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Gridlock Break — Government
Gridlock Break

Insightful, nonpartisan and critically important discussions on America’s toughest problems between elected leaders, public health and economic experts.

Copyright: © 2020 No Labels

Latest Episodes:

Frank Luntz Focus Group Sep 11, 2020

Show notes

Frank Luntz hits the ground running by asking the No Labels group whether they believe this presidential election is the worst this country has seen. Overwhelmingly, the answer is yes. He then goes on to ask whether those assembled would support a “Clean Campaign Pledge” on the Presidential or Senate level. The responses given are mixed, but the majority of responses seem to be pessimistic about the candidates’ abilities or willingness to abide by a pledge even if it is promised.

Go to NoLabels.org to learn more about how we are bringing together a bipartisan group of public and private leaders working to solve America’s toughest problems.

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POLITICO Cofounder John Harris on the 2020 Election Sep 09, 2020

Show notes

John Harris co-founded the news organization Politico in 2007 and served as its editor in chief until 2019. He was previously a political reporter for The Washington Post and the author of an acclaimed book about President Bill Clinton. Today, he will give his insight into the upcoming presidential election.

John Harris notes that congressional Democrats had electoral success in the 2018 midterms by focusing on issues and raising up their rhetoric. But he sees the current Democratic presidential ticket focused more on the deficiencies of Donald Trump, a strategy that did not work for Hillary Clinton in 2016. He unfortunately thinks both parties will continue to focus on rallying their base and attacking the other side, unless there is a landslide election, which he does not expect in 2020.

Go to NoLabels.org to learn more about how we are bringing together a bipartisan group of public and private leaders working to solve America’s toughest problems.

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Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner Shares His Perspectives on COVID-19, Economic Recovery, and Social Unrest Sep 02, 2020

Show notes

Sylvester Turner is serving in his second term as mayor of Houston, after first being elected in 2015. Turner served for 27 years in the Texas House of Representative and ran his own boutique law firm, Barnes and Turner. Today, he will discuss how political priorities have shifted since he took office five years ago, how Houston is combating its COVID-19 outbreak.

Mayor Turner notes that pension and budget issues were a huge priority in Houston when he took office, but with Hurricane Harvey and other natural disasters in the few years after, the city government has had to redirect efforts. Now with COVID-19 and the racial unrest that soon followed, Mayor Turner is dealing with a truly unprecedented set of challenges. But he believes Houston will rebound because it is the energy capital of the world and home to the world’s largest medical center, creating a natural ecosystem for innovation.

Go to NoLabels.org to learn more about how we are bringing together a bipartisan group of public and private leaders working to solve America’s toughest problems.

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Former Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin on the Economic Recovery after COVID-19 Aug 31, 2020

Show notes

Robert Rubin was the Secretary of the Treasury and Director of the National Economic Council under President Bill Clinton. He had a distinguished career in finance, joining Goldman Sachs in 1966 and eventually becoming co-chairman. Under the Clinton Administration, he served as the He is also a founder of The Hamilton Project, an economic policy think tank out of the Brookings Institution. Today, he will discuss the economic outlook in the post-COVID world.

Secretary Rubin says it might take until the end of 2022 for the US economy to return to where it was pre pandemic. As he notes, this is both a global economic crisis, and a humanitarian and health crisis, which will complicate the recovery. He also agrees with recent comments from former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner that the Federal Reserve acted responsibly in their strong response to the COVID pandemic. It was much more far reaching response than the one in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, but Rubin believes it is necessary.

Go to NoLabels.org to learn more about how we are bringing together a bipartisan group of public and private leaders working to solve America’s toughest problems.

Update from No Labels Leadership Aug 28, 2020

Show notes

As election day nears, any of the three possible results - a Democratic sweep, a Republican sweep, or a split government - could be problematic. No Labels is committed to the maintenance of a bipartisan partnership to avoid gridlock. Today, leaders within the No Labels organization will discuss how the mission of No Labels is changing with the field, plans to continue their work in November and beyond, and how the organization can support those in office.

As No Labels continues their strategy to combat bipartisanship, the organization's leaders share their three phase plan: (1) The House Problem Solvers Caucus, which has already brought together dozens of congressmen and women; (2) For the first time, there is a group of eight Senators who will work with the House Problem Solvers Caucus, modeled on the “gang” friendship of Senators Lieberman and McCain; and (3) Building up the congressional staff base of bipartisan workers, and considering the possibility of working to elect a Problem Solver president in 2024.

Go to NoLabels.org to learn more about how we are bringing together a bipartisan group of public and private leaders working to solve America’s toughest problems.

