Let’s Find Common Ground

Latest Episodes:

How The Budget Mess in Congress Hurts All of Us: Alison Acosta Winters & Emily Holubowich Jan 20, 2022

Show notes

This year the federal government is expected to collect more than $3.5 trillion in taxes— a vast amount of money by any measure. One of the key functions of Congress is to pass a budget. But often that seems close to impossible.

Lack of agreement over federal spending regularly threatens to bring about government shutdowns that have a negative impact on millions of Americans. Yet few of us can even begin to understand the byzantine budget process.

Both of our guests in this episode have worked with other policy experts to make the budget process function better, with greater efficiency and transparency.

Alison Acosta Winters is a fiscal conservative and was most recently a senior policy fellow at Americans for Prosperity. Emily Holubowich is vice president for federal advocacy at the American Heart Association, and often supports more government spending.

Brought together by Convergence Center for Policy Resolution, Alison, Emily and other stakeholders from diverse backgrounds spent months working together to come up with several major proposals for overhauling the budget process.

This podcast is one of a series of episodes co-produced in partnership with the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution. Each show highlights the common ground that resulted from one of Convergence’s structured dialogues across differences.

The State of Polarization: 2022. Christa Case Bryant and Story Hinckley Jan 06, 2022

Show notes

One year after the January 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol, we take a close look at America's political divide with two journalists who covered the calamitous events on that day and the responses to them.

Our guests are Christa Case Bryant, Congressional correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, and Story Hinckley, the Monitor's National political correspondent. We discuss whether America is more polarized than it was one year ago and the prospects for finding common ground in Congress and across the country.

A Washington Post - University of Maryland opinion poll published on New Year's Day confirmed that Americans have totally different views of the 2020 election results. While large majorities of Democrats and independent voters say there was no evidence of widespread fraud, more than 60% of Republicans say there was.

In their reporting throughout the year, both of our guests sought answers to complex questions about what caused people to storm the Capitol, and why Democrats and Republicans have opposing views about voter access and election laws. In this episode, we also examine the role of the media and individual reporters in covering the state of polarization in America today.

Change Makers: People Making a Difference. Dave Scott Dec 23, 2021

Show notes

In a world of crises and catastrophes, we look at a handful of extraordinary problem solvers: People who use their passion and personal experience of life to make a difference. Dave Scott, Engagement Editor at The Christian Monitor, tells us about remarkable individuals who use generosity, hope, and innovation to inspire others to uplift their fellow human beings.

With origin stories and personal anecdotes, we hear how listening and trust are essential elements in constructive change and finding common ground.

This special year-end episode includes excerpts from the Monitor's new podcast, "People Making a Difference". We hear about what a 12-year-old can teach us about empathy and kindness; how the Sewing Machine Project has repaired thousands of lives around the world, and why LavaMaeX is providing hot showers, pop-up care villages, and radical hospitality for homeless people in California.

Co-hosts: Richard Davies and Ashley Milne-Tyte.

Bob Dole Remembered with Mike Pettit, Former Chief of Staff Dec 14, 2021

Show notes

Center Co-Directors Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy join former Chief of Staff Mike Pettit, to honor the legacy of Senator Bob Dole, who died on Dec. 5, 2021. Dole was one of the longest-serving Republican leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives. He was a Vice Presidential and Presidential candidate, and received the Congressional Gold Medal.

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
Mike Pettit - Former Chief of Staff and Presidential Campaign Adviser for Sen. Bob Dole

Climate Action and the Global Need for Energy. Daniel Yergin Dec 09, 2021

Show notes

At a time of increasingly urgent calls for climate action, the world also faces ever-rising demand for energy. How can these two trends be reconciled as we experience soaring gas prices and supply chain disruptions?

Our guest is Pulitzer Prize-winning author and energy expert Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman of IHS Markit and chairman of CERAWeek, which CNBC has described as “the Super Bowl of world energy.” Dr. Yergin says the energy transition is very complicated, and the degree to which the world still depends on oil and natural gas is not well understood.

In this episode, we look at the prospects for common ground among environmentalists and energy industry executives. We examine why a new map of energy and geopolitics is emerging. Daniel Yergin explains how future innovations in green energy could prove to be just as surprising as the "shale revolution” in oil and gas which transformed the American economy and ended an era of energy shortage.

