Michael Smerconish (host, SiriusXM’s The Michael Smerconish Program, and CNN’s Smerconish) joins Chris Cuomo to break down why American politics no longer reflects where most voters actually are. Cuomo examines how outrage-driven media, closed primaries, and algorithmic incentives reward the loudest fringe voices while sidelining the practical concerns of independents and moderates — from affordability and health care to trust in institutions.Cuomo and Smerconish dig into why nearly half the country now identifies as independent, why that reality is ignored by both parties, and how modern media economics make moderation a losing strategy. They also discuss whether shared civic spaces can still exist, how the “middle” gets erased by rage-based incentives, and what it would take to realign politics with how Americans actually live and think.

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