Clusterf*cked

In an abbreviated special episode, Host Roger King gives his thoughts on a very disappointing Presidential election result for Democrats and addresses some of the theories as to what happened.    

Through his early vote tracker, University of Florida Political Science Professor Michael McDonald tracks and analyzes the early vote data for all 50 states. He and Roger discuss what we are seeing in the early vote, particularly in the swing states, as 50 million Americans have already voted in the 2024 election.

Natalie Jackson has been a professional pollster for 20 years.  She and Roger have a calm & rational discussion about the actual status of the Presidential election race, the problems with polling alternative Dem nominees to Biden, whether Trump's polling numbers are accurate, and more.

Steve Schale ran President Obama's two Florida victory campaigns and he knows Florida politics inside and out.  He and Roger discuss whether Florida is in play for the Biden campaign, how Democrats can reassemble the Obama coalition, the Florida Senate race, the latest on the Florida abortion ballot amendment, and more.

Anderson Clayton is the youngest state party Chair in the United States.  She and Roger discuss North Carolina politics: how it's a key target for the Biden campaign to flip in November, her efforts to attract more rural voters, the issues that will play with young voters in the state, changing demographics of the NC electorate, and more.

Simon Rosenberg has been involved in Democratic politics for three decades, first with the Clinton campaigns, as an adviser to the Obama Administration and the founder of the New Democratic Network (NDN) think tank. He was one of the few analysts who did not believe there would be "a red wave" in 2022.  He & Roger discuss Democratic over performance in recent elections, 2024 Presidential polling &...

Special guest co-host Reuben Rodriguez, a self-described Latino Centrist, returns to the podcast in a special extended episode as he & Roger preview the upcoming 2022 midterm election.  Including an overview of the U.S. political climate, analysis of the early vote, a preview of the key Senate races, and more!  

Tom Bonier has been a consultant to Democratic campaigns, including Senators Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren, as well as President Obama's 2008 Presidential campaign. He is now CEO of the Democratic data firm Target Smart and he joins Rogers to discuss the upcoming midterm elections: what the polling is saying, early voting data, the surge in women voters, and more. 

This summer, Kansas voted NO on a state Constitutional amendment that would have banned abortion.  Ashley All, Spokesperson for Kansans for Constitutional Freedom, joins Roger to discuss how her group mobilized voters in a deeply conservative state to show up to protect abortion rights and what kind of messaging will work best with red state voters in this November's midterms.  

Robin Johnson, along with Representative Cheri Bustos, former Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, put together a research project about how Democratic representatives in 10 midwestern states won in districts carried by Donald Trump. Roger & Robin discuss those findings, how Democrats can rebound with rural voters and midterm election politics in Iowa & Illinois.  

Tom Winter, a former state representative, is now running for U.S. Congress in Montana's newly created 2nd Congressional District. He joins Roger to discuss how to run & win as a progressive in Montana, the population growth in the state and who the new arrivals are politically, running against a former member of Trump's cabinet, and more.

Talking Points Memo founder Josh Marshall joins Roger to discuss how the mainstream media is set up in a way that gives Republicans the advantage, the reasons Democrats have a harder time with campaign messaging, why Democrats should make the 2022 midterms about Trump, and more.  

Special guest co-host Reuben Rodriguez, a self-described Latino Centrist, joins Roger to recap the political year of 2021 and preview what to expect in 2022.  They discuss the reasons for Biden's approval rating, the politics of COVID, the Latino vote, how the 2 parties should approach the 2022 midterms and more.

Joe Kennedy, a member of the legendary Kennedy political family, served 4 terms in Congress but left government this year to form Groundwork Project, a grassroots organization that supports and invests in community organizers in red state America.  Roger & Joe discuss how Democrats can win back rural voters and what it takes for Democrats to be competitive long-term in red states.

Poppy Northcutt was the first woman ever to work in NASA's Mission Control. Her work in the space program made her acutely aware of women's rights issues and she eventually became an attorney who has been on the front lines of abortion rights activism since the days of Roe v Wade.  She & Roger discuss the current Texas abortion law, the strengths & weaknesses of the Pro-Choice movement and Texas p...

After an in-person encounter with Hillary Clinton, unemployed coal industry worker Bo Copley decided to run for the Republican Senate nomination in West Virginia. New York filmmaker Todd Drezner followed Bo's Senate campaign and the result is the documentary, The Campaign of Miner Bo.  Todd & Bo join Roger to discuss what it's like for outsiders in politics and what a liberal filmmaker learned abo...

Former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh started off as a Trump supporter but began to sour on him quickly.  In the end, he not only turned on Trump but ran against him in the 2020 Republican primaries. Roger and Joe discuss Joe's regrets in helping to create the Republican Party that exists today, where Trump voters are at now and whether they can be reached, Joe's advice for Democrats, and more.

Comedian Steve Hofstetter is back on tour for the first time since the pandemic started and checks in with Roger from the road. They discuss comedy & politics: the difference in performing in red vs blue states, responding to hecklers & harassers, whether comedy can persuade people politically and more.

Ross Benes grew up in small town Nebraska, surrounded by Republicans.  Now he lives in Brooklyn.  His book "Rural Rebellion: How Nebraska Became a Republican Stronghold" details Nebraska's move rightward but is also a personal story about understanding both rural and urban cultures, and how to bridge that divide. Ross and Roger discuss the misconceptions about rural voters and how Democrats can be...

Journalist Alec MacGillis often writes about inequality in the U.S., including a New York Times article that led to the launch of this very Clusterfucked podcast.  His new book, Fulfillment: Winning & Losing in One-Click America, looks at winners and losers in different regions through the lens of Amazon.  Roger and Alec discuss the book, how the pandemic has affected liberal clustering and more.

Wisconsin Democratic Chair Ben Wikler joins Roger to discuss Wisconsin politics: how Biden beat Trump in the state, the 2022 campaign to defeat Republican Senator Ron Johnson, how candidates can win regularly in Wisconsin, and more.

Former Senator Heidi Heitkamp (North Dakota) and first ever African-American Alabama Minority House Leader Anthony Daniels join Roger for a lively discussion on what Democrats need to do to reach out to rural voters, particularly in deep red states.

A California filmmaker goes back to where she grew up in small-town Kentucky to find out why her relatives support Trump and to explore the cultural stereotyping of the people of Appalachia. Roger and Director Ashley York discuss her film Hillbilly , the conditions that led to the politics of the region and the surprising progressive community in Kentucky and surrounding red states.

At 20 years old, David Shor was hired by Obama for America and was a key data analyst & forecaster for Obama's 2012 re-election campaign.  David and Roger discuss the polling problems with the 2020 election, who non-voters really are, myths about which issues are actually popular with voters, and more.

Bill Kristol had long been one of the most well-known Conservatives in the country - until Trump. Bill & Roger discuss what the election results tell us about the Republican party, whether the GOP will ever quit Trump and how Democrats can keep voters like him and the rest of the Never Trump movement.