GD POLITICS Podcast – Episode Summary

Host: Galen Druke
Episode Title: Are Politicians Using AI To Do Their Jobs?
Air Date: September 25, 2025
Description: A solo episode in which Galen Druke shares reflections, data, and analysis from his “notebook” on topics ranging from late night TV viewership to Kamala Harris’s new book, to the use of AI by politicians—blending insight, context, and a wry sense of humor.

Main Theme / Purpose

Galen Druke opens up his “GD Notebook” for an episode focused on the changing landscape of media, contemporary political memoirs, and the new realities of work—even for members of government, who may be relying on artificial intelligence in surprising ways. The episode provides a series of mini-essays and data dives, weaving together current headlines, polling, and deeper political analysis.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Who Watches Late Night TV Anymore?

[01:55 – 11:00]

• Galen discusses Jimmy Kimmel’s return to ABC and the low ratings for late night shows in the current era.
• He references an AP poll:
  • Only 25% of Americans watched all or most of a late-night show within the past month.
  • Clear partisan skew: 33% of Democrats vs. 18% of Republicans watched full shows.
  • 45% of Democrats watched clips vs. 25% of Republicans.
• The audience for these shows leans heavily Democratic, which shapes network decisions and creates tension between business and political considerations.
• Galen draws a parallel with the Washington Post’s declining traffic and editorial direction.
  • “At the Washington Post’s peak during Trump’s first term, they had about 50% of the Google traffic that the New York Times had… Today, it’s somewhere in the range of just 10%.” (09:30)

Kamala Harris’s “107 Days” – Book Review & Political Analysis

[11:02 – 37:30]

• Galen read (listened to) Harris’s new memoir and reflects on its intent and content.
  • Questions whether the book is legacy-setting or campaign preparation.
  • Finds the book ambiguous on Harris’s 2028 intentions.
• He notes that Harris critiques Biden more bluntly than she critiques her own campaign.
  • “The reason she lost is because Joe Biden was an unpopular president who… she was uncapable of or unable or unwilling to significantly differentiate herself from that administration.” (17:05)
• Harris devotes significant attention to the Israel-Gaza conflict, but polling cited in the book shows young people were most concerned about cost of living, not foreign policy.
  • “She cites accurately a poll from Tufts University… number one issues for young people were the cost of living, cost of housing, cost of health care, getting a good paying job… dead last were issues of climate change and Gaza.” (21:08)
• Analysis of Harris’s vice presidential selection process:
  • She considered Tim Walsh, Josh Shapiro, Mark Kelly; polling said VP choice wouldn’t matter much electorally.
  • Didn’t choose Shapiro because “he wanted to be president too badly, he was overly ambitious, that maybe as a result, it wouldn’t be a good sort of companionship…” (25:45)
  • Picked Tim Walsh, in part, because his lack of ambition felt less threatening.
  • On Pete Buttigieg: She thought asking for votes for a woman of color and a gay VP was “asking Americans for too much.” Galen mentions polling on American willingness to vote for gay candidates and speculates about its reliability.
• National vs. swing-state campaigning:
  • Harris prioritized swing states over national media, potentially missing broader influence of nationalized campaigns.
  • “I think it misunderstands the degree to which presidential campaigns are now nationalized.” (32:34)
  • However, Harris did see swings in her favor in swing states relative to national swing.
• Galen points out Harris’s “brat” moment—her embrace of the term after Charlie XCX’s comment, and jokes about the pop-cultural meaning.

Are Politicians Using AI to Do Their Jobs?

[37:35 – 43:00]

• Galen discusses a Pimlico Journal piece contending that UK MPs are “almost certainly” using ChatGPT for parliamentary business.
  • Example: Labor MP Mike Reader was observed using ChatGPT to answer constituents’ letters.
• Raises debate in the UK press about the acceptability of AI use for routine vs. parliamentary tasks.
  • “With most of the concerns raised touching on privacy issues and laziness.” (39:30)
• The Times of London editorial: Acceptable for emails, not for speeches in Parliament.
• Pimlico Journal analyzes Hansard records for linguistic fingerprints of ChatGPT in MPs’ speeches.
• Galen promises deeper coverage of:
  • Whether US lawmakers are also using AI similarly.
  • Staffing differences between UK and US lawmakers.
  • Data on American AI usage for writing.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On late night TV’s partisan audience:
  • “When it comes to folks like ABC or CBS or NBC… their audience skews significantly to the left.” (08:25)
• On Kamala Harris’s memoir:
  • “At conclusion of the book it is still not clear to me. And I think whether or not she runs in 2028 will depend more on things outside of her control than in her control.” (13:15)
  • “When she does talk about, you know, I support small businesses and the like, which was a theme in her campaign, she doesn’t really talk about why.” (23:50)
• On Harris’s VP selection and political calculation:
  • “She was very focused on the threat that her VP could pose to her, which maybe, maybe says something about the dynamic that she experienced between herself and Biden.” (26:12)
  • “She says that asking Americans to vote for a ticket with… a woman of color at the top and a gay man in the VP slot would have been asking Americans for too much.” (29:40)
• On the strategic flaw in swing state focus:
  • “I think it misunderstands the degree to which presidential campaigns are now nationalized.” (32:34)
• On AI in Parliament:
  • “This spurred further debate with the Times… publishing an editorial on Friday with a similar view to my own, My own being Pimlico journals sometimes acceptable if responding to emails, not so much if being used in Parliament.” (39:50)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Introduction and episode structure: 00:00 – 01:55
• Late night TV, partisan viewership, and network decision-making: 01:55 – 11:00
• Kamala Harris’s book: themes, analysis, VP selection: 11:02 – 37:30
• Parliamentarians using AI (UK context): 37:35 – 43:00

Episode Flow & Tone

Galen strikes a conversational, inquisitive, and sometimes humorous tone, weaving pop culture references (Jimmy Kimmel, Charlie XCX) with rigorous polling analysis and political context.
He moves deftly between data and anecdote, speculation and caution, and regularly acknowledges the limits of available information or polling data.

For Further Listening

To access the extended discussion—including segments on US lawmakers’ AI use, general American attitudes to generative AI, and a segment on reducing partisan animosity—listeners are directed to become a paid subscriber at gdpolitics.com.