CPF Director Bob Shrum joins Neera Tanden, Chief Domestic Policy Advisor to President Biden, for a conversation on climate policy in the Biden-Harris Administration, the ClimateCorps, and practical solutions to climate change. This discussion is part of the "Climate Forward 2024: Climate at the Crossroads" conference, sponsored by USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability and CPF, in collaboration with POLITICO. Featuring: Neera Tanden: Chief Domestic Policy Advisor to President B...
Apr 05, 2024•53 min•Season 2Ep. 77
Partisan divides are as deep as ever. Most Americans are exhausted by the dysfunction and divisions in American politics. Some scholars claim the country is on the brink of civil war. But several recent polls suggest that clear majorities of voters agree on many issues. We dive into the data from two different groups that study American attitudes and beliefs. Kate Carney is chief of staff for the nonpartisan research organization, More in Common. Her work aims to help build strong communities fo...
Mar 28, 2024•24 min
CPF Director Bob Shrum joins education experts, Pedro Noguera, Macke Raymond, and Dr. Darline Robles, for a conversation on education reform and policy. They discuss the politics of public education, the role of parental rights, why some public schools are failing, what makes some charter schools successful when others struggle, whether or not taxpayer funds should be used to provide vouchers to parents who send students to private schools or home school, and which educational reforms should be ...
Mar 22, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 76
Soon after Joe Biden became president he said in his inaugural address that wanted to bring Americans together, to forge unity. But maybe unity isn’t what we should aim for. Our guest this week says instead of focusing on that elusive goal, Americans need to concentrate on what’s damaging all of us: toxic polarization. In this episode we look at what toxic polarization is, how it got worse in recent decades, and how to end it, person-by-person. We learn about the role played by Common Ground Com...
Mar 14, 2024•24 min
Acclaimed musician and recording artist Daryl Davis has interviewed hundreds of KKK members and other White supremacists and influenced many of them to renounce their racist ideology. We hear his brave and remarkable story. Daryl's personal quest began many years ago, after a concert when he was in a country music band. A card-carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan praised his piano playing. Daryl recognized that he had an opportunity to ask an important question about racism: “How can you hate me ...
Feb 29, 2024•29 min
Independent voters make up well over 40 percent of the voting public. But you wouldn’t know that from media coverage, which focuses almost exclusively on red versus blue. Independents are often overlooked or seen as wishy-washy, bending in the wind. Our guests on this episode say that’s a big misconception. In this show, we look at a huge group of voters, including many young people, who make up a growing slice of the US population. Significantly, the number of American voters identifying as ind...
Feb 15, 2024•29 min
Jonathan Martin, POLITICO senior political reporter, joins political experts, Nick Troiano and Kimberly Wyman, for a conversation on the state of democracy, election reforms, and the structural challenges of American politics. Featuring: Nick Troiano: Founding Executive Director, Unite America Kimberly Wyman: Former Secretary of State, Washington State; Election Security Expert CISA Jonathan Martin: Senior Political Reporter, POLITICO
Feb 06, 2024•57 min•Season 2Ep. 75
CPF Co-Director Mike Murphy joins Sasha Issenberg and Michael Rich for a conversation on the growing prevalence and impact of misinformation and disinformation in our politics. Featuring: · Sasha Issenberg: Award-winning Author on Modern Campaigns & Marriage Equality · Michael Rich: President and CEO, RAND Corporation (2011-2022) · Mike Murphy: Co-Director, Center for the Political Future; NBC Political Analyst
Feb 05, 2024•46 min•Season 2Ep. 74
FOX 11 News Co-Anchor Elex Michaelson joins political experts, John Anzalone, Stephanie Cutter, and Jessica Millan Patterson, for a conversation on the 2024 general election, including the key voting issues this election, Donald Trump's appeal to voters, and the role of third parties. Featuring: John Anzalone: Founder, Impact Research; Biden Pollster Stephanie Cutter: Co-Founder, Precision Strategies; Obama 2012 Deputy Campaign Manager Jessica Millan Patterson: Chairwoman, California Republican ...
Feb 03, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 73
CPF Director Bob Shrum joins political and media experts, Chris Cadelago, Jane Coaston, John McConnell, and Carissa Joy Smith, for a conversation on the 2024 primary elections and its impact on the upcoming general election. Featuring: Chris Cadelago: POLITICO's California Bureau Chief; Former White House Correspondent Jane Coaston: “The Argument” Podcast Host, The New York Times; Spring 2024 Fellow, USC Center for the Political Future John McConnell: Senior Speechwriter for President George W. ...
