The Trap (with David Plouffe)
25 June 2024 - 1 hour 8 mins explicitThis week, Axe and Murphy are joined by the legendary Hack and campaign maestro, David Plouffe. The Davids and Mike delve deep into the upcoming debate and how the campaigns are preparing. Who will poke first, big red forehead buttons, viral moments, cut mics, counter punching, pivoting, baiting, and the ultimate traps. The Hacks also map out the best case, worst case, and just-get-through-it scenarios for both the Biden and Trump camps. Get ready for an insider’s guide to the debate stage!
Series Episodes
Wave Watch (with Doug Sosnik and Ron Brownstein)
explicitThis week, Axe and Murphy are joined by excellent Hackeroos Doug Sosnik, veteran strategist and professional campaign war-room survivor, and Ron Brownstein, dean of political journalism and longtime electoral-map obsessive. The Hacks dive into the final stretch of the midterms—ads, polls, trends, and the increasingly chaotic science of figuring out what any of it means. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
1 hour 6 mins
6 October Finished
For Whom the Poll Tolls (with John Anzalone and David Plouffe)
explicitThis week, Axe and Murphy are joined by not one, but two all-star Hackeroos: veteran Democratic pollster John Anzalone and former Obama campaign manager and White House senior adviser David Plouffe. The crack team dives into the numbers from Anzalone’s latest polling, the ad wars raging across the country, the midterm turnout puzzle, Democratic bed-wetting, voter identity, emerging party leadership, and so much more as they set the scene for the battle for control of the House and Senate. Photo illustration by Joe Raedle via Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
1 hour 3 mins
29 September Finished
Pressing His Luck (with Whit Ayers)
explicitThis week, Murphy and Heilemann are joined by Whit Ayres, president of North Star Opinion Research and veteran Republican polling Hack. The Hacks dive into the nation’s many wars: Trump’s war with the press over access to the White House, the ad war raging in the midterms, and the U.S.’s actual war with Iran. In other words: just another quiet week in politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
1 hour 5 mins
22 September Finished
Above the Fold (with Julie Pace)
explicitThis week, the Hacks are joined by recently inducted Hackeroo Julie Pace, senior vice president and executive editor of The Associated Press! The Hacks dive into the battle for control of Congress and the midterm messaging wars, from culture-war distractions and fake protesters to zingy lines and the fight to break through. Plus, Julie takes the Hacks behind the headlines on how the AP calls races, fact-checks political ads, and navigates its own battles over press access. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
1 hour 2 mins
15 September Finished
The Final Sprint
explicitThe Hacks are back! This week, all three Hackeroos convened to dive into the post-Labor Day sprint to the midterms. The guys discuss Trump’s potential war chest and the role of money in politics, renaming wars, and what could change between now and Election Day — looking to history, presidential polling, turnout, and key races for clues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
1 hour 4 mins
8 September Finished
The Hacks Present: Stay Tuned with Preet
Neuroscientist, philosopher, and Making Sense podcast host Sam Harris joins Preet Bharara to examine why good-faith debate has become so difficult—and what that breakdown has done to American politics.They discuss social media’s fragmentation of the information landscape and declining trust in the press and public institutions. They also consider Donald Trump’s resilience in the face of scandal, the different standards applied to the political left and right, the Democratic Party’s relationship with its activist wing, and whether Trumpism can survive Trump. Then, Preet and Sam turn to the rule of law: the growing impulse to prosecute political opponents, the limits of relying on norms, the difference between accountability and retribution, and what it would take to restore a measure of normalcy to American political life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
1 hour 30 mins
1 September Finished
