Welcome back everybody to another deep dive.
You guys send in some fascinating articles
from electoral-vote.com.
And they're all about, well, basically the aftermath
of this crazy 2024 election.
So much is happening, right?
It feels like we're still, you know,
kind of figuring out what it all means.
Yeah, I mean, on the surface, it might look like, you know,
business as usual after an election,
but when you really start to dig in,
there are some pretty big changes and trends developing.
And that's exactly what we're here to do.
So let's dive right in, shall we?
Let's do it.
Okay, so first off, we have Trump back in the White House.
But the thing is, he won the electoral college,
but lost the popular vote.
We've seen that before, but it's margin of victory.
Super thin.
Even smaller than George W. Bush's back in 2000.
What does that tell us?
Well, I mean, it tells us a couple of things.
First of all, to have such a close result
while still losing the popular vote means the electoral map
is like a perfectly balanced scale.
The country is split right down the middle.
And this is gonna have some pretty serious consequences
for how Trump can actually govern.
So even though he won, governing could be a nightmare.
Exactly.
His popular vote margin, 1.5%, 5%.
And historically, when you have presidents
with such tiny, tiny mandates,
well, they tend to struggle to get anything done.
Lots of pushback, gridlock, and even, you know,
a lot of people just see them as illegitimate.
Yeah, and the articles also talked about how,
how unhappy voters are right now.
A full 70% said they weren't satisfied with how the country
was going.
I mean, it seems like a lot of people wanted change,
even if they didn't necessarily agree
with all of Trump's ideas.
Yeah, it's like they're voting more against the way things
are than for any specific person or policy.
And that level of, I don't know, dissatisfaction.
It's a huge force in politics
and something both parties need to address.
For sure.
And then there's the economy.
Inflation was a big deal for a lot of people.
And some of the articles suggested that
Democrats actually stayed home rather than vote for Harris.
Did you know she got almost 7 million fewer votes
than Biden did in 2020?
Wow, that's a big drop.
It is.
Makes you wonder if there's some weakness
in the Democratic Party,
something they need to figure out.
It's definitely something to keep an eye on.
You know, that kind of drop-off in voters,
it's a sign that something's not right.
Maybe a lack of enthusiasm.
Maybe they have lost faith in where the party's headed.
Okay, so we've got a president who barely scraped by
a country that's completely divided
and maybe a demoralized opposition party.
So what do we do?
Well, let's throw some gas on that fire
and talk about Trump's cabinet picks.
Some of these nominees are already causing
a lot of controversy and the Senate's response has been,
well, let's just say it's been interesting.
Yeah, it definitely feels like here we go again
with some of these appointments.
Trump has a history of picking people
who are well a little on the provocative side.
Let's focus on one in particular.
Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense.
No, this one is a doozy.
Yeah, if you wanna understand why Hegseth
is so controversial,
you gotta look at his past.
He's known for making some pretty inflammatory comments
and he's got a history of, shall we say, questionable choices.
We're talking allegations of sexual misconduct,
alcohol abuse and problems with how he ran
veterans organizations.
Oh, and if those allegations weren't bad enough,
his own mother emailed him back in 2018 saying
she had absolutely no respect for him
because of how he treats women.
Ouch.
Yeah, that's gotta sting.
Not exactly what you want from mom
when you're trying to get a top government job right.
Definitely raises some red flags
about his judgment and his temperament.
All pretty important qualities for someone
in charge of the military, wouldn't you say?
For sure.
And not every Republican is on board with this pick either.
Senator Lemus came out strongly in favor of Hegseth,
said he was the guy to make America's military strong again,
but others like Tuberville and Holley
are being way more cautious.
Talking about how he needs to be vetted really thoroughly.
Yeah, this split within the Republican party is interesting.
I think it reflects a bigger debate
about how these confirmations should work.
You know, Trump has apparently said
he might just skip FBI background checks
for his cabinet nominees altogether,
and that's got some senators really worried.
It's a big deal.
For a long time, those background checks
were just how things were done.
They're supposed to make sure we know who these people are
before we give them so much power
to catch any problems before they grow up later on, you know?
Exactly.
It's all about reducing risk,
making sure people are accountable.
But if Trump skips those checks,
well, he's just opening the door
for potential scandals down the line.
And if something does come out about one of these nominees
after they're already confirmed,
well, those senators who voted for them,
they're gonna have a lot of explaining to do.
A risky move, for sure.
It feels like we're seeing a lot of gambles
being made after this election.
But before we move on to some of the other big stories
you sent in, let's talk about how all this political stuff
is impacting the online world, specifically social media.
Good point, because what's happening online
is a pretty clear reflection of the same divisions
and anxieties we're seeing everywhere else.
Yeah, and no place is that more obvious than on ex Twitter.
The articles you sent in
described a full-blown exodus from that platform.
It's like everyone's packing up and moving over to blue ski,
journalists, politicians, celebrities.
They're all running away from what they see
as a toxic right-wing echo chamber.
It's interesting because it makes you think about
online conversations in a new way.
On one hand, if you stay on ex Twitter,
you're kind of stuck fighting an uphill battle
in a hostile place.
But if you leave, are you just letting the bad guys win?
Letting them control the narrative?
Yeah, it's a tough choice.
The articles highlighted people like Bill McKibben,
the environmentalist, even the Guardian newspaper
decided to leave.
