Breaking Battlegrounds Podcast: Jon Fleischman Talks Trump Polling, and Newsom’s Commitment Against School Choice
Jon Fleischman joins host Sam Stone for a lively conversation where we hit on two recent topics we covered here at So, Does It Matter?
I recently joined Breaking Battlegrounds with host Sam Stone for a wide-ranging discussion that moved quickly from national polling to California’s refusal to participate in a new federal school-choice program. (Sam’s co-host Chuck Warren was out on a top secret mission.)
We began by digging into the weeds of a recent Pew Research survey examining President Trump’s approval numbers. Rather than just trading topline percentages, we looked at the underlying data — intensity of support versus opposition, partisan consolidation, and how independent voters are breaking. The survey reveals not just overall approval or disapproval, but how deeply entrenched opinions have become. We discussed what those trends suggest about turnout dynamics, media narratives, and whether national commentary is accurately reflecting voter sentiment. The conversation focused less on spin and more on structural shifts in how Americans view the presidency.
From there, we turned to education policy — specifically the new school-choice scholarship program contained in the OBBBA. The program allows states to opt into a federally supported scholarship framework designed to expand educational options for families. As of now, 27 states have chosen to participate.
California has not.
We discussed why Governor Gavin Newsom has declined to opt into the program, despite ongoing debates in the state about public school performance, parental rights, and funding disparities. The conversation explored the political and policy implications of that decision — including how state leadership balances federal incentives against existing education structures, union influence, and broader ideological considerations.
It was a fast, substantive segment that connected national political trends to state-level decisions in real time. If you’re interested in how polling data, federal policy, and California governance intersect, you’ll want to listen to the full interview.
Here is our discussion and below are links to the two corresponding posts on this Substack that we were discussing!
You have to go to the 24:15 mark on the player (which is just audio on YouTube to hear my segment, which runs about 23 minutes long).
If you’d prefer to listen on your favorite Podcasting app, go here and select one, and look for those here (look for the February 6, show - 24:15 mark).
It’s worth mentioning that also on this same segment were two friends, Alex Swoyer with the Washington Times (Alex and I were colleagues once upon a time at Breitbart News) and Jessica Patterson, the former head of the California Republican Party, retiring from that post earlier last year.
I really enjoy this podcast, and so it was really special to be invited on! A special shout out to Erin on their crew for seeking me out.
Breaking Battlegrounds is active on Substack - this is their write up on the part of our interview where we talked about Newsom’s invariable opting out of letting taxpayers in California designate some of their federal tax liability to help non-profits that support school choice.
And this is their write up on our segment on Trump’s polling. ]
BELOW ARE MY WRITE UPS ON THESE TOPICS.
TOPIC NUMBER ONE DISCUSSED WITH SAM
TOPIC NUMBER TWO DISCUSSED WITH SAM