Stay ConnectedA show that takes the big ideas in civic life and democracy and turns them into action items for everyday people.
Join host Mila Atmos for in-depth conversations with citizen changemakers that inspire civic action and hope. Citizen participation is fundamental to a thriving democracy. Now more than ever, our engagement is critical.
Copyright: © 2023 Mila Atmos
Thursday, May 5th, 2022
Nisha Anand is an Indian-American activist, leader for racial justice, and the CEO of DreamCorps. Her expansive organizing experience solidified her belief in the power of working with unlikely partners to find real solutions. Nisha leads a diverse group of people who are learning, like her, the value of unconventional relationships. We discuss Dream Corps' work in criminal justice reform, building a green economy, and creating equity in tech.
We all have our humanity in common, which forms a strong and consistent philosophical foundation for building allyship across differences. When we have that human connection, we can do heroic things. We can heal divides.
Follow Nisha Anand on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/nishamanand
Follow Mila on Twitter: Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/
SponsorsSubscribe to The Jordan Harbinger Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you listen or at jordanharbinger.com/subscribe
Go to Shopify.com/hopeful for a FREE fourteen-day trial and get full access to Shopify's entire suite of features.
Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard
Want to support the show and get it early?https://patreon.com/futurehindsight
Check out the Future Hindsight website! Credits: Host:Mila Atmos
Guest:Nisha Anand
Executive Producer:Mila Atmos
Producers:Zack Travis and Sara Burningham
Thursday, April 28th, 2022
Ian Haney López is the Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Public Law at the University of California, Berkeley. He specializes in race and racism. His focus for the last decade has been on the use of racism in electoral politics, and how to respond. We discuss strategic racism and its antidote: race-class fusion politics.
Strategic racism is a divide and conquer scam by elites that pushes us to hate each other while they rig the system for themselves. Race-class fusion politics is the antidote because it rejects the con and builds power with others across differences. Perhaps the real radicalism of race-class fusion politics today is the core radicalism of American democracy – a way of pushing power downward and outward to citizens.
Follow Ian Haney López on Twitter:https://twitter.com/ianhaneylopez
Follow Mila on Twitter: Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/
Want to be on Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOWRKPFgSkQGKyn4w2b8l9oMndRU9BlboRjqV3SEt7jSfVFQ/viewform
Want to support the show and get it early?https://patreon.com/futurehindsight
Check out the Future Hindsight website! SponsorsGo to Avast.com to learn more about Avast One!
Go to Bambee.com/hopeful to schedule your FREE HR audit.
Credits: Host:Mila Atmos
Guest:Ian Haney López
Executive Producer:Mila Atmos
Producers:Zack Travis and Sara Burningham
Thursday, April 21st, 2022 Richard Hasen is a nationally recognized expert in election law and campaign finance regulation, and his new book is Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics and How to Cure It. We discuss the long-term dangers of cheap speech and ways to improve our information sphere in keeping with the First Amendment.
Cheap speech is lower-value speech that finds a way to rise to the top of social media, news outlets, and everyday conversation. This overabundance of misinformation and disinformation is easy and inexpensive to produce. While the problem of cheap speech is worldwide and ubiquitous, we discuss a uniquely American approach to solving it through the prism of the First Amendment. Potential solutions include disclosure laws about tweaking algorithms, privacy protections to prevent micro-targeting, antitrust regulations, and public pressure to demand high standards from media platforms.
Follow Rick Hasen on Twitter: Follow Mila on Twitter: Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/
Want to be on Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOWRKPFgSkQGKyn4w2b8l9oMndRU9BlboRjqV3SEt7jSfVFQ/viewform
Want to support the show and get it early?https://patreon.com/futurehindsight
Check out the Future Hindsight website! SponsorsGo to Shopify.com/hopeful for a FREE fourteen-day trial and get full access to Shopify's entire suite of features.
Credits:
Host: Mila Atmos
Guest: Rick Hasen
Executive Producer: Mila Atmos
Producers: Zack Travis and Sara Burningham
Thursday, April 14th, 2022
David J. Toscano served 14 years (2006-20) in the Virginia House of Delegates representing the 57th District. He's the author of Fighting Political Gridlock: How States Shape Our Nation And Our Lives. We discuss strengthening our democracy at the State level through legislation, meaningful cooperation, and civic engagement in State politics.
States are laboratories for democracy. State Houses make a big difference in people's lives, from education, criminal justice, even to climate change and energy issues. The US Constitution doesn't explicitly guarantee the right to vote, so we are in the fight of our lives to protect democracy.
