After a decade of arduous election cycles, how could political discussion possibly constitute evening entertainment? A political program free of pandering, preaching and fearmongering is a rare commodity in the final month of a critical campaign season. Fortunately, charismatic hosts who possess equal parts sharp humor, earthy delivery and acute knowledge can indeed make politics fun again.
On Monday, September 29, MSNBC political analyst Molly Jong-Fast and Lincoln Project Founder Rick Wilson brought their Politics as Unusual tour to Somerville’s Arts at the Armory. Jong-Fast and Wilson have previously collaborated on The Daily Beast’s The New Abnormal podcast and Wilson is a frequent guest on Jong-Fast’s acclaimed podcast Fast Politics. Their positive rapport illuminated the conversations onstage, and the receptive audience fed their energy back with frequent applause, laughter and passionate yet always amicable interjections.
The evenings’ program began with positive affirmations of Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to renew voter’s hopes and get into Donald Trump’s head. Throughout the discussion, Jong-Fast and Wilson lambasted the Trump/Vance ticket in ways that echoed Harris’ own method of highlighting the GOP nominee’s unhinged demeanor and impractical platforms.
Wilson, a former Republican strategist whose Lincoln Project PAC has united a coalition of never-Trump Republicans and Democrats, took aim at Trump’s poor judgement of character. “I never would have hired Kellyanne Conway, because her work was shit!” he stated with trademark bluntness. The two presenters took aim at Trump’s puzzling rehiring of Corey Lewandowski, his former campaign manager who was arrested for manhandling a reporter and fired partway through the 2016 race.
When the topic shifted to the upcoming Vice-Presidential debate, Jong-Fast and Wilson zeroed in on JD Vance’s track record of disingenuousness compared to Tim Walz’ sincerity. Listers of Fast Politics can attest to Molly Jong-Fast’s ability to accentuate the ridiculousness of the MAGA platform without minimizing their propensity for violence and anti-democratic ideals. This ability to cut through the dark rhetoric with dry humor and hard facts assuaged the crowd’s collective election anxiety all evening. “Has there ever been a modern political figure who became unpopular as quickly as J.D. Vance?” she asked with characteristic deadpan delivery. One could see Vance’s blank stare in their minds eye as the crowd applauded in unison. Jong-Fast and Wilson continued to rake Vance over the coals as they cited his unsuccessful Appalachian relief foundation and his lackluster record in the senate. They reminded the crowd that Vance has never passed or sponsored a piece of legislation as a senator. Wilson astutely pointed out that Vance was a never-Trumper who has since sold out for the former president, and therefore earned Trump’s support. “Vance is a bucket of pathologies” Wilson declared as the audience envisioned this quote in a future Lincoln Project ad. Perhaps the greatest indictment of Vance’s career was the unfavorable comparisons to Vice-Presidential candidates Dan Quayle and Sarah Palin, both with more experience than Vance.
The duo took the conversation to a more hopeful place when they sang the praises of Harris’ running mate Tim Walz. They assured voters that Walz’ everyman appeal is a vital asset to the Harris campaign. Wilson described Walz as a “lockpicker” who can unlock a wide array of voting bloc’s (working class voters, men without a college degree) compared to a candidate with a more elite reputation. Jong -Fast reminisced about interviewing Walz when he was the head of the Democratic Governors Association, noting that one needed to be well-liked to hold that position.
In a particularly revealing segment of the discussion, the presenters laid out the crucial differences in Vice President Harris’ and Trump’s campaigning methods in the home stretch of the election. Their in-depth analysis of Trump’s fundraising strategies, particularly hawking high-priced watches and books revealed his need to build a cash reserve to pay legal fees. Listeners also learned that Trump has no field offices in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania and that large swaths of Democratic voters are expected to vote early or via absentee ballots in that state. Harris was reported to have four hundred thousand volunteers working in the Keystone State at this time. Wilson reassured the audience that if Pennsylvania is called for Harris shortly after the polls close, a Democratic victory is extremely likely. The explanation that about fifty percent of Republican women no identify as pro-choice compared to twenty two percent a short time ago reinforced the statistics that most Americans support a woman’s right to choose and that number is growing. Jong-Fast and Wilson underscored their scathing criticism of the Trump/Vance platform with positive affirmations that most voters reject the initiatives outlined in Project 2025.
Wilson warned the crowd that the period between the election and the inauguration could bring violent uprisings that dwarf the January 6th insurrection. Although he and Jong-Fast appeared optimistic about Harris’ diverse coalition, they both emphasized the need to take the threat of violence from the far-right seriously. Wilson, in his usual animated tone, told voters that one way to avoid violence and contention is for Harris to win the electoral college in a landslide, just as President Obama did in 2008.
At the evening’s conclusion, Jong-Fast and Wilson took questions emailed in from the audience. “Which Republican’s endorsement would most benefit the Harris campaign?” one listener asked. The consensus between Jong-Fast, Wilson and the audience was Nikki Haley, Mitt Romney and George W. Bush. Another audience member asked if they should unsubscribe from the New York Times due to their “sane washing” of Trump. Jong-Fast replied by understanding voters’ frustration with mainstream media, but also detailing the importance of supporting reporters and not solely opinion-based journalism. She encouraged the crowd to keep their subscriptions and support the free press.
When asked about strategies to communicate with family members on the far-right, our hosts gave sensible advice that their listeners could take to heart and use to facilitate discussion. They warned against accusatory language and name calling, but recommended referencing other fringe movements and letting one’s listener connect the dots on their own. Another approach they advocated was Socratic questioning, relating Trump’s rhetoric to MAGA supporter’s own lives and families. “Do you want your daughter to be treated like Trump treats women?” and “Do you want your own reputation to be like Trumps?” were some examples of questions which could inspire a change of heart.
Following Boston asked if new evidence in the January 6thcase, expected this month will sway voters. Wilson responded “You never get a lost day back on the campaign and Trump will be rage tweeting for a week. This will confirm to voters that he is vengeful, weird and unstable”.
The final and most important questions of the evening involved the most effective races to donate money towards and how to support Democratic candidates if one cannot donate funds. Both presenters suggested contributions to down ballot candidates such as Dan Osborne running for senate in Nebraska. They strongly encouraged phone banking and canvassing for the Harris campaign to engage in direct contact with voters.
To hear more of Molly Jong-Fast and Rick Wilson’s vital political musings, be sure to follow The Lincoln Project on social media and tune into Jong-Fast’s Fast Politics and Wilson’s The Enemies List podcasts.
Words: Christopher Minor
Media: Michael Kalish
Christopher Minor
Writer and lifelong music and cat lover.