The Democracy Group

Latest Episodes:

Best of 2023: Finding Common Ground on the Politics of Climate | The Bully Pulpit Nov 22, 2023

Show notes

We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an episode from the The Bully Pulpit podcast, hosted by Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy

CPF Director Bob Shrum joins former U.S. Representatives Val Demings and Adam Kinzinger for a conversation on the politics of climate with the goal of finding common ground. They discuss political barriers to enacting climate action, climate legislation passed by Congress, and how environmental legislation can help achieve climate justice. Featuring:

Val Demings: Former U.S. Representative (D-FL)
Adam Kinzinger: Former U.S. Representative (R-IL)
Bob Shrum: Director, Center for the Political Future; Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics, USC Dornsife
Bruce Bond: Co-Founder, CEO, & Board Chair of Common Ground Committee

Additional Information

The Bully Pulpit Podcast

More shows from The Democracy Group

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Best of 2023: Black and Blue | Democracy in Danger Nov 20, 2023

Show notes

We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an episode from the Democracy in Danger podcast, hosted by Will Hitchcock & Siva Vaidhyanathan.

Law enforcement is among the most undemocratic institutions in America, says New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie. And the effect this has on communities of color is especially stark. Bouie visits Will and Siva’s class for another live recording with their students, to discuss police brutality, the country’s culture of violence, and the shifting ground of racial oppression in U.S. history. How citizens experience government, he says, depends a lot on what they look like and what levers of power they hold.

Additional Information

Democracy in Danger Podcast

More shows from The Democracy Group

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How Poll Workers, the Supreme Court, and Medical Biases Impact U.S. Democracy | Our Body Politic Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

On this episode of Our Body Politic, guest host Karen Grigsby Bates talks with Virginia Kase Solomón, CEO of the League of Women Voters, about the threats and issues poll workers face protecting democracy. Karen then speaks with Melissa Murray, NYU law professor and host of the podcast Strict Scrutiny about some of the cases SCOTUS will hear this term. We round out the show with Karen discussing how to navigate medical bias with artist, author and doctor, Shirlene Obuobi.

Additional Information

The Democracy Group listener survey

Our Body Politic Podcast

More shows from The Democracy Group

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Wonder Women | Democracy in Danger Nov 13, 2023

Show notes

Download our free guide on 5 ways to take action!

Coming at you live from Light House Studio’s Vinegar Hill Theatre in Charlottesville, our fair city: Emily and Siva welcome Jennifer Weiss-Wolf and Samhita Sunya to the stage, as part of the Karsh Institute’s Democracy360 forum. Sunya, a cinema expert, and Weiss-Wolf, a pioneering advocate for women’s rights, discuss the power of film and print media to shape global feminism. From Bollywood to Ms. magazine, we look at why the women’s movement and its representation matter for the health of a society.

Additional Information

Democracy in Danger Podcast

More shows from The Democracy Group

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Amplifying Young Voices in Politics with Jahnavi Rao & Nivea Krishnan of New Voters | TDG Partner Interview Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

The Democracy Group's Jessie Nguyen interviews Jahnavi Rao & Nivea Krishnan about New Voters, an organization that is helping the next generation of our country have their voice heard and a seat at the decision table.

Jahnavi Rao is President & Founder of New Voters, Government at Harvard University, Formerly White House, DNC, Harvard Kennedy, and UPenn.

Nivea Krishnan is Executive Director of New Voters, Public Policy and Econ at USC, Student Government VP, Formerly State of Hawaii and Crooked Media.

Find this interview and more in our bi-weekly newsletter, a collection of the hottest podcast episodes from the network, upcoming special events, expert features, and news from you favorite shows.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Engaging High School Students in Politics with Jahnavi Rao of New Voters | The Great Battlefield Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

Jahnavi Rao joins The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about her start in political activism, founding New Voters, which registers high school students to vote and now running New Voters Research Network where they use behavioral science tools to solve challenging problems.

