Washington Monthly

The think tank Third Way recently released what it calls a "new economic bargain" with the middle class. It's premised on the idea that "if you bust your butt, you should get ahead," says Executive Vice President for Policy Jim Kessler.

The organization proposes a slate of 20 practical ideas it says will significantly improve the lives of middle-class Americans. Among these proposals: cheaper used car loans and a universal pension.

Host: Anne Kim, Washington Monthly

Guest: Jim Kessler, Third Way

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the agenda and its importance

01:59 The changing perception of the middle class

04:04 Historical context and the evolution of middle class policies

06:09 Core message: work should lead to getting ahead

08:01 Proposal for federal guarantees on used car loans

10:01 Work as a pathway to wealth and retirement security

12:00 Party branding and electoral challenges

13:58 Comparison with other policy proposals and think tanks

16:09 Feasibility of big reforms like Medicare for All

18:56 Addressing criticisms of incrementalism

21:04 The impact of proposed policies on wealth and inequality

23:05 Shared priorities across different political agendas

23:58 Optimism for Democratic electoral prospects in 2028

A veteran pollster points to several factors wrecking polling’s reputation, including overhyped results and a sea of low-quality polls.

Political polling has suffered some embarrassing  failures this year.

In Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, polls predicted a blowout for Abdul El-Sayed; he won by less than a percentage point. In Wisconsin, polls showed Democratic SocialistFrancesca Hong enjoying double-digit leads in the gubernatorial primary; she narrowly lost to David Crowley.

In truth, polls have always been unreliable.

Longtime Democratic pollster Stefan Hankin, founder and CEOof Lincoln Park Strategies, explains the myriad of challenges currently facing, including a lack of enforceable professional standards to prevent bad polls from getting press.

Host: Anne Kim, Washington Monthly

Guest: Stefan Hankin, Lincoln Park Strategies

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to polling failures in recent elections

02:12 What makes a good, trustworthy poll?

03:01 Sample size recommendations for state-wide polls

04:09 The difficulty of predicting likely voters

05:47 How pollsters select voter samples

07:36 Response rates and reaching respondents

08:38 Are polls becoming less reliable?

12:02 Lack of enforcement in polling standards

12:56 What went wrong in Michigan and Wisconsin

15:43 Are polls overselling their accuracy?

19:32 Prediction markets versus polls

22:09 How much should we trust polls for November?

24:22 How to responsibly interpret polling data

28:10 The future of polling technology and methods

29:45 The unpredictability of human behavior and polling

The CEO of the world’s first “female-forward” AI startuphas a plan for tackling gender bias in artificial intelligence.

Host: Anne Kim, Washington Monthly

Guest, Shubhi Rao, CEO and Founder, Uplevyl

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to AI bias and societal influence

03:00 How large language models are trained and their data sources

07:04 Societal biases reflected in AI, especially regarding gender

12:03 Impact of data erasure on women-related research and information

19:12 Uplevyl's approach to building specialized vertical LLMs

22:08 Differences between vertical LLMs and commercial models

25:09 Policy implications and standardization in AI development

27:02 Advice for users to recognize and mitigate bias in AI responses

President Donald Trump's relentless attacks on vote by mail are needlessly threatening public trust in absentee voting. Learn the truth about vote by mail and the threats to its future.

Host: Anne Kim, Washington Monthly

Guests: Phil Keisling, former Oregon Secretary of State; Barbara Smith Warner, Center for Responsive Government

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to vote by mail and its importance

02:07 History and growth of vote at home states

03:21 Demographics relying on vote at home

04:36 Partisanship and vote at home expansion

06:27 Addressing voter fraud claims and evidence

08:02 Security features of mail ballots

10:00 Impact of vote at home on election turnout

12:16 Trump's executive order on Postal Service and mail voting

13:00 Postal Service's role and security concerns

15:19 Legal and constitutional issues with postal regulations

17:41 Implementation challenges for election officials

20:05 Supreme Court decisions and future challenges

22:30 Implications for future elections and legal safeguards

25:20 Election administration resilience and confidence

29:45 Policy recommendations for Congress to protect vote by mail

1 in 5 voters who supported Donald Trump iin 2024 now regrets their vote, according to a new survey from Navigator Research. Inflation and war are their biggest complaints.

But Democrats shouldn't count on their votes. "Trump regretters" remain deeply skeptical about both parties' ability to deliver on their promises.

Host: Anne Kim, Washington Monthly

Guest: Tina Tang, Navigator Research

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Trump voter regret and its significance

01:58 Demographic breakdown of regretters: age, race, gender

03:53 Key issues driving regret: costs, war, broken promises

05:52 Trust in parties and disillusionment among regretters

07:58 How regret influences voting intentions and party trust

09:51 The importance of everyday issues over cultural topics

12:01 Messaging strategies for Democrats and Republicans

13:54 Perceptions of party focus and voter priorities

15:50 The role of news consumption and information seeking

17:59 Future research plans and post-election follow-up

Recent weeks have seen an escalation of the Trumpadministration’s efforts to interfere with this fall’s elections. Itsaggressive efforts to restrict mail-in voting, for example, could potentially disenfranchise millions while sowing chaos in states.

