Steve Kornacki on Vibe Shifts, Anxiety, and Democracy

Steve Kornacki on Vibe Shifts, Anxiety, and Democracy

When the fate of the country hangs in the balance, Steve Kornacki is our go-to guy. MSNBC’s normcore king was the star of Election Night 2020, a soothing presence in the face of uncertainty who crunches the numbers and makes the always-intimidating electoral map his bitch. Tell us how you do it, Kornacki. — MEL OTTENBERG

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ELECTORAL COLLEGE

“Method by which we elect the president.”

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MAKEUP

“The less, the better.”

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RACHEL MADDOW

“Incredibly kind and generous person.”

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AMERICA

“Great country.”

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THE SUPREME COURT

“Nine members. No one ever seemed to care more about it than they do now.”

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KHAKIS

“I still don’t understand why people care.”

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SNOOZE

“I use it too much on the alarm clock if that’s what you’re asking.”

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LIBERALISM

“Democrats have really embraced it.”

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SWEETGREEN

“That’s the salad place downstairs, right? Yeah. I’m trying to go there more.”

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POLLS

“I think there are a lot of issues, but they get a bad rap overall. They’re still valuable.”

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CLOSE CALLS

“I guess it makes me think of how many times I’ve almost screwed up terribly on the air, or fatally off the air.”

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FLYOVER COUNTRY

“I see it as a derogatory term, but I do think it captures a problem in the media.”

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ALL-NIGHTERS

“In this day and age, it seems like every election night.”

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NEWSMAX

“I would say it’s one of the voices you need to listen to, to understand where the right is today.”

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ESPN

“I was one of the first in my class to start watching it, back in the ’80s when we got cable in our town. Made me a huge college basketball fan.”

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VIBE SHIFTS

“I’m not even sure what they are.”

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DIET COKE

“I’ve tried to stop. Everybody tells me it’s the worst. I’ve had thousands of gallons in my life.”

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THIRST

“Trying to drink more water.”

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DEMOCRACY

“It’s a great system. Lets me do this.”

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DATA

“There can be too much of it. And I think the challenge, and what I try to do, is find what’s most important, what’s most meaningful, and then try and communicate it in a way that’s actually useful. Because I think data can guide you, can lead you, but it can also mislead you.”

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ANXIETY

“I get a lot of that. Yeah.”

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THE GAP

“I think they make these pants.”

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MAPS

“I love them, even though I can still get lost in front of the driveway.”

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PRESIDENTIAL RACES

“Nothing like them. First one I can remember following was 1988, a little bit as a kid. I understand it more now obviously than I did then, but I’ve been following them ever since.”

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HORSE RACES

“I’ve been following those almost as long.”

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NORMCORE

“Who?”

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Photography Assistant: Peter Fisher

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