Odd Lots David Shor and Byrne Hobart on the Politics of a White-Collar Wipeout
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Mar 24, 2026 
Byrne Hobart, The Diff writer and Anomaly Fund investor, joins David Shor, pollster and founder of Blue Rose Research, for a lively look at AI anxiety. They dig into white-collar job disruption, why adoption feels suddenly real, who is most optimistic or fearful, how hiring and writing are already changing, and which political responses might actually win support.
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Working Class Voters Distrust The AI Upside Story
- David Shor says AI support clusters among the young, male, educated, and nonwhite, while working-class voters remain far more skeptical.
- He links that skepticism to lived experience: many workers think every big economic shift mainly rewarded elites and hurt everyone else.
Democrats May Have More Room To Run On AI
- David Shor says Democrats may have more room than Republicans to respond because Republican leaders have boxed themselves into boosterism and anti-regulation.
- He notes AI has risen faster than any other issue in his tracking, forcing politicians to catch up.
AI Fear Spread Because People See It Arriving
- David Shor says AI concern rose fast because people increasingly use these tools directly and hear about deployment across ordinary sectors.
- He cites 60% having used AI, 13% using it daily, including reports of widespread rollout in a rural Montana hospital.