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In 1958, a movie about a man-eating, bloodcurdling mass from outer space introduced the world to “The Blob.” But in recent years, that term has taken on a whole new meaning among foreign policy professionals in Washington. What exactly defines this Blob can be as amorphous as the movie monster, so we reached out to three people to explain who exactly belongs in this group. The term, we learned, describes a perspective that transcends party lines and has remained relatively unchallenged for decades. In this episode, we’ll explore the moment that all changed, and the Blob came face-to-face with… the anti-Blob.
GUESTS: Ben Armbruster, Managing Editor of ResponsibleStatecraft.org at The Quincy Institute; Emma Ashford, Senior Fellow at the New American Engagement Initiative in the Scowcroft Center of the Atlantic Council; Van Jackson, professor of International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington.
ADDITIONAL READING:
Build a Better Blob, Emma Ashford
The Blob Strikes Back, and Misses, Patrick Porter.
More, Less, or Different?, Jake Sullivan.
Policy Roundtable: The Future of Progressive Foreign Policy, Van Jackson.
2020 has been a scary year. In an effort to get to the root of why we’re all feeling the way we are, the first thing we did was something we probably should have done a long time ago… we reached out to a psychiatrist. We also asked all of you — our listeners, our friends, our family — to tell us the answer to what might seem like a pretty simple question: How safe do you feel? But the answers didn’t feel simple at all.
GUESTS: Arash Javanbakht, MD; Bunmi Akinnusotu, Host of What in the World?; You guys!
ADDITIONAL READING:
Sex and Death in the Rational World of Defense Intellectuals, Carol Cohn.
The Politics of Fear: How Fear Goes Tribal, Allowing Us To Be Manipulated, Arash Javanbakht.
When Mask-Wearing Rules in the 1918 Pandemic Faced Resistance, Becky Little.
As the 1918 Flu Emerged, Cover-Up and Denial Helped It Spread, Becky Little.
Not immediately knowing which candidate won the White House has long been a reality of a world changed by COVID-19. What campaigns, pundits, and pollsters failed to predict was the distance that would separate the results from the expectations. Tim Alberta, chief political correspondent at Politico, Sahil Kapur, national political reporter for NBC News, and Clare Malone, senior politics writer at FiveThirtyEight, analyze the incomplete election results and what Congress could look like when the dust settles.
President Trump has consistently and falsely asserted that losing reelection would mean that the White House was stolen from him. Meanwhile, election officials across the country have been working diligently to maintain free and fair elections. This year, their jobs include responding to a pandemic and refuting conspiracy theories. Election officials from across the country describe how Election Day 2020 went and how things could improve for future elections.
As Joe Biden gets closer to winning the electoral college, the Trump campaign is taking to the courts in an attempt to challenge the results. In the past few days, states like Michigan, Georgia, and Pennsylvania have all seen lawsuits calling into question their process of counting ballots, though there’s no evidence supporting the president’s claims of voter fraud. While some of the lawsuits have already been dismissed, others are still in play. Toluse Olorunnipa, a White House reporter for the Washington Post, breaks down the Trump campaign’s recent legal action.
In the Trump era, political polarization has reached a level not seen since the Civil War. Though this polarization didn’t start with President Trump’s campaign and subsequent administration, it has brought the deepening divide to the surface–and to the ballot box–with voter turnout this week reaching record numbers. Lilliana Mason, professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland and author of “Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity,”walks us through the widening political divide in the U.S. and what it means for how the country moves forward, regardless of who wins the 2020 election.
Amy’s closing thoughts:
“The political profession. No other career as prosaic has been glamorized more. In movies and on TV, everyone who works for or as a politician is beautiful, smart, and ambitious. All are doing super important work that is changing the world. Even the interns are drafting amendments that protect our way of life.
In real life, of course, politics is messy. And, more important, boring. For every election night balloon drop victory party, there are a million days filled with the crushingly tedious work of voter contact and fundraising and town hall meetings filled with cranky and angry constituents.
But, as we learned this week, it is the people who do the non-glamorous work, those who spend almost every single day of their entire career in relative ambiguity, who help keep our democratic institutions steady. I’m talking about the elected officials, poll workers, and office staff, who ensured that this election – an election taking place in the middle of a health pandemic and with record turnout – was conducted as fairly, smoothly, and judiciously as possible. They are doing this work under great duress and stress. They continue to do their job even as the president of the United States – without any evidence – takes to the White House briefing room to question their integrity.
When the election is over, these folks aren’t going to get a sweet cable TV gig or their own podcast. Instead, they are going to go back to their offices and prepare for the next election.
For all of you who are cynical or anxious about the sturdiness of the guardrails protecting our democratic institutions, look no further than the local officials in charge of voting. They are not bowing to pressure from the president. They are not abandoning their posts for fear of political reprisal. They are doing their jobs. And, doing them well.
At the end of the day, it is regular people who are responsible for our democracy. And, the regular people are saving it.”
Things That Go Boom will be back November 9th, and we’ll be there to hold your hand while you weep, or party, all the way to the inauguration, a coronavirus vaccine, an accidental nuclear war (?!) … and beyond.
In the meantime, go vote!
While the bedrock of democracy is free and fair elections, the President has been sowing seeds of distrust throughout the course of the campaign. He’s used his platform to spread conspiracy theories about the integrity of absentee ballots to his millions of followers.
The consequences of those lies can be seen in a recent Monmouth University poll that found almost 40 percent of Americans don’t believe that the elections will be conducted fairly and accurately. A majority of Americans say that they think the Trump campaign will try to cheat if necessary to win in November, while 39 percent say the same of the Biden campaign.
Aside from Barack Obama in 2008, North Carolina hasn’t voted for a Democrat for president since Jimmy Carter in 1976, but polls show President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are neck and neck there. A contentious senate race is also on the ballot in the state.
