Voter Realignment and Democrat Dilemmas

Today’s episode is about the question of the moment in politics: the meaning of Joe Biden’s terrible polling numbers. Today’s guest is Nate Cohn, chief political analyst at the New York Times, where he does public opinion, polling, demographics, and politics. We talk about the notorious New York Times poll that showed Donald Trump trouncing Biden in the swing states. We talk about why it’s not crazy to take presidential polls seriously right now—even though we're 300 days out from the election. We talk about the multi-layered problems of Biden’s age. And we talk about why the new "engagement gap" might be the most important, under-discussed phenomenon in American politics today.

If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com. 

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Nate Cohn

Producer: Devon Manze

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