Are Voters Asking the Wrong Questions About the 2020 Elections?
The Political Scene | The New Yorker
The New Yorker
4.3 • 3.9K Ratings
🗓️ 17 September 2020
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In an election year, media coverage focusses overwhelmingly on federal elections—races for the Senate, House, and, above all, the Presidency. But, in November, voters across the country will also cast their votes for governors and state legislators, officials who exercise enormous power over the lives of their constituents. Daniel Squadron, a former state senator and the co-founder of Future Now, joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss what to expect from key state races in 2020 and their power to transform the country.
Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choicesTranscript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hi there, I'm Lale Arikoglu, and this podcast is brought to you by Wilderness, a conservation-driven |
| 0:06.4 | hospitality company that offers intimate world life encounters in extraordinary remote landscapes. |
| 0:12.5 | Last year, I embarked on two separate solo adventures with Wilderness, one to Botswana and the other |
| 0:18.2 | to Namibia, where the expert guides delivered a truly once-in-a-lifetime |
| 0:23.6 | experience. I promise you, whatever you watch and see before you go won't prepare you for the thrill |
| 0:29.4 | of a wilderness adventure. eBay, it's a place to fall in love with new pre-loved vintage and rare |
| 0:36.6 | fashion over and over again. |
| 0:39.0 | Your favorite designers, expertly authenticated. |
| 0:42.5 | Yeah, eBay. Things people love. |
| 0:48.1 | This is the political scene, a weekly conversation with New Yorker writers and guests about politics. |
| 0:56.6 | It's Thursday, September 17th. |
| 1:03.0 | I'm Dorothy Wickenden, executive editor of The New Yorker. Election Day is only weeks away. |
| 1:12.6 | Throughout this very long campaign season, Democrats and Republicans have portrayed the contest as an existential struggle with the future of the country and even the world, hinging on who wins the White House. At a campaign stop in Wilmington, |
| 1:18.9 | Delaware this week, Joe Biden had this to say. |
| 1:21.6 | If you give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if we have more |
| 1:29.3 | America blaze? If you give a climate denier four more years in the White House, why would |
| 1:35.4 | anyone be surprised when more of America is underwater? We need a president of respect science |
| 1:42.9 | who understands that the damage from climate change is |
| 1:47.0 | already here. |
| 1:49.0 | Unless we take urgent action, we'll soon be more catastrophic. |
| 1:54.0 | But some argue that the presidency might not be the most important issue in November. |
| 1:59.0 | Across the country, voters will also elect |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The New Yorker, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The New Yorker and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.