Podcast Summary: Tangle – "PREVIEW - The Friday Edition: If I were running for president in 2028…"

Host: Isaac Saul
Date: November 21, 2025

Episode Overview

In this special preview episode, host Isaac Saul explores a thought-provoking scenario: what if he were to run for president in 2028? As an independent journalist committed to presenting diverse viewpoints, Saul uses this exercise to lay out a hypothetical campaign platform aimed at the often-overlooked “middle band” of American voters. Drawing on his experience with Tangle and observations of recent political trends, he meticulously outlines a 10-point plan reflecting a centrist, pragmatic approach—one that seeks to transcend polarized party lines. This episode offers insights into both the current state of American politics and the kind of leadership Saul believes could unify the nation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why a Centrist Campaign?

Saul's Motivation and Vision

Saul reiterates he has no ambitions to run for office, but people occasionally encourage him due to his balanced commentary ([01:43]).
- “I'm not running for president. I never would. ... I'm not qualified. I'm just some idiot with a keyboard. So please don't vote for people like me to be president.”
He believes centrist voters—the "middle band"—are underrepresented and could form the base for a landslide victory with the right candidate.
- “I would go after the middle band of the American populace. ... I think they are really underrepresented in today’s politics and ... the right candidate with the right framing ... could win in a landslide.” ([02:23])
- “The priorities of the middle band of the American voter are often sensible and fair.” ([02:55])
Saul underscores that his hypothetical platform isn’t about bland centrism, but a pragmatic appeal to Americans tired of partisan extremes.

2. Political Context and Data

He points out how recent elections have been cycles of seeking change, citing Obama, Trump, and Biden as examples of different kinds of “change candidates.” ([03:43])
Saul highlights statistics about the growing number of self-identified independents:
- “A 2024 Gallup poll ... shows that the share of self-identified independents continues to grow. 43% of Americans describe themselves as independent. ... The description alone is a strong signal about how many Americans view their own politics and how appealing a more moderate less party forward political campaign could be.” ([05:18])

3. The 10‑Point Presidential Platform

Saul introduces his platform, noting these aren’t necessarily his personal views, but what he’d propose as a viable centrist campaign ([06:40]).

Platform Points 1–5 (as covered in this preview):

1. The Affordability Agenda: Abundance + Deregulation

Merge left’s “abundance movement” with right’s push for deregulation.
Focus on:
- Reducing zoning regulations
- Streamlining environmental reviews
- “All of the above” energy (oil, gas, wind, solar, nuclear)
- Cutting red tape to expand housing and energy
- “An obvious huge middle ground of consensus exists around reducing zoning laws, streamlining environmental reviews, embracing an all of the above energy approach, ... and cutting red tape.” ([07:19])

2. Defending the Disenfranchised, Rejecting Cultural Extremes:

Protect marginalized groups, but also avoid enforcing “ultra-progressive” social norms.
Example: Codify protections against discrimination (as in the Bostock Supreme Court decision), but raise thresholds on medical interventions for minors.
Emphasize kindness and decency while protecting both free speech and religious liberty.
- “My party platform would push Americans to be decent and kind, but make space for carve-outs on free speech and religious liberty grounds...” ([08:40])

**3. Policing and Military: Support and Accountability**

Support “the work of the police and military,” but impose “unapologetic accountability” for wrongdoing.
Policies: Zero-tolerance for police abuses, robust oversight, paired with a supportive culture for law enforcement.
“The vast majority of cops are good, ... but the police should have oversight, too.”
Similarly, support the military while striving for “the most moral army in the history of the world.” ([09:59])

4. Foreign Policy: Soft Power, Military Caution

Emphasize a “militarily isolationist” disposition, avoid ground incursions and extrajudicial actions.
Support foreign aid agencies and press allies to share in defense responsibilities.
“Support the funding of groups like USAID ... embrace Trump’s demand for NATO allies to meet contributing demands ... but avoid at all costs, incursions and extrajudicial killings.” ([10:37])

5. Immigration: Security and Pathways

“Intense border security and zero tolerance for people here illegally committing crimes.”
At the same time, expand legal immigration pathways, especially for work.
Focus on deterring illegal crossings, prioritizing deportation for those who commit crimes, streamlining judicial review, and increasing temporary work visas.
“Lower rates of border crossings due to deterrent effect ... and a large increase in the availability of temporary work visas...” ([11:23])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On why he wouldn’t run:
“I'm not sick in the head. Which I think you have to be to run for president. Respectfully.” (Isaac Saul, [01:48])
On Americans’ political identity:
“43% of Americans describe themselves as independent ... The description alone is a strong signal about how many Americans view their own politics...” (Isaac Saul, [05:21])
On seeking moderation:
“This third option would be a politics not of partisan rancor but of moderation. And in this current climate, it could read as refreshing and extreme in its own right.” (Isaac Saul, [04:24])
On engagement with listeners:
“I have gotten this push from readers before ... I get all these emails like you gotta run. And I'm like no, never. ... But I love you guys so thank you for the confidence.” ([01:50])

Timestamps for Important Segments

[01:43] – Show proper begins; Saul introduces the episode’s premise
[02:23] – Why Saul would focus on centrist voters
[03:43] – Historical review of “change” candidates
[05:18] – The rise of independent voters, Gallup poll stats
[06:40] – Introduction to the 10-point presidential platform
[07:19] – Point 1: The Affordability Agenda
[08:40] – Point 2: Defend the Disenfranchised, Avoid Extremes
[09:59] – Point 3: Police & Military—Balance Support and Accountability
[10:37] – Point 4: Soft Power Foreign Policy
[11:23] – Point 5: Stronger Border, Easier Legal Pathways

Tone and Delivery

Saul's tone is direct, self-deprecating, and personable, injecting humor into serious topics.
He emphasizes good faith, independence, and respect for listeners’ intelligence, aiming for clarity over partisanship.