President Trump has also threatened to arrest election officers accused of wrongdoing (many of whom are volunteers) andto send ICE agents to the polls.

The nonprofit Protect Democracy argues that all of theseactions are part of a larger scheme by the Trump administration to perpetuate election denialism, interfere with Americans’ right to vote, and thwart free and fair elections.  

How can citizens be prepared when they go to the polls thisfall, and what they can do to protect themselves and others in their communities?

Host: Anne Kim, Washington Monthly

Guest: Beau Tremitiere, Protect Democracy

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to election threats and Protect Democracy

01:50 The three tactics: deception, disruption, denial

03:50 How the federal government is undermining election integrity

07:04 Civil society's response and mobilization

08:54 Legal challenges and court rulings protecting elections

11:09 The role of the Supreme Court and untested legal issues

15:05 Voter suppression and intimidation tactics

19:53 How to prepare and respond to election-related threats

23:08 Responsible recording and reporting of election issues

26:02 Resources and where to learn more

Elon Musk's DOGE has "self-deleted." But not without leaving a trail of wreckage that could take decades to undo.

Tens of thousands of vital government workers have been fired or have left, leaving Americans more vulnerable to a host of threats: terrorism, natural disasters, epidemics, tainted food.

Crucial federal data systems have also been compromised, including Social Security's database with personal information on every living American.

Brookings Institution expert Elaine Kamarck explains how the Trump administration's recklessness has jeopardized the health and safety of all Americans.

Host: Anne Kim, Washington Monthly

Guest: Elaine Kamarck, Brookings Institution

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the DOGE initiative and its failures

01:48 Reinventing government in the 1990s: successes and lessons

04:04 The chaos and randomness of the DOGE approach

05:57 Potential benefits of some DOGE personnel in IT support

07:55 The importance of personnel and timing in government reform

09:49 Emerging risks: food safety, Ebola, and other time bombs

13:11 Risks to social security databases and national security

17:09 Impact of government dismantling on infrastructure and disaster response

19:57 Threats to national security and intelligence capabilities

28:00 Strategies for restoring public trust and effective government

Businesses need democracy to thrive, argues Daniella Ballou-Aares, founder of the business coalition Leadership Now. They should step up to defend it.

Host: Anne Kim, Washington Monthly

Guest: Daniella Ballou-Aares, CEO and founder, Leadership Now

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Daniella Ballou-Aares and the topic of democracy and business

01:47 The macro context that led to the founding of Leadership Now

04:03 The argument for business influence in preserving democracy

06:03 Why American businesses are involved in politics but not enough in democracy

08:00 The relationship between business and government: balance and risks

09:52 Historical examples of business influence in regimes and transitions

12:07 The importance of a broad, non-crony approach to business influence

14:09 The impact of January 6th and the importance of election integrity

17:01 Business community responses to threats against democracy

19:58 The importance of bipartisan and diverse business engagement

22:58 The economic and societal reasons for defending democracy

25:57 The risks and opportunities of political alignment for businesses

28:04 How collective action can promote democratic resilience

30:00 How to get involved with Leadership Now Project

The Internal Revenue Service may never be the government’s most popular agency, but it could have been the most efficient. 

In 2022, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which invested $80 billion to fix the Internal Revenue Service. In 2024, the agency rolled out features like Direct File, a new free filing service for taxpayers. But Elon Musk's DOGE had other plans, including mass firings and data sharing agreements with ICE. The result is new risks for taxpayers.

Host: Anne Kim, Washington Monthly

Guest: Danny Werfel, former IRS Commissioner

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Danny Werfel and IRS challenges

01:01 The importance of the IRS and public perception

02:04 The referee analogy and public trust

02:57 Modernization goals and digital interactions

05:30 Impact of current administration on the IRS

06:29 Performance before and after the Inflation Reduction Act

07:55 Reversal of modernization efforts in 2025

09:22 Lack of a clear modernization plan from the IRS

11:20 Recent IRS performance and taxpayer frustrations

12:21 Consequences of underfunding and staffing issues

16:39 The size and capacity of the IRS compared internationally

20:43 Doge's mistakes in IRS reform

23:05 Spending, capacity, and efficiency in government

27:08 Risks of rapid reform and the reflecting pool analogy

37:34 The concept and benefits of direct file

40:57 Challenges and opportunities in free file solutions

44:19 The future of IRS reform and innovation

The ultra-right-wing Heritage Foundation blames "feminism" for falling fertility rates. Not surprisingly, its "solutions" are hostile to women.Host: Anne Kim, Washington MonthlyGuest: Varina Winder, Co-founder, Arch CollaborativeChapters00:00 Introduction to the Pronatalist Agenda02:57 The Heritage Foundation's Influence and Report05:50 Crisis Framing: Fertility Rates and Social Welfare08:46 Feminism and Its Role in the Fertility Debate11:55 Policy Solutions and Their Implications15:03 Critique of Heritage's Understanding of Family Needs17:56 Cultural Shifts and Women's Autonomy20:56 Advocacy and Action Steps for Women