Micah Cohen – FiveThirtyEight

Americans Think Politics Is Like ‘The West Wing’

FiveThirtyEight — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 01:26:28 +0000

In Part 1 of this week’s FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew debates which states should vote first in the presidential primaries if the Iowa caucuses aren’t held first. They also look at a new survey suggesting that most Americans think “The West Wing” and other political TV shows accurately reflect how politics works.

Politics Podcast: Should The Iowa Caucuses Go Away?

FiveThirtyEight — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 22:55:13 +0000

After the disastrous Iowa caucuses in 2020 and years of grumbling before that, the Democratic National Committee entertained a draft proposal that would shake up which states vote first on the presidential primary calendar. Ultimately, the proposal wasn’t considered at the DNC’s meeting in March, but the conversation isn’t going away. In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew debates which states should vote first.

They also look at a new survey suggesting that most Americans think “The West Wing” and other political TV shows accurately reflect how politics works. And FiveThirtyEight contributor Laura Bronner joins to discuss where public opinion stands on accepting Ukrainian refugees after the White House announced last week that the U.S. would admit up to 100,000.

You can listen to the episode by clicking the “play” button in the audio player above or by downloading it in iTunes, the ESPN App or your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen.

The FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast is recorded Mondays and Thursdays. Help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a rating and review on iTunes. Have a comment, question or suggestion for “good polling vs. bad polling”? Get in touch by email, on Twitter or in the comments.

How States Are Spending Their Stimulus Checks

FiveThirtyEight — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 03:54:27 +0000

In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew discusses the best way to poll how satisfied Americans are with both their own lives and the direction of the country. They also talk about what states are doing with their billions in excess pandemic relief funding and look into opinion polling on the U.S.’s involvement in Ukraine.

Politics Podcast: What Can A Pollster Really Tell Us About American Happiness?

FiveThirtyEight — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 23:00:54 +0000

At the height of the pandemic, state officials warned that their governments would need billions of dollars of support to keep their budgets afloat. The federal government responded with huge spending bills, and now states have billions and billions to spend on their politicians’ top priorities — but they’re not all spending the money the same way. In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew discusses what states’ spending decisions tell us about partisan divides. They also look at the best way to poll Americans’ satisfaction with their own lives and the direction of the country and delve into public-opinion polling on U.S. involvement in Ukraine.

What’s Actually Driving Inflation

FiveThirtyEight — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 03:14:48 +0000

In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew discusses why the Republican National Committee chose to censure Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger and how different wings of the party view the violent events of Jan. 6, 2021. They also discuss the causes of hyperinflation, as Democrats and Republicans cite different culprits for the highest rate of inflation in 40 years. Plus, the gang tries to guess what Americans think about love and relationships in a Valentine’s Day-themed game.

Politics Podcast: How Jan. 6 Turned Into A Dividing Line For Republicans

FiveThirtyEight — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 23:14:05 +0000

Earlier this month, the Republican National Committee voted to censure Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for serving on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, describing the inquiry as the “persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.” Some GOP lawmakers and elites criticized the resolution, while others defended it. In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew discusses why the RNC chose this path and how different camps in the party view the violent events of Jan. 6.

They also talk about the causes of hyperinflation, as Democrats and Republicans point to different culprits for the highest rate of inflation in 40 years. Finally, they try to guess what Americans think about love and relationships in a Valentine’s Day-themed game.

Let’s Talk About Biden’s Take On The Polls

FiveThirtyEight — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 02:26:28 +0000

In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew debates why politicians break with their parties in high-profile ways and what the repercussions can be. They also discuss the trend of amateur candidates running in and winning House primary elections, and ask whether Biden’s dismissal of the polls is a “good or bad use of polling.”

Politics Podcast: Why Politicians — Like Manchin And Sinema — Go Rogue

FiveThirtyEight — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 22:27:14 +0000

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer held a vote on changing the rules of the filibuster, setting up Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema for high-profile breaks with the Democratic Party. It was reminiscent of Senators John McCain, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins all voting against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act in 2017, after the GOP campaigned on its repeal for four election cycles. Of course, the substance of the legislation is very different, but for members of both parties, it was a significant betrayal.

In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew debates why politicians break with their parties in high-profile ways and what the repercussions can be. They also discuss the trend of amateur candidates increasingly running in and winning House primary elections, and ask whether President Biden’s dismissal of the polls is a “good or bad use of polling.”

What Americans Thought About COVID, Inflation And Britney Spears In 2021

FiveThirtyEight — Mon, 27 Dec 2021 23:33:16 +0000

To wrap up the year, the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast crew looks back at what Americans thought about some of the biggest political and cultural issues of 2021. They play a game of “Guess What Americans Think,” in which they guess Americans’ opinions on a wide variety of topics, including Elon Musk, inflation and Britney Spears.

Politics Podcast: What Do Americans Think About 2021’s Biggest Stories?

FiveThirtyEight — Mon, 27 Dec 2021 22:59:16 +0000

To wrap up the year, the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast crew looks back at what Americans thought about some of the biggest political and cultural issues of 2021. They play a game of “Guess What Americans Think,” in which the panelists have to guess Americans’ opinions on a variety of topics, including Elon Musk, inflation and Britney Spears.

Why Manchin Is A ‘No’ On Build Back Better

FiveThirtyEight — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 03:50:46 +0000

In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew discusses why West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin isn’t supporting President Biden’s Build Back Better plan and where Democrats might go from here. They also look back at 2021 to pinpoint the most consequential political events of the year and talk about how their understanding of American politics was challenged.