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Tim Phillips, CEO of Beyond Conflict, on the Science Behind Polarization Aug 26, 2020

Show notes

Tim Phillips is the founder and CEO of Beyond Conflict, a non-profit organization that works with leaders to address conflict and promote social change around the world. Since its founding in 1992, Beyond Conflict has worked to support peace talks and paths to democracy in 75 countries. The organization has also become a leader in the effort to catalyze the field of Neuroscience and Social Conflict. Today, Tim will discuss the work Beyond Conflict is doing to combat polarization.

Tim Phillips discusses the shift from a polarization of ideas to a polarization of identity, and how that shift is truly toxic. He believes that the shift from “You and I” to “Us vs. Them” threatens American democracy and the trust citizens have in the country’s institutions. Beyond Conflict has spent years studying the trends of this political shift through the lens of behavioral science. In their work with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, they began studying toxic political polarization in the same vein as a public health threat, focusing on three factors: dehumanization, like and dislike, and disagreement on contentious issues.

Go to NoLabels.org to learn more about how we are bringing together a bipartisan group of public and private leaders working to solve America’s toughest problems.

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David French on the Polarization in America Aug 24, 2020

Show notes

David French attorney, political commentator, and author. A fellow at the National Review Institute and a staff writer for National Review from 2015 to 2019, French currently serves as senior editor of The Dispatch, a fact-based digital media company, that endeavors to provide both sides of any given position. In 2020, he published Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation. Today, he will discuss the polarization he studies in his book and why short-term solutions seem improbable.

In a recent article, David French called the political climate a “new fundamentalism.” A fundamentalist, he explains, often has no existential humility or uncertainty, and that’s what we now see in politics. He similarly highlights three recent political trends: The Big Sword - Americans have begun in the last few decades to intentionally live around like-minded neighbors; The Law of Group Polarization - when like-minded people gather, they reinforce those shared opinions to an extreme; Overton Windows - while the Overton Window concept is the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time, there are now two separate windows for either party in the case of many issues.

Go to NoLabels.org to learn more about how we are bringing together a bipartisan group of public and private leaders working to solve America’s toughest problems.

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Admiral William McRaven on Leadership Aug 21, 2020

Show notes

Admiral William McRaven is a retired United States Navy SEAL and four-star admiral who last served as the ninth commander of the United States Special Operations Command. Following that, he was the chancellor of The University of Texas System from 2015 to 2018. Today, he will discuss leadership in a time of great crisis and American national security concerns for the future.

Admiral McRaven believes that leadership in a time of crisis is no different than in calmer times: You need to set a goal, and you need to motivate those below you to accomplish that goal. But Admiral McRaven is adamant that leadership is also about responsibility and accountability. A good leader should take responsibility for all decisions made by those below them. Unfortunately, that kind of leadership is often in short supply in our politics today.

Go to NoLabels.org to learn more about how we are bringing together a bipartisan group of public and private leaders working to solve America’s toughest problems.

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Former Attorneys General Doug Gansler and Jon Bruning Aug 19, 2020

Show notes

Bruning served as Attorney General of Nebraska from 2002 to 2014, the youngest Attorney General in the nation when he took office. He is now the Managing Partner of Bruning Law Group. Today, they will discuss the role of the Attorney General, specifically in the upcoming election.

There are three unusual factors to the upcoming election: (1) the dangerous level of polarization (2) COVID-19’s impact on voter turnout; and (3) the impact of the racial unrest and protests, specifically on Joe Biden’s choice of a running mate. You just heard Doug Gansler and Jon Bruning discuss all these factors and why their bipartisan relationship could and should be a model for others in politics.

Go to NoLabels.org to learn more about how we are bringing together a bipartisan group of public and private leaders working to solve America’s toughest problems.

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Dr. Art Laffer on Taxes, the Government, and the Economy Aug 17, 2020

Show notes

Dr. Art Laffer has been called the Father of Supply Side Economics. He was a member of President Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board, and is perhaps best known for developing the Laffer curve, an illustration of the idea that there is some tax rate between 0% and 100% that will result in maximum tax revenue for the government. He served as economic advisor to Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019. Today, he will discuss how the economic climate has been affected by COVID-19.

Dr. Laffer discusses two economic principles he thinks are necessary in order to understand the current economic situation. Firstly, government spending requires taxation and redistribution of resources. Secondly, he believes that redistribution always reduces income and production and therefore even though some taxation is required – especially to help those suffering hardship – government should endeavor to keep taxes as low as they can.

Go to NoLabels.org to learn more about how we are bringing together a bipartisan group of public and private leaders working to solve America’s toughest problems.

Follow No Labels and Gridlock Break Twitter • Facebook • Instagram

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