North Carolina began sending out absentee ballots on September 4th. The more than 700,000 mail ballots that have been requested has shone the national spotlight on the Tar Heel State.
Chair of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, Damon Circosta, Michael Bitzer, a professor of Political Science at Catawba College, and Rusty Jacobs, politics reporter at WUNC North Carolina Public Radio, walk us through the state’s electoral process.
Many credit Barack Obama’s win in North Carolina to strong turnout from African American voters. Exit polls that year showed African Americans making up almost a quarter of the electorate and they gave Obama 95 percent of the vote. Congresswoman Alma Adams of North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District and Professor Kerry Haynie, Political Science and African & African American Studies at Duke University, describe how the Biden/Harris ticket is working to convince Black voters to turnout.
As part of our continuing series on how the pandemic has changed campaigns, we checked in with Chase Gaines, Coalition Director North Carolina GOP. He describes what it’s like to organize at this moment and what he’s heard from voters while knocking doors.
These conversations are part of a series called Every Vote Counts.
This week, President Trump renewed his commitment to questioning the integrity of our election system and the Senate left town on Thursday without reaching an agreement on a new stimulus bill, leaving millions of unemployed Americans in economic limbo. At the same time, the U.S. surpassed 150,000 deaths caused by the coronavirus as confirmed cases in many states continue to climb.
With less than 100 days until the general election, Jane Coaston, a senior politics reporter at Vox, and Tim Alberta, Chief Political Correspondent for Politico, share how voters are processing this moment and their options for November.
Joni Ernst is a Republican Senator from Iowa whose seat was considered relatively safe until recently. Today, she’s fighting off a challenge from Democrat Theresa Greenfield, an Iowan who like Ernst has farm-girl roots. Ernst describes how campaigning has shifted as a result of COVID-19 and what she thinks of the president’s response to the pandemic.
You can listen to Amy’s interview with Theresa Greenfield here.
Check out our ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here.
Check out our local leader series here.
Rallies, conventions, and press conferences were once the primary method for campaigns to connect with voters. The coronavirus pandemic has forced politicians and strategists to rethink how they approach campaigning. Stephanie Cutter, deputy campaign manager for President Barack Obama in 2012, and Matt Rhoades, campaign manager for Mitt Romney in 2012, share how campaigns will need to rely heavily on digital efforts.
Recent graduates seeking to get involved in field campaigns have also had to shift expectations.Sam Aleman, a digital organizer for the Democratic National Committee, andKiran Menon, a senior at the University of Virginia studying politics, discuss what it’s like to pursue campaign jobs during the pandemic.
States have scrambled to adjust long-planned elections because of the public health risk posed by COVID-19. Earlier this month, the governor of Wisconsin attempted to postpone in-person voting but was ultimately unsuccessful. So on April 7, Wisconsin voters stood six feet apart in long lines to cast their ballots while respecting social distancing. Since then, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinelinvestigationfound systemic problems with the state’s absentee ballot request process. Reporter Daphne Chendescribed the electoral shortfalls.
Also, Ohio Secretary of StateFrank LaRose describes how he’s navigating the changes of the state’s upcoming all vote by mail primary.
Aspart of our series on governingduring a pandemic, we spoke to Jacksonville MayorLenny Curry. He shared how his constituents are holding up and how he’s advising the governor on reopening the state.
Check out our ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 pandemichere.
What Bernie Sander’s New Hampshire Victory Means for the Democratic Primary
Sen. Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday. The Takeaway’s Amy Walter weighs in on what the results mean for the weeks ahead.
Is Abortion the Litmus Test for Democrats Today?
At Friday’s debate in New Hampshire, almost all the candidates went out of their way to reaffirm their support of abortion.
Siba, a Standard Poodle, Wins 144th Westminster Dog Show
Siba, a standard poodle, was crowned “Best in Show” at the 144th West Minister Dog Show in New York on Tuesday.
With the midterms right around the corner, The Takeaway has an in-depth look at the state of election security. A former government intelligence analyst weighs in on the vulnerabilities and potential threats to our nation’s voting systems. During the 2016 elections, Colorado was one of multiple states targeted in a Russian interference campaign. Colorado Secretary of State, Wayne Williams, discusses efforts since then, to protect the state’s voting systems. Government forces in Afghanistan have been fiercely battling against Taliban insurgents after the extremists launched a major assault on the city of Ghazni on Friday. The Takeaway explores the resurgence of the Taliban. Almost seventeen years after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban is still very much at large. Up next, The Takeaway discusses U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict. In Southern California, over 1400 firefighters have been battling California’s Holy Fire. The Takeaway has more details about the fire and the state of emergency in Orange and Riverside counties, in California. Last week, a group of leading international climate scientists released a new report about our warming planet. The Takeaway speaks with one of the authors about the latest research.
You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.
Today, is the deadline the U.S. government set for family reunification, after implementing the family separation policy of “zero tolerance.” We take a look at where the government is in terms of family reunification; a look at whether or not the “zero tolerance” policy has been a deterrent to people looking to cross; we hear from a congressman about what Latino leadership on the issue of family separation and immigration more broadly looks like in Washington today and what other Latino lawmakers are doing to respond to constituents; a look inside one processing facility in Brownsville; yesterday 11 House Republican members of the Freedom Caucus initiated articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein; since Parkland, 26 states have passed some of form of tighter gun control legislation; a look at how the stand your ground law on the books in Florida is raising a larger national debate following the killing last week of a man who shoved another individual to the ground; and we wrap up our series “Hysterical: Women and Rage” with a look at how pop culture has portrayed angry women over time and if Hollywood is getting any better at it.
You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.