Aired Feb 18, 2026

In this episode of Outrage Overload, we speak with political scientist Timothy Redmond, author of Political Tribalism in America: How Hyper-Partisanship Dumbs Down Democracy—and How to Fix It. We explore how political identities shape what we believe, how we interpret information, and whether we accept democratic outcomes we don’t like.

Redmond explains how modern politics often reverses the democratic ideal. Instead of forming views first and choosing a party that reflects them, many people adopt a party identity and then align their beliefs accordingly. This dynamic fuels motivated reasoning, selective exposure to information, and perceptual biases that make people on different sides of politics experience the same events in radically different ways.

A central focus is “losers’ consent”—the principle that democracy depends on losing sides accepting electoral outcomes and winners governing with restraint. Redmond draws on an ancient Greek myth from the Oresteia to illustrate how societies break cycles of retaliation through shared rules and third-party judgment, offering a striking metaphor for modern political conflict.

The conversation also examines why so many people believe the media is biased. Redmond discusses research on the hostile media effect, showing that people across the political spectrum often perceive neutral coverage as biased against them—suggesting that perceived bias frequently comes from our expectations, not the reporting itself.

Throughout the episode, Redmond offers practical tools for clearer thinking: recognizing cognitive biases, evaluating political arguments, distinguishing fact from opinion, and resisting outrage-driven media dynamics. It’s a calm, research-based conversation about polarization, democracy, and how individuals can think more clearly in an age of tribal politics.

Timothy J. Redmond is a political scientist, award-winning educator, and author of Political Tribalism in America. He has published over 100 articles on politics and critical thinking and teaches at Daemen University.

Links

Political Tribalism in America (Outrage Overload Bookshop)