The Thought Project Podcast At The Graduate Center

On the brink of the U.S. presidential election, Javier Padilla, a political science Ph.D. student at The Graduate Center, CUNY, discusses how affective polarization is impacting our country. The term refers to the animosity between Democrats and Republicans that extends beyond politics. The COVID-19 pandemic, Padilla asserts, has intensified this polarization, and it’s coming to a head with the upcoming elections. Padilla wrote an opinion piece for The Graduate Center’s soon to be launched Thought Project blog, “Coronavirus and American Elections: A Story of Polarization.” He talks about that essay and more in this episode.