What Will Decide The Election of Our Lives?

The most consequential US presidential election in living memory is fewer than fifty days away. At stake are the foundations of US democracy, growing contempt for the rule of law, and the politicization of justice and public institutions.

What factors will decide the outcome? What lessons have we learned or ignored from 2016? How will our most pressing problems - a chaotic response to COVID, racial discrimination, a coast ablaze, and staggering wealth inequality - play in this election season?

We convened an urgent exploration of these questions with Tufts Professor of Political Science Eitan Hersh, author of Politics is for Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change, and Matt Bai, former NYTimes journalist, Washington Post political columnist, author and screenwriter. Their interlocutor was my wife Iris Adler, former News Director and Executive Director for Programming, Podcasts and Special Projects at NPR affiliate WBUR.

Matt’s writings on the dangers of our current politics can be found in his column for the Washington Post. Eitan’s research and findings are summarized in a recent article for The Atlantic and interview with NPR’s Hidden Brain.