Woocast's Politics & Polls

Many policies under President Donald Trump seem out of step with traditional Republican platforms. This has caused many conservatives to take a look at the party and ask: Is Trump a cause or product of the GOP? Veteran political consultant Stuart Stevens is among those embedded in such conversations. In this episode with Julian Zelizer, Stuart discusses where the party has been, where it is today, and where it's going. Stevens also dives into details from new book: "It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump." Stevens is an American travel writer and political consultant. He is the cofounder of the political media consultancy Stevens & Schriefer Group. In 2013, he became a founding partner in Strategic Partners & Media, the consulting firm with the best record in statewide races. He served as a top strategist for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign. He’s now part of the Lincoln Project, a conservative “Never Trump” group for the 2020 United States presidential election.

This week’s show is special: We’re running an episode of Democracy Works, a podcast produced by Penn State University’s McCourtney Institute for Democracy. (You may remember we swapped episodes with them last summer.) This episode features Tehama Lopez Bunyasi, assistant professor at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, and Candis Watts Smith, associate professor African American Studies and political science at Penn State. Bunyasi and Smith are coauthors of a book called "Stay Woke: A People’s Guide to Making all Black Lives Matter," which looks at the history of structural racism in the U.S. and gives people information and tools to become antiracists. In this episode, they talk about the clumsiness associated with changing patterns of thinking and behavior and how that’s playing out across our online and offline lives and among both individuals and companies. They also discuss the inherent messiness of the Black Lives Matter movement and why that’s not necessarily a b

With the rise of online and social media platforms, free speech and political discourse have taken on new complexities. While providing the opportunity to connect with large audiences, social media platforms have increasingly depersonalized discussions. Suzanne Nossel joins Sam Wang and Julian Zelizer to discuss censoring speech, freedom of expression during the Trump administration, and distrust in our public institutions. She’s the author of a recent book: “Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All.” The trio look at “call-out” culture and whether free speech comes at the expense of social justice. Nossel currently serves as the chief executive officer of PEN America, an organization focused on free speech and human rights issues. Since 2013, she has overseen PEN America’s growth, doubling its staff, budget, and membership. She previously served as chief operating officer of Human Rights Watch and as executive director of Amnesty International USA. She also has served in roles under the Obama and Clinton

The GOP went from full control in only three state governments in 1992 to 26 in 2018. How did the party achieve such rapid success on the state-level? Political scientist Matt Grossmann joins Julian Zelizer in this week’s episode to discuss the rise of the modern conservative movement, its grassroots origins, and its state legislature strategy. Grossman also touches upon the social issues that have driven the conservative movement in America. Grossman is a professor of political science at Michigan State University and the director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. He’s also the author or co-author of four books, and his most recent book, “Red State Blues: How the Conservative Revolution Stalled in the States,” was published by Cambridge University Press in 2016.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, the conventions will look vastly different from previous years. In this episode, Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang discuss the run-up to the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. They look at how a virtual convention might affect election coverage, voter enthusiasm, and rising political talent.   Later in the episode, they dig into polling numbers across the United States, particularly within the potential swing states of Georgia, Florida, and Texas. They discuss the impact of a potential Supreme Court vacancy or vote-by-mail suppression on the presidential election.   Finally, Wang tells listeners about “Moneyball 2020,” a model designed by the Princeton Election Consortium to identify races where voters have the most leverage to prevent partisan gerrymandering in 2021.

On Politics & Polls this week, Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang discuss the roots of the modern Republican Party. Zelizer talks about his newly published book, “Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, The Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of a New Republican Party,” which explores how Newt Gingrich’s political tactics and partisan maneuverings led to the modern GOP. Julian Zelizer is co-host of Politics & Polls. He is the Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941 Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University, and a CNN political analyst. He has written more than 100 op-eds and has edited and authored 21 books. He has been a fellow at the Brookings Institute, the New York Historical Society, New America, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Russell Sage Foundation.

