Trump’s 2024 Victory, Political Apathy, and the Power of Identity Politics

Summary

Summary of "The Daily Show: Ears Edition" Episode - "Trump’s 2024 Victory, Political Apathy, and the Power of Identity Politics"

Release Date: November 7, 2024

In this episode of The Daily Show: Ears Edition, host Desi Lydic and co-host Seth Doane delve into the seismic shifts in the American political landscape following Donald Trump's unexpected victory in the 2024 presidential election. The episode combines sharp political analysis with characteristic humor, offering listeners an incisive look into the factors that led to Trump's triumph, the ensuing political apathy among voters, and the nuanced role of identity politics in contemporary elections.

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Trump’s Historic 2024 Victory

The episode opens with Seth Doane breaking the news of Donald Trump's victory, emphasizing its historic nature. At [01:39], Desi Lydic announces, "Mr. Trump made history last night. He will be the first convicted felon to President of the United States. Yep." This statement underscores the unprecedented nature of Trump's win, framing it as a pivotal moment in American politics.

Seth emphasizes the breadth of Trump's support, highlighting its across-the-board appeal: "Voters age 45 to 64, those younger than the age of 30. Black men, Latino men, suburban women, Arab Americans and white men. So all of America" ([04:29]). This broad coalition challenges traditional voting patterns and suggests a complex interplay of demographic factors contributing to Trump's success.

Analyzing Democratic Shortcomings

The hosts critique the Democratic Party's strategies, attributing Trump's victory to multiple tactical missteps. Seth mocks the Democrats' plight, stating, "America elected its first criminal president before electing its first female president. What a day for proud felonists." He further critiques Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, suggesting that her inability to distance herself from President Joe Biden and her perceived alignment with far-left policies alienated key voter segments.

Desi and Seth explore several reasons for the Democrats' loss:

• Overextending to the Left: Desi posits, "I think Democrats went way too far to the left" ([05:15]), implying that extreme policy positions may have alienated moderates.
• Insufficient Middle Ground Appeal: Kamala Harris's attempts to balance between progressive and centrist policies are critiqued, suggesting a lack of clear, resonant messaging.
• Perceived Weakness on Foreign Policy: Seth remarks, "She wasn't pro Israel enough" ([05:24]), indicating that foreign policy stances may have impacted voter confidence.

The hosts argue that these strategic errors prevented the Democratic Party from effectively countering Trump's narrative and mobilizing a cohesive voter base.

The Power and Pitfalls of Identity Politics

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to discussing the role of identity politics in the election. The guest, Tressie McMillan Cottom, an award-winning author and sociologist, provides deep insights into how Donald Trump adeptly leveraged identity to secure his victory.

At [24:16], Desi references Cottom's recent New York Times opinion piece: "It is time for us to accept that American politics is identity politics." Cottom elaborates on this by explaining that every voter possesses an identity that influences their political choices, not limited to traditionally marginalized groups. Trump capitalized on white identity politics, making it a central pillar of his campaign: "He tapped into one of the most powerful of American identities... He tapped into white identity" ([27:44]).

Cottom argues that Trump's ability to simplify and resonate with voters' core identities—offering a clear, albeit misleading, narrative—was instrumental in his success. She contends that the Democratic Party failed to similarly engage with voters' identities, focusing instead on issues that did not directly address the personal concerns and self-perceptions of the electorate.

Political Apathy and the Rise of Non-Voters

The episode also explores the growing trend of political apathy among citizens, a phenomenon that Seth and Desi find both troubling and indicative of deeper societal issues. Through comedic segments, they portray characters who choose not to vote as a means of detaching from the perceived toxicity of the political system.

Grace Kohlenschmidt, a non-voter featured in the episode, shares her disillusionment: "I just don't want to play the politic game" ([16:37]). The hosts highlight how this abstention stems from frustration with the political process's inefficacy and the feeling that neither major party represents their interests effectively.

Desi humorously juxtaposes political disengagement with personal health, suggesting that avoiding politics could inadvertently lead to better personal well-being: "Not voting could actually cure my diarrhea" ([17:55]). This segment underscores the absurdity and intensity of political fatigue experienced by many.

