The Democracy Group

Latest Episodes:

Gun Rights and Gun Control: A Former Industry Insider Speaks Out | Let's Find Common Ground May 04, 2022

Show notes

The recent mass shootings in Sacramento, California, and at a subway station in Brooklyn, New York have prompted renewed calls for action on gun control. In this podcast episode, we gain a unique perspective on the raging debate with a former gun industry executive who says the NRA and its supporters have gone too far.

Our guest, Ryan Busse grew up around guns— hunting and shooting with his father. He is a proud gun owner, hunter, and an avid outdoorsman, who lives in Montana. But today, Busse says that his industry radicalized large numbers of Americans, and argues it must change before gun violence can be reduced and our nation can heal.

After a successful 30-year career, he decided to retire from the gun manufacturer he worked for, and write "Gunfight", a book that tells the inside story of a little-known industry. In this episode, we learn about Busse's lifelong love of guns and discuss his call for sensible rules of conduct.

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Leveraging Financial Power to Build Equity; A Brief History of Black Education in America; PLUS Restorative Economics Creating Pathways to Prosperity | Our Body Politic May 02, 2022

Show notes

How do you harness the power of money for the greater good? This week, Farai speaks to philanthropist Mona Sinha, founder and CEO of the Insight Circle Fund, about what it means to make an impact as a woman of color in the worlds of finance and of giving. In the series “Our Body Politic Presents…” Aimée Eubanks Davis, host and creator of the podcast After 1954 speaks to author of Black Teachers on Teaching, researcher and professor Michele Foster about the rich past of Black education in the United States, specifically the effects of school desegregation on Black students following Brown V. Board. Then in our weekly segment, ‘Sippin’ the Political Tea’, Farai speaks about pathways to shared prosperity and innovative approaches to community and finance with Nwamaka Agbo, CEO of the Kataly Foundation and Managing Director of the Restorative Economies Fund; and Jessica Norwood, Founder of RUNWAY.

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Successful Conversations Across Difficult Divides. Mónica Guzmán | How Do We Fix It? Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

Partisanship is up, trust is down and social media encourages us to believe we're right and everyone else is either ignorant, stupid or evil. But avoiding difficult conversations with those we disagree with is a big reason why our nation is so bitterly divided.

Journalist Mónica Guzmán set out to discover what was blinding us and learned that the best tool we have we're not using: Our own curiosity. In this episode we learn about her personal story as the loving liberal daughter of Mexican immigrants who strongly support Donald Trump. We hear how Mónica discovered ways to overcome divisions that hurt our relationships and society.

Mónica Guzmán is the author of the highly praised new book "I Never Thought Of It That Way". She serves as an advisor and storyteller at the depolarization organization, Braver Angels.

"The anger and the rage that we see out there that defines our division doesn't actually exist that much on the one-to-one level," Monica told us.

In this episode, Monica discusses how we can put our natural sense of wonder to work, finding the answers needed to work with people, rather than score points against them. Bridging the gap involves asking questions that help you get across the difficult divides that are causing so much pain in our families and communities.

We also learn about the work of Braver Angels and hear why this month's America Talks is a good place to start when learning how to help depolarize America, one person at a time.

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How Do We Fix It? Podcast

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Making Outrage Addictive | Swamp Stories Apr 25, 2022

Show notes

Social media has become a part of our daily lives, as we scroll endlessly through curated feeds. But it’s clear that these platforms are having a negative impact on our lives and our society in ways we never imagined.

Platforms that were once a way to connect people have become a place where disinformation flows freely, controversy and division turns a profit, and people are pushed into echo chambers where everyone believes the same things and get fed disinformation that amps up their views.

In episode 39, Weston unpacks social media’s psychological and cultural ramifications, but also its impact on our democracy and politics — looking at where we can go from here and discussing the need for increased transparency and accountability.

Guests:

Nora Benavidez, Senior Counsel and Digital Justice and Civil Rights Director at Free Press
Camille Carlton, Communications Manager at the Center for Humane Technology
David Jay, Chief Mobilization Officer at the Center for Humane Technology

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Dark Money: The Convergence of Political & Economic Inequalities | TDG Twitter Spaces Apr 22, 2022

Show notes

A recording from our Twitter Space Event with Campaign Legal Center.

Hosts

Justin Kempf, Host of Democracy Paradox
Simone Leeper, Legal Counsel for Campaign Legal Center, Host of Democracy Decoded

Guests

Trevor Potter, President, Campaign Legal Center
Adiv Noti, Vice President & Legal Director, Campaign Legal Center

If you would like to listen and ask questions live, follow us @GroupDemocracy or subscribe to our newsletter are democracygroup.org/newsletter to be the first to know about upcoming events.

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What if things happened differently? | Politics in Question Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Julia, Lee, and James consider what could have been if things happened differently at key moments in American political history. What would politics look like today if Richard Nixon defeated John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election? Would Barack Obama’s defeat in the 2012 presidential election alter the trajectory of American politics over the last ten years? What impact do individuals have on politics? Do events matter? Or is politics determined by forces beyond our control? These are some of the questions that Julia, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode.

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A Conversation with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) | The Bully Pulpit Apr 18, 2022

Show notes

CPF Director Bob Shrum joins U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski to discuss her decades-long efforts to bridge partisan divides and promote sustainability efforts, and her thoughts on Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Featuring:

Bob Shrum - Director, Center for the Political Future; Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics, USC Dornsife
Lisa Murkowski - U.S. Senator (R-AK)

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Healing Conversations Across Dangerous Divides: Mónica Guzmán | Let's Find Common Ground Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

Mónica Guzmán is the loving liberal daughter of Mexican immigrants who strongly support Donald Trump. We hear her warm personal story of how Mónica set out to understand what divides America and discovered ways to overcome divisions that hurt our relationships and society.

In this episode of "Let's Find Common Ground", we discuss ways to use our own sense of curiosity to have rewarding cross-partisan conversations with colleagues, friends, and family.

Mónica Guzmán is the author of the new book, "I Never Thought Of It That Way". She serves as an advisor to the depolarization organization, Braver Angels. Our interview shows listeners how to cross boundaries and find common ground with others from different viewpoints and life experiences.

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Protecting Our Neighbors | Swamp Stories Apr 11, 2022

Show notes

Elections across the country are run by dedicated full-time elected officials and by a huge and diverse group of citizens who serve as poll workers — people who might very well be your neighbors, your teacher, or your child’s baseball coach.

These folks are the backbone of our elections system, and are the reason that the 2020 election went so smoothly and was called the “most secure election in American history” with the highest turnout in over a century. But since Election Day in 2020 — and because of a systematic campaign of disinformation designed to undermine trust in our elections — the people who make our democracy work have been the target of repeated attacks on their character and integrity, and have even been threatened with violence.

In episode 38, Weston chats with current and former election officials about the threats they and other election workers have received since the 2020 election, and the problematic trend of election administration being politicized across the country.

Guests:

Natalie Adona, Assistant Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters for Nevada County, CA
Brian Corley, Supervisor of Elections in Pasco County, FL
Al Schmidt, Former City Commissioner of Philadelphia
Elise Wirkus, Legislative Director at Issue One

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Ukraine Series: Russia Invasion of Ukraine - Causes and Consequences | Democracy Matters Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

Daniel Beers, Colleen Moore, John Hulsey and Bernie Kaussler join us to provide historical and political context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the humanitarian and geopolitical consequences.

See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2022/01-news.shtml