Redistricting has increasingly transformed the Congressional delegations of many states. Even slight changes in streets and neighborhoods can drastically shift who represents each district.   Journalist Dave Daley joins Sam Wang and Julian Zelizer in this episode to speak about redistricting and gerrymandering across the United States. Daley’s book, “Ratf**ked,” examines the legacy of Republican redistricting efforts in the 2010s. Daley, Wang, and Zelizer trace the history of gerrymandering since the late 1700s and explore how technology has accelerated the issue.   Daley also is the author of the new book “Unrigged: How Americans are Battling Back Efforts to Save Democracy.” He is the former editor-in-chief of Salon.com, and the former CEO and publisher of the Connecticut News Project. He is a digital media fellow at the Wilson Center for the Humanities and the Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia. He has appeared in the New Yorker, Washington Post, The Guardian, and Rolling Stone.

With two of the past three American presidents winning the electoral vote, but losing the popular vote, many question whether the institution stifles the will of the people and goes against the concept of democracy. Jesse Wegman joins Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang to speak about the electoral college, political gridlock, and how to fix the system. Wegman recently published his first book, “Let the People Pick the President.” On this week’s episode, he discusses his book, alternatives to the system, the National Popular Vote Compact, and more. Wegman is a member of The New York Times editorial board and writes on issues concerning the Supreme Court and legal affairs. He previously worked as a reporter, editor, and producer at outlets including National Public Radio, The New York Observer, Reuters, The Daily Beast, and Newsweek. 

In light of the widespread Black Lives Matter protests, Americans are taking a deep look at police violence in the country. Many are demanding a complete transformation of our criminal justice system, tasking America’s leaders with delivering tangible policy. This week, Alex Vitale joins Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang to discuss the Kerner commission, the militarization of policing, and where the country goes from here. Vitale, author of “The End of Policing,” explains the deep connection between police violence and racial inequality in America. The trio looks at why police departments are made to deal with homelessness, mental health issues, and medical care, and what could be ahead. ​Vitale is professor of sociology and coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College. He is also a visiting professor at London Southbank University. He has spent the last 25 years writing about policing and consults both police departments and human rights organizations internationally.

With a dramatic uptick of coronavirus cases in many states, studies show young people comprise a disproportionate fraction of new cases. Historically, university students are more likely to take risks, so what will happen when they get back to campus? What do social distancing guidelines look like on a residential campus? Laurence Steinberg joins Sam Wang to discuss these questions and the future of the campus college experience in a world after the Covid-19 pandemic. Steinberg and Wang discuss social distancing guidelines, federal bailouts for colleges, and remote learning for new and returning students. Steinberg, Distinguished University Professor and the Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology at Temple University, has spent years studying adolescent psychology. He is the author of 450 articles and the author or co-author of 17 books on teenage development. 

A vexing part of our democracy is that even overwhelmingly popular policies are sometimes not enacted into law because of political stalemates. This not only threatens the stability of our democracy, but also creates disillusionment among voters. This week, Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang discuss important questions about the health and future of our democracy with David Litt, former speechwriter to President Barack Obama and author of “Thanks Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years" and "Democracy in One Book or Less.”  They touch on Mitch McConnell’s “rules of the game,” down-ballot elections, and how humor can change minds.

With nationwide protests in support for the Black Lives Matter movement and growing economic frustration from the Covid-19 pandemic, this election year will surely be eventful.  This week, Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang discuss the Black Lives Matter protests and how social media and technology have boosted the movement. They look into the underlying resentment with, and potential reforms for, the current criminal justice system.

The U.S. postal or mail system, the purse strings of which are controlled by Congress, has been running at a deficit for years, calling into question its financial viability. Yet, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the system has taken on greater importance for Americans. In addition, as we look to the 2020 presidential election, its necessity for mail-in voting has erupted into a partisan battle.   Richard John, a historian at Columbia University’s School of Journalism, joins Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang to talk about the U.S. postal system’s role as a key part of America’s infrastructure and the new reality of the challenges it faces.  With expertise in the history of communications, John teaches and advises Ph.D. students and is a member of Columbia’s history department. He is the author of “Spreading the News: The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse,” which received the Allan Nevins Prize from the Society of American Historians and the Herman E. Krooss Prize from the Business History, and “Ne

