What the Founders wanted

THE EAGLE: A Times Union Podcast

Four years ago this week, the editorial board of the Times Union called on members of the Electoral College to vote for someone other than Donald J. Trump.

The editorial — under the headline "Electors, reject Mr. Trump" — didn't call for that body to elect Democrat Hillary Clinton, but to consider a Republican alternative such as House Speaker Paul Ryan or Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

On this episode of The Eagle, hear the story of how that editorial came to be, and how the opinion pages of the paper operate separately from the news report. Narrated by editor Casey Seiler, it features interviews with editorial board members including Rex Smith, Jay Jochnowitz and Harry Rosenfeld as well as Publisher and CEO George R. Hearst III, who explains how the paper weathered the backlash.

The episode also delves into whether those who helped compose that piece have any regrets about it in the context of this year's election, in which some Trump supporters have called on elected officials to reject the will of the voters — albeit for very different reasons.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices