#230: Election 2020 (and the Denver Nuggets) with Jake Marsing

What this episode covers

1. Four years ago around this time, many (if not most) in the news media touted Hillary Clinton as a solid favorite to win...and we know how that ended. Today, several are describing Joe Biden in the same light. As I mentioned in the intro, we had Austin, Texas-based GOP strategist Matt Mackowiak on the program. He said he expects this to be a VERY, VERY close election and is convinced that whoever wins the presidency is going to win it by a narrower Electoral College margin than 2016. Do you share that view and do you think the media is making the same mistake they did four years ago by GROSSLY underestimating President Trump’s chances of winning? 2. Speaking of the Electoral College, you live out west in Colorado near another pivotal state that needs just as much attention as Florida and the four major Midwestern states (Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Minnesota). That state is Arizona. For well over a year, Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report has remained unwavering in his belief that Arizona is more likely to flip from Trump to Biden than Florida AND Wisconsin are. And there are more than enough reasons to take his thoughts seriously. Arizona is an increasingly diverse and metropolitan state with the kinds of voters moving TOWARD the Democrats whereas Wisconsin on the other hand is the whitest, most rural of the four Midwest battlegrounds and has the kinds of voters that are moving AWAY from the Democrats. Would you be surprised if a Biden victory consisted of all the Clinton states + MI/PA/AZ as opposed to all the Clinton states + MI/PA/WI? 3. Right now, with voting underway, the biggest priority for the Democratic party MUST be GOTV efforts. And given the pandemic, most Democrats plan on casting their ballots BEFORE November 3. According to a recent NBC News/Survey Monkey poll, 71% of Democrats intend to vote absentee whether by mail or using in-person early voting. Everybody MUST make a plan to vote, but given a weakened, hobbled postal service, many voters (especially those living in states without a universal vote-by-mail system like Colorado) may have to adjust their plans. If someone wants to receive a ballot in the mail, what is the LATEST possible date to submit a request? Several are recommending that those who receive their ballots on or after October 14 return them in person to their county election office or a ballot drop box if available. Would you recommend that as well? 4. Several top-tier Biden supporters have voiced concern in recent days, most notably, his chief rival for the 2020 Democratic nomination, Bernie Sanders. He suggested that Biden would almost certainly lose unless he stopped his centrist approach and catered more to progressive voters on economic issues. Also, some more establishment Democrats in swing states believe there is still a sizeable enthusiasm gap between the Trump base and the Democratic base and that Biden needs to do a lot more in-person campaigning to energize voters, as NYT reported. Do you think there is such a gap and if so, should Biden pivot and endorse progressive policies like the Green New Deal or Medicare For All?

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