Insights from Tressie McMillan Cottom

In a pivotal interview segment, Tressie McMillan Cottom delves deeper into the mechanics of Trump's appeal and the Democratic Party's shortcomings. She asserts that Trump's "weird gift" lies in his ability to understand and articulate what voters genuinely desire, beyond what they explicitly state or what poll numbers suggest. This intuitive grasp of voter sentiment allows him to craft a compelling narrative that resonates on a personal level: "Everything around them says they're losing. They want to feel like someone is fighting for them, even when it's obvious he's only fighting for them himself" ([24:42]).

Cottom critiques the Democratic strategy, emphasizing that effective identity politics requires genuine engagement with voters' self-identities rather than superficial or cosmetic gestures. She argues that the Democrats needed to more authentically connect with their base's identities to compete with Trump's adept manipulation of identity-based narratives.

Concluding Reflections and Future Outlook

The episode wraps up with reflections on the current state of American politics and potential pathways forward. Desi and Seth express cautious optimism, noting that the election's outcome reveals the electorate's desire for clear, relatable narratives over complex policy proposals. They highlight that despite the loss, there is room for the Democratic Party to recalibrate and better address the diverse identities and needs of American voters.

Tressie McMillan Cottom offers a nuanced perspective on masculinity and national identity, suggesting that Trump's rhetoric reflects a broader crisis in understanding modern American masculinity: "When masculinity feels threatened, it lashes out" ([29:28]). She calls for a redefinition of masculinity that aligns with evolving societal roles and responsibilities.

Seth and Desi conclude by acknowledging the multifaceted challenges ahead, stressing the importance of nuanced voter understanding and strategic political engagement to bridge the divides illuminated by the 2024 election.

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Notable Quotes:

• Desi Lydic at [01:39]: "Mr. Trump made history last night. He will be the first convicted felon to President of the United States. Yep."

• Seth Doane at [04:29]: "Voters age 45 to 64, those younger than the age of 30. Black men, Latino men, suburban women, Arab Americans and white men. So all of America."

• Tressie McMillan Cottom at [24:42]: "He knows what people really want... he goes to the heart of what they really want."

• Tressie McMillan Cottom at [27:44]: "He tapped into one of the most powerful of American identities. He tapped into white identity."

• Tressie McMillan Cottom at [29:28]: "When masculinity feels threatened, it lashes out."

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This episode of The Daily Show: Ears Edition provides a comprehensive and engaging analysis of the 2024 election's outcome, dissecting the interplay of voter demographics, party strategies, and the potent force of identity politics. Through insightful commentary and humor, Desi Lydic and Seth Doane offer listeners a nuanced understanding of the current political climate and the forces shaping the future of American governance.

Transcript

[Desi Lydic]

When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968.

[Seth Doane]

There was nothing like it.

[Desi Lydic]

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

[Seth Doane]

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives.

[Desi Lydic]

But that's all about to change.

[Seth Doane]

Like, none of this stuff gets looked at.

[Desi Lydic]

That's what's incredible.

[Seth Doane]

I'm Seth Doane of CBS news.

[Desi Lydic]

Listen to 60 Minutes a second look on Apple Podcasts. You're listening to Comedy Central from the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central. It's America's only source for news. This is the Daily show with your host, Desi Lydie. Welcome to.

[Seth Doane]

I'm Desi Lynick. I slept two hours last night and I feel like shit. But here we are. Let's get right into it with indecision. 2024 decision edition. Is it too late to undecide? Well, if you're just joining me in this waking nightmare, yesterday was Election Day. We were all hoping it would make history. And boy, did it ever.

[Desi Lydic]

Mr. Trump made history last night. He will be the first convicted felon to be President of the United States. Yep.

[Seth Doane]

Yeah, yeah. It's official. America's elected its first criminal president before electing its first female president. What a day for proud felonists. What the actual America. We have had two qualified, accomplished women nominated for president. And both times they lost to the worst man in the whole country. At this point, it's starting to feel like we're gonna get every other first before we get a first woman president. First Amish president, first Wahlberg president. Hey, there's no rule that says a dog can't be president as long as it's a boy dog. But instead of breaking the glass ceiling last night, America decided to get back with her dirtbag ex. And I had no idea how much she missed him Overnight, a stunning victory for Donald Trump blowing through the so called blue wall of Midwest states and.

[Desi Lydic]

County after county across the country. Improving on his margin of victory in pass races.

