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The Focus Group Podcast

Cumulus Podcast Network

Unfiltered, uncompromising, unexpected—The Focus Group is a look into what the average voter thinks about politics, policy, and current events. Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, has conducted hundreds of hours of focus groups all across the country. She and a series of special guests will take you behind the glass to hear what real focus group participants have to say. https://www.thebulwark.com/podcast/focus-group/

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United States

Description:

Unfiltered, uncompromising, unexpected—The Focus Group is a look into what the average voter thinks about politics, policy, and current events. Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, has conducted hundreds of hours of focus groups all across the country. She and a series of special guests will take you behind the glass to hear what real focus group participants have to say. https://www.thebulwark.com/podcast/focus-group/

Language:

English

Episodes

The "Everybody Sucks" Foreign Policy (with Tom Nichols)

3/25/2023
A year ago, Republican voters thought Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine were badasses. Now...Zelenskyy is just as bad as Putin. Tom Nichols, Professor Emeritus at the Naval War College and staff writer at The Atlantic, joins Sarah to listen to the voters' foreign policy takes. Tom is not impressed with the voters. show notes: Tom Nichols Atlantic piece: I Supported the Invasion of Iraq Tom Nichols book: Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault from within on Modern Democracy Pew Research...

Duration:00:55:00

How the Culture Wars Weren't Won (with Jane Coaston)

3/18/2023
You've heard the terms "woke" and "cancel culture" for years now. No one seems to agree on what they mean, though — which is why our guest says the culture wars will keep morphing, and they'll go on forever. New York Times opinion writer Jane Coaston joins Sarah to hear how the focus groups respond to "wokeness," "cancel culture," and...schools and drag show bans. We promise, this is NOT the episode to miss. show notes Jane Coaston: The Debate Hugh Hefner Won and William Buckley Lost...

Duration:01:03:10

The Voters Forgot God's Plan (with McKay Coppins)

3/11/2023
Mike Pence seems to think that he's destined to be president. The evangelical Christians in our focus groups did NOT get the memo. McKay Coppins, staff writer at The Atlantic joins Sarah to talk about the future of social conservatism in the Republican Party and Mike Pence's 2024 prospects. show notes: "God's Plan for Mike Pence" by McKay Coppins https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/mckay-coppins/the-wilderness/9780316327466/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:48:01

"They" Sent This Tornado (with David French)

3/4/2023
Marjorie Taylor Greene wants a national divorce. We don't, but we asked our focus groups about it anyway. New York Times opinion columnist David French (literally) wrote the book on a possible national divorce. He joins Sarah to talk about whether (and how) the United States holds together; and the task of rebuilding trust in our institutions. Show notes: Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation (by David French)...

Duration:00:55:27

It's Why They Play the Game (with Robert Gibbs)

2/25/2023
Voters that we talk to are iffy about Biden running for re-election given his age, but Republicans may have even larger challenges. Former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs joins Sarah to talk Joe Biden, the Democratic base, and the bright future of the Democratic bench. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:56:38

DeSanctimonious Deep Dive (with Tara Palmeri)

2/18/2023
The Republican establishment — and many Republican voters in our focus groups — think Ron DeSantis is the answer to their prayers that they can win in 2024. But Donald Trump has a say in this matter, and he's already offering up an early taste of the kind of attacks he's planning on DeSantis. Heads-up: Those attacks are likely to go lower. What are DeSantis' vulnerabilities as a candidate? Tara Palmeri of Puck News joins Sarah to listen to the focus groups and share some of her reporting...

Duration:00:43:17

Biden's B12 Shot? (with Peter Baker)

2/11/2023
Ready or not, it looks like Joe Biden is running for re-election. Our swing voters liked his State of the Union speech this week, but they've got concerns under the surface. Peter Baker, Chief White Correspondent for The New York Times, joins Sarah to listen to Trump-to-Biden voters and make a broader assessment of the Biden administration's political standing. show notes: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/06/us/politics/kamala-harris-vice-presidenct-legacy.html Learn more about your ad...

Duration:00:48:32

Sleepwalking Toward Catastrophe? (with Whit Ayres)

2/1/2023
The Focus Group podcast is BACK, with a twist: We're releasing The Bulwark's first-ever poll of Republican primary voters where we're trying to figure out just how big the "Always Trump," "Maybe Trump," and "Never Trump" buckets are among Republican primary voters. For that, we brought in Republican pollster Whit Ayres, who joins Sarah to stack our poll results up against the focus groups we've done since the election. Links: Poll by The Bulwark and North Star Opinion Research of Republican...

