In this Reflections episode, Barry and Mustafa dive deeper into their conversation with Professor Sasha Mudd about the moral dimensions of democratic crisis and the challenge of respecting political opponents.
Barry and Mustafa find themselves grappling with one of the most challenging questions in contemporary politics: what do we make of the 77 million Americans who voted for Trump? It's easy to dismiss them, but as they dig into Sasha Mudd's insights, they realize the picture is far more complicated.
The conversation meanders through some fascinating territory—from old theories about crowd psychology to very current questions about why the Democratic Party seems so disconnected from working-class concerns. They spend time on immigration, which Barry describes as a "treasonable issue" because people on both sides see their opponents as fundamentally betraying something sacred.
And they end up having quite an extended discussion about assisted dying—prompted by Sasha's recent column—where they wrestle with whether legalizing it might end up making death a cheaper option than actually helping people live decent lives.
It's the kind of conversation where they don't reach tidy conclusions, but they do clarify why these issues feel so intractable.
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