Follow David Toscano on Twitter:https://twitter.com/deltoscano
Follow Mila on Twitter: Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/
Want to be on Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOWRKPFgSkQGKyn4w2b8l9oMndRU9BlboRjqV3SEt7jSfVFQ/viewform
Want to support the show and get it early?https://patreon.com/futurehindsight
Check out the Future Hindsight website! SponsorsGo to Novo.co/HOPEFUL and get your FREE business checking account.
Credits:Host: Mila Atmos
Guest: David Toscano
Executive Producer: Mila Atmos
Producers: Zack Travis and Sara Burningham
Thursday, April 7th, 2022
Emily Cherniack is the founder of New Politics. She believes that politics has the power to change systems. Her organization works with military veterans and alumni of civilian service programs like Americorps with a goal of encouraging more people with civil and military service experience to run for office, all the way from school boards to Congress. We discuss how servant leadership is about doing something greater than yourself because it rests on the backbone of serving the community first. A service background helps leaders find the courage to tell the truth and do what's right, even if it's not popular.
Follow Emily Cherniack on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/echerniack
Follow Mila on Twitter:
Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/
Want to be on Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOWRKPFgSkQGKyn4w2b8l9oMndRU9BlboRjqV3SEt7jSfVFQ/viewform
Want to support the show and get it early?
https://patreon.com/futurehindsight
Check out the Future Hindsight website!
Sponsors
Thanks, Avast.com!
Subscribe to The Jordan Harbinger Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you listen or at jordanharbinger.com/subscribe
We are running a short, four-minute survey during the month of April, and it's all about you. We want to learn more about what you think of Future Hindsight, and if there is anything we can do to make it better. Your participation can help us find more people to join our community of change-makers and give even more people the tools they need to be an engaged citizen, especially during this midterm election year. TAKE THE SURVEY HERE! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOWRKPFgSkQGKyn4w2b8l9oMndRU9BlboRjqV3SEt7jSfVFQ/viewform FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! @futur_hindsight
Thursday, March 31st, 2022
Carol Jenkins is the President and CEO of the ERA Coalition and the Fund for Women's Equality, sister organizations dedicated to the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment. We discuss the current state of the ERA and why this constitutional amendment will address the problems of equality, misogyny, and discrimination.
The Equal Rights Amendment guarantees equality of rights under the law, regardless of sex. The source of sexism, however, derives directly from the Constitution, which created a gold standard of living that really only applied to white men. That playbook is faulty, and the ERA provides a way to fix it. Despite already gaining the ratification of 38 states, the ERA has not yet been formally published as the 28th amendment. The battle over ratification has lasted for nearly a century.
Follow Carol Jenkins on Twitter:https://twitter.com/caroljenkins
Follow Mila on Twitter: Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/
Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard
Want to support the show and get episodes early?https://patreon.com/futurehindsight
Check out the Future Hindsight website! Promo CodesThanks to Novo for supporting Future Hindsight! Go to Novo.co/HOPEFUL and get your FREE business banking account.
Jocelyn Benson is the Secretary of State of Michigan and the author of State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process. We discuss what's at stake this year, why it's vital to pay attention to this November's elections and the primaries this spring, and the role everyday people can play in protecting democracy.
Go to Novo.co/HOPEFUL and get your FREE business banking account
Referees of DemocracySecretaries of State are the referees of democracy. They serve as the chief election officers of their state, ensuring that elections are run smoothly with transparency, integrity, and security. They also make sure that every citizen has an equal opportunity to vote and have their voice heard.
The Role of CitizensThe vast majority of the American electorate is squarely on the side of democracy. Citizens play an important role in defending democracy by participating in elections: voting in people with integrity, and rejecting those who would seek to manipulate election results; volunteering to be poll workers; and to be fully and well informed.
Election Results Are TrustworthyMultiple election audits across the United States proved that our elections are secure and trustworthy. Michigan has undergone over 250 audits that have all confirmed the accuracy and integrity of election results. The information about these audits and election-related lawsuits is available on the Secretary of State's website.
FIND OUT MORE:Jocelyn Benson is Michigan's 43rd Secretary of State. In this role she is focused on ensuring elections are secure and accessible, and dramatically improving customer experiences for all who interact with her offices.
Benson is the author of State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process, the first major book on the role of the secretary of state in enforcing election and campaign finance laws. She is also the Chair of Michigan's Task Force on Women in Sports to advance opportunities for women in Michigan as athletes and sports leaders.
A graduate of Harvard Law School and expert on civil rights law, education law and election law, Benson served as dean of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit. When she was appointed dean at age 36, she became the youngest woman in U.S. history to lead a top-100, accredited law school. She continues to serve as vice chair of the advisory board for the Levin Center at Wayne Law, which she founded with former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. Previously, Benson was an associate professor and associate director of Wayne Law's Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights.
