Let’s Find Common Ground

Latest Episodes:

Guardrails of Democracy: Law and Reform. Rick Pildes Jun 10, 2021

Show notes

American democracy is being challenged by hyper-polarization, widespread distrust of competing parties, and extremists who seek to weaken democratic values and institutions.

In a recent poll, only one-in-six Americans said our democratic system is working very well, while nearly two-in-three voters told a Pew Research Center survey that major reforms are needed.

"I certainly feel we are more vulnerable than we have ever been in the modern era," says our podcast guest, constitutional law scholar, Rick Pildes, a professor at New York University’s School of Law, and author of the book, “The Law of Democracy: Legal Structure of the Political Process.”

In this episode, we discuss proposed changes aimed at strengthening democracy— from ranked-choice voting and reform of political primaries, to limiting gerrymandering, and campaign finance reform.

Environment and Climate Change: Can Young Americans Bridge the Gap? May 27, 2021

Show notes

Young Americans, aged 18-29, believe that the threat from climate change is real regardless of their ideological leanings, compared to older Americans. Recent polling shows that Republican voters, born after 1980, are much more likely than older Republicans to think that government efforts to reduce climate change have been insufficient (52% vs. 31%).

In this episode, we ask: can the youngest generation of voters put aside partisan differences and agree on policies needed to protect climate and the environment as well as address the needs of businesses and the economy? We discuss the role of government, business, and how to find on common ground.

Our guests are Danielle Butcher, a conservative political executive and a leader of the American Conservation Coalition, and a liberal, Andrew Brennen, who is a National Geographic Explorer and Education Fellow, who co-founded the Kentucky Student Voice Team.

A Roadmap to Effective National Security Policy with Former Congresswoman Jane Harman May 21, 2021

Show notes

CPF Director Bob Shrum is joined by Jane Harman, former Congresswoman and author of “Insanity Defense,” to discuss how four presidential administrations have failed to confront some of the toughest national security policy issues. Congresswoman Harman also shares her views on the Democratic Party’s platform and how to make progress in a closely divided Congress.

Featuring:

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

Jane Harman - Distinguished Fellow and President Emerita, Wilson Center, Stanford University; Former Congresswoman (D-CA); Author, “Insanity Defense: Why Our Failure to Confront Hard National Security Problems Makes Us Less Safe"

President Joe Biden's First 100 Days - Racing Toward 2022 and 2024 May 13, 2021

Show notes

Elex Michaelson, Fox 11 News co-anchor, is joined by journalist Todd Purdum, strategists Rachel Bitcoffer and Mark Mellman, and Shaniqua McClendon, political director at Crooked Media, to discuss whether Democrats will lose seats and legislative control in the midterms and which candidates are shaping the race for the presidency in 2024.

Featuring: Elex Michaelson - Co-Anchor, Fox 11 News and Host, "The Issue Is: With Elex Michaelson"

Rachel Bitecofer - Elections Analyst and Strategist; Editor, The Cycle; Founder, Strike PAC

Shaniqua McClendon - Political Director, Crooked Media; Spring '21 Fellow, Center for the Political Future

Mark Mellman - CEO, Mellman Group; Former President of the American Association of Political Consultants

Todd Purdum - Former New York Times Reporter and Staff Writer at The Atlantic; Spring '21 Fellow, Center for the Political Future

Environment & Climate – Can Business Bridge the Gap? Stephanie Hanes & Mark Trumbull May 13, 2021

Show notes

Banks & businesses are betting big on sustainable investments. Can they help politicians bridge the gap on climate change?

When Joe Biden talks about the challenge of fighting climate change, he mentions jobs: not green jobs or renewable energy jobs, but “millions of good-paying union jobs.”

The new administration is working to reframe the conversation about the environment at a time when many of Wall Street’s largest banks and corporations are betting big on sustainable investments — from electric cars and trucks to new kinds of renewable and carbon-free energy.

On Let’s Find Common Ground, we interview journalists Stephanie Hanes and Mark Trumbull of The Christian Science Monitor, and learn the latest on the changing landscape in the great debate over the environment and climate. Can business help politicians from both major parties bridge some of their differences? Listen to find out.

