world the way you do go, 'Finally, someone said it. That's my person.'”

(17:02) The influence of culture on consumer choice

(20:40) The connection between culture and politics

(24:00) Case study: How Patagonia leveraged culture to build their brand

You Should Read For the Culture: https://amzn.to/3QjLDaH

Check out Predictably Rational by Dan Ariely: https://amzn.to/3rPeWHL

Follow Ron and Marcus on X (Twitter):

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

https://twitter.com/marctothec

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This episode was originally released on October 12, 2022

Mike Madrid (Lincoln Project Cofounder), Ruy Teixeira (Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute), Scott Tranter (Investor and Advisor to Decision Desk HQ) join host Ron Steslow to discuss the erosion of support for Democrats among Hispanic voters

(03:01) Ruy’s background 

(17:00) The trend of Hispanic voters moving away from the Democratic party

(34:10) Joe Biden’s low approval rating among Hispanic voters

(35:40) What factors are driving the trend

(38:11) The Latino vote taking on the characteristics of the American electorate

(50:48) How Democrats could win back more Hispanic voters

(58:02) The tension between working class voters and voters concerned about environmental issues

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Follow Mike, Scott and Ron on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/madrid_mike

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