Additional Information

The Democracy Group listener survey

The Great Battlefield Podcast

More shows from The Democracy Group

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Collective Illusions: Conformity, Complicity and the Science of Why We Make Bad Decisions with Dr. Todd Rose | Village SquareCast Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

Download our free guide on 5 ways to take action!

At the core of the deep societal divisions we navigate every day is an assumption that we share little with “those people” with whom we share a country—a belief that leaves us on dangerous ground as a nation. But author and entrepreneur Dr. Todd Rose says we’ve got that all wrong. According to Dr. Rose, not only do we agree more often than we think but we’re making terrible assumptions about what the people on our own side of the aisle think—then acting on those incorrect assumptions in a way that accelerates the divisions. Born of our highly social nature and hardwiring in our DNA, we so desperately want to protect our status and reputation inside our groups so we conform with what we think our group thinks—finding ourselves inside a “collective illusion” that is not only destabilizing society, it’s making us personally miserable.

Dr. Rose offers his compelling and revelatory insights about human forces that are far too easily ignored in his most recent book: “Collective Illusions: Conformity, Complicity and the Science of Why We Make Bad Decisions.” We think his work is just so important that we’re delighted to bring him to Tallahassee to meet you (and we’ll be hosting book clubs to dive into “Collective Illusions” through the year). We don’t think you’ll ever see the world quite the same way again (trust us, that’ll be a good thing).

Additional Information

The Democracy Group listener survey

The Village SquareCast Podcast

More shows from The Democracy Group

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Populism, Polarization, and Threats to Western Democracy: Rory Stewart | Let's Find Common Ground Nov 01, 2023

Show notes

Rory Stewart walked across Afghanistan, was an elected politician, served as a senior British government minister, and was a visiting fellow at Yale University. Today he is the host of a highly successful podcast— "The Rest Is Politics"— and outgoing president and advisor of the global anti-poverty charity, GiveDirectly. By any measure, he is a man of many parts.

In our podcast, Stewart raises the alarm about threats to democracy in Europe and the U.S., explains his detailed understanding of common ground, and discusses the stark difference between skills needed to win political office and what's needed to govern well.

We ask him about the parallels between U.S. and U.K. politics, the threats to democracy from populism, and how other elected politicians overseas view America's current political division and dysfunction. "The U.S. public square really looks incredibly divided," Rory Stewart tells us.

We also discuss his outspoken new memoir about his years in the U.K. Parliament and government, "How Not To Be a Politician."

Additional Information

The Democracy Group listener survey

Let's Find Common Ground Podcast

More shows from The Democracy Group

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Combating Antisemitism and Hatred featuring Bob Shrum, Bret Stephens, and Zev Yaroslavsky | The Bully Pulpit Oct 30, 2023

Show notes

Download our free guide on 5 ways to take action!

CPF's inaugural discussion of our Combating Antisemitism and Hatred Series features CPF Director Bob Shrum, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bret Stephens, and former Los Angeles elected official Zev Yaroslavksy. The series explores the struggle against antisemitism in the context of countering hate, reducing violence, promoting empathy, and nurturing civil dialogue. Featuring:

William Deverell: Divisional Dean for the Social Sciences, USC Dornsife
Bret Stephens: Opinion Columnist for The New York Times; Editor-in-Chief of Sapir
Zev Yaroslavsky: Former Los Angeles County Supervisor, District 3
Bob Shrum: Director, Center for the Political Future; Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics, USC Dornsife

Additional Information

The Democracy Group listener survey

The Bully Pulpit Podcast

More shows from The Democracy Group

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

AI and Politics with Tareq and Aaron of Chorus AI | The Great Battlefield Oct 25, 2023

Show notes

Tareq Alani and Aaron Myran join The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about their careers in politics and founding Chorus AI, where they're applying artificial intelligence and news analysis to political communications and organizing.