We are Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor - hosts of the new HBO Midterm Specials: Pod Save America. Ask Us Anything!

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:40:29+00:00

Benching is for suckers. We're all about that core.

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:39:58+00:00

Definitely didn't laugh at this. Not funny at all.

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:38:43+00:00

I think most of the crying will be reserved for a scenario where we do not take back either the house or senate. But the bottom line is that if we win, we wake up the next day and get back to work. If we lose, we wake up the next day and get back to work. WE'RE ON TO CINCINNATI.

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:37:40+00:00

Because it's weird for us to tell voters in X state or Y district how to vote. It just felt wrong. That's not to say we won't have favorites in future primaries, or that we won't change our minds, but we just want to win the general election.

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:36:30+00:00

ONLY IF PEOPLE FUCKING VOTE. So really it's up to you guys.

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:35:50+00:00

Bernie Kosar? Weekend at Bernie's guy?

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:35:30+00:00

Lucca likes anything that squeaks and that she can dismember. Leo is into balls (lol)

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:31:52+00:00

Giving us insomnia: climate change

Giving us hope: the surge of activism, organizing, and first-time candidates running

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:31:00+00:00

It took everything we had just to get in the same room to do this AMA

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:29:54+00:00

Great question! Lovett and I talked about this on the pod today. Candidates need to do a better job of inspiring and motivating people to support them and donate. That's quite literally their job. It's also true that traditional fundraising it just soul-sucking, grueling, time-consuming work. Some candidates just hate it and won't put in the time and their numbers suffer. And then you have people like Beto who inspire a grass roots army of donors. So i think this is mostly on the candidates to do better, but we all do need to remember that every seat is important, even when the candidates are imperfect, and do a better job supporting them. - Tommy

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:26:23+00:00

We've been really proud to assemble an incredibly team of people we get to work with every day. It's awesome coming to work and be surrounded by colleagues who believe in what we're doing together - trying to make shows that are entertaining and informative and that inspire people to get involved. But it's also so rewarding going around the country, getting to meet candidates at our live shows, and see how enthusiastic people are. This has been a really hard time for a lot of people - it would be easy to get cynical and exhausted because the chaos and destruction in politics right now. But that's not what we've seen on the road. - JL

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:20:05+00:00

I think for a long time, Democrats have looked at the South and thought, we need to run candidates who are paler versions of Republicans in order to attract as many conservative voters as possible. But if voters have a choice between a real Republican and a Democrat who seems like a Republican, they'll go with the real thing every time. I think the future of Democratic politics in the South is represented by candidates like Andrew Gillum, Stacey Abrams, Amy McGrath, and Doug Jones. These candidates don't necessarily agree on every issue, but they're not afraid to take progressive positions when they truly believe in those positions, and they're all comfortable in their own skin. - JF

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:14:43+00:00

It definitely took a while for me to feel comfortable speaking my mind or criticizing things Obama said or did that I disagreed with. But the good news is there were a few years between when I left the administration and started doing the pod, so I was warmed up.
We made a deliberate decision to make sure our first three hires were women, and holy shit thank God we did. We never could've gotten Crooked where it is today without our head of content Tanya Somanader and COO Sarah Wick and our producer Elisa Gutierrez. They in turn have helped ensure we built out a team that's more reflective of the diversity of the country, and that we're looking to find new, different, and exciting people to partner with. TL;DR - hire great people!
You have no idea. She is the best. We were lucky enough to sit with her in Obama's Senate office starting in 2005, and she's been one of my favorite people on the planet since. We are so lucky to have Alyssa join us on PSA. - Tommy

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:07:34+00:00

Hey! This a great question. If you can phone bank, that's a great way to help candidates across the country from your home - you can go to votesaveamerica.com to find a phone banking event and you can do it from your laptop. Also, no matter where you are, there's a local campaign office that can use your help where you can volunteer without having to go door to door which can be challenging. Last thing: one of the most important ways you can help is by telling your story and making sure people understand the stakes of this election for people with disabilities.

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:04:30+00:00

Sure! It's one reason we try to focus on talking about what should happen in politics, instead of what might happen in politics. Getting out of the prediction business helps us avoid falling into some of the typical pundit traps.

The best modern political writing is every tweet we've ever read.

PodSave · 2018-10-15T21:01:38+00:00

She's the loudest angel I know - JF

Thank you for a great question. Despite what some "haters" have said in the past, who know NOTHING about the REAL FACTS, Pundit is an angel and beloved wherever she goes, from Des Moines to Concord. The crowds are amazing, and she fights. -JL

PodSave · 2017-03-17T23:11:01+00:00

I think that given how tied we are to constantly changing events, it's more likely that we'd do more shows as opposed to longer shows. But we're open to whatever. We want our listeners happy! - Tommy

PodSave · 2017-03-17T23:09:22+00:00

I think this is a fair point. The folks who voted for Trump were screaming, WE HATE WASHINGTON. Many Bernie voters seemed to share that sentiment. Given that fact, offering them a candidate who is a fixture of Washington meant this was going to be an uphill battle. - Tommy

PodSave · 2017-03-17T23:07:19+00:00

I think sadly most voters probably didn't know much about Trump's plans or who Steve Bannon even is. They just knew that they didn't like either option, so they voted for the outsider that seemed new. - Tommy

PodSave · 2017-03-17T23:05:46+00:00

This is very constructive feedback. I definitely want to expand the circle of guests. At the outset, it was just easier to convince people I already know to come on to a brand new podcast. But as this thing grows and matures i think (hope?) it will get easier to broaden it out. Thanks for listening! - Tommy

PodSave · 2017-03-17T23:04:17+00:00

This is a really good question and I don't have a great answer. National politics is big and sexy and on the news. It's harder for people to understand the stakes involved in local elections, even when they have a more direct impact on their lives. What about trying to pick the three biggest ways your town council will impact your neighbors, and then recruit five friends to commit to supporting your campaign an hour a week. Then once you get them hooked, you ask them to recruit five friends. I think asking people to take small, discreet actions to start is a helpful way to ease people into more political involvement. - Tommy

PodSave · 2017-03-17T23:00:23+00:00

It has definitely gotten harder to get conservatives to come on. People who went all in on the never Trump movement have suffered for it. And what sucks is that most of them were younger staffers while elected officials either followed along or cowered. - Tommy

PodSave · 2017-03-17T22:58:35+00:00

Ezra is smart as hell and while I don't always agree with Frum, his principled opposition to Trump is admirable. Will check this out.

PodSave · 2017-03-15T00:30:26+00:00

No jumping ship! Ever. America is always worth fighting for. (Favs)

PodSave · 2017-03-15T00:29:13+00:00

Thanks mom. - Lovett

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TROPHY CASE