[Seth Doane]

Suburban areas, rural areas, even big cities and bluer parts of the map all tipped in his direction.

[Desi Lydic]

It is a sweeping and stunning victory.

[Seth Doane]

Unlike any in our history. It will be studied and debated for generations. We're gonna last generations. That is the optimism I was looking for. Thanks, George Sloppadopoulos. That's your legal name now, but that's right. Trump is on track to win every single swing state and the popular vote. Just like the relationship between Trump and Eric, this one wasn't close at all. Oh, my God. I have four more years of Eric jokes. But Just think about what happened here. America voted this guy out in 2020 and what has he done since then? He tried to overthrow the government. He was convicted of 34 felonies. He spent an entire campaign promising vengeance against his enemies. And if you're wondering who after all of that would want to back him up, well, buckle up. It's a long list. The former president winning with a coalition driven by white voters, men and first time voters.

[Desi Lydic]

Young men in union households, those older.

[Seth Doane]

Voters, voters age 45 to 64, those younger than the age of 30. Black men, Latino men, suburban women, Arab Americans and white men. So all of America. All of America. You just listed all of America. Seems the only groups she can't blame for Trump's victory are black women and people in comas. Oh, and puppies. Or puppies in comas. Goddammit. I just made myself more sad. So it's undeniable that Trump gained with practically every demographic. It's mind boggling. But thankfully, cable News is on 24 hours a day, so pundits can incessantly play the blame game. How did this happen?

[Desi Lydic]

I think Democrats went way too far to the left.

[Seth Doane]

Got it. Okay. Kamala was too far left, didn't embrace centrists.

[Desi Lydic]

It is perhaps the strategy so forcefully embracing Republicans like the Liz Cheneys.

[Seth Doane]

Okay, sorry. I see. She embraced centrists too much. What else? She wouldn't really stand and back the Israelis. Uh huh. She wasn't pro Israel enough. All right.

[Desi Lydic]

The base of the party, it cares about Gaza and they by not bringing a Palestinian on stage of the dnc. These are not the value, the base.

[Seth Doane]

Values of the Democratic Party or pro Palestinian enough. Okay, Was that it? I think that Kamala Harris had this albatross around her neck and it was Joe Biden. She couldn't distance herself from Biden and couldn't think of anything that she would have done differently. Right, right, right, right. I see it now. Kamala didn't distance herself enough from Joe Biden. And let me guess, it is probably.

[Desi Lydic]

Not the best idea. That Democrats orchestrated a very public stab fest, a proverbial stabbing in the front of the sitting President of the United States of America and then didn't use him in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

[Seth Doane]

Mm. Okay. Mm. So she betrayed Joe Biden, but was also too close to Joe Biden. Uh huh. This is all making sense. If I just put all the pieces together, who knows?

[Desi Lydic]

Who knows?

[Seth Doane]

Look, as productive as this feels right now, I'm not really interested in gaming out how exactly this happened. This defeat was so resounding that you could literally say anything and it wouldn't be plausible. She should have picked Mu Dang for her vp. She should have gone on the Hop to a Girls podcast. Maybe she visited Wisconsin too much. Sure, that makes sense. Why not? Honestly, I don't really care why she lost. I care why he won. We. We have spen so much time diagnosing Donald Trump and what his actions say about him. He's a dictator, he's a fascist, he's a malignant narcissist whose blood type is fryer oil. But it's pretty clear that America is the one that needs the diagnosis, because whatever's wrong with him, we love it. In this moment, Donald Trump is holding up a mirror to the American people, and it might be time to take a good, hard look. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I told myself that this show would be uplifting tonight and give people hope and inspiration, but unfortunately, I'm too depressed and quite frankly, very, very hungover. But you know what? I will say it's times like these when I can lean on the wisdom and support and the vision of the best news team in the world. They're out across the country right now, so let's go out to them. We'll start with Troy Iwata. Troy, it's up to you. Please give us something. Let us hear some optimism and hope to lift our spirits.

[Desi Lydic]

Like, lift.

[Seth Doane]

Lift spirits? I thought I was reporting on Senate results. No, no, we don't need that right now. We need someone to find the perfect words to explain to us that everything's going to be okay. So go. Okay. Don't put that on me.

[Desi Lydic]

I can't help anyone.

[Seth Doane]

I can barely help myself. I am in a deep pit of despair. Don't look at me. I'm.

