Let’s Find Common Ground

Latest Episodes:

2021: The Year of Politicking Dangerously - Lawrence H. Summers One-On-One with Bob Shrum Nov 19, 2021

Show notes

CPF Director Bob Shrum is joined by Lawrence H. Summers, President Obama's National Economic Council Director, to reflect on the parallels between the current COVID-19 economic fallout and the 2009 recession, and explore solutions for rising inflation.

Featuring:

Bob Shrum - Director, Center for the Political Future; Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics, USC Dornsife
Lawrence H. Summers - Director of the National Economic Council for President Obama; 71st Secretary of the Treasury for President Clinton; Charles W. Eliot University Professor and President Emeritus, Harvard University

Hidden Progress: A More Hopeful Future Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

Sometimes the future can seem dark. The pandemic drags on. Climate change is upon us. Political polarization remains toxic. When stories of division fill the headlines it’s easy to feel like the only way is down.

But what if that’s not true? What if we gave less airtime to voices of doom and more to voices of hope?

Our guests on this episode are Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas. Zachary is the founder of The Progress Network, Emma is its executive director. The Progress Network focuses on what’s going right with the world and amplifies voices of optimism. Zachary joins us from New York and Emma from her adopted home in Greece, where she’s gained an outsider’s perspective on the US. Emma and Zachary are also the hosts of the podcast ‘What Could Go Right?’

5 Years After Paris: What Is Happening at the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference? Nov 05, 2021

Show notes

Center Co-Directors Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy are joined by USC Professors Monalisa Chatterjee, Shannon Gibson, and Robert O' Brien to discuss the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland and the proposed solutions for a path forward.

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

Monalisa Chatterjee - Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, USC Dornsife

Shannon Gibson - Associate Professor of International Relations and Environmental Studies, USC Dornsife

Robert O’ Brien - (Incoming) Fulbright Research Chair of Public Diplomacy, USC Center on Public Diplomacy

Technology in Politics: What We Don't Know and Should Oct 29, 2021

Show notes

Center Co-Directors Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy are joined by USC Professor Morteza Dehghani, former Facebook executive Katie Harbath, strategist Cheryl Hori, and attorney John Patzakis to discuss the rapid changes in technology and their effects on politics including fundraising, campaigning, voting, free speech, and polarization.

Featuring:

Robert 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

Morteza Dehghani - Associate Professor of Psychology, USC Dornsife

Katie Harbath - Founder and CEO of Anchor Change; Former Public Policy Director for Global Elections at Facebook

Cheryl Hori - Founder and Chief Strategist, Pacific Campaign House

John Patzakis - Executive Chair and Chief Legal Officer, X1

A Climate Scientist Makes the Case for Hope with Katharine Hayhoe Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

Climate change is one of the most divisive issues in our country today. But this wasn’t the case 20 years ago. How did we get here?

Katharine Hayhoe is a climate scientist and chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy as well as a professor at Texas Tech University. And she’s the author of a new book called Saving Us - a Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World.

In this episode, Katharine explains how climate change became so polarizing, and how each of us can play a part in bridging the divide by starting conversations (even if we never use the words ‘climate’ and ‘change’ together.) She gives examples of how she, an evangelical Christian, talks to other Christians who may dispute the reality of climate change.

Katherine says altering the status quo is easier than we think: the most important thing we can do to curb climate change is talk about it.

Voting Rights and Voting Wrongs Oct 15, 2021

Show notes

Center Co-Directors Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy are joined by Linda Chavez, Pete Peterson, Theodore Johnson, and Ralph Neas to dive into the pros and cons of voting processes nationwide and explore common sense solutions.

Featuring:

Robert 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

Linda Chavez - Conservative commentator; Chair, Center for Equal Opportunity

Theodore Johnson - Fellows Program Director at Brennan Center for Justice, New York University

Ralph Neas - Senior Counsel on Voting Rights, Century Foundation

Pete Peterson - Braun Family Dean's Chair, Pepperdine University School of Public Policy; Senior Fellow, Davenport Institute

How Should We Respond to the Vaccine Hesitant? With Dr. Jay Baruch Oct 14, 2021

Show notes

As an ER doctor, Jay Baruch has been treating Covid patients since the start of the pandemic. He still sees many patients sick with Covid in his ER - the vast majority unvaccinated.

It might seem reasonable for him to share the anger and frustration that many vaccinated Americans feel about the unvaxxed. While Jay wants everyone who is eligible to get the shot, he says judgment does nothing to persuade the hesitant to get the vaccine, and that there is a better way to respond.

Jay is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Brown University’s Alpert Medical School. He is also a writer. In this episode he discusses his desire for a more open dialogue about vaccination, one that involves listening to people’s stories, empathizing with their concerns, and recognizing that all human beings are complicated.

The Rising Impact of the Hispanic Electorate Oct 08, 2021

Show notes

Center Fellow Gloria Molina is joined by Antonio Villaraigosa, 41st Mayor of Los Angeles, strategist Cesar Martinez, and USC Professor Mindy Romero to discuss the growing impact of Latino voters and assess how political parties are reaching them, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Featuring:

Gloria Molina - Fall 2021 Fellow, Center for the Political Future; Former LA County Supervisor and CA Assemblymember
Cesar Martinez - Media strategist for Jeb Bush, George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney's presidential campaigns
Mindy Romero - Founder and Director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy; Research Assistant Professor at USC Price School of Public Policy
Antonio Villaraigosa - 41st Mayor of Los Angeles; Partner and Co-Chair, Mercury Public Affairs

Redistricting: Science, Art, and Skullduggery Oct 01, 2021

Show notes

Center Co-Directors Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy are joined by attorneys and redistricting experts Benjamin Ginsberg and Michael Li, former CA Assemblymember Gloria Molina, and USC Professor Christian Grose to examine the challenges of redistricting across the country and its implications for the 2022 midterm elections.

Featuring:

Robert Shrum - Director, Center for the Political Future; Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics, USC Dornsife
Mike Murphy- Co-Director, Center for the Political Future; MSNBC Political Analyst
Benjamin Ginsberg - Election Lawyer; Former National Counsel for Bush-Cheney Presidential Campaigns
Christian Grose - Associate Professor of Political Science and Policy, USC Dornsife & Sol Price School of Public Policy
Michael Li - Senior Counsel for Democracy Program, NYU Brennan Center for Justice
Gloria Molina - Fall '21 Fellow, Center for the Political Future; Former CA Assemblywoman; LA County Supervisor

Understanding Trump Voters and American Populism. Salena Zito Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

Unlike the vast majority of journalists who cover U.S. politics, columnist Salena Zito lives far away from the centers of power and wealth. Twice a year she leaves her home in western Pennsylvania and drives thousands of miles across the country on back roads, visiting towns and rural communities that are often ignored by the national media.

In this episode, we learn about the perspectives of voters who support Donald Trump and the populist coalition that reshaped the Republican Party.

Selena, a columnist for the Washington Examiner and the New York Post is the author of "The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics”. She previously wrote for The Atlantic and Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

While on the road, Zito goes to high school football games, attends church services, and eats at local diners. "One of the things that makes my reporting different is that I try to treat each story that I write as though I am from the locality," she tells us.

Hear some of the insights and views of those who live in what Salena calls 'the middle of somewhere.'

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Let’s Find Common Ground

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected