Well, hello, hello from Chicago and happy post-Veped debate night. It is still

Tuesday night in Chicago. It is after midnight on the East Coast.

I'm doing a fellowship at the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics.

That's what brings me out to the Midwest. I got to enjoy watching this debate with some very excited and interested students at the University of Chicago who are pretty fired up about this debate in general. We're pretty sober about it. pretty

sober about it.

And I don't mean sober in some sort of frat boy aspect if you're trying to go there.

I just mean they were watching analytically.

It didn't feel cheerleading at all which I think is just a testament to the years of Chicago and sort of what what sort of the the climate they're trying to create here I think very respectful debate. My guest today

after this is going to be Matt Grossman he's the director of the Institute of

Public Policy and Social Research at the Michigan State University as you can see a

little Midwest theme I've got going on here this week.

But he's the co-author of a new book called Polarized by Degrees,

How the Diploma Divide and the Culture War transformed American politics.

Trust me, this is a fascinating analysis that he and his coworker have done just on sort of this

gradual trend, how much of this trend is Trump specific how much of it is simply an accelerant in the

Trump era I really think you'll understand the current political divide better

after this conversation but before we get to it I want to get to

sort of the my post debate thoughts share them with you and I'll start this way.

It was the happy warrior debate.

I immediately, the tone and tenor of the debate

immediately gave me flashbacks to the pre-Trump era.

Frankly, this was how all VP debates mostly went.

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