Duration:00:47:53

Midnight Train (Back) to Georgia (with Greg Bluestein)

12/3/2022
We're wrapping up this election cycle in Georgia with voters who voted for Herschel Walker in November — but aren't so sure about him going into the December 6 runoff. Atlanta Journal-Constitution political reporter Greg Bluestein joins Sarah for one last focus group in 2022. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Duration:00:44:28

Thankful for Swing Voters (with Amy Walter)

11/26/2022
The midterms have come and gone, and it turns out many of our focus groups were signs of things to come. Amy Walter, Editor-in-Chief of the Cook Political Report, joins Sarah for a look back at this year's groups. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:54:42

Can There Be Another Star in Trump's Cinematic Universe? (with David Drucker)

11/19/2022
Donald Trump announced his 2024 campaign this week. Republican elites would love to move on from him, but will Republican voters? David Drucker, the author of In Trump's Shadow: The Battle for 2024 and the Future of the GOP, joins Sarah to listen to Trump voters from the past year and discuss whether they provide clues for how the 2024 Republican primary may unfold. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...

Duration:00:48:48

What a Week!

11/12/2022
Sarah has a special message for Focus Group fans as we wait for the remaining election results. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duration:00:02:16

Election Eve Weekend Nerd Spectacular

11/5/2022
Instead of a focus group this week, Sarah sits down with four political super-nerds to get their read on Tuesday's election and beyond. She's joined by Jon Ralston to talk Nevada, Brahm Resnik — political reporter for Phoenix’s local NBC affiliate — to talk Arizona, along with Bill Kristol, and Gunner Ramer, the political director of the Republican Accountability PAC. Leave a comment, here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...

Duration:01:10:17

A Little Thuggishness Is Called For (with James Carville)

10/29/2022
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.comJohn Fetterman had a bad night in the Pennsylvania Senate debate, and an even worse night in our focus group — though this group wasn't inclined to like him anyway. Legendary Democratic operative James Carville joins Sarah to break down the Pennsylvania Senate race, and James shares his thoughts on how the Democratic Party needs to shape up. The Focus Group podcast is now exclusively for Bulwark+...

Duration:00:14:46

Arizona: Psychologically Unfun (with Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer)

10/22/2022
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.comArizona is ground-zero for the Big Lie about the 2020 election. The Republican nominees for Governor and Secretary of State, Kari Lake and Mark Finchem, are avowed election deniers, and Democrats may or may not rise to the occasion to beat them. But our guest HAS risen to the occasion: Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer joins Sarah to listen to Arizona swing voters and talk about his job running...

Duration:00:14:34

Georgia: Ticket-Splitting On Our Mind (with Molly Ball)

10/15/2022
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.comGeorgia is a closely divided state, but we're likely to see a lot of ticket splitters there this year - specifically a lot of people voting for arch-conservative Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock. Partly because they think Kemp is doing a good job, and partly because Warnock's opponent, Herschel Walker, is a total mess. TIME Magazine national political correspondent Molly Ball joins...

Duration:00:20:04

He Scares the Crap Out of Me (with Holly Otterbein)

10/8/2022
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.comThe Pennsylvania governor's race is a bit of a political science experiment: what happens if one candidate barely runs any ads? Turns out, swing voters still really don't like that guy. POLITICO's in-house Pennsylvania expert Holly Otterbein once again joins Sarah on the pod. They discuss how swing voters are feeling about the Pennsylvania governor's race, as well as how these same voters may be...

Duration:00:16:43

George Washington Wouldn't Tolerate Furries(with Charlie Sykes)

10/1/2022
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.comTo listen to this episode in full and to get future editions, upgrade to a Bulwark+ membership now and the next two weeks are on us—Free. Go to TheBulwark.com/FocusGroup to claim this free trial offer. America's Dairyland is becoming America's Election Land. Wisconsin has major races for governor and for U.S. Senate...and how are the Trump-to-Biden voters that delivered Wisconsin for Joe Biden feeling...

Duration:00:13:23

"Lesser of Two Evils" Drinking Game (with Natalie Allison)

9/24/2022
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.comRepublicans may be losing one of their best pickup opportunities in the Senate after they nominated a MAGA weirdo to run against an astronaut in Arizona. POLITICO Senate campaigns reporter Natalie Allison joins Sarah to listen to a group of Arizona swing voters and what they think of their choices. Go the TheBulwark.com/FocusGroup to get the next two weeks on us—Free. Learn more about your ad choices....

Duration:00:09:40

What Happens in Vegas Won't Stay in Vegas (with Jon Ralston)

9/17/2022
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.comNevada's economy was hit especially hard by COVID. Now, the Democratic governor and senator are paying the price in their re-election campaigns...or are they? The dean of the Nevada press corps, Jon Ralston, joins Sarah to talk about a Nevada focus group...and whether voters in the Secretary of State race are playing Russian roulette with American democracy. The Focus Group podcast is now exclusively...

Duration:00:11:13

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