Crafting Political Narratives

Chuck Todd opens with two issues he calls “dead rail” issues; issues that voters care about but don’t vote on… campaign finance reform and the national debt. He explains why both parties aren’t incentivized to address either issue, and provides a brief update on the latest developments for the upcoming midterm and presidential elections.

Then, he sits down with acclaimed television writer and producer Debora Cahn, the creative force behind both "The West Wing" and Netflix's hit series "The Diplomat." Cahn shares behind-the-scenes insights from her time in Aaron Sorkin's writers' room, revealing how the team worked to make "The West Wing" realistic and even infused elements of musical theater into the show. She discusses the origins and development of "The Diplomat," explaining how her experience working on "Homeland" prepared her for tackling international diplomacy, and how COVID-19 unexpectedly helped with the show's early development process.

They delve into how real-world events have shaped "The Diplomat's" narrative, particularly Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which completely changed the show's plot trajectory. Cahn explores the challenges of creating "news adjacent" content in today's rapidly changing political landscape, where she notes that satire feels off-limits for this decade. She also discusses her approach to writing strong but complex female characters, the differences between working with Shonda Rhimes versus Aaron Sorkin, and how she uses storytelling to give voice to government workers. The interview touches on everything from using real UK embassy locations for filming to incorporating recent political events and the casting of Michael McKean in a Biden-inspired role.

Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the Ask Chuck segment, addressing topics like the best path to learning journalism, whether Kamala Harris could lose the California gubernatorial race and how to maximize black voter turnout in the south.

Timeline:

00:00 Introduction

00:30 The “third-rail” issues in American politics that are untouchable

01:45 Medicaid is a lifeline for more than just poor people

02:20 Dead rail issues are issues that you can ignore and voters don’t care

03:10 Voters agree on need for campaign finance reform, but don’t vote on it

05:00 Both parties only care about the national debt when they’re out of power

07:00 Voters don’t care about campaign finance or the debt until it affects them

09:00 The Republicans are more fiscally irresponsible than Democrats

10:30 New campaign ad rolls out with purely AI generated people

11:30 Senator Jeff Merkeley may step down

12:30 Senator Ed Markey may face primary challenge

13:00 Rahm Emmanuel attending Iowa event, could it regain 1st primary status?

14:30 Debora Cahn joins the Chuck ToddCast! 

15:45 How did she create "The Diplomat" and "West Wing"? 

17:00 How important was it to make the West Wing realistic? 

19:00 How did you infuse musical theater into West Wing? 

20:15 What was the writers' room like? 

22:30 How long has she been working on The Diplomat? 

25:15 How did working on Homeland prepare her for The Diplomat? 

28:30 The origin of The Diplomat 

30:00 Covid actually HELPED with early development 

31:00 Were the characters modeled off real people? 

33:45 Using a real embassy for the set 

36:30 Has the narrative arc changed from the original vision? 

38:45 Russia's invasion of Ukraine changed the show's entire plot 

40:45 Using the PM of the UK character to caricature Trump 

42:15 Satire is off the table for this decade 

43:30 Giving voice to government workers via storytelling 

47:00 Has the UK foreshadowed trends in US politics? 

48:15 The downside to being "news adjacent"? 

49:45 Writing about strong women but making it messy 

51:15 Working with Shonda Rhimes vs Aaron Sorkin 

53:30 Whose story would she like to tell? 

56:00 Traditional journalism vs. influencer culture 

56:45 The Newsroom wasn't an accurate portrayal of TV journalism 

58:00 What events from the past few months does she want to incorporate? 

59:45 Michael McKean is great as the Biden character

57:50 Chuck's thoughts on the interview with Debora Cahn 

58:20 Ask Chuck 

58:40 Is college or an apprenticeship better for learning journalism? 

1:02:30 Could Kamala Harris lose in the primary for CA governor? 

1:06:05 What can Democrats do to maximize the black vote in the south? 

1:11:50 NBA playoffs reaction