August 22, 2016
The Party Conventions have come and gone. Each of the two major parties has made their case to America that their candidate is fit to lead. What's the takeaway for the country? What are the underlying strategies of each party and what groups are they trying to win? What do each of them, and the convention system in general, mean for the future of the US?

In this episode, Xander and Erik are joined by Roifield Brown, podcast savant that hosts (among mant other podcasts), MidAtlantic. We get to ask him how the Conventions look from the perspective of a Brit with a bit of an obsession with US politics. We dig into the history of conventions and why the US has such a bloody long campaign cycle, the mood of the country and what's causing it, how the parties play to that mood, and what the current electoral process tells us about the state of the country today.

ReConsider

Ep 19: After the Conventions: Do The Parties Know How to Party?

Why are referendums ending up so different from how polls suggest?

From Brexit to the FARC peace deal, there have been some shockers in referendums: the polls have very much gone one way, and the results another.

So what the heck is going on? In this episode, Xander and Erik talk about how polling works, how it might be going so wrong, and what oddities are going on with direct democracy versus the representative stuff we're used to.

Ep 23: Polling and Direct Democracy, WTF

If you're in the US, odds are good you'll be voting for a judge or six this November. It's hard, and _really_ different from electing a representative or executive.

So how the heck do you do it? How do you judge your potential judges? If you want to be a responsible citizen, you gotta give this one a listen.

Ep 24: Toolbox Talk: Electing Judges

Erik and Xander recount the true story from 1983 of how the world was a single crazy decision away from nuclear annihilation.

Ep 25: One Minute to Armageddon (Halloween Special!)

It happened. It's a shocker, but it happened.

There's a lot of pain and frustration across the country--and no matter what, half of it was going to be really upset today. How did Trump pull the upset? Where do we go from here? How do we understand each other better and heal the divide?

Ep 26: President Donald J Trump

Don't let the pundits do the thinking for you. Pause, and ReConsider. We take on, in-depth, one pressing political issue facing western Democracies with a fresh, researched, and challenging perspective. We help listeners see the full context behind the issue and make up their own minds.

More episodes available on our website.