An Election Full of Contradictions

FEATURING ROBERT JENSEN – With less than 6 weeks left to go until this year’s Presidential election, so many questions remain. The two major party candidates are neck-in-neck in polls, or slightly ahead of the other depending on which poll you pick. A large number of Americans remain undecided, perhaps aghast that it has come down to a bombastic billionaire and a neo-liberal war hawk.

Arguments abound over voting for a third party candidate like Jill Stein who says, “forget the lesser evil, and fight for the greater good.” In past years elections have been seen as sucking the energy out of social movements, but this year communities that were generally marginalized by the mainstream have shown inspiring leadership through Black Lives Matter and the #NODAPL actions.

Robert Jensen, a Professor of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, and author of numerous books that we have featured on this show, including, Arguing for Our Lives: A User’s Guide to Constructive Dialogue; and We Are All Apocalyptic Now: On the Responsibilities of Teaching, Preaching, Reporting, Writing, and Speaking Out.