{"podcast":{"title":"The Smerconish Podcast","slug":"the-smerconish-podcast-4474155","podcast_index_feed_id":4474155,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/Dv1m2CJC","website_url":"https://www.siriusxm.com","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/8436e3c1-2479-4466-ac48-fa58259960bb/3307704c-973a-4ab2-a9c2-8e76f28a7ee9/3000x3000/podcast-20on-20dark-7.jpg?aid=rss_feed","author":"SiriusXM","episode_count":1991,"summary":"Spirited discussions of government, politics, and current events without predictable left/right bias. The Smerconish Podcast is for Independent Minds. The Michael Smerconish Program airs live on SiriusXM's POTUS Channel 9AM-12PM ET and replays 9PM-12AM East, Monday-Friday.","last_synced_at":"2026-08-01T06:17:03.780985+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155"},"episode":{"title":"Today's Poll Question: When you vote, does character or policy matter more?","slug":"today-s-poll-question-when-you-vote-does-character-or-policy-matter-more","published_at":"2026-05-20T12:39:30+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155/today-s-poll-question-when-you-vote-does-character-or-policy-matter-more","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155","url":"https://www.siriusxm.com","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/sxm.simplecastaudio.com/d49edecb-af71-4e40-b63b-f7bdc3faae1b/episodes/354ba65d-2b2f-42e7-b38d-18375e45b61b/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=d49edecb-af71-4e40-b63b-f7bdc3faae1b&awEpisodeId=354ba65d-2b2f-42e7-b38d-18375e45b61b&feed=Dv1m2CJC","summary":"Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: When you vote, which matters more: character or policy? Michael Smerconish explores one of the oldest and most uncomfortable questions in American politics: should voters prioritize a candidate’s personal character or the policies they promise to deliver? Drawing on the views of Colin Powell and James Madison, plus examples from JFK, Nixon, Clinton, and Trump, Michael examines the gap between what voters say matters and how they actually vote. If millions knowingly support candidates they view as dishonest or immoral, is policy ultimately what drives elections? Or does character still define leadership in a meaningful way? This episode unpacks the tradeoffs voters make in the privacy of the voting booth. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.","meta_description":"Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: When you vote, which matters more: character or policy? Michael Smerconish explores one of the oldest and most un…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":817,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155/episodes/today-s-poll-question-when-you-vote-does-character-or-policy-matter-more/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155/today-s-poll-question-when-you-vote-does-character-or-policy-matter-more.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}