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Republicans Have the Money. Democrats Have the Momentum.

Oct 10, 2026 · 34m

Summary

Hosts Robert Siegel, E.J. Dionne, and Carlos Lozada analyze the 2024 midterms, debating whether record-breaking campaign spending can overcome voter fatigue and a strong Democratic backlash against Trump. They explore the shifting definition of political moderation, noting that Democrats are increasingly uniting around economic inequality and class issues. The conversation then pivots to the ethics of artificial intelligence, discussing Anthropic’s engagement with religious thinkers and the dangers of anthropomorphizing AI models. The episode concludes with personal reflections on family mi…

Topics discussed

Promo for Lincoln in the Bardo opera Introduction and episode topics Record-breaking campaign spending and megadonors Does money guarantee political victory? Impact of Citizens United and voter exhaustion Corruption and quid pro quo in politics What Democrats are selling in the midterms Moving beyond left-right and division Which version of the Democratic Party wins? The changing definition of moderation and class Inequality as a mainstream concern Potential 2028 Democratic candidates Promos for events and PopCast AI ethics and religious thinkers The problem of AI alignment and responsibility AI consciousness and the tree of knowledge Pope Leo's encyclical on AI and humanity Public backlash and the soul of technology Sources of joy: family and theater
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