[Desi Lydic]

I'm still wearing yesterday's bow tie. I am a mess.

[Seth Doane]

Okay, go ask Costa. He's been here longer. Okay. Okay, Michael Costa, let's go to you say something that will single handedly fill us with joy. Uh, pass. I pass on that. That is way too much pressure for old cost.

[Desi Lydic]

I didn't even vote.

[Seth Doane]

What? But, but, but, but you know what? You know what? Grace said something this morning that really.

[Desi Lydic]

Made my heart sore or whatever bullshit.

[Seth Doane]

You'Re looking for, so she can lift your spirits. Go to Grace. Okay. Okay. Great. Grace Kohlenschmidt. Let's.

[Desi Lydic]

Let's do it.

[Seth Doane]

I can't wait to hear your words of comfort.

[Desi Lydic]

Yeah, I didn't say anything to comfort, Costa. I just Asked to borrow a phone.

[Seth Doane]

Charger.

[Desi Lydic]

U. Okay.

[Seth Doane]

Comfort. Comfort.

[Desi Lydic]

Got it. We will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight. We're going to live on. We're going to survive. Today we celebrate our Independence Day.

[Seth Doane]

No, no, no. That's Bill Pullman's speech from Independence Day. That does not count. No, it has to be your own words.

[Desi Lydic]

Desi, come on. I don't know how to give a rousing speech. I'm.

[Seth Doane]

I'm just a girl standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her. Well, that's. That's Notting Hill. You blew it, Grace. Josh. Josh, what about you?

[Desi Lydic]

All right, don't worry. Don't worry, Desi.

[Seth Doane]

I got this. Okay?

[Desi Lydic]

You ever go to the clinic thinking you have herpes, and then you find out. You find out that you do have herpes, but it's kind of nice because now at least you know. Was that inspiring? No.

[Seth Doane]

No, not at all. Please, please, Josh, give me something.

[Desi Lydic]

Yeah, hold on one second. Real quick. Oh, I'm sorry. My mouth full. I can't.

[Seth Doane]

No, no. You took that bite on purpose. No. Let's go to Jordan Clapper. Jordan? No. Doug Bowman. No, no, no. Who? You, Josh.

[Desi Lydic]

No. Fine, fine.

[Seth Doane]

Okay, yes, Desi, I'll be happy to inspire you.

[Desi Lydic]

Just.

[Seth Doane]

Thank you. Hold on for a second. No, no, no. You spit that out. You spit it out, Klepper. Spit it out. Spit it out. You say something inspiring right now, young man. Fine, fine. Desi, listen. I'm just a girl standing in front of a woman, asking. No, no, you stop it. You inspire the nation.

[Desi Lydic]

I don't.

[Seth Doane]

I don't have the words for that, Desi. You know what?

[Desi Lydic]

You know what?

[Seth Doane]

The way you were talking earlier about how we as a news team are inspiring to each other, now that. That was some soaring rhetoric. Let's go to Desi Lydic for that.

[Desi Lydic]

No, no, no, no, no, no.

[Seth Doane]

You can't throw to me.

[Desi Lydic]

I'm the host.

[Seth Doane]

I throw to you. No, I throw to you. No, I throw to you. I throw to you. I throw to you. Okay.

[Desi Lydic]

Okay, guys, I'll do it. You babies. Funny.

[Seth Doane]

Thank you. Ron, please say something to inspire our spirits.

[Desi Lydic]

Yeah. Yeah, this is easy. Easy. I got it.

[Seth Doane]

I got it.

[Desi Lydic]

Just give me some music.

[Seth Doane]

Okay.

[Desi Lydic]

America, I love you. If you are feeling upset or hurt or depressed about the turn towards fascism that your beloved homeland is taking, then all you have, all you have to do is this. Just look into your heart. And you take out your foreign passport and you go back to Malaysia, where you came from until Trump leaves office. Ronnie, Ronnie.

[Seth Doane]

Ronnie. We don't all have Malaysian passport. How is that inspiring to us?

[Desi Lydic]

Oh, I don't know. It's inspiring to me. All right, later, bitches.

[Seth Doane]

All right, that might be the best wicked for the Daily show news team, everybody. When we come back, we find out how to not care. So don't go away. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

[Desi Lydic]

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

[Seth Doane]

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives.