Politics Podcast: The Biggest Political Surprises Of 2021

FiveThirtyEight — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 00:48:57 +0000

President Biden’s $2 trillion social spending and climate change agenda is in its most tenuous position yet. On Sunday, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin announced in a TV interview that he would not support the Build Back Better plan. In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew discusses Manchin’s rationale and where Democrats might go from here. They also look back at 2021 to pinpoint the most consequential political events of the year and talk about how their understanding of American politics was challenged.

Watch: https://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/video/buy-redistricting-process-bad-democrats-silver-81844714

Watch: https://abcnews.go.com/fivethirtyeight/video/manchin-build-back-fivethirtyeight-politics-podcast-81868929

It’s Still Not Time To Pay Attention To 2024 Polls

FiveThirtyEight — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 21:01:32 +0000

In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew debates the value of polling whether Americans want President Biden and former President Donald Trump to run again in 2024.

Politics Podcast: About Those 2024 Polls …

FiveThirtyEight — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 23:56:53 +0000

Pollsters are already turning their attention to the 2024 election, and they want to know whether Americans want a rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump. Polls show that solid majorities of U.S. adults — in the range of about 60 to 70 percent — don’t want either to run next time. But, of course, presidential nominations are party affairs, and Republicans and Democrats will have to decide that for themselves.

In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew debates whether 2024 primary polling can tell us anything this far out from any primary race. And they review the results of our informal, unscientific poll asking readers when they think each season begins.

Watch: https://abcnews.go.com/fivethirtyeight/video/time-pay-attention-2024-polls-fivethirtyeight-politics-podcast-81457313

Watch: https://abcnews.go.com/fivethirtyeight/video/parties-thankful-fivethirtyeight-politics-podcast-81343950

Exit Polls Can’t Always Explain Why Voters Vote The Way They Do

FiveThirtyEight — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 05:11:57 +0000

Pundits have given lots of hot takes on why Democrats did so poorly in last week’s elections and what those results portend for the 2022 midterm elections. In this installment of the Politics podcast, the FiveThirtyEight crew runs down a list of theories in a game of ‘Buy, Sell, or Hold’ to discuss what evidence, if any, supports some of these arguments.

Politics Podcast: Which Election Day Hot Takes Do You Buy?

FiveThirtyEight — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 23:50:27 +0000

Nearly a week after Virginia’s and New Jersey’s elections, Democrats are still debating what went wrong for them. Pundits have given lots of hot takes on why Democrats did so poorly and what it portends for the 2022 midterms. In this installment of the Politics podcast, the FiveThirtyEight crew runs down a list of theories in a game of Buy, Sell or Hold to discuss what evidence, if any, supports some of these arguments.

They also debate how reliable exit polls are in determining what motivates voters and consider how Democrats were able to overcome intraparty disagreements to pass a $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

Watch: https://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/video/buy-tuesdays-election-night-good-trumps-2024-prospects-81022758

Watch: https://abcnews.go.com/fivethirtyeight/video/exit-polls-explain-voters-vote-81047251

Can You Guess What Americans Think About The Democrats’ Spending Bill?

FiveThirtyEight — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 02:14:03 +0000

In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew discusses the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races a week before Election Day. They also guess how Americans feel about potential provisions in Democrats’ spending bill.

Politics Podcast: What Are The Most Popular Parts Of The Democrats’ Spending Bill?

FiveThirtyEight — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 22:53:56 +0000

With just over a week to go before state elections in Virginia and New Jersey, recent polling shows that the races for governor are close in both states. Each election will be a test for the national political environment, especially as Democrats in Congress try to finalize their multi-trillion-dollar economic and social-programs bill.

On this episode of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew discusses the gubernatorial races and how Americans feel about the potential provisions in the Democrats’ big bill. They also talk about the major sticking points among Democrats as the bill is put together, the ways to poll Americans on these policies and which provisions are most likely to survive the cut.

Watch: https://abcnews.go.com/fivethirtyeight/video/guess-americans-democrats-spending-bill-80782414

Watch: https://abcnews.go.com/fivethirtyeight/video/adam-schiff-worried-american-democracy-fivethirtyeight-politics-podcast-80716056

Polls Show A Close Governor’s Race In Virginia

FiveThirtyEight — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 22:14:13 +0000

In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew talks about why President Biden’s approval rating is underwater, what the consequences are for Democrats and what they can do about it. They also check in on the upcoming Virginia governor’s race and discuss a FiveThirtyEight report about how Congress may have inadvertently legalized THC, the main psychoactive component of marijuana.

Politics Podcast: What Makes A Party Or Politician Popular?

FiveThirtyEight — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 23:27:50 +0000

President Biden’s standing with the public has deteriorated in the nine months since he has taken office. Now more Americans disapprove of his job performance than approve of it. In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew talks about why that is, what the consequences are for Democrats and what they can do about it. They also check in on the upcoming Virginia governor’s race and discuss a FiveThirtyEight report about how Congress may have inadvertently legalized THC — the main psychoactive compound in marijuana.

Watch: https://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/video/buy-democrats-worried-virginia-gubernatorial-race-silver-80379206

Watch: https://abcnews.go.com/fivethirtyeight/video/democrats-passing-bidens-agenda-fivethirtyeight-politics-podcast-80405623