James and Deborah Fallows on Trump's Alternate Reality and the Concerns of Small Town America

A major contributing factor to Trump's success in 2016 was his love-hate relationship with the mainstream media. Whether it was giving the then-candidate a disproportionate amount of free press, or an unwillingness to be critical in a misguided attempt to appear balanced, news agencies everywhere unwittingly aided and abetted the President's rise to power. Now journalist James Fallows argues they have neither learned their lesson nor are they willing to be held accountable for their irresponsible behavior. Also, author Deborah Fallows suggests that in remaining hyper-focused on the "sport" of national politics, little attention is ever given to the real needs and interests of communities outside urban coastal areas.  

Show Notes:

01:00 – Intro
02:00 – The lack of good faith
07:45 – Where is the accountability?
17:15 – An absence of Republican courage
23:30 – The "sports" of politics
28:00 – Trump's hatred for his supporters
31:00 – What people are really talking about
35:45 – The agency of local issues
39:00 - Undoing Trumpism
43:45 - Art and agriculture
48:00 - The range of possibility