[Desi Lydic]

But that's all about to change.

[Seth Doane]

Like, none of this stuff gets looked at.

[Desi Lydic]

That's what's incredible.

[Seth Doane]

I'm Seth Doane of CBS news. Listen to 60 Minutes.

[Desi Lydic]

A second look on Apple podcasts. Welcome back to the Daily Show.

[Seth Doane]

A lot of voters got what they wanted yesterday, and many didn't. But there was also a third group. Grace Kohlin Schmidt has more.

[Desi Lydic]

Every election leaves a third of the country feeling like complete shit. But there's a large group of people who have immunized themselves against political disappointment. Their strategy is surprisingly effective. I am choosing not to vote during this election.

[Seth Doane]

Oh, I'm not voting for anyone.

[Desi Lydic]

I just don't want to play the politic game. I literally took the word political and I blocked it on all social media. So I don't have.

[Seth Doane]

Thank you. For real?

[Desi Lydic]

Yes. I don't have no apps block the word political. Yes. And these non voters practice political abstinence for a range of reasons. Is there a reason you're not voting? Not really into politicians like that. Gotcha. Gotcha. I just became really disgusted with the whole political process. Yeah, we waste way too much time and money and energy trying to get.

[Seth Doane]

Somebody in the White House when what we should be doing is focusing on our community.

[Desi Lydic]

Did you think about voting for your local election?

[Seth Doane]

I don't think either of them are good leaders.

[Desi Lydic]

In my opinion. One of them is definitely going to.

[Seth Doane]

Bring up more violence.

[Desi Lydic]

So one candidate leading to more violence didn't get you to vote?

[Seth Doane]

Yeah. No.

[Desi Lydic]

I don't know why. I just don't.

[Seth Doane]

No, it didn't.

[Desi Lydic]

Most people resented choosing between two candidates they didn't like. But this non voter had the opposite problem. I think either way, we have two great candidates. Like, one is an accomplished attorney and then one is an accomplished business person. But I feel like we need both skills. So if we had an attorney business person, then you would maybe vote for them. Yes, that makes sense.

[Seth Doane]

Yeah.

[Desi Lydic]

Have you voted in past elections? I have voted in past elections. Okay, gotcha. And you're choosing not to vote in this election just because. Why? I have literally detoxed myself from a lot of toxicity, which includes live television news and that kind of thing. Recently, when you think about the word toxicity, it's about digestion. And digestion comes from what we eat and consume, which also is what we see, what we hear. So I'm honestly, genuinely inspired. And I too want to learn how to get toxicity out. I mean, don't get this on camera. I've been having diarrhea for like weeks. So not voting could actually cure my diarrhea. But without politics, how could I meaningfully spend my time? So if you don't pay attention to politics, what kind of stuff do you follow? Christianity and music. What kind of stuff about Christianity? Christianity do you follow? Just like updates on the Bible and stuff? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm, I'm reading a lot of James Baldwin. James Baldwin, humble brag.

[Seth Doane]

I recommend all Americans read.

[Desi Lydic]

That's the only thing that'll help make a better country. Because you're not voting though, are in the brain. I feel like you can't really tell me how to be better. So what's your pitch to people who they don't want to worry about politics either. What do you say to them? Stop giving a. That's it. It's that easy. So if you don't follow politics, what do you look at on your phone to get dopamine? I look at chess. Video chess videos inspired me. I didn't know you liked chess. I love chess. I had no idea.

[Seth Doane]

Sorry.

[Desi Lydic]

Checkmate. Oh, I've never even played chess before. Sorry, loser. But winning isn't everything. The good news is at least you'll get to play another game someday.

[Seth Doane]

Thank you, Grace. Can we come back? Pretty. McMillan Cottom will be joining me on the show, so don't go. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

[Desi Lydic]

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

[Seth Doane]

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like, none of this stuff gets looked at.

[Desi Lydic]

That's what's incredible.

[Seth Doane]

I'm Seth Doan of CBS news. Listen to 60 Minutes. A second look wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to the Daily Show. My guest tonight is an award winning author, sociologist, unc professor and cultural critic who's also a New York Times opinion columnist. Please welcome Tressie McMillan. Cotton.

[Desi Lydic]

Oh.

[Seth Doane]

Oh, Tressie. I was hoping to have a Different conversation with you today.

