Hillary Lehr returns to the Great Battlefield podcast to talk about her time at Higher Ground Labs and then joining Quiller as CEO where they help Democratic campaigns produce fundraising emails and other content through the use of AI. Additional Information The Democracy Group listener survey The Great Battlefield Podcast More shows from The Democracy Group...
Download our free guide on 5 ways to take action ! In this week’s episode of Politics In Question , Lee and James talk about Bonnie Tyler, Tina Turner, and Americans’ views of democracy. What is democracy? How do Americans view it? Do they think about democracy differently when it gets in their way? Does that make them “democracy hypocrites?” Why are Americans holding out for a hero in such moments? And does democratic self-government need another hero to make it work? These are some of the ques...
Guest host Mara S. Campo, Anchor and Managing Editor at Revolt Black News, looks at the ongoing national mental health crisis and talks to people who are working outside the box to make a difference. Additional Information The Democracy Group listener survey Our Body Politic Podcast More shows from The Democracy Group
What is the point of a good education? Do we need it to learn a narrow set of skills ro help us get ahead in the workplace, or should knowledge and learning to be used over a lifetime to acquire wisdom that enables us to think more deeply about our place in the world? This question has profound resonance at a time of angry divides over American politics and moral confusion at elite American universities. The President of Harvard, Claudine Gay, resigned after months of campus unrest and controver...
In this episode of SquareCast we're joined by the extraordinary Rachel Brown, the Founder of Over Zero —named in reference to the “zero sum game” that exists in sporting events, but becomes dangerous when it overtakes a society, as it has ours. Over Zero was founded to prevent identity-based violence and other forms of group-targeted harm around the world—and here at home. Rachel is one of the wisest, steadiest voices of our time in guiding us away from dangerous (but human) reactions, and towar...
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...
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...
In this conversation, we're joined by Greg Lukianoff , the President of FIRE , the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. As illiberal tendencies are on the rise among extreme factions of our democracy, it was refreshing to speak with Greg whose organization is on the front lines of protecting the basic freedoms outlined in the First Amendment. We discussed: Greg's own background and how he came to form his views on free speech; a benchmark Supreme Court case from the late 70s when the...
The past few years haven't been easy for election officials and their teams. They had to pivot during the pandemic and face ongoing threats that have resulted in unprecedented staff turnover. This turmoil brings more scrutiny of errors that occur when people make honest mistakes. Despite these challenges, Tammy Patrick, CEO for programs at the National Association of Election Officials , is confident that the tens of thousands of people charged with election administrators across the country thi...
Lala Wu is the co-founder and executive director of Sister District, an organization that works to build enduring progressive power in state legislatures. We discuss how state races will continue to be important during the presidential election cycle and why the battle for redistricting will be center stage. State legislatures are where a lot of impactful policy made, such as abortion laws. They’re also critical because in most states, state legislatures control redistricting. Building progressi...
As we commemorate the third anniversary of the attacks on the U.S. Capitol, we talk with DC Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges. On January 6, 2021, Ofc. Hodges responded with Civil Defense Unit 42 to the attacks on the U.S. Capitol as Capitol Police units were overrun. Ofc. Hodges fought those who assaulted the Capitol on the west lawn, the west terrace, and in the tunnel leading out to the inaugural platform, sustaining many injuries in the process. While fighting in the tunnel he was cr...
This week we bring you a special episode from Sean Schrader, one of our 2023 Podcast Fellows. Sean Schrader is currently a final-year MBA candidate at the University of South Florida, and has been fortunate to work on social impact projects focused on tackling our most significant challenges at the local, state, and national levels. Sean is passionate about civility, and is excited to strengthen his podcasting skills in hopes to bolster civic engagement more broadly. Know a student interested in...
This week we bring you a special episode from Kabod Mauwong, one of our 2023 Podcast Fellows. KJ Mauwong is a political science major at Swarthmore College, and he studys political theory, comparative politics, and American foreign policy. He loves talking with people and engaging in conversation. Discussion is what drives democracy, and in this day and age, it's good to be able to do so civilly and productively. He wants to create an environment of growth and learning so that everyone listening...
We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an episode from Politics is Everything, hosted by Carah Ong Whaley & Kyle Kondik. Center for Politics Professor of Practice Liz Cheney sat down with Center for Politics Director Larry J. Sabato and other members of our team this week for a discussion about the challenges facing American politics and democracy. She speaks out for the first time about the new Speaker of House Mike Johnson (R-LA-4) and why he is dangerous. Cheney’s forthcoming book, Oa...
Download our free guide on 5 ways to take action ! Across the country, voters are organizing to protect their right to elect candidates of their choice. In the final episode of Season 3 of Democracy Decoded, host Simone Leeper explores the changing landscape of state and local elections, and some of the initiatives that can help ensure voters can choose candidates who truly represent their interests. This forward-looking episode offers a glimpse into innovative reforms that hold the promise of s...
We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an episode from The Great Battlefield podcast, with hosts Nathaniel Pearlman. Jahnavi Rao joins The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about her start in political activism, founding New Voters, which registers high school students to vote and now running New Voters Research Network where they use behavioral science tools to solve challenging problems. Additional Information The Democracy Group listener survey The Great Battlefield Podcast More shows fro...
