Let's Get After it with Chris Cuomo - SiriusXM

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A Pretend Finality Aug 31, 2021

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In today's episode, Chris urges a reframe on the idea that 'the 20 year war is over". Nothing is over.

He argues that we all as a nation wanted out of Afghanistan. No one cared when President Trump invited the Taliban to Camp David, Chris included. And Biden got dealt a bad hand that he didn't play well.

But we are doing ourselves dirty time and time again, when a 'War on Terror' and also a pandemic can be made political and divisive.

Chris thinks the remedy for all that ails us is Common Concern and Collective Will. Can we find this in any cause?

Cuom'ote of the Day: "A war is about an oppositional side that either you conquer or you don't. That's not what this was."

A deck of bad cards Aug 27, 2021

Show notes

If you get a bad hand and have no choice but to play, you do the best with what you've got. In the case of Afghanistan, Biden may have gotten a raw deal, but this doesn't mean that folding is an option. Nor does it mean that we have the time to place blame on previous presidents like Trump, Obama, or even Bush when it comes to the current state of play in Kabul. With explosions near Kabul airport causing casualties that include U.S. service members, focusing decisively on the now is the only path ahead.

A political pandemic: The politicization of COVID isn't new. However, the pandemic being used for political gain continues to shape our national identity.

Cuom'ote of the day: "We are where we are as a function of our own bad intention."

Fixated on Blame Aug 19, 2021

Show notes

What is the role of blame in our analysis of what's happening with the Afghanistan withdrawal? In today's episode, Chris makes the case that we are fixated on blame, and while its comforting and satisfying, it is also reductive and destructive.

'Get Them Out' and 'Fix It' should be the sole focus.

This applies to the the Afghanistan withdrawal but also to the pandemic.

Also up to bat: Chris' take on this emerging demographic as a new voting block: Vaccinated vs Unvaccinated. That is the new constituency politicians should be talking to.

Cuom'ote of the Day: "There is an 'us' and a 'them', but it is not the one that is pitched to you by the media and by politicians. It's not red/blue. It is reasonable and unreasonable, as evidenced in vaccinated and unvaccinated."

Owning Our Mistakes Aug 18, 2021

Show notes

We settle for too little from our leadership and Chris thinks it is long over due for us to demand more. We should expect President Biden to acknowledge the mistakes amid the withdrawal from Afghanistan and tell us exactly how he is going to fix it. The lives of Americans and our allies are at stake and we should see swift, decisive action should the Taliban interfere with or stall our efforts to evacuate. The U.S. must honor the promises made to the people who have helped us in Afghanistan for the last 20 years.

Failing of the collective: Opposition continues to be the position as the pandemic rages on. Beat COVID? We're still too busy arguing about masks.

Cuom'ote of the day: "Criticizing America is part of our signature freedom."

The Graveyard of Empires Aug 17, 2021

Show notes

In today's episode, Chris focuses on how we are processing the 'right now' in Afghanistan: the chaos of today, and the mistakes being made, of which there are plenty. Whether Biden or Trump, both administrations got us to where we are. And while many Americans agree that we should be leaving the 'Forgotten War' after 20 years in-country, the 'how' we leave is among the most important, and seemingly, the most miscalculated.

But the longer view of what we wanted to accomplish and what our Armed Forces sacrificed and carried out needs focus as well.

Front and Center: Beyond our own diplomats and civilians, some 18,000+ Afghan citizens and their families are scrambling to get out of Afghanistan. The interpreters, the drivers, the cultural advisers, are among those that aligned with the U.S. and our interests, and are now in direct threat from the Taliban. How do we get them out? Is it not our moral obligation to protect them after they helped us? Why wasn't this happening first? Chris looks at the long game and argues it happened for two reasons: poor planning and not understanding this as a priority.

At Issue: How do you now keep us safe?

MISinformation vs DISinformation Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

In today's episode, Chris shakes his head over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' exec order disallowing local school districts to mandate masks in schools in high risk areas, coupled with a threat to take away funding if they defy him. Why?

If there were one motivation to bring us together to protect against the virus, it would be for our kids, right? Despite the Delta variant being an increasing threat to young and old, there is still messaging from some state leaders that kneecaps those on the local level aiming to keep kids healthy and in school. Chris takes some time to make sense of it all.

Also: Will those resisting the vaccine come around when it's FDA approved? Maybe, but millions will still remain eligible and likely continue to say no to the shot.

Cuom'ote of the Day: "Common concern should cause collective will."

"Younger, Sicker, Quicker" Aug 04, 2021

Show notes

In todays episode, Chris looks at the rise in hospitalizations among younger adults, people in their 20's and 30's, as well as the uptick in cases among children. While there is good news in more people getting the shot, if we stay at this pace of vaccinations (averaging around 446,000ish a day), it would take until February for every eligible American to get vaccinated.

There are calls from the NIH that in order to get a handle on this spread, we'd need to reach upwards of 1 million shots per day.

Cuom'ote of the Day: "Division is such a zero sum game, that as soon as somebody says, 'I am against who is criticizing me'... or questions the questioner, it kinda becomes zero sum and everybody goes back to looking at it through the lens of their own political pre-disposition. And that is part of the deep denial that is making us sick."

Messaging Matters Aug 03, 2021

Show notes

In today's episode, Chris breaks down the reality: we failed to tackle the pandemic head on with a unified and measured approach from jump. What now? Is it time for businesses beyond Walmart and Google to require proof of vaccination? How about municipalities as NYC just announced? Will messaging in these confusing times ever be fully trusted? And how concerned should we be about Breakthrough cases?

There is no magic number on vaccinations, but hospitalizations and deaths are a lagging indicator, so this will take time to claw our way back from.

On the numbers: The Delta variant is spreading faster than we thought. Vaccination rates are up but positivity rates are not going down. Chris breaks down what this means as it relates to what lies ahead.

Cuom'ote of the Day: Your rights end where my rights begin.

Don't Make America Sick Again... Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

In today's episode: Chris talks through a new approach for his show: to create a COVID Control Room. It is time to be all in.

Our fate is in our own hands, and while vaccine hesitancy continues to befuddle many of us, the Mo' Man takes a beat to outline some of the numbers around who and why people are not getting the shot. A recent You Gov poll analyzed by Philip Bump of the Washington Post finds an overlay of about 1 in 8 people who are not worried, not vaxxed and not wearing a mask.

Also on the table: Chris outlines what he sees as a new coalition to tap into: the vaccinated among us. Both left and right who are fully vaxxed and getting fed up with the continuing lackadaisical response from their fellow Americans. Those who don't or won't get the shot, are in essence holding the rest back from a return to normalcy. This could be a substantial voting block come 2022.

Cuom'ote of the Day: "I like them because the vaccinated are people who are openly reasonable and they are not defined by party. It's not fair to say it's all Republicans..."

A trilogy of tragedies Jul 28, 2021

Show notes

In today's episode, Chris looks at these three pieces to our collective puzzle that should be obvious:

- That all of our leaders should advocate for vaccination

- That the election results were legitimate

- That January 6th was one of the darkest days in our history

But somehow there is not consensus on any of the above. To understand why you are on one side or the other, ask yourself the following questions. Do you choose to have faith? What is your why? What do you want to be about?

Cuom'ote of the Day: Opposition is too much of a viable position.

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