We discuss why joining a club or an association is the glue that binds civic society to democracy. They are the classrooms for our citizenship! Pete’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Join a club! Re-inhabit the world that you’re in, by learning about it. Pete Davis is a bestselling author of Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing, the founder of the Democracy Policy Network, and the co-director of Join or Die, a film about why you should join a club and why t...
Mar 06, 2025•50 min•Season 20Ep. 336
We discuss a vision for the Democratic Party that goes back to its roots and represents working people and champions issues such as healthcare, student debt, and wages through a class lens. Faiz’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Call your member of Congress. Write a letter to the editor. Gather in civic organizations, host a house party and wrestle together with collective actions you can engage in. Faiz Shakir is Executive Director of More Perfect Union, formerly ran the Bernie 2020 c...
Feb 27, 2025•1 hr•Season 20Ep. 335
We discuss the influence of Karl Marx in American politics and the continued relevance of Marxism today. Andrew’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Form a reading group to change your collective political consciousness Read something challenging at an intellectual, political, or philosophical level Andrew Hartman is professor of history at Illinois State University and the author of several books, including A War for the Soul of America: A History of the Culture Wars. His upcoming book i...
Feb 20, 2025•55 min•Season 20Ep. 334
We discuss that Americans should prize truth over tribe. A lot of disinformation is hiding behind the First Amendment – using the right to free speech to tell lies. The muddy media and information ecosystem is turning us against our neighbors. Barb’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Meet people in real life because when we know them it’s harder to vilify them Get accurate election-related information from your secretary of state’s office Barbara McQuade is a legal analyst for NBC News a...
Feb 13, 2025•48 min•Season 20Ep. 333
We discuss how the public interest movements in the 60s and 70s can be a source of inspiration for American democracy and why this movement was a formidable force in influencing public policy that benefits all of us, from traffic safety to the Clean Water Act. Paul’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Focus on state and local government Make liberal cities and states compelling models for good governance to be replicated across the nation Paul Sabin is the Randolph W. Townsend, Jr. Profes...
Feb 06, 2025•46 min•Season 20Ep. 332
We discuss what we can all do to say "no" to Project 2025, including getting Democrats to play hardball in local, city, and state offices, and to protect and win elections this year and in the midterms next year. Ezra’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Organize in your community with like-minded Americans Use your constituent power to influence the political calculus of your elected representative Ezra Levin is the Co-Executive Director of Indivisible, which he co-founded with Leah Gree...
Jan 30, 2025•49 min•Season 20Ep. 331
We discuss many of our rights that are at risk under the new Trump administration, what our rights actually are–like due process and the 1st amendment, and an action plan for when they come under attack. Monica’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Know what your rights are and speak up. Talk to your friends and family about DC statehood Monica Hopkins is the Executive Director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia (ACLU-DC). Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram: https://w...
Jan 23, 2025•41 min•Season 20Ep. 330
We discuss the long history of organizing as a tool for fortifying American democracy, making it more equitable and just. Americans live from the benefits of organizing every day, whether that’s women’s suffrage or disability rights. Organizing is the tool for everyday people who are not in positions of power to solve the problems their communities are facing. Elyssa’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Get clarity on what you’re good at and what brings you joy. Organize for the long haul...
Jan 16, 2025•44 min•Season 20Ep. 329
We discuss the role of political parties in representing your interests and turning those interests into public policies that meaningfully make a difference in your life. Since the 1980s, both major political parties have adopted neoliberal policies, marked by declining responsiveness to major policy areas, and instead prioritizing pro-market and anti-state policies for economic growth and reliance on the private sector. Didi’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Get engaged on the local l...
Jan 09, 2025•52 min•Season 20Ep. 328
We discuss why now is the time for a third political party to really take center stage in American democracy. Maurice’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Organize! Join an organization. Create conditions where people can govern and decide the direction of their country and their democracy Maurice Mitchell is the National Director of the Working Families Party. He's a nationally recognized social movement strategist, a visionary leader in the Movement for Black Lives, and a community orga...