[Desi Lydic]

As was I. As was I.

[Seth Doane]

So many people turn to you for guidance. I know. No pressure. No pressure.

[Desi Lydic]

Poor people.

[Seth Doane]

Okay.

[Desi Lydic]

Yeah.

[Seth Doane]

No, but people do people look to you to sort of make sense of the world in times like this, this day in particular. That's a lot of pressure. How are you feeling? How are you feeling today?

[Desi Lydic]

I think I would be feeling more of the pressure if I wasn't already full. Right? Full. Full. This was a very short campaign, and yet it felt like it went on forever.

[Seth Doane]

Yes.

[Desi Lydic]

I tried to be pragmatic. If people read me and follow me, you know, I really tried to keep myself grounded, but even I, up to the end, had a little, I think, secret hope hanging around in there. I'm a little embarrassed.

[Seth Doane]

How dare you?

[Desi Lydic]

I know. How dare you? I went to school a long time. I should not be hopeful, but it was in there. And so I'm still a little hungover like everyone else.

[Seth Doane]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You actually talked pretty openly about being a little bit doubtful that Kamala would take the win. You were hoping that you were wrong, but you did sort of foresee this happening.

[Desi Lydic]

Yeah.

[Seth Doane]

You want to be right?

[Desi Lydic]

Well, I think that there were two things. I think that if you only read what, frankly, my colleagues, people like myself, write, that it can give you a really limited view of what's happening in this country. It's one of the reasons why I choose to live in North Carolina. I say to people I want to, you know, talk to real people as much as I possibly can. And frankly, I was talking to people, and they weren't nearly as terrified as I think the Democrats assumed that they would be of a Trump election, of a Trump reelection. And that. That stuck with me, especially with young voters. And we've seen how well Trump did with young voters. It isn't that they didn't remember Trump's presidency. A lot of people misremember it. They misattribute what they remember as positive to Trump, when in fact it was just right. Government working the way government should, or that, you know, they survived Covid, but they misattribute that to Donald Trump, and he is happy to take credit that he doesn't deserve. And that is also. That is also very helpful. He's shameless in that regard. So people misremembering, misattributing their memories to a positive Trump era really worked in his favor. And I was hearing that from a cross section of people. This was not just white voters, although white voters wasn't just men this was people of color. This was. These were immigrants. A lot of people who just weren't terrified of Donald Trump. And the Democrats took as their default that people would be terrified of Trump being reelected, and that's how they campaigned.

[Seth Doane]

Why do you think they saw it that way so differently? I mean, they obviously had a different picture of what his presidency was like back then. But is it the news source? Is it Trump's messaging? Is it the way that he knows how to communicate to his base, the way he tells his story?

[Desi Lydic]

For a lot of reasons, I think most of them related to just hubris and ego. I think those of us on the other side really need to believe that Donald Trump is just stupid and lucky and, yeah, it feels good. It explains away a lot of stuff if he is. But the fact is, you can be stupid and lucky and have a weird gift, and he has one.

[Seth Doane]

What is his weird gift?

[Desi Lydic]

His weird gift is he knows what people really want. Not what they say they want, not what they report to a pollster, not what they say at Thanksgiving dinner. What he has been consistently good at since he entered into electoral politics is he goes to the heart of what they really want. They want to feel like they're winning, even if everything around them says they're losing. They want to feel like someone is fighting for them, even when it's obvious he's only fighting for them himself. They want to think that they are on the precipice of owning a great country at the height of its history. Right? And he is willing to tell people anything.

[Seth Doane]

Right.

[Desi Lydic]

And that is very useful when you're trying to tap into people's, I think, deep anxieties and their desire to be deluded about reality.

[Seth Doane]

It doesn't have to be factual. He doesn't have to actually have a policy in place. He can just say, oh, the border, I'll fix it.

[Desi Lydic]

Yeah. And this really flummoxed Democrats who kept saying, but where's his plan? Where's his plan? People don't care about plans nearly as much as we thought they did. Right? And I think, truly, I think that is a laugh. I think that professional politicians and administrators and the people we elect, they should know plans, right? And certainly they should exist out there for those of us who do want to know about them. But I think most Americans just want a really good story about how their lives are going to be better. And in this election, whether that story resonated with you or not, Donald Trump's story was simple, and you could remember it, and you understood it. Things are bad. I will make it good.

[Seth Doane]

Mmm.

[Desi Lydic]

Wow. Everybody gets that story, right? It's Fairy Tale 101. You can't counter that with policy proposals. Right, Right. I know we wish that's how people made decisions, but it's not. People make decisions from gut and instinct and feeling.

[Seth Doane]

I think you're so right. You're so right. You wrote a piece in the Times just today and you said, it is time for us to accept that American politics is identity politics. Tell us what you meant by that.

[Desi Lydic]

I meant that we have spent a lot of time. And by we again, I mean myself. People in the media, I think academics, researchers, and politicians certainly have spent a lot of time saying that identity politics is dangerous, or at least it's murky. Right. This is why we said Occupy was a distraction for the Democrats. Black Lives Matter was a distraction for the democracy. The feminist movement is a distraction for the Democrats because they won't focus on real issues that matter to real Americans. Right. The problem with that is that you assume that the only people with an identity are women and people of color. But as Donald Trump has proven, what he has proven and the way he has won has proven is that every voter has an identity. Every voter has an identity. And he tapped into one of the most powerful of American identities. He tapped into white identity.

[Seth Doane]

Right?

[Desi Lydic]

Right. And he said, you don't need to be ashamed of this identity. I'm gonna give it a name and I'm gonna make you feel good about it. And you don't have to sacrifice a thing. Donald Trump played identity politics like a fiddle.

[Seth Doane]

Mmm.

[Desi Lydic]

So when you say that the Democrats lose because we play identity politics, it simply isn't true.

[Seth Doane]

Right.

[Desi Lydic]

This is about whose identities win. When you appeal to them, that means you should double down on the identities of your base. You should go out to them, something I think Democrats really only did cosmetically this time. But to take seriously what the members of your base want based on who they are and how they view themselves. I think if we did that, we would have understood why young men are anxious. I think we would have understood why young women could, yes, be afraid of a post Dobbs America, but not think that the woman president would help them. Right. I think that if you appeal more directly, actually, to people's identities, how they see their identities, then you could play the game that Trump has played, but without all of the nefarious self serving, self aggrandizement.

[Seth Doane]

Do you. Do you feel. What do you think that his character says about American masculinity?

[Desi Lydic]

Oh, I think it says, unfortunately, almost every. I'm sorry. I am. But I want you to know there's another way you can live another way. People with masculinity, there's another choice. But right now, good news.

[Seth Doane]

Yes, it is.

[Desi Lydic]

Right now, his choice does look pretty compelling because he's winning. Right. In America, we think of ourselves as winners, and so when somebody's winning, they must be the right choice. But I think what he says about masculinity is that when masculinity feels threatened.

[Seth Doane]

Mm.

[Desi Lydic]

It lashes out. And when it lashes out, it will not. It doesn't care very much about who it takes that out on. What Trump embodies is just our national masculinity crisis of not knowing what it means to be a man. When you can't rely on a job to define that, when you cannot rely on a woman's position to define you as a man. Right. When you don't know what your role is. In a family where everybody has to take care of the children.

[Seth Doane]

Mm.

[Desi Lydic]

Everybody now has to take care of their parents because it's expensive and it's labor intensive. And he is promising you a version of masculinity where none of those things are happening. Now. It doesn't change the fact that those things are happening and they are coming for you. They're coming for all of us. But he is a nice little stopgap for people who want to continue to pretend a little while longer.

[Seth Doane]

Yeah. It's so challenging in this moment in time. I have a son, and I don't know how to explain that a convicted felon, a bully, can be president.

[Desi Lydic]

Yeah.

[Seth Doane]

Like, what do you even say to that?

[Desi Lydic]

You know what I find fascinating? I actually think children get it a little better than some of the adults do. I believe that because they do actually deal with bullies. I think some of the problem with adults, especially those of us who reach, you know, certain places in life. We haven't been punched by a bully in a long time.

[Seth Doane]

Yeah, we gotta start getting gut punched. I'm just saying.

[Desi Lydic]

I'm saying it couldn't hurt.

[Seth Doane]

I'm gonna rough up the crew later. I'm gonna take that to heart. It's great advice. What do you think? There were a lot of women that voted for him. Do you think that women were in denial about what he's been accused of? Are they ignoring his allegations? Do they believe it's not true? Or are they just a willing participant in the patriarchy and believe that that's just par for the course?

