Cocktail Banter connects you with the best of politics and pop culture. It’s the podcast that gives you everything you need to know to be in the know.

This week, we’re talking with Michelle Cottle, a contributing editor at The Atlantic, about America’s deeply divided electorate.

A recent survey showed the widening gap between Trump and Clinton voters: 72% of Trump voters think American society has changed for the worse since the 1950s, but 70% of Clinton supporters think it’s changed for the better.

What happens to a deeply divided electorate after Election Day? Stories like this one, about the burning of an African American church in Mississippi (where "Vote Trump" was spray painted on the side) and this one, about Muslims parents addressing their children's concerns that they might be kicked out of the U.S, show the fears stoked by this election season aren't going away anytime soon.  

How can we address and mend the divisions in our society that have been brought to the forefront during this campaign? 

Cottle discusses her recent piece "Trump's Fans Have More To Lose Than Trump Himself,” and highlights problems that lie ahead if the resentments stirred up by Trump remain unaddressed. (3:11)  

We discuss the causes of these divisions (4:55), and what political leaders and citizens can do to mend them in the days ahead. (6:00, 9:12)

Cottle shares her thoughts about how the GOP should have a plan to calm unrest after the election (16:10, 19:38) and how Clinton could address the divisions in our society if she is elected president (6:39).

She also shares her thoughts about what every American can do to help put a stop to sexism, regardless of who is elected president next week. (10:52. Also check out her piece on the rise in overt sexism, “The Era of ‘The Bitch’ is Coming.")

We debate whether Trump will make a concession speech if he loses (23:30), and how Clinton should plan for the day after the election (17:12).

Check out Cottle’s pieces in The Atlantic and continue the conversation by connecting with her on Twitter.