Ed Helms

Yeah, most of the two of us that are here do think it's our job to change that system. There are a lot of reasons that we feel polarized as a country right now. And, you know, we can point to the obvious wedge issues. We can point to the information silos, the social media and all of these things. And those are very real. And there are cable news, which is very corporate and cynical.

And these are these are very real factors. Right. But there are also a number of structural factors that are wedging us, things built into the political system engineered to polarize us even further. And I wonder if you can talk a little bit more about those more structural issues. Yeah, sure.

And these are these are very real factors. Right. But there are also a number of structural factors that are wedging us, things built into the political system engineered to polarize us even further. And I wonder if you can talk a little bit more about those more structural issues. Yeah, sure.

You said much more competitive. What are the numbers on how gerrymandering has affected the competitiveness of congressional elections?

You said much more competitive. What are the numbers on how gerrymandering has affected the competitiveness of congressional elections?

In the primaries- I just wanna put an exclamation point on that, because it still blows my mind. Over 80% of congressional elections are non-competitive. And what that means fundamentally is that they aren't really elections. Like they're not – they're just kind of a rubber stamping ritual, a process, a kind of like a quaint nod to the past. But it isn't – it's not an actual election. Right.

In the primaries- I just wanna put an exclamation point on that, because it still blows my mind. Over 80% of congressional elections are non-competitive. And what that means fundamentally is that they aren't really elections. Like they're not – they're just kind of a rubber stamping ritual, a process, a kind of like a quaint nod to the past. But it isn't – it's not an actual election. Right.

We're doing the song and dance. We're doing the song and dance of putting a Republican and a Democrat against each other. But in 80 percent of districts, one will always win. Yeah.

We're doing the song and dance. We're doing the song and dance of putting a Republican and a Democrat against each other. But in 80 percent of districts, one will always win. Yeah.

And we know that generally the voters that participate in primaries are the most – sort of extreme voters of that group. Yeah, it's the party base, right?

And we know that generally the voters that participate in primaries are the most – sort of extreme voters of that group. Yeah, it's the party base, right?

And this is why we see so many politicians emerge that everyone's kind of shaking their heads like, how did this guy get nominated? How did this lady get there? Like, that seems crazy. Well, it's because like the most hardcore fervent Partisans are the ones nominating those people. So you brought up before this sort of question about the media environment.

And this is why we see so many politicians emerge that everyone's kind of shaking their heads like, how did this guy get nominated? How did this lady get there? Like, that seems crazy. Well, it's because like the most hardcore fervent Partisans are the ones nominating those people. So you brought up before this sort of question about the media environment.

You're saying that more level headed people will reach higher levels of government and they will be the mouthpieces that we see on the media. And that more measured kind of dialogue will have a cultural impact on all of us. Absolutely.

You're saying that more level headed people will reach higher levels of government and they will be the mouthpieces that we see on the media. And that more measured kind of dialogue will have a cultural impact on all of us. Absolutely.

How do you change those incentives?

How do you change those incentives?

And that's one of those things, like... That is such a no-brainer, right? And yet we're in this feedback loop where the people that are making those rules are the people that benefit from – the existence of gerrymandering. So what then becomes the way that citizens can make those changes or force our representatives in government to make those changes?

And that's one of those things, like... That is such a no-brainer, right? And yet we're in this feedback loop where the people that are making those rules are the people that benefit from – the existence of gerrymandering. So what then becomes the way that citizens can make those changes or force our representatives in government to make those changes?

Yeah. And I think I don't I think a lot of people don't realize like how much power citizens can have in that way, that what ballot initiatives can do and that they're really they are really just initiatives from the citizenry. They're not it's not a that doesn't have it's not a political process. It's something that goes citizens initiate and it goes before voters.