[Desi Lydic]

Yeah. When I'm not feeling generous, I go with that one. A tool of the patriarchy. For the record, when I am feeling a little more generous, I think that anxiety works on women too. And I think that when no one is really addressing the Democrats, aren't either, by the way, aren't doing a much better job than the Republicans, aren't dressing, aren't addressing our fundamental problems. Our fundamental problems are housing is expensive, childcare is expensive, caring for our parents is expensive. Our children for the first time probably won't do better than their parents. Right. People feel that on a visceral level. But if nobody's giving you an actual solution to that, you will take what they are giving you.

[Seth Doane]

Right?

[Desi Lydic]

And what Donald Trump has given both men and women is an answer where at least it is clear what they are supposed. People don't like ambiguity. This. Wait, we'll figure it out. Wait till we get through our ten point plan, right? Wait until we get back the house. You'll see, it'll be fine. And all of that may be true, but that doesn't help you go to sleep at night. What does help you go to sleep at night is a guy who says, forget all about that, right? Get you a man like me, you won't have these problems. See, look at Melania. She doesn't care about childcare, right? And that does look like a certain kind of. But I do think that the root of that is still anxiety about how are people supposed to make it right.

[Seth Doane]

How are you feeling right now in this moment in time? Where do we go from here?

[Desi Lydic]

There's where I think we're gonna go and then there's where I hope we're gonna go.

[Seth Doane]

Okay.

[Desi Lydic]

I think where we're gonna go is a lot of blaming for the next couple years. I don't think Kamala Harris deserves blame. This was an historically odd, short campaign cycle.

[Seth Doane]

Absolutely.

[Desi Lydic]

For a relatively unknown candidate at the federal level who had to try to go out and make a pitch without being able to do that in the low stakes early days of primaries, etc. Where maybe the pitch could have been refined, all of that kind of stuff. She inherited a lot of stuff from Biden. This is, you know, I don't think Kamala Harris or her team deserves a ton of blame. I don't actually think Biden does either. This is just where we are. But I suspect it's gonna be too attractive not to do the blaming because the Republicans didn't just do well, they did very well.

[Seth Doane]

Yeah, they did.

[Desi Lydic]

We're talking about Trump, but also the House, the Senate, some down ballot races. They did very well. What I think we should be paying attention to is that a lot of people were able to parse the difference between defending abortion but also voting for Trump.

[Seth Doane]

Right, right.

[Desi Lydic]

That means people actually can do nuance. That, to me, is the upside.

[Seth Doane]

Mm.

[Desi Lydic]

If you've got a good clue. Okay.

[Seth Doane]

That's not how I looked at it, but. All right, thank you. That's helping.

[Desi Lydic]

You know, it's. But there's something people, if you give them a story that doesn't challenge their identity too much, they're able to split a ticket. I think that's good news for Democrats, who are gonna need a lot of split tickets coming up. And one of the things that I hope happens on the other side is I hope the Democrats go back and make peace with the people in their party who tried to say, these are the things that mattered to us. This is who we are. These are our identities, and we're the people who vote for you. Yes.

[Seth Doane]

Yes.

[Desi Lydic]

That's what I hope happens.

[Seth Doane]

Right. I do, too. From your lips to God's ears. Thank you so much for being on the show today. Thank you. Thank you, McMillan Cotton, everybody. We're going to take a quick break.

[Desi Lydic]

But we'll be right back after this.

[Seth Doane]

That's our show for tonight. Stay tuned tomorrow, when Ronnie Chang will be your host. Now, here it is, your moment of doubt.

[Desi Lydic]

You just voted. I did. And who did you vote for? For Harris. And tell me about how you came to this decision. So I wasn't going to vote at all until my girlfriend was blowing up my phone telling me to go vote, and if I didn't, she was gonna break up with me. So now I'm here. Was she seriously gonna break up with you? No, I made that up. She didn't say that. Explore more shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount. Paramount podcasts.

[Seth Doane]

When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

[Desi Lydic]

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

[Seth Doane]

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like, none of this stuff gets looked at.

[Desi Lydic]

That's what's incredible.

[Seth Doane]

I'm Seth Doane of CBS news. Listen to 60 Minutes a second look wherever you get your podcasts.