Jen and Noam discuss the only thing that happened this week - Donald Trump is officially going back to the White House. We don’t try to unpack all of the things because nobody needs to get in all of their takes in the first week but we give initial thoughts on what the election does and does not mean, how we don’t really have enough hard data to know the answer to that, jumping to conclusions based on confirmation bias, discussing policy vs vibes and emotions, what libertarian hell is, and the value of data driven arguments.

We also touch on the pogram in Amsterdam that took place over the weekend and how it ties in to fears both rational and irrational about immigration and assimilation.

Check us out Thursday nights at 7:30pm EST on Twitch.

https://www.twitch.tv/ambitiousxover

Noam and Jen spend this last episode before the election discussing the intricacies of the popular anime Neon Genesis: Evangelion, how its themes refer back to the Old Testament, and the value of subjugating one's personal desires to the greater good.

Nah, just kidding. They discuss the accusation leveled by Nate Silver and Nate Cohn that the 2024 general election polls are the victim of herding, which is the desire to not stand out from the crowd by publishing polling results that would be perceived as outliers to…well there are a lot of reasons they get into. They briefly discuss Trump’s last week of campaigning and what the hell it means, from dump trucks to mic stands to Liz Cheney.

Stick around to the end of the pod for Noam’s truly heterodox opinion about what electoral outcome would be best for America and whether he and Jen will attend the post-election pink keffiyeh protest.

Check us out Thursday nights at 7:30pm EST on Twitch.

https://www.twitch.tv/ambitiousxover

Jen and Noam discuss the decision made by…well not the employees of the Washington Post to not endorse a candidate this election cycle and their disagreements on the importance of it, their agreement that Israel’s strike on Iran’s long range missile and drone manufacturing plants is very important for both the situation in the Middle East and in Ukraine, whether Trump’s chat with Rogan will be important and why, the importance of encouraging your supporters to go vote, and Noam recommends the film Strange Darling because it is important to enjoy entertainment that isn’t politics.

Check us out Thursday nights at 7:30pm EST on Twitch.

https://www.twitch.tv/ambitiousxover