Graham Platner, Jon Ossoff and the New Rules of Political Attention
About this episode
Klein interviews MSNBC host Chris Hayes about his book 'The Sirens' Call' and the central question of modern politics: how do you earn attention when attention is the scarcest resource? They use two case studies in the new rules — Graham Platner's insurgent populist Senate campaign in Maine, run as an oysterman and veteran outside the party apparatus, and Jon Ossoff's very different approach — to debate what actually breaks through. Hayes argues the attention economy is extractive: platforms monetize outrage, and Democrats' institutional communication style fails in a media environment that rewards excitement and authenticity. They debate whether Democrats can learn to be interesting without becoming Trumpian, and what it would take to build a healthier public sphere.