President Joe Biden’s First 100 Days - How Strong is Trump’s Hold on the GOP? May 10, 2021

Show notes

CPF Co-Director Mike Murphy is joined by former Congresswoman Barbara Comstock, journalists Robert A. George and Jeremy Peters, and President Trump’s former White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, to discuss how the impact of Republican voter support of the former president translates into influence within GOP leadership.

Featuring:

Mike Murphy - Co-Director, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future; NBC Political Analyst

Barbara Comstock - Former U.S. Representative (R-VA) , Spring '21 Fellow, Center for the Political Future

Robert A. George - Columnist, Bloomberg Opinion

Mark Meadows - Former White House Chief of Staff, President Donald Trump and U.S. Representative (R-NC); Senior Partner, The Conservative Partnership Institute

Jeremy W. Peters - National Politics Reporter, New York Times; Contributor to MSNBC; Author, "Insurgency: How Republicans Lost Their Party and Got Everything They Ever Wanted"

President Joe Biden's First 100 Days - Biden Abroad May 06, 2021

Show notes

Michael Beschloss, presidential historian and best-selling author, is joined by Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, Max Boot, national security analyst, USC professor Alison Dundes Renteln, and former Obama administration advisor, Ben Rhodes, to discuss President Biden's foreign policy goals and achievements 100 days into his presidency.

Featuring:

Michael Beschloss - Historian, Best-Selling Author

Anne Applebaum - Pulitzer Prize-Winning Historian; Staff Writer, The Atlantic; Author, "Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism"

Max Boot - Author, Columnist, and National Security Analyst

Alison Dundes Renteln - Professor of Political Science, Anthropology, Public Policy and Law, USC Dornsife

Ben Rhodes - Co-Host of “Pod Save the World,” Former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting, Obama Administration; Spring '20 Fellow, Center for the Political Future

President Joe Biden's First 100 Days - How Are Joe and Mitch Doing? May 04, 2021

Show notes

CPF Director Bob Shrum is joined by former Congressman Joe Kennedy III and strategists Karen Finney, Ron Christie, and Brian Goldsmith to discuss President Joe Biden's domestic performance for reviving the economy and reforming immigration, police, and gun policies.

Featuring:

Robert M. Shrum - Director, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future; Carmen H. & Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics

Ron Christie - CEO, Christie Strategies; Political Analyst, BBC; Former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush; Former Deputy Assistant to Vice President Cheney for Domestic Policy; Fall 2019 CPF Fellow

Karen Finney - Democratic Strategist; Former Senior Advisor and Spokesperson for Hillary Clinton; Former Senior Advisor to Stacey Abrams

Brian Goldsmith - Media Consultant; Political Strategist

Joe Kennedy III - Former U.S. Representative (D-MA)

Does America Need a Third Political Party? David Jolly Apr 29, 2021

Show notes

Growing numbers of voters are fed up with politics as usual. In a recent survey, 62% of Americans say a third party is needed — up 5% from September of last year, and the highest it has ever been since Gallup polls first asked the question nearly twenty years ago.

Our podcast guest, former two-term Florida Congressman David Jolly, says it's time to reexamine the system that reinforces the entrenched power of both the Republican and Democratic parties. Last year, Jolly was named Executive Chairman of the Serve America Movement (SAM), a growing organization that exists in some states as a third party, and in others as a non-partisan political reform group that backs office holders who work across party lines.

SAM calls itself a big tent political movement that brings people together who have different ideologies but shared political principles. In this episode, David Jolly makes the case for his movement's ambitious goal: fixing our broken politics in America.

"Multiparty democracies give greater voice to more people," David tells us. "We have allowed the two major parties to protect the duopoly themselves. The one thing that today's Democratic and Republican parties agree on is 'let's create the rules of the game in a way that we are only two major participants.'"

Legislative Roundtable: Climate Change in L.A. Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

CPF Director Bob Shrum is joined by California Senators Ben Allen and Sydney Kamlager and Los Angeles Sustainability Officers Gary Gero and Dominique Hargreaves to discuss how Southern California should move forward on climate change issues and the role of institutions in reducing its impact.

Robert Shrum - Director, USC Center for the Political Future; USC Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics
Ben Allen - California State Senator, District 26
Gary Gero - Chief Sustainability Officer, County of Los Angeles
Dominique Hargreaves - Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer, Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
Sydney Kamlager - California State Senator, District 30

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