Scaring voters — just in time for Halloween

KCRW's Left, Right & Center

KCRW

352865, News

4.2 • 4.8K Ratings

🗓️ 28 October 2022

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Midterm elections are a week and a half away, which could alter the balance of power in the nation’s capital. Millions of people have already cast their ballots, and overall voter turnout is projected to be one of the highest ever for a midterm.

The Senate race in Pennsylvania could be crucial for Democrats to pick up and hang onto control. The fight between Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz is narrowing, and the candidates debated for the first and only time this week. Oz attempted to appease both sides on the abortion debate, but did he alienate everyone instead? And how will Fetterman’s ongoing recovery from a stroke this summer sit with voters?

Plus, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are holding events throughout the country to advocate for their parties. Both are using scare tactics — just in time for Halloween — to persuade voters the other party has become too extreme.

Is this argument more effective for Republicans or Democrats? And, is this actually a country full of political extremists?

Host David Greene discusses with Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, on the left; and Sarah Isgur, staff writer at The Dispatch, on the right.

And, special guest Kimberly Atkins Stohr, senior opinion writer at the Boston Globe, weighs in on the future of affirmative action in higher education. Atkins Stohr discusses how universities could uphold diversity if the Supreme Court strikes affirmative action down, and her recent column “Affirmative action in college admissions is at risk.”

And finally, a Halloween treat of Sarah Isgur’s secret skill.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everyone, this is David Green. I am the co-founder of Fearless Media and your host
0:05.1	here on Left of Right and Center. This is the show where we take on all of the political
0:09.9	issues, even the really complicated ones that might be dividing your own family these
0:14.2	days. So we're about a week and a half away from the midterm elections, these midterms
0:19.2	that could alter the balance of power in Washington. And I love times like this. I've
0:24.1	always loved elections because for all the talking we hear from pundits, from analysts,
0:29.2	this is the moment for voters to have their voices heard, you know, the voices that
0:33.5	truly matter. And many voters seem really energized. Early voting is already approaching
0:39.0	the record-breaking numbers from 2018 and turnout overall is projected to be one of the highest
0:44.5	ever for midterms. Let's bring in our panelists who we learned last week are friends. They
0:50.1	grabbed lunch together in Washington, DC even though they come from different walks of
0:53.5	life politically. So I want to hear more about that for sure.
0:57.0	Moe Lathie is executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public
1:00.8	Service was communications director for the Democratic National Committee and advisor
1:05.2	to Hillary Clinton on the left. That is Moe on the right. We have Sarah Isger, staff writer
1:09.9	at the dispatch, a lawyer and former spokesperson at the Department of Justice under President
1:15.0	Trump. Hello to both of you and did I miss a fun lunch since last week's show? Not
1:21.1	a lunch, but Moe and I have been chit chatting over at the dispatch podcast, the remnant.
1:26.9	So you do other podcast. We cheated on you. Yeah, we cheated on you.
1:30.3	That's great. Clearly not as much fun as this one. Well, you know, one thing I love to
1:34.4	do it, you know, around an election is just to do some, some listening, you know, to the
1:38.8	pitches and policy positions that voters are hearing on debate stages on the stump.
	...

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