Conclusion

Takeaway

This episode stands out as a nuanced thought experiment in American politics, offering a clear, actionable centrist vision for 2028. Saul’s 10-point platform (with five points previewed here) combines pragmatism with empathy, rooted in the belief that most Americans long for sensible, moderate leadership. Both the approach and substance offer a refreshing counterpoint to the polarizing rhetoric dominating today’s discourse.

To hear the rest of the 10-point platform and complete episode, listeners are encouraged to subscribe via Tangle’s newsletter or premium podcast.

Transcript

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Advertiser (1:29)

From executive producer isaac sa this is tangle.

Isaac Saul (1:43)

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening and welcome to the Tango Podcast. A place where we get views from across the political spectrum, some independent thinking and a little bit of my take. I'm your host Isaac Saul and on today's episode I'm putting something out there. I am gonna share with you what I would do if I were running for president in 2028. Okay, first of all, I'm not running for president. I never would. Mostly cause I'm not delusional. I'm not sick in the head. Which I think you have to be to run for president. Respectfully. But I have gotten this push from readers before. Sometimes when I write a really good piece or take a middle ground on something, I get all these emails like you gotta run. And I'm like no, never. I won't ever do that. But I love you guys so thank you for the confidence. I'm also not qualified. I'm just some idiot with a keyboard. So please don't vote for people like me to be president. Now if I were running for president, I would do something a little different than the last few presidential candidates I think have done. I would go after the middle band of the American populace. I would do this not because I think centrist policies always produce the best outcomes, though they do sometimes, or because all my political views always land in the center. They don't. As many of you know who've been listening for a while, I have political views that are sometimes radical, depending on the issue. Instead, I would try to appeal to the middle band because I think they are a really underrepresented in today's politics and b I think the right candidate with the right framing of moderate middle of the road politics could win in a landslide. Most importantly, I think the priorities of the middle band of the American voter are often sensible and fair. This might not seem like a hot take, but this viewpoint today is surprisingly uncommon. In many elections and especially in primaries, being more extreme is electorally advantageous. That explains why a lot of our politics have been getting so much more extreme. On top of that, the electorate seems to increasingly favor change in each election cycle. President Barack Obama was a change candidate and won largely by presenting himself as a challenge to the status quo. Trump introduced a coarser and more frank politics that also promised change and disruption. He was a response to the sleepwalking, out of touch and failed political norms of the past few decades. Biden won in 2020, I think largely because of COVID 19 and the President's mishandling of a once in a lifetime, globally disruptive event. The change was I'm not the other guy. Yet in 2028, change might constitute a return to the middle. The response to the current administration could come from either the left or right, but it could just as easily come from the center. This third option would be a politics not of partisan rancor but of moderation. And in this current climate, it could read as refreshing and extreme in its own right. If a leading candidate could hold the good ideas of each side and the best of their ethos simultaneously, that leader, in my view, would be extremely successful and better yet, could pull us back from the brink. Some data back this up. For instance, a 2024 Gallup poll on US party affiliation shows that the share of self identified independents continues to grow. 43% of Americans describe themselves as independent. That's compared to just 28% each who answer Republican or Democrat. Of course, we know that most people who self identify as independent often have a party preference, but the description alone is a strong signal about how many Americans view their own politics and how appealing a more moderate less party forward political campaign could be. So over the last few days I started thinking about how I'd construct a more moderate presidential campaign if I actually had to. I sat down and considered the large middle band of American politics as I see it today, and I wrote down a 10 point platform that I think would appeal to a huge swath of American voters. I don't think this plan is particularly Republican or Democratic in nature. Rather I think it could appeal to chunks of both parties bases and crucially I think it'd be especially attractive to the self identified independents and a whole range of other voters who right now don't even show up to vote. As I looked over the 10 point plan, I realized that some of the points were intentionally broad, as campaign promises often are. So I also tried to include at least one concrete example of how each point might manifest in a policy sense to clarify the goals that I'm speaking of. So without further ado, here it is, my 10 point plan. Again, just a reminder, these are not my views. This is not how I would construct my party platform in a vacuum, but it's how, if I had to run for president as a moderate, I would do it. Number one Pursue an Affordability agenda at the intersection of Abundance and deregulation the abundance movement on the left shares many of the same objectives as the deregulation movement that the right has embraced for decades. An obvious huge middle ground of consensus exists around reducing zoning laws, streamlining environmental reviews, embracing an all of the above energy approach, continuing to use oil and natural gas but also developing winds, solar and nuclear, and cutting red tape that has prevented us from expanding the housing and energy sectors that we desperately need to revitalize. Number two, defend the disenfranchise and oppose cruelty, but also reject the enforcement of ultra progressive cultural and social norms. This is probably the stickiest area, but I think a party platform could build a grab bag of policies that actually strikes a balance and offers compromises across the board. For instance, on LGBTQ issues, the federal government could lock in protections by codifying Bostock into law, ensuring that nobody is ever fired or discriminated against for being gay, lesbian or transgender. At the same time, policymakers could raise the threshold for gender reassignment surgery or puberty blockers for minors, with strong oversight of medical facilities that provide treatment to kids, while also allowing states and private businesses to determine how they want to cover transition care for the minuscule proportion of adults who need. In all of this, my party platform would push Americans to be decent and kind, but make space for carve outs on free speech and religious liberty grounds so people don't face punishment for refusing to use preferred pronouns, but also so people aren't barred from discussing or using them. We'll be right back after this quick break.