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Perry Bacon Jr.: I do not enjoy covering this era of politics. But the audiences and the voters seem to be more engaged in it than, say, 2004 when I might have enjoyed covering it more. So it’s a complicated story.
Amanda Ripley: One poll shows that more than half of Americans feel dread, exhaustion and depression as they look toward it. And I can relate. And I wonder, can you? How are you both feeling as journalists and humans and Americans about the 2024 election?
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Bacon: I’m dreading it. I used to be someone who was very excited about going to Iowa. I think it’s really about [Donald] Trump. Trump creates this sense of crisis for a lot of people.
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I’ve gotten to a more extreme point now. When my wife and I are going to have dinner with another couple, I will usually email the man — because he usually wants to do it — and say, “Hey, I try to avoid talking about politics during nonwork time.”
Ripley: Wait. Can I just make sure I understand? You kind of want to set the stage, because people are going to naturally talk to you about politics, right? Just like we’re torturing you right now.
Bacon: I’m getting paid for this, to be clear. That’s an important distinction!
When I’m at the park with my daughter, I will really try to say, “We’ll spend two minutes on this.” And I will set a timer occasionally.
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Jim Geraghty: Previously in our politics, the past generation or so, if somebody comes along whom you can’t stand — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama — they go away in eight years. They do not come back. Most of our former presidents are very quiet. Trump has not been that.
Ripley: It’s particularly damaging for young Americans because all they know is this kind of politics, right? This kind of us versus them, burn down the house politics.
Politics are supposed to make us feel like we have some small amount of power over our destiny.
Bacon: The other thing I struggle with a lot is: What is the nature of this conflict? There were high conflicts in the 1860s and the 1960s, and I wouldn’t be here on this podcast if people were not willing to engage in those conflicts. #MeToo was a high conflict moment. I’m glad that happened. The 2020 protests were high conflict. I’m glad those happened. The debate over how we teach race and education in Southern states is actually about something. They are trying to ban ideas that I think are important to understanding where we are in terms of race.
People are deeply concerned. They feel like the America they want is going away from them. And I don’t want to minimize that conflict.
Listen to the full conversation here:
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In the newest “Impromptu” podcast from Post Opinions, three columnists talked about how they are processing the unusually long general-election campaign of 2024, a rematch between a sitting president and a former president that feels absurd, high stakes and serious.
Use the audio player or The Post’s “Impromptu” podcast feed to listen to the entire conversation.
Perry Bacon Jr.: I do not enjoy covering this era of politics. But the audiences and the voters seem to be more engaged in it than, say, 2004 when I might have enjoyed covering it more. So it’s a complicated story.
Amanda Ripley: One poll shows that more than half of Americans feel dread, exhaustion and depression as they look toward it. And I can relate. And I wonder, can you? How are you both feeling as journalists and humans and Americans about the 2024 election?
Bacon: I’m dreading it. I used to be someone who was very excited about going to Iowa. I think it’s really about [Donald] Trump. Trump creates this sense of crisis for a lot of people.
I’ve gotten to a more extreme point now. When my wife and I are going to have dinner with another couple, I will usually email the man — because he usually wants to do it — and say, “Hey, I try to avoid talking about politics during nonwork time.”
Ripley: Wait. Can I just make sure I understand? You kind of want to set the stage, because people are going to naturally talk to you about politics, right? Just like we’re torturing you right now.
Bacon: I’m getting paid for this, to be clear. That’s an important distinction!
When I’m at the park with my daughter, I will really try to say, “We’ll spend two minutes on this.” And I will set a timer occasionally.
Jim Geraghty: Previously in our politics, the past generation or so, if somebody comes along whom you can’t stand — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama — they go away in eight years. They do not come back. Most of our former presidents are very quiet. Trump has not been that.
Ripley: It’s particularly damaging for young Americans because all they know is this kind of politics, right? This kind of us versus them, burn down the house politics.
Politics are supposed to make us feel like we have some small amount of power over our destiny.
Bacon: The other thing I struggle with a lot is: What is the nature of this conflict? There were high conflicts in the 1860s and the 1960s, and I wouldn’t be here on this podcast if people were not willing to engage in those conflicts. #MeToo was a high conflict moment. I’m glad that happened. The 2020 protests were high conflict. I’m glad those happened. The debate over how we teach race and education in Southern states is actually about something. They are trying to ban ideas that I think are important to understanding where we are in terms of race.
People are deeply concerned. They feel like the America they want is going away from them. And I don’t want to minimize that conflict.
Listen to the full conversation here:
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