Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast

Whew, the past few days have been a lot. Like you probably, Chris hasn’t slept much this past week. There’s a lot to process given that Donald Trump is now president-elect… again. Our guest this week, who has worked as an organizer throughout numerous political ups and downs, points out that we “must not neglect the work of standing up right now to fight back.” Anna Galland is the former executive director of MoveOn Civic Action from 2012 to 2019. She now works with a range of national pro-democracy organizations, coalitions, and leaders. Galland also teaches about democracy renewal & social movements at Northwestern University. She joins WITHpod to help us take stock of this moment, what the progressive movement can do right now, reasons for hope (we could use it, right?) and more. 

A lot of things will really change over the course of this week, no matter the election outcome. And with that, we were thinking it would be good to share a conversation that would be illuminating regardless of what happens. Over the past few decades, American society has experienced seismic changes. One of the trends we have seen is a rightward shift towards the Republican Party among voters without a four-year college degree and a pro democratic center-left shift of voters who have a four-year college degree. There’s a lot to unpack about what has animated these changes. Matt Grossmann is the director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research and a professor of political science at Michigan State University. Dave Hopkins is a political scientist at Boston College. Grossmann and Hopkins are the co-authors of “Polarized by Degrees: How the Diploma Divide and the Culture War Transformed American Politics.” They join WITHpod to discuss the origin of these trends, the effects on both major parties and more. 

Well, we’re in the final stretch of the election. And as we consider so much that is at stake, it’s a great treat to have one of Chris’ favorite people to talk politics. There’s a lot to discuss, including the Senate battlefield for Democrats and why it can be so hard to get things done in the political world. Our guest this week represents one of the most unique states in the union. Senator Brian Schatz is a U.S. Senator from Hawaii and serves the chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. He joins WITHpod to discuss Vice President Harris, affordable housing concerns in the Aloha state, effects of climate change in his home state, his favorite part of the job, why he says Trump could be vanquished and more.

Donald Trump and the Republican Party have made significant inroads among Latino voters. At the same time, vitriolic ads are continually being released that feature racist and demagogic depictions of immigrants, especially Latino ones. And, if you remember, despite Trump’s relentless anti-immigrant rhetoric, he won a higher percentage of the Latino vote in 2020 than he did in 2016. With less than 20 days to go until Election Day, immigration policy continues to be front and center as one of the most polarizing issues this year. What is driving the rise in far-right sentiment among Latinos? Paola Ramos is an award-winning journalist and an author. Her latest is titled, “Defectors: Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America.” She’s also a contributor for MSNBC and Telemundo. She joins WITHpod to discuss forces spearheading Latino support of far-right politics, the effects of radicalization and more.