When COVID-19 first emerged in South Korea, the country’s rapid response and decisive intervention enabled the country to detect cases early, slowing the spread of the infection and controlling mortality rates. Now, the country faces a new spike in cases, leaving many to wonder if a second wave is coming. Sam Wang and Julian Zelizer discuss South Korea’s response to Covid-19 in this episode – recorded live on May 19 – which features Dr. Asaph Young Chun, director-general of Statistics Research Institute in South Korea, the state-run think tank of official statistics and data innovation. Dr. Chun is faculty chair and director of the Pyongyang Summer Institute for Data Science, Survey Methodology and Interdisciplinary Research and Applications. He is a survey methodologist and sociologist with 25 years of experience in large-scale survey and census research funded by and conducted for U.S. federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Center for Education Statistics, Department of Healt

In grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic, many scientists and government officials are looking to the 1918 pandemic as a reference point for lessons learned. Also known as the "Spanish Flu," this epidemic was the most sweeping of the 20th century, infecting one third of the world’s population, and upending social, political, and economic norms. John M. Barry, a New York Times best-selling author, joins this episode to discuss his book, “The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History.” The book was named the 2004 book by the National Academies of Science, and is garnering current attention given its relevancy to today.  Barry has been recognized in the field of science for his work and has been a source to politicians on both sides of the aisle for his insights on pandemics. He is also the author of several other books, including, “Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America,” which won the 1998 Francis Parkman Prize for the best book of U.S. history; “Roger

The 2018 midterm elections were a milestone for women in politics. Not since the 1992 midterm elections— popularly named “the year of the woman” — had so many women, especially from such diverse backgrounds, been elected to the U.S. Congress. Many of these women have emerged as headliners with powerful voices that are reshaping the country’s political landscape. Today, Jennifer Steinhauer, a journalist at The New York Times and author, shares her thoughts on the freshman class of Congress. She is the author of a new book on the subject, “The Firsts: The Inside Story of Women Shaping Congress.”

Throughout American history, significant economic changes have had a profound impact on the socioeconomic landscape and political economy of the country. With Covid-19 laying bare some of today’s economic inequalities, many wonder if the “American Dream” has all but evaporated. In this episode, author and academic Nicholas Lemann discusses this and more. Lemann, a staff writer at The New Yorker, is also the author of several books, the most recent of which is “Transaction Man: The Rise of the Deal and the Decline of the American Dream.” Lemann is the Joseph Pulitzer II and Edith Pulitzer Moore Professor of Journalism and dean emeritus of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. He also directs Columbia Global Reports, a book publishing venture, and Columbia World Projects, a new institution that implements academic research outside the university.

Covid-19 has had a disproportionate impact on at-risk populations, shining the spotlight on economic inequality and instability. Issues such as limited access to health care, unemployment, and financial vulnerability are now driving much of the government’s response. Today our guest is Sir Angus Deaton, Dwight D. Eisenhower Professor of International Affairs, Emeritus, and senior scholar at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Deaton won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2015. His main interests are in poverty, inequality, health, development, well-being, and the use of evidence in social science and medicine. With Anne Case, he co-authored the recently published book, “Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism.”

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to have devastating impacts on the global and U.S. economy. As a result of quarantines and social distancing, the bulk of the economic activity has shut down, leaving thousands of workers and small businesses in the U.S. struggling and stock markets reeling. The federal government has made attempts to stabilize the economy, but will it be enough? To discuss what lies ahead, today’s guest is Cecilia Rouse, dean of Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Rouse, whose interests are in labor economics, served as a member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers from 2009 to 2011.

This week, we're releasing a bonus episode with special guest: Dr. Richard Besser of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Given the timeliness of this interview, we thought it best to release it early. **** Health care is deeply intertwined with public policy, especially now as the world grapples with containing Covid-19. This battle is not only being fought on the government level, but also in hospitals and laboratories as scientists search for a cure. Today’s guest, Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is an expert in this arena. Besser was recently appointed to a multi-state council dedicated to restoring the economy amidst Covid-19 led by the governors of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Besser is the former acting director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and ABC News’ former chief health and medical editor.