Episodios

  • ENCORE: Modeling Victory — Part 2

    ENCORE: Modeling Victory — Part 2
    Apr 15 2026
    In the second episode of this two part series, Øptimus co-founder and Data Science Director for Decision Desk HQ Scott Tranter joins Ron Steslow to talk about data science, polling, and modeling To unlock more episodes, visit: https://politicology.com/plus (00:59) The non-response bias and how data scientists must deal with it (02:55) The decrease in response rates over time (10:47) Likely vs eligible voters in polls and how to predict who’s likely to vote (15:55) Finding respondents to fill cohorts (28:05 ) Innovations in data science (31:14) The numbers Scott is watching My conversation with Mike Madrid about Latino Voting Trends: https://link.chtbl.com/CgkltIhG Follow Scott and Ron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stranter https://twitter.com/RonSteslow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    46 m
  • Fortress America — The Weekly

    Fortress America — The Weekly
    Apr 10 2026
    Journalist Izabella Kaminska (The Blind Spot, Financial Times, POLITICO Europe) joins Host Ron Steslow for a wide-ranging discussion about what the war with Iran will mean for the global economy, especially America, long after the shooting slows down. They begin with the immediate shockwaves of the temporary ceasefire and the partial reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping chokepoint that remains politically controlled even if technically “open.” Then, Izabella unpacks the end of the decades-long “peace dividend” underwritten by American power—and what values inform the partnerships forging the new order replacing it. Finally, they explore the logic and progress of the Trump administration’s strategy to restructure the dollar. In Politicology+ they examine one of the biggest assumptions behind the AI boom: that it will generate enough growth to justify the enormous capital being poured into it, and how much that growth truly matters. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY politicology.com/donate SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬ Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/izakaminska https://the-blindspot.com/ https://www.thepeg.co/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h y 30 m
  • ENCORE: Modeling Victory — Part 1

    ENCORE: Modeling Victory — Part 1
    Apr 8 2026
    In this two part series, Øptimus co-founder and Data Science Director for Decision Desk HQ Scott Tranter joins Ron Steslow to talk about data science, polling, and modeling To unlock more episodes, visit: https://politicology.com/plus (01:00) The role of a data scientist on a campaign (04:20) What message testing is and how it’s used (11:15) Understanding voters you need to persuade and voters you need to turn out (15:16) Explaining sampling (34:36) Polling vs modeling (37:15) Why pollsters choose the cohorts they do Follow Scott and Ron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stranter https://twitter.com/RonSteslow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    52 m
  • Who Gets to Be an American? — The Weekly

    Who Gets to Be an American? — The Weekly
    Apr 3 2026
    Susan Del Percio (Crisis Communications Expert) joins Host Ron Steslow for a wide-ranging conversation about one of the most fundamental questions in American life: who gets to be an American, and who gets to decide? They begin with the Supreme Court oral arguments over Donald Trump’s executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants and some temporary legal residents. They then turn to the controversial SAVE Act, a proposed voter registration and election security measure that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY politicology.com/donate SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬ Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/DelPercioS Related Reading: ScotusBlog - Supreme Court appears likely to side against Trump on birthright citizenship - SCOTUSblog Axios - SAVE America Act becomes catch-all for Trump's election demands: Here's what's actually in it Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h y 8 m
  • ENCORE: Power To The People: Decentralizing Technology

    ENCORE: Power To The People: Decentralizing Technology
    Mar 25 2026
    Host Ron Steslow welcomes Mike Brock, CEO of TBD, a subsidiary of Block Inc. (formerly Square), the financial technology firm led by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. The Internet is dominated by massive, corporate walled gardens like Google, Facebook, and Twitter (now X), where centralized control makes their users (us!) vulnerable to censorship and manipulation. In this episode, we explore how the movement to decentralize technology empowers individuals, protects against corporate and government abuse, and addresses real problems in finance and social media. We’ll also discuss how decentralized technology can enhance financial access and freedom, bypassing intermediaries and censorship, and shifting power from financial corporations to individuals. Finally, we turn to the political landscape, focusing on the Democratic party’s approach to decentralized technology and early signs it may be changing. Segments to look forward to: (04:45) Mike’s background (10:50) Empowering individuals through decentralized finance and identity (15:45) Building infrastructure for a decentralized future (19:10) The potential of decentralized identity (29:49) The importance of Bitcoin’s decentralization (31:31) Financial Access and Freedom (34:27) Preserving agency (44:44) Changing the balance of power (50:54) The varied stance of the Democratic party Follow Ron and Mike on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/brockm Email your questions to podcast@politicology.com or leave us a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h y 11 m
  • Why the Essay Matters Again — The Weekly

    Why the Essay Matters Again — The Weekly
    Mar 20 2026
    Why are essays resonating again in this moment? And what does it mean when writers, not just journalists or politicians, start helping people make sense of America in real time? Guest Host Mike Madrid sits down with Robert Arnold (writer, speaker, and activist) for a wide-ranging conversation about the resurgence of the essay, the responsibility of artists and writers in a fractured political age, and why long-form thinking still matters in an era shaped by algorithms, cable-news conflict, and shrinking attention spans. Check out Robert’s Substack: https://bit.ly/4uxo8MS Check out Mike’s Substack: https://greattransformation.substack.com/ POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY politicology.com/donate SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬ Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/madrid_mike Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h y 12 m
  • ENCORE: Secret City with James Kirchick

    ENCORE: Secret City with James Kirchick
    Mar 18 2026
    James Kirchick joins Ron Steslow to discuss his book Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington (01:55) Why he wrote the book (06:43) The interwoven political history and gay history in Washington (14:33) The melting pot of the gay community and why it was seen as a threat (19:55) The trope that whatever is bad must be gay (31:51) The Lavender Scare (35:53) The tension between the gay loyal foot soldiers of Ronald Reagan and courting the religious right (49:00) What was challenging about writing the book You should read Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington: http://bit.ly/3wgiORk Follow James Kirchick and Ron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jkirchick https://twitter.com/RonSteslow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h
  • What Is the Real Goal of the War in Iran?—The Weekly

    What Is the Real Goal of the War in Iran?—The Weekly
    Mar 13 2026
    Ron Steslow is joined by Hagar Chemali (Fmr. spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) for a wide-ranging conversation on the war in Iran, the confusion surrounding the Trump administration’s goals, and its vision for the United States in the world. Then, in Politicology+, Marc Polymeropoulos joins to discuss the explosive new reporting about the CIA’s coverup of Anomalous Health Incidents—also known as Havana Syndrome—and the dangerous classified weapon that causes them. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY politicology.com/donate SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬ Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/HagarChemali Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h y 23 m