Half the Answer #26: Chasing Opinion Polls or Shaping Opinions?

Caitlin M. Green, Trent R. Nelson, Lexi Koren Aug 11, 2025

Trent and Caitlin talk with communications strategist Lexi Koren about the Democratic Party obsession with blaming wokeness and “the groups.” Should they be listened to? Why not? What should Democrats do instead?

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Resources:

The Rhetoric of Reaction https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674768680

Bill Maher on Pod Save America https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEKyn9NL46U

Trans rights as “hard to defend” https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/11/transgender-rights-election-public-opinon/680813/

NYT on immigration https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/06/us/politics/democrats-immigration-trump.html

Third Way on immigration https://www.thirdway.org/memo/running-on-immigration-the-gallego-blueprint

Briahna Joy Gray: Not the hill to die on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyIqL2Jh8xk

Published in: Half the Answer, Podcast

Authors

Caitlin Green is a linguist specializing in Discourse Studies and Pragmatics. She lives in California with her husband, two daughters, and a very small black cat.

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Trent R. Nelson is a poet, historian, and philosopher, as well as a political and socioeconomic analyst. He is the managing editor for MWF Springfield and a contributing editor with Liberal Currents.

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Lexi Koren is a communications consultant, former Democratic campaign manager and pollster, and occasional freelance writer.

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