Said it was more important to protect their message
and their sanity than to keep reaching people
on a platform like that.
Yeah, it shows how uncomfortable people are
with the state of online discourse right now.
But before we get too deep into all that,
let's shift gears back to Congress.
Because another kind of power struggle is brewing there,
and this time it's within the Democratic Party.
Right, the articles mentioned some rumblings
about possible challenges to the current House leadership.
Looks like we might see a generational shift in the works.
Yeah, and this brings us to another key player
in our post-election saga.
Representative Jerry Nadler.
He's a 77-year-old ranking member of the Judiciary Committee.
It's a pretty important decision too, right?
Especially now that Republicans control the House.
Nadler's basically the Democrats' first line of defense
against any laws they don't like.
Oh, absolutely.
That ranking member has a lot of power,
and the article suggested that Representative Jamie Raskin
might be the one to take over.
He had a big role in that January 6th investigation,
you remember?
Yeah, of course.
He's a constitutional law professor too, isn't he?
And people say he's more willing to fight,
which could be good for Democrats right now
with Trump back in charge.
Definitely.
A more aggressive strategy might be needed.
And it looks like Raskin has some powerful people on his side.
Even Nancy Pelosi is hinted that she supports him,
so maybe the Democratic establishment
is ready for a change in leadership after all.
It's an interesting situation, isn't it?
You've got this push for something new, a new approach.
But then there's the risk of splitting the party even further
when they really need to stick together.
Yeah, that's a balancing act, isn't it?
For sure.
And it's all happening while the whole social media
landscape is fracturing.
We were just talking about that exodus from ex-Twitter
to Blusky.
It feels like we're moving towards these separate platforms
each with its own little worldview.
Could really change how we see information
and talk to each other online.
Yeah, it's almost like that whole separate but equal thing
from back in the day.
But instead of being divided by race,
now it's about politics.
I mean, do you think these separate platforms are just
going to make those echo chambers worse?
Or could they actually help new voices and ideas get heard?
That's the big question, isn't it?
I mean, it's definitely possible they just become echo chambers
where everyone just hears what they want to hear
and it makes everything even more polarized.
But maybe just maybe these new spaces
could be a place for more thoughtful conversations,
where people feel safer sharing different opinions
without all the negativity and fighting.
It's a big experiment, right?
Happening right now in front of us.
It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out,
what it means in the long run.
But for now, I think the best thing we can do
is just stay aware, stay involved,
and be critical of the information we're taking in.
Right.
And that brings us back to these articles you sent us.
They've given us a lot to think about.
A close election that shows how divided the country is.
These wild cabinet picks that are freaking out the Senate
and social media changing so fast because of all
the political chaos.
It's a lot to take in.
It is.
And as we're wrapping up this deep dive,
I keep asking myself, what does this mean for our listeners?
What do they do with all this information?
How do you navigate this crazy, confusing world?
That's the important part, right?
All this political talk is useless
if it doesn't help us understand what's going on
and make good choices.
So what can people do?
How do you deal with all this?
Well, first of all, don't be afraid to ask questions.
You know, challenge what you think you know.
Look for different points of view.
Don't just get your news from one place
or one social media site.
The more you see, the better you'll
be at forming your own opinions.
And remember, you have a voice too.
You can actually make a difference.
Stay involved in politics.
Contact your representatives.
Vote in every election, big or small.
It all matters.
Especially now when the country is so divided.
Every vote counts and every voice
can help decide where we're headed.
It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the news and information
coming at us all the time.
But that's exactly why it's so important to stay informed
and stay involved.
What we do today is going to affect our future.
And hey, who knows?
Maybe you'll even be inspired to run for office yourself.
After all, things are changing so fast in politics.
New voices are always needed.
It's wild.
Like all these things are connected.
We've got this super close election,
which basically tells us the country's split right
down the middle politically.
And then you've got these cabinet picks
that are either going to crash and burn
or somehow become the face of the new administration.
And on top of that, you've got social media changing so fast
with everyone choosing sides and moving to different platforms.
It's like we're watching a political thriller in real time.
And the big question isn't just who has the power,
but how are they going to use it?
And how will people react?
And speaking of power shifts, we were just
talking about that potential challenge
to representative Nadler's leadership
within the Democratic Party.
It's kind of like a small version of a much bigger debate
that's happening everywhere, not just in the Democratic Party,
but all across the country.
Yeah, it makes you wonder, is this
the beginning of something bigger?
Will we see more and more people challenging the old ways,
demanding change, and refusing to compromise?
I mean, what does that mean for the future
of American politics?
I don't know.
It feels like the ground is moving under our feet.
Like the old rules just don't work anymore.
And it's anyone's guess what happens next.
One thing's for sure, though.
The stakes are higher than ever.
The decisions that get made in the next couple years,
they're going to have a huge impact on where
the country goes from here.
And it's up to all of us to stay informed and get involved.
We can't just sit back and watch this play out.
We have to be part of shaping the future we want to see.
Well, this deep dive has definitely
given you a good look at how complicated things are
after the election.
But it's just a starting point, right?
There's always more to learn, more to explore.
So what's the big takeaway for today?
What should people keep in mind?
Stay curious.
Don't stop asking questions.
And be willing to change your mind about things.
And the most important thing, don't lose hope.
Even when things feel uncertain, there's always
a chance for things to get better.
Well said.
Thanks for joining us on this deep dive, everyone.
We'll see you next time.