Ben Rhodes Talks "After the Fall: Being an American in the World We've Made" Dec 03, 2021

Show notes

Center Director Bob Shrum is joined by Ben Rhodes, former Obama advisor, to discuss his latest book on America's role in rising global authoritarianism, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to today, and the urgency to fight for what he thinks the U.S. should be.

Featuring:

Bob Shrum - Director, Center for the Political Future; Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics, USC Dornsife

Ben Rhodes - Author; Co-Host of “Pod Save the World;” Former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting, Obama Administration; Spring 2020 CPF Fellow

2021: The Year of Politicking Dangerously - The Midterms and Politics of 2022: Predictions, Hopes, and Fears Nov 30, 2021

Show notes

Elex Michaelson, FOX News LA anchor, is joined by CA Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson and media heavyweights David Chalian, Chris Matthews, and Ron Christie to discuss what's at stake for seats in both the House and Senate, advantages for the Republican Party, and needed optimism for the 2022 Midterms.

Featuring:

Elex Michaelson - Host, "The Issue Is;" Co-Anchor, FOX 11 News LA
David Chalian - Vice President of Political Coverage and Political Director, CNN
Ron Christie - Political Analyst, BBC World News; Fall '19 Fellow, Center for the Political Future
Chris Matthews - Former Political Commentator; Former Host of Hardball With Chris Matthews
Jessica Millan Patterson - Chairwoman, California Republican Party

2021: The Year of Politicking Dangerously - The Many Global Challenges for Biden Nov 29, 2021

Show notes

CPF Co-Director Mike Murphy is joined by USC professors Nina Rathbun and David Kang, journalist Markos Kounalakis, and foreign policy expert Kori Schake to assess the historic Afghanistan withdrawal, tensions with China, and compare Biden's success with Trump's.

Featuring:

Mike Murphy - Co-Director, Center for the Political Future; NBC Analyst
David C. Kang - Maria Crutcher Professor in International Relations, Business, and East Asian Languages and Cultures; Director, Korean Studies Institute, USC Dornsife
Markos Kounalakis - Foreign Affairs Columnist, Author, and Scholar; Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution at Stanford University
Kori Schake - Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute; Former Foreign Policy Advisor for John McCain's presidential campaign
Nina Srinivasan Rathbun - Professor of International Relations, USC Dornsife

Coming Together Across Divides: Holiday Season Special Episode Nov 24, 2021

Show notes

What happens when people of opposing viewpoints and diverse backgrounds work in teams, have conversations, or even sit across the table from each other at family gatherings? How do they come together and listen to others who see the world very differently?

In this special episode, we compile a series of inspiring stories from past shows. Mother and daughter Robbie Lawler and Becca Kearl share deep love and respect but vote for different parties. Psychologist Tania Israel explains practical, proven ways to go beyond your bubble and get out of opinion silos and comfort zones.

Race reconciliator Daryl Davis and former white supremacist Ryan Lo'Ree discuss their remarkable work together to deradicalize members of hate groups. Co-authors, Republican Jordan Blashek and Democrat Chris Haugh, recount their unlikely friendship that blossomed not despite, but because of their political differences.

Radio and podcast journalist Ashley Ahearn talks about what she learned from her new friends and neighbors after moving from progressive Seattle to a conservative ranching country in rural Washington State. All on “Let’s Find Common Ground.” After deep skepticism, Dr. Gisèle Huff, a longtime proponent of school choice, and Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association, came together to work on a new vision for the future of education.

2021: The Year of Politicking Dangerously - Insurrection, Pandemic, and Biden's Big Agenda Nov 22, 2021

Show notes

Christina Bellantoni, is joined by USC Professor Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, strategists Ben Tulchin and Juan Rodriguez, and commentator Charlie Sykes to weigh the Biden Administration's achievements and fumbles, the fallout from November elections, and the need for bipartisan action for real change.

Featuring:

Christina Bellantoni - Director of USC Annenberg's Media Center; Professor of Professional Practice, USC Annenberg
Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro - Dean's Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Relations; Director, Center for Leadership by Women of Color
Juan Rodriguez - Campaign Manager for Gov. Gavin Newsom; Partner, Bearstar Strategies
Charles Sykes - Founder and Editor-at-Large, The Bulwark; Host, The Bulwark Podcast
Ben Tulchin - President and Founder of Tulchin Research; Pollster, Strategist for Bernie Sanders' 2020 campaign and Eric Adams' 2021 Mayoral Campaign

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