Political Dynamics and Character in Elections

Chuck Todd begins by analyzing whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden will be a bigger political liability for their respective parties in the 2026 midterms. He also examines the trend of urban vs rural voters happening worldwide and reacts to some newsworthy quotes from American politics

Then, he welcomes Jane Coaston to the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation that spans college football, media, and politics. They dive deep into how conference realignment is reshaping college sports, discussing everything from the demise of the Pac-12 to whether Fox can maintain compelling broadcasts without marquee matchups. The conversation explores how football innovation happens from the ground up and why geographic realignment may be inevitable for smaller schools facing logistical nightmares.

The discussion then shifts to broader media and political dynamics, examining how algorithms and internet discourse are warping public conversation. They analyze why political hosts get captured by their audiences, how conspiracy theorists find community online, and why politically engaged people are actually the "weirdos" in American politics. They tackle tough questions about media coverage of Biden's age, the responsibility of press versus politicians in covering presidential fitness, and why treating voters as real people rather than demographic categories might be the key to better political communication.

Finally, he addresses listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment regarding consuming political interviews, whether Democrats need their own Project 2025 and whether a moderate Republican running third party would have enabled a Harris win in 2024.

Timeline:

00:00 Introduction
02:00 Biden or Trump the bigger liability in 2026 midterms?

03:35 It’s rare for a former president to cast a bigger shadow than the current one

05:30 Democratic voters are still mad at Joe Biden

07:30 Trump won’t have much to sell in 2026

09:45 Voters won’t feel any impact from Trump’s tax cut

11:15 Democrats can’t sit back and expect to win in 2026

13:00 Trump is the bigger liability

14:00 Should Republicans have won 2024 in a landslide?

16:45 The rural vs. urban political divide is a worldwide phenomenon

18:30 Mexico to make all judges elected positions, terrible for rule of law 

21:00 Character doesn’t matter to voters, results do

23:00 Joe Biden still believes he would have won the election

24:15 Tim Walz suggests Democrats should be a little meaner

27:15 Jane Coaston joins the Chuck ToddCast! 

29:35 Mountain time is the best time zone for watching sports 

32:15 Has college football hurt itself by losing the Pac-12? 

34:15 Conference realignment really hurts the smaller schools logistically 

35:45 Schools will be forced to realign into geographic regions 

38:15 College football benefits from having fanbases in hundreds of markets 

39:45 College football risks concentration only in the midwest and south 

41:45 Football innovates from the bottom up 

42:45 Can Fox's broadcast stand on its own without two marquee teams? 

45:45 If CFB contracts were similar to NFL contracts, everyone makes more money 

47:00 Money for college football isn't zero sum 

48:15 How do you decide what your daily news lead will be? 

49:15 The rhetoric around medicaid cuts is identical to welfare rhetoric 

50:45 Many people on Medicaid have jobs that don't offer insurance 

52:30 It's important to offer your audience views they don't always agree with 

53:45 Algorithms are a major problem for public discourse 

55:45 Hosts end up being captured by their audience and public criticism 

57:15 The human psyche isn't equipped for the internet 

58:15 Conspiracy theorists and cranks can find community online 

59:45 The internet is not representative of real life people 

1:00:45 Voters hold multiple conflicting views 

1:03:00 High information, politically engaged people are weirdos 

1:04:15 Politics has become too much like sports 

1:06:15 In polling, the way a question is asked can distort responses 

1:07:45 To reach voters, they need to be thought of as people and not voters 

1:09:15 Political hobbyism has been terrible for our politics 

1:09:55 Who owns blame for Biden decline cover up, media or Biden/Democrats? 

1:12:45 Biden's age couldn't be viewed in a vacuum by the media 

1:15:35 The criticism of the press over Biden has been overblown 

1:16:15 Biden couldn't sell his accomplishments 

1:18:15 How hot is the seat under Michigan's new coach?

1:23:20 Chuck's thoughts on interview with Jane Coaston 

1:24:40 College football should motivate teams to play tougher schedules 

1:25:55 Ask Chuck 

1:26:25 What should viewers focus on when consuming political interviews? 

1:28:50 Are Democrats working on their own version of Project 2025? 

1:34:15 Would a "traditional" Republican running 3rd party have created a Harris win?