Feb 03, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Season 2Ep. 72
In this presidential election year, partisan divides cause political gridlock and distrust. We're encouraged to believe that we're right and those on the other side are ignorant, stupid, or evil. But avoiding awkward conversations with those we disagree with is a big reason why America is so bitterly divided. Journalist, bridge builder, and author Mónica Guzmán is the loving liberal daughter of conservative Mexican immigrant parents. We hear the personal story told with humor and passion of how ...
Feb 01, 2024•27 min
CPF Co-Directors Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy join Spring 2024 CPF Fellows, Douglas Brinkley, Jane Coaston, Ron Galperin, and Tim Miller for a lively discussion on the 2024 primary elections, presidential race, and campaigns. Featuring: Douglas Brinkley: Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities & Professor of History, Rice University; Spring 2024 Fellow, USC Center for the Political Future Jane Coaston: “The Argument” Podcast Host, The New York Times; Spring 2024 Fellow, USC Center for the P...
Jan 20, 2024•55 min•Season 2Ep. 71
American politics are often dominated by the loudest voices on the left and right. In this episode, we learn the crucial difference between what Americans get from their elected representatives and what they really want to hear. Professor Sean Westwood of Dartmouth College is our guest. As Director of The Polarization Research Lab, he studies American political behavior and public opinion, examining how partisanship and information from political elites affect the behavior of citizens. "There is...
Jan 18, 2024•33 min
With our political system mired in problems, there’s plenty of talk about ‘fixing politics.’ But our guest Mark Sappenfield, Editor of the Christian Science Monitor, says that idea is too simplistic. What needs to change, he says “is upstream from politics. It’s how we relate to each other as human beings in our society. And until that changes, politics isn’t going to change.” In a deeply thoughtful conversation, Mark shares his personal take on where the U.S. is and where it needs to go. Americ...
Jan 04, 2024•35 min
Our final podcast for 2023 is the one-hundredth episode of “Let’s Find Common Ground”. We look back and include special moments from six shows during the year. Americans disagree on many things, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Journalist and author Amanda Ripley explains why, all too often, we see conflicts that are more about scoring points than seeking resolution. Rachel Kleinfeld of the Carnegie Endowment, who studies democracy and conflict, discusses whether America’s divides could be s...
Dec 21, 2023•30 min
Recently, during a public event at Utah's State Capitol, Governor Spencer Cox issued a stark warning: "Either we, the people, collectively decide we're going to stop hating our fellow Americans, or we'll start shooting each other." In our podcast, we hear why Governor Cox passionately believes that the country is heading in a dangerous direction with hyperpartisanship and political dysfunction and what he's doing about it with his Disagree Better Initiative. Spencer Cox, a Republican, is the 202...
Dec 07, 2023•33 min
The state of public discourse is often dire and includes insults and threats. We assume the worst of the other side and are not afraid to call them out publicly, especially online. Our guest on today’s show says this behavior isn’t just rude. It’s uncivil. And that civility - not politeness - makes a real difference in how we think about ourselves and treat each other. Our guest, Alexandra Hudson, is the author of the new book The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselv...
Nov 21, 2023•27 min
CPF Director Bob Shrum joins New York Times reporter Adam Nagourney for a conversation on his new book, “The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn, and the Transformation of Journalism,” and the role journalism plays in politics. In partnership with USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy. Featuring: Adam Nagourney: National Political Reporter, The New York Times; Former Fellow, USC Center for the Political Future Bob Shrum: Director, Center for the Polit...
Nov 13, 2023•54 min•Season 2Ep. 70
When conservative Republican Mark Klicker and liberal Democrat Alex Ramel met in person for the first time, their opinions about each other rapidly changed. A frosty online exchange of policy differences over Zoom quickly turned into a constructive example of close bipartisan cooperation. After Washington State eased COVID restrictions and resumed in-person legislative sessions last year, Representatives Ramel and Klicker worked together on a renewable energy tax bill. The state legislation has ...
Nov 09, 2023•27 min
CPF Executive Director Kamy Akhavan joins Democratic campaign strategist Addisu Demissie and former Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus for a conversation on the 2024 presidential race. With Election Day on November 7, the discussion explores the election’s potential impact on control of Congress, state legislatures, governorships, and the 2024 presidential race. Featuring: Addisu Demissie: Principal and Founder of 50+1 Strategies; Fall 2023 Fellow, USC Center for the Political...
