David Pakman: Chaos in Political Discourse and the Rise of Counter-Narrative Media

David Pakman hosts The David Pakman Show, an internationally syndicated television, radio, and Internet political program. In 2005, at the age of 21, Pakman began hosting a local radio station as a "hobby", and by 2011 the show aired on 100 stations and outlets. He was for some time the youngest nationally syndicated political host. In this interview, David and Tiger talk about the state of political consciousness in America, how independent media like podcasting shape socio-political discourse, some of the hot issues that both the Left and Right are concerned about, and what could go wrong in November's elections with mail-in voting. How has the political discourse evolved given all the social turmoil and events in the past few months (Covid-19 and BLM most notably)? By discourse, we mean the general norm that dictates how people interact with each other or the way political and social issues are being talked about in public and private. Amongst all the famous podcasts hosts, for example, some say we’re in horrible chaos (Ben Shapiro); some say we’re in the middle of a revolution (Eric Weinstein); some say we’re finally making strides towards progress and equality (Ezra Klein)... What would be David's assessment? Why does he say that he agrees with Ben Shapiro that our political discourse is in chaos? The media landscape is becoming increasingly fractured, with new platforms such as podcasts, talk radio, and social media becoming alternative sources of information for those who do not tune in to cable news. Is it a positive thing that a handful of large corporations no longer control the news, or is it a problem that people’s political information is now more personalized, which can contribute to polarization? From Ben Shapiro to Ezra Klein, from Joe Rogan to Sam Harris, to what extent has the rise of podcasting contributed positively (or negatively) to contemporary political culture? David once said there’s a difference between getting passionate about universal healthcare and about shutting down abortion clinics, so he refuses to draw a false equivalence between the far Left and far Right. How has David arrived at his political views and beliefs? He says there are two things he find helpful when talking to people he disagrees with – one is asking the other side “how do you think I came to my position” and the other is “what evidence, if I present it to you, would bring you to my side?” So, what changes would David like to see in the Republican party and the Right? Lastly, we discuss how likely that a potential transfer of power will even happen peacefully or smoothly. There could be so many opportunities for hiccups due to mail-in voting prompted by the Covid-19 crisis, such as potential delays due to mail in ballots, Trump preemptively declaring victory, or refusing to accept defeat. A recent study shows that short of a Biden landslide, we will likely end up with a constitutional crisis that lasts until the inauguration, featuring violence in the streets and a severely disrupted administrative transition. Is David optimistic? Why does he think that Biden's chance of truly winning the presidency is no more than 50-50? This is a fascinating discussion on politics and beyond. We encourage you to visit davidpakman.com for more information about David's programs, and we hope that you may walk away from this discussion feeling the urgency to vote in this elections season.