Prior to her election, she served as CEO of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE), a national nonprofit organization using the unifying power of sports to improve race relations.
Benson is co-founder and former president of Military Spouses of Michigan, a network dedicated to providing support and services to military spouses and their children.
In 2015, she became one of the youngest women in history to be inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.
You can follow Secretary Benson on Twitter at @JocelynBenson
Nathan Lockwood is the Executive Director of Rank the Vote, an organization with a vision that the national adoption of ranked choice voting (RCV) could create a political and social culture with elections based on a competition of the best ideas. We discuss how RCV works, the spoiler problem, and the benefits for our democracy.
Go to Shopify.com/hopeful for a FREE fourteen-day trial and get full access to Shopify's entire suite of features.
Thank you, Native. Get 20% off your first purchase by going to nativedeo.com/HOPEFUL or using promo code HOPEFUL at checkout.
The Spoiler ProblemRanked choice voting eliminates the potential for election spoilers when there are more than two candidates. In the 2000 presidential election, Ralph Nader won 100,000 votes. Had he not run, Al Gore would have likely won by 15,000-20,000 votes instead of losing the state of Florida by 500 votes. The spoiler problem affects both parties, such as when Ross Perot ran as a third candidate and took some conservative votes from George H.W. Bush.
How It WorksInstead of choosing just one candidate, ranked choice voting allows voters to rank their candidates in order of preference from 1st to 2nd, 3rd, etc. This means that voters now have back up choices in case their first choice candidate does not win the race. Their vote would automatically count towards the second choice. With ranked choice voting, voters can always vote for the candidate they truly love without fear of throwing their vote away.
BenefitsIn addition to being able to vote for a first choice candidate without throwing away a vote, RCV is a more friendly system for women and minorities. Because people rank their choices, candidates aren't forced to compete against each other with negative campaigning and the results are a more reflective representation of voters. Lastly, ranked choice voting eliminates the need for runoffs, which saves money for everyone involved.
FIND OUT MORE:Nathan Lockwood is Executive Director of Rank the Vote. He played a leading role in founding and growing Voter Choice Massachusetts both as the regional lead for Central Massachusetts and through various statewide roles. He also served on the board of directors of the Voter Choice Education Fund.
Nathan was elected to the Town of Lunenburg, Massachusetts Planning Board and served from 2009 through 2015. His career in the software industry spanned 25 years and included engineering, design, and management roles. He holds a BA in Philosophy from Yale University.
You can follow Nathan on Twitter at @njlockwood.
Art Chang was a mayoral candidate in New York City in 2021. We discuss his campaign and the big issues facing the City of New York. He shed light on the eviction crisis, the hurdles to adopting technology in government, and the power of joining and belonging. Technology Is Culture Change
Adopting technology solutions equates to culture change, which goes well beyond updating ways of working. Tech startups build things with users as their starting point and then work backward from that. Government would have to also think of the outcome for the citizens first in order to successfully use technology. It would force leaders to be engaged and figure out what citizens need instead of thinking about what the government needs.
Joining and BelongingTo make a difference, make a decision to join and belong. Joining together on common ground is the most effective way to make change. Being a part of a team with a shared goal will help foster a sense of belonging. Finding a common purpose is essential if we are to make an active effort to fix any problem that faces us, from increasing voter turnout to saving the planet.
The Eviction CrisisIn the wake of the pandemic, many people across America are facing the threat of eviction. Homelessness comes with a stark burden on our society. For example, if a student is homeless for one year, it cuts their chances of graduating in half. Government has the power to anticipate and mitigate the eviction crisis because it has access to information such as income tax returns, and could use technology to get ahead of the issue.
FIND OUT MORE:Art believes the key to solving our most important problems is visionary leadership. He has worked to advance democracy through NYC Votes, to improve child welfare with Casebook, to bring universal broadband and climate resiliency to the waterfront with Queens West, and to build an onramp to the tech sector for CUNY students with CUNY TAP.
Art most recently ran for Mayor of NYC in the 2021 Democratic primary based on his belief that New York City can work for everyone. Before that, his work involved creating a successful ground-up legal knowledge management program at JPMorgan Chase as a Managing Director. Prior to that, he founded and led Tipping Point Partners, a tech startup incubator that created products/companies that revolutionize work for frontline workers and the people they serve, including voter engagement, campaign finance, social services, television, publishing, fashion, e-commerce. They co-created NYC Votes, Casebook, and the CUNY Technology Apprenticeship Program. At Tipping Point, Art built a decade-long partnership with Pivotal Software, and eventually joined Pivotal to help the world's leading financial services companies with digital transformation. His 40 year work experience spans New York City's key industries and government.
You can follow Art on Twitter at@achangnyc
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