Nov 03, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 69
Violent threats against members of Congress are up, and hate crimes have increased to the highest levels ever recorded. Fear is being used as a tool by both Republicans and Democrats to win votes. In this episode, we speak with Rachel Kleinfeld, a fellow in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Rachel says people talking across differences isn’t enough to end polarization, even if it can create goodwill and lower the temperature in the...
Oct 26, 2023•32 min
CPF's inaugural discussion of our Combating Antisemitism and Hatred Series features CPF Director Bob Shrum, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bret Stephens, and former Los Angeles elected official Zev Yaroslavksy. The series explores the struggle against antisemitism in the context of countering hate, reducing violence, promoting empathy, and nurturing civil dialogue. Featuring: William Deverell: Divisional Dean for the Social Sciences, USC Dornsife Bret Stephens: Opinion Columnist for The New Y...
Oct 21, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 67
Rory Stewart walked across Afghanistan, was an elected politician, served as a senior British government minister, and was a visiting fellow at Yale University. Today he is the host of a highly successful podcast— "The Rest Is Politics"— and outgoing president and advisor of the global anti-poverty charity, GiveDirectly. By any measure, he is a man of many parts. In our podcast, Stewart raises the alarm about threats to democracy in Europe and the U.S., explains his detailed understanding of com...
Oct 12, 2023•35 min
For the 2023 USC Trojan Family Weekend, CPF Co-Directors and veteran political strategists Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy participate in an insightful and entertaining discussion on the latest political news. Featuring: Bob Shrum: Director, Center for the Political Future; Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics, USC Dornsife Mike Murphy: Co-Director, Center for the Political Future; NBC Political Analyst
Oct 09, 2023•54 min•Season 2Ep. 66
CPF Director Bob Shrum joins a panel of public health experts for a discussion on post-pandemic health inequities in America. Featuring: Sofia Gruskin: Director, USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health Sujeet Rao: Former Senior Policy Advisor, White House COVID-19 Response Team; Director, USC Dornsife Public Exchange Health and Wellbeing Practice Dr. Bradley Stoner: Head of the Department of Public Health Sciences, Queens University; Former President of the American Sexually Transmitted D...
Oct 09, 2023•55 min•Season 2Ep. 65
What a time to try and fix Congress. But that’s what our guests on this episode are determined to do. This show features two politicians from the newly launched Fix Congress caucus. Reps Derek Kilmer (D-Wa) and William Timmons (R-SC), first appeared on our show last year as members of the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. The stakes were high when we recorded this latest interview: the budget deficit had once more taken center stage, and the countdown to a possible governm...
Sep 28, 2023•26 min
CPF Co-Directors Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy join Fall 2023 CPF Fellows Arnon Mishkin and Reince Priebus for a conversation on polling and its ability or inability to predict voting outcomes as the 2024 presidential race approaches. Featuring: Arnon Mishkin: Political Analyst and Director of the Fox News Election Decision Team; Fall 2023 Fellow, USC Center for the Political Future Reince Priebus: Former White House Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Republican National Committee; Fall 2023 Fellow,...
Sep 26, 2023•58 min•Season 2Ep. 64
When we consider the meaning of citizenship, most Americans usually think about individual rights. In this episode, we hear a bold call for change. Our guest, Richard Haass, says that if democracy is to survive, we must re-envision citizenship and consider our obligations to one another. He argues that the greatest threat the country faces comes not from foreign adversaries but from none other than ourselves. Finding common ground and healing bitter divides, he says, requires placing obligations...
Sep 14, 2023•26 min
Until recently most of us outside of state government didn’t know much about the role of Secretary of State, the state’s top election official. We simply didn’t think about it. But since 2020, election laws and procedures have been in the spotlight – and election officials have come under attack. In this episode of Let’s Find Common Ground, we meet Democrat Steve Hobbs, Secretary of State for Washington, and Republican Michael Adams, Secretary of State for Kentucky. Kentucky is a vote-in-person ...
Aug 31, 2023•28 min
CPF Co-Directors Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy join Fall 2023 CPF Fellows, Addisu Demissie, Arnon Mishkin, Mike Schmuhl, and Betty Yee, for a lively discussion on former President Trump’s indictments, what this means for President Biden, and how the 2024 presidential race is shaping up. The conversation also explores their USC study groups and impressive careers in politics. Featuring: Addisu Demissie: Principal and Founder of 50+1 Strategies; Fall 2023 Fellow, USC Center for the Political Future Ar...
Aug 28, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 63
