Politics with Paul

Negativity reigns in political ads — from assailing of candidate records to personal attacks. Despite candidate pledges to be positive and voters’ insistence that they hate negative campaigning, combative and adversarial ads become only more ubiquitous in the final weeks before an election. With the harmful impacts to democracy and dialogue that negative ads can bring, there are some questions we...

Voting is often treated as a simple civic duty, but the reasons people vote are more varied than that. In this episode of Politics with Paul, we look at why we vote in the first place, whether voting can be considered rational, and five common motives that shape turnout. The discussion evaluates those motives and explores the blurry lines between altruism and self-interest, as well as between duty...

Voting is often treated as a straightforward act of reason, but the reality is more complicated. In this episode of Politics with Paul, we examine what it means to vote rationally, how heuristics shape political choices, and 4 major models of voting behavior: rational vote theory, party-line voting, retrospective voting, and prospective voting. The discussion also looks at what influences our ball...

In elections, many voters worry about "wasting" votes on perceived uncompetitive candidates - but is there such a thing as a wasted vote? Or perhaps this is the better question: Is the logic behind "not wasting votes" flawed? Today's episode of Politics with Paul dives into this common thought process that affects countless votes - and therefore, countless election results. The discussion cuts to...

Growing up and even as adults, we're often told that we should avoid talking politics because it is too divisive. That's understandable given how toxic the subject is, but that's not always good advice. Yet how do we know when we should and shouldn't discuss it? There's a time and place for everything, and today's episode of Politics with Paul explores when and where that is for elections and poli...

The US Senate often finds itself in the middle of controversy and as the subject of scorn. But does this mean we should eliminate it completely? Is it outdated ... or still a necessary part of American government? In today's episode of Politics with Paul, we tackle this question. While it's not a popular view, at its core are some of the most essential questions about how our government should wor...

Apathy about politics is always a looming threat to democracy - one that even the Founding Fathers warned about. But why do we see so much apathy? And what can we do about it? On today's episode, survey research expert Travis Taylor discusses his insights and findings on the problem of political apathy and how we can start fixing it. Drawing on his new book, "Democracy InAction: How Citizen Apathy...

How did we come to have such disturbingly low trust in so many American political institutions? And how do we restore that faith? Today's Politics with Paul guest, Sherman Tylawsky of the George Washington Institute, discusses these questions and more. Tune in to hear his insights on why it is important to have some faith (but not blind and unthinking faith) in the basic organizations, rules, and...

In this episode of Politics with Paul, Paul Rader chats with Nathan Smolensky about tackling political polarization. Nathan delves into the allure of division and how incentives shape political behavior. They discuss why polarized people often don't recognize their own divisiveness, balancing short-term wins with long-term goals, and crafting unique moral incentives. The media's role in fostering...

The reliability of polling responses is a crucial aspect of understanding public opinion. yet we must be careful reading too much into their results or stretching what the data says is an easy mistake to make. In this episode of Politics with Paul, we delve into the sincerity of polling responses and what makes a poll respondent trustworthy. The respondents in polls can be biased and incentivized...

The concept of states' rights has been a pivotal aspect of American political discourse since the nation's founding. In this episode of Politics with Paul, we delve into the complexities of states' rights, exploring their pros and cons and how they are balanced by the Constitution. We also discuss historical controversies and developments like the Nullification Crisis, slavery and civil rights, th...

The biggest issue that loses campaigns is the inability to properly self-assess. Today's episode of Politics with Paul teaches how to address that problem. When campaigning, you have to be fully honest not just about what your candidate does well or what can go right, but your candidate's weak points and what can cripple their campaign. These are done through SWOT analyses - strengths, weaknesses,...

Where do we draw the line for mental and physical fitness for our government officials? We all want political leaders who are up to the task of carrying out their offices' duties. Yet we sharply differ on who is capable and how we should ensure that competency. Today's episode of Politics with Paul is about all things mental and physical fitness for elected officials: whether we might see more str...

Does civics education in America need a rework in its content? On today's episode of Politics with Paul, Douglas Addison - the founder and president of the Center for Free, Fair, and Accountable Democracy - sits down to discuss the CFFAD's work in improving civics education in America. Among our discussion points are representative democracy, public opinion trends, and declining trust in democrati...

With this being the 100th episode of the podcast and falling around the 250th anniversary of American independence, today's discussion is about one of the most critical questions of all: What exactly is being an American about? I'm not talking about the legal implications or pop culture. This is about the essence of the American spirit, and the basic promise of the US Constitution and the Declarat...

The Federalist Papers remain a cornerstone of American political thought, but what lessons do they hold for us today? This episode delves into key essays, starting with Federalist Paper No. 10's exploration of factions and the implications of pluralism. Federalist Paper No. 39's discussion on federal and state power traces the evolution from dual to cooperative federalism. Federalist Paper No. 51...

250 years is a lot of time for change. So what has transformed the most in American politics in that time? Many aspects have gotten better over 250 years. Some have gotten worse. And some are just as flawed as they were before. Regardless, this episode of Politics with Paul is about some of the most seismic, overarching changes that you might not know about -- from election formats to campaigning...

Redistricting is fraught with partisanship and underhanded tactics...but can it be 100% fixed? Making fair districts and preventing gerrymandering is an extraordinarily difficult goal for a lot of reasons we don't realize...or want to admit. Today's episode explores the issues with rules that currently govern the redistricting process today, how we as citizens make it easier to gerrymander, severa...

Redistricting in America is a broken process - but before we can fix it, we must understand its inner workings and how we got here. In this first episode of a two-parter, I explore the background of redistricting, including its history, how its impacted today, and what currently goes into making new districts. Current attempts to redistrict have clearly partisan motives, but is that much different...

It’s a common sentiment: the country is going down the drain. But is it true? Our perceptions of whether the country is “on the decline” or “entering a golden age” are shaped by a variety of factors and biases. We need to have an honest conversation about these problems, but how do we do that? Today’s episode explores the debate about whether America is truly in decline, the importance of honestly...

On the cusp of America's 250th anniversary, would the nation's Founding Fathers be proud or disappointed in what America's become? I believe the answer isn't so simple. Today's episode of Politics with Paul explores this question, discussing the biases that influences our answers, misconceptions about the Founding Fathers and how those misunderstandings impact our political thinking today, how pol...

Lobbying has a lot of issues…but you probably don't hate it as much as you think you do. The term "lobbyist" often conjures up depictions of shadowy figures making corrupt deals with elected officials to manipulate public policy for the powerful few. It is true that more than a few are corrupt, unethical, or self-interested - and even lobbyists that don't fit this bill sometimes whitewash the prof...

Do we want authentic candidates in elections as much as we say we do? "Authenticity" is a favored buzzword by a politician's supporters to showcase why their candidate is the best, and by commentators who over-simplify the reason an election resulted the way it did. But can we actualyl say what "authenticity" is? Here's something crucial about how we judge politicians - our perception of their aut...

Midterm elections are often discussed for how much the sitting president's party suffers losses, but commentary often doesn't showcase why that is. Today's episode dives into the world of midterms, why they often play out differently than presidential election years, what factors are used to predict their results, and what it all means for 2026 elections. Can Republicans buck the historical trend,...

Ballot measures are the most direct way for voters to impact the political process…but they can be difficult and tedious to comprehend. Here's a guide to help you better understand them. As a critical part of the election cycle, ballot measures cover a massive variety of topics: redistricting, voting systems, campaign contribution laws, government official salaries, healthcare, taxes, and many mor...