I'm Kywright and this is the United States of anxiety, a show about the unfinished business

of our history and its grip on our future.

Under all circumstances we are going to protect the Republicans and I mean maybe I changed the

party a lot over the last three years. The nation is changing and our founders

were wise but they weren't perfect. These folks have violated their

odes.

They have abdicated their responsibilities

as an Article One body in the United States Senate.

And they have really forsaken any conservative values

to support Donald Trump.

When I look at the party and I see what it's become, I think that I was naive about how deeply

embedded the racism issue was in the party.

I have been to five Republican conventions as a delegate.

To vote for a Democrat.

It is painful.

So Charlie Sykes. Hello, sir, and thanks for coming on the show this week.

Hey, good to be with you again, Kai.

So you're in what I have to imagine is a kind of disorienting position

we're facing the most consequential election of our lifetimes

and you're hoping your party loses or at least

the candidate for the party you spent many many years advocating about half that's

got to be weird.

...