The Gist

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Do the Best and Brightest Ever Become President? Oct 20, 2016

Show notes

On The Gist, former Daily Show head writer Elliott Kalan talks about his new Audible series Presidents are People Too! Kalan looks at the reasons so many mediocre candidates make it the White House, and tries to find something to admire in our crappiest commanders-in-chief. Kalan says watching this year's presidential election while studying American political history has been sobering. Think America has never been more divided? Congressmen used to cane each other in the 1850s.

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Rapid Response: Cirque du Debate Oct 20, 2016

Show notes

The first fifty minutes felt…strange. Calm. Like a real debate. Then Chris Wallace asked if Trump would recognize the election as legitimate. Mike Pesca was in the spin room after the third and final presidential showdown.

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Jill Stein Pitches a Green Foreign Policy Oct 19, 2016

Show notes

On The Gist, Green Party candidate Jill Stein lays out her foreign policy. She debates Mike Pesca about Hillary Clinton, Yemen, and America's use of force. Stein believes the United States is closer to nuclear war than ever, including the Cold War. She explains how de-escalating nuclear tensions with Russia should take priority, and how neither of the major party candidates is up to the job. This year marks Stein's second run for the presidency.

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How Do You Prep to Debate a Dumpster Fire? Oct 18, 2016

Show notes

On The Gist, Jonathan Prince has helped candidates such as Bill Clinton and John Edwards prep for high-stakes debates. Now, he's got some advice for Hillary Clinton as she faces round No. 3 with the most unpredictable candidate of the modern era. Prince has worked for the Clinton and Obama administrations, but now he's the head of communications for Spotify. For the Spiel, how do you rig the most well-observed election on Earth? The answer is: You don't.

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The Secret Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump Oct 18, 2016

Show notes

On The Gist, rhetoric scholar Jennifer Mercieca says that when you dig into his speeches, Donald Trump's kind of an evil genius when it comes to rhetoric. Whether it's his use of paralipsis ("I'm not saying, but I'm saying") or reification (treating people like objects), Trump is an expert at using rhetoric to get under people's skin. Mercieca is authoring a book on political rhetoric in the 2016 campaign, set to come out later this year. For the Spiel, an update on Trump's collapse with female voters. Today's sponsors: Squarespace. Start your free trial today at Squarespace.com and enter offer code gist to get 10 percent off your first purchase.

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Inside "Late Night" With Amber Ruffin Oct 14, 2016

Show notes

In 2014, Amber Ruffin became the first black woman to write for a late-night network comedy when she joined NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers. On The Gist, Ruffin explains the banality of being a trailblazer: "We're just dicking around in a different room."

For the Spiel, the dogged defenders of Donald Trump. Panoply survey

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Why Don't More Women Run for Congress? Oct 13, 2016

Show notes

On The Gist, Jennifer Lawless details the reasons more women don't run for elected office in the United States. Her research documents a decline in media bias against women running for House seats. Despite that, Congress is still overwhelmingly male. Lawless authored a book with Danny Hayes called Women on the Run: Gender, Media, and Political Campaigns in a Polarized Era.

For the Spiel, Bob Dylan didn't need a Nobel Prize to confirm his status as a great writer. Panoply Survey:

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Your Food Will Be Ready When You Look Hungry Enough Oct 12, 2016

Show notes

If you had to engineer the perfect wait time for a meal, how would you do it? On The Gist, Dan Pashman explains the art of anticipation as applied to food. Pashman is the host of WNYC's The Sporkful. Check out his show's new series on food, race, and culture: "Who Is This Restaurant For?"

In the Spiel, what should we call Trump's former defectors? Undefectors? Reflectors?

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Where Do Republicans Go From Here? Oct 11, 2016

Show notes

The implosion of Donald Trump's campaign shows a party that's divided on everything from criminal justice reform to immigration. On The Gist, National Review executive editor and Slate columnist Reihan Salam considers the future of the GOP and conservative thinking.

For the Spiel, why did the Republican Party fall for a demagogue? Is it because conservatives still kowtow to right-wing media outlets that embrace conspiracy theories, lies, and propaganda?

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Rapid Response: The Town Hall Debate Oct 10, 2016

Show notes

We have seen the limits of debate prep.

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