We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an episode from Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other, hosted by Corey Nathan. You might recognize David Brooks from his columns in The New York Times or his essays in The Atlantic. Perhaps you’ve seen him on PBS NewsHour or Meet the Press. He’s also a prolific author. In fact, his 2019 book The Second Mountain was a major inspiration for this program. We discuss that as well as David’s new book, How to Know a Person: The Art of See...
We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an episode from the How Do We Fix It? podcast, hosted by Richard Davies and Jim Meigs. Toxic polarization is "the problem that eats all other problems... It's the sludge at the base of everything else," our guest Mónica Guzmán tells us. In this really useful repeat episode from 2022, we learn how to fight back against the confusion and heartbreak of living with rigid divides. This show is a curtain raiser for a series we are doing this fall with funding...
We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an episode from the When the People Decide podcast, hosted by Jenna Spinelle. Librarians have spoken for years about “library faith,” the belief that public libraries are central to democracy because they contribute to an informed citizenry. Today, the idea is gaining even more traction, and even conservative crackdowns on what’s permitted in libraries reinforce the idea that they’re more than just “book warehouses” but centers for community engagement ...
We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an episode from the Democracy Matters podcast. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Anthony Fauci about the tensions between expertise and democratic decision-making during the pandemic, and his advice for navigating apathy and misinformation during the next major public health crisis. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at Additional Information Democracy Matters Podcast More shows from The Democracy Group...
We continue our Best of 2022 episodes with an episode from the Democracy Works podcast, hosted by Jenna Spinelle, Christopher Beem, Michael Berkman. Chris Beem talks with former Republican political operative Tim Miller about the party's loyalty to Donald Trump and where it might go in 2024 and beyond. Miller is a writer-at-large for The Bulwark and the author of the best-selling book Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell . He was previously political director for Republic...
We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an episode from the Future Hindsight podcast, hosted by Mila Atmos. Jocelyn Simonson is Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, a former public defender, and the author of Radical Acts of Justice: How Ordinary People Are Dismantling Mass Incarceration. We discuss how certain radical acts of justice challenge the legitimacy of the criminal system and form the underpinning of a new collective legal thought. The four pillars of this work comprise of court...
We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an episode from the Village SquareCast podcast, hosted by the Village Square. This is when you meet a living legend and get the benefit of his thinking on the topic he’s been brilliantly, prophetically right about for more than three decades: the deterioration of our connectedness with each other across almost every demographic and every aspect of our lives— our loss of social capital . And yet here we are, painfully and tragically paying the price for ...
We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an episode from the Let's Find Common Ground podcast, hosted by Richard Davies & Ashley Milne-Tyte. We speak with two women from opposing sides of the bitter and often toxic debate over abortion. Frances Hogan and The Rev. Anne Fowler were involved in a series of years-long intensive, secret talks. Their candid conversations began after a gunman opened fire at two Massachusetts abortion clinics nearly thirty years ago. The attack left two women dead...
We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an episode from the The Bully Pulpit podcast, hosted by Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy CPF Director Bob Shrum joins former U.S. Representatives Val Demings and Adam Kinzinger for a conversation on the politics of climate with the goal of finding common ground. They discuss political barriers to enacting climate action, climate legislation passed by Congress, and how environmental legislation can help achieve climate justice. Featuring: Val Demings: Former U....
We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an episode from the Democracy in Danger podcast, hosted by Will Hitchcock & Siva Vaidhyanathan. Law enforcement is among the most undemocratic institutions in America, says New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie. And the effect this has on communities of color is especially stark. Bouie visits Will and Siva’s class for another live recording with their students, to discuss police brutality, the country’s culture of violence, and the shifting ground ...
On this episode of Our Body Politic, guest host Karen Grigsby Bates talks with Virginia Kase Solomón, CEO of the League of Women Voters, about the threats and issues poll workers face protecting democracy. Karen then speaks with Melissa Murray, NYU law professor and host of the podcast Strict Scrutiny about some of the cases SCOTUS will hear this term. We round out the show with Karen discussing how to navigate medical bias with artist, author and doctor, Shirlene Obuobi. Additional Information ...
Download our free guide on 5 ways to take action ! Coming at you live from Light House Studio’s Vinegar Hill Theatre in Charlottesville, our fair city: Emily and Siva welcome Jennifer Weiss-Wolf and Samhita Sunya to the stage, as part of the Karsh Institute’s Democracy360 forum. Sunya, a cinema expert, and Weiss-Wolf, a pioneering advocate for women’s rights, discuss the power of film and print media to shape global feminism. From Bollywood to Ms. magazine, we look at why the women’s movement an...
The Democracy Group's Jessie Nguyen interviews Jahnavi Rao & Nivea Krishnan about New Voters, an organization that is helping the next generation of our country have their voice heard and a seat at the decision table. Jahnavi Rao is President & Founder of New Voters, Government at Harvard University, Formerly White House, DNC, Harvard Kennedy, and UPenn. Nivea Krishnan is Executive Director of New Voters, Public Policy and Econ at USC, Student Government VP, Formerly State of Hawaii and ...
Jahnavi Rao joins The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about her start in political activism, founding New Voters, which registers high school students to vote and now running New Voters Research Network where they use behavioral science tools to solve challenging problems. Additional Information The Democracy Group listener survey The Great Battlefield Podcast More shows from The Democracy Group...