Jan 02, 2025•50 min•Season 20Ep. 327
We’re sharing an episode from our friends at Latino USA! In this episode, producer Reynaldo Leaños Jr. travels to southern Arizona where one of the first major concentrations of surveillance towers on the southern border were built, and he looks at what these towers mean today, and for the future of those crossing, and living, there. The “virtual wall” across the U.S.-Mexico border is made up of things like drones, sensors, cameras and… surveillance towers. Both Democrats and Republicans have su...
Dec 26, 2024•58 min
We discuss how ungoverning is the equivalent of a bull in a china shop. Many institutions will be destroyed, but we don't know which ones and to what extent! Nancy’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Don’t let unpredictability strip you of your agency Vote in local, county, and state elections Nancy Rosenblum is the Senator Joseph Clark Professor of Ethics in Politics and Government Emerita at Harvard University, and the co-author of Ungoverning: The Attack on the Administrative State an...
Dec 19, 2024•51 min•Season 19Ep. 325
We discuss election integrity and voting machines, the amazing work of election workers, and the logistics of election audits. Ben’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Talk to your town or county clerk and offer to help. Be a poll worker for a day! Ben Adida is the Executive Director of Voting Works, the only non-profit voting system vendor in the U.S. Their mission is to make election technology everyone can trust through transparency, simplicity, and demonstrable security. Let’s connect...
Dec 12, 2024•47 min•Season 19Ep. 324
We discuss why the American electorate voted the way they did in 2024, the history of various voter suppression tactics, and how we can bounce back from a feeling of post-election civic helplessness. Michael’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Use your platform! Do the research. Read books. Go deep on what's going on and convey what you've learned. Michael Waldman is the CEO and President of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and a constitutional lawyer and writer who is...
Dec 05, 2024•51 min•Season 19Ep. 323
We discuss the long history of vigilante democracy in the US and its return in our current politics. The playing field is currently tilted in favor of these vigilante policies, but blue states can level the playing field by playing constitutional hardball. David Noll reminds us that the American people have beat back movements to use vigilante power to enforce a reactionary agenda time and again. David’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Get involved in local politics Resistance works an...
Nov 26, 2024•52 min•Season 19Ep. 322
We discuss how the Democratic party continues to ignore AAPI voters in schools despite their increasing power at the ballot box and the necessity to build coalitions with them to win elections. Between 2016 and 2020, voter turnout in this community increased by 47%. The near doubling of AAPI voters in Georgia and Arizona effectively made the Biden victory in 2020 possible. Varun’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Show up to a school board meeting Gather insight from engaging in your loc...
Nov 21, 2024•50 min•Season 19Ep. 321
We discuss the intersection of feminism and democracy and discover how the egalitarian underpinnings of feminism are fundamental to an equal society. Abortion bans illustrate this well. “Any time there's a conflict between the Constitution and someone's personal bodily autonomy and the subject of rights under the law, that is anti-democratic.” Nicole’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Start small, engaging directly in your community Maintain hope and optimism and believe that you’re goi...
Nov 14, 2024•47 min•Season 19Ep. 320
We discuss the importance of shifting our mindset to one that is infused with hope. Positive change comes when we choose hope. Though nobody can fix it all, we can all do something and make an impact. Sharon reminds us that if something is worth doing for everyone, it’s worth doing for one person. Sharon’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Choose hope. Get involved in an issue that is important to you because your actions do matter. Sharon McMahon is the creator of “Sharon Says So” and h...
Nov 07, 2024•44 min•Season 19Ep. 319
We discuss why American democracy should not treat the Latinx community as a monolith, what actually matters to this community, and how the strength of their engagement in U.S. democracy will play out in this year’s presidential election. Maria Teresa’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: VOTE! Share your excitement to vote with everyone you know, especially young people. Maria Teresa Kumar is the President and CEO of Voto Latino, a civic engagement organization focused on educating and em...
Oct 31, 2024•46 min•Season 19Ep. 318
We discuss the purpose of fascist education, the political nature of universities in defending democracy, and the dangers of America’s powerful exceptionalist narrative. Jason’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Stand up in solidarity with those who are political targets Understand other people’s perspectives because that gives them the voice in a democracy Jason Stanley is the Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University and the author of seven books. His most recent is Eras...
Oct 24, 2024•43 min•Season 19Ep. 317
We discuss the necessary policies that make a family friendly economy possible, such as investments in child care, elder care, and paid family leave. Such investments ought to be considered basic infrastructure, which contribute to the economy. Sondra’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Talk to your friends and family who are having challenges around caregiving. Vote for candidates who support child care and paid family leave, and hold them accountable after elections. Sondra Goldschein ...
Oct 17, 2024•34 min•Season 19Ep. 316
Future Hindsight is a finalist in the 2024 Signal Awards and we need your help to win the gold! We’re being recognized in the Activism, Public Service, & Social Impact category for our episode on Policing Equity and Justice with Dr. Phillip Atiba Solomon. Public voting is open until Oct 17th, 2024 and every vote counts. Go to this link to vote for Future Hindsight now: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/individual-episodes/general/activism-public-service-social-impact You can also v...
Oct 10, 2024•3 min
We discuss the deep impact of Project 2025 policies on the American people, even if only 10-15% were implemented. Well beyond abortion bans and no-fault divorces, Project 2025 would adversely affect democracy. It would be easier for big money to influence election outcomes, for disinformation and misinformation to spread, and for foreign actors to meddle in elections. Matt’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Look at what’s going on around you and take action at the local level Join a mut...
Oct 10, 2024•42 min•Season 19Ep. 315
This is a recording of a live event of the American Voter Project at the Eric H. Holder Jr. Initiative for Civil and Political Rights. We discuss the long history of voter suppression, voting rights, the electoral college, the Supreme Court, and democracy. General Holder’ and Michael’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Vote! Engage in a major social movement Eric H. Holder, Jr. serves as Chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. He served in the Obama Administration as...
Oct 03, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Season 19Ep. 314
We discuss deepening our understanding of the climate crisis, the urgent need for decarbonization, and our role in speaking truth about phasing out fossil fuels. Genevieve’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Call your elected representatives and demand policies to phase out fossil fuels. If extreme weather comes up in conversation, connect the dots to climate change and say: “We really need to phase out fossil fuels so we can halt global heating.” Genevieve Guenther is the founding direc...
Sep 26, 2024•59 min•Season 19Ep. 313
We discuss the power and the promise of public schools, the universal rejection of book bans by parents across the country, and an inclusive vision for democracy. Their civic action toolkit recommendations are: Have a conversation with people with whom you disagree Remain open-minded. Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider are co-hosts of the education podcast Have You Heard. Their new book is The Education Wars: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual. Follow Jennifer on X: https://x.com/BisforBerk...
Sep 19, 2024•53 min•Season 19Ep. 312
We discuss how ballot measures give voters the opportunity to take power and agency. It is about citizens putting issues that are important to their communities, gathering signatures, and then putting them on the ballot directly to effect policy change. Her civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1. Voting is the starting line, not the finish line. 2. Hold your elected officials accountable after elections by reaching out to them about the issues that matter to you, and making sure they are ke...
Sep 12, 2024•42 min•Season 19Ep. 311
We discuss how two parties alone cannot represent the diversity of views in American society, how fusion voting could solve for better representation, and who exactly should get engaged in our civic lives. His civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1. Support political parties and reforms that create more choices. 2. Be a good neighbor and participate in a local meeting. Lee Drutman is Senior Fellow in the Political Reform program at New America, co-host of the Politics in Question podcast (a...
Sep 05, 2024•41 min•Season 19Ep. 310
We discuss what it takes for citizens to take action and run for elected office. Wendy ran as a Democrat in Utah because she wanted to give voters a viable, different choice. She knew it was going to be difficult to win as a first time candidate, but she ran so hard that she left a body mark in the wall. She lost by a mere 78 votes. Her civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1. Vote and encourage other people to vote 2. Work or volunteer for a candidate during an election year Wendy Davis is ...
Aug 29, 2024•46 min•Season 19Ep. 309
Joe Spielberger is the policy counsel for the Effective and Accountable Government team at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), where he advocates in Congress and the executive branch to strengthen whistleblower rights, protect a merit based civil service, and promote government ethics and transparency. We discuss how government can be transparent and accountable to us, the People. All Americans need to be confident that federal employees are hired based on their qualifications and not be...
Aug 22, 2024•40 min•Season 19Ep. 308
