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Mike talks with Stephen J. Ducat, an author, political psychologist, psychoanalyst, and former psychology professor in the School of Humanities at New College of California. They discuss Professor Ducat’s most recent book, Hatreds We Love: The Psychology of Political Tribalism in Post-Truth America.
Topics Mike and Stephen discuss include:
- why tribal loyalty often overrides material self-interest
- demonizing outsiders to reinforce in-group virtue
- conservative disgust vs liberal disdain
- the ‘malignant, intuitive genius’ of Donald Trump
- the dark side of political purity
- the importance of being morally multi-lingual
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We discuss why American democracy should not treat the Latinx community as a monolith, what actually matters to this community, and how the strength of their engagement in U.S. democracy will play out in this year’s presidential election.
Maria Teresa’s civic action toolkit recommendations are:
VOTE!
Share your excitement to vote with everyone you know, especially young people.
Maria Teresa Kumar is the President and CEO of Voto Latino, a civic engagement organization focused on educating and empowering a new generation of Latinx voters, as well as creating a more robust and inclusive democracy.
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Future Hindsight Podcast
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When New Hampshire voters picked up the phone earlier this year and heard what sounded like the voice of President Joe Biden asking them not to vote in that state’s primary election, the stage was set for an unprecedented election year. The call was a deepfake — and the first major instance of artificial intelligence being used in the 2024 election. With the rise of AI tools that can credibly synthesize voices, images and videos, how are voters supposed to determine what they can trust as they prepare to cast their votes?
To find out how lawmakers and civil society are pushing back against harmful false narratives and content, we talked with experts engaging the problem on several fronts. Stephen Richer, an elected Republican in Phoenix, posts on X (formerly Twitter) to engage misinformation head-on to protect Arizona voters. Adav Noti, the executive director of CLC, explains how good-governance advocates are hurrying to catch up with a profusion of new digital tools that make the age-old practices of misinformation and disinformation faster and cheaper than ever. And Mia Hoffman, a researcher who looks at the effects of AI on democracies, reminds voters not to panic — that bad information and malicious messaging don’t always have the power to reach their audience, let alone sway people’s opinions or actions.
Host and Guests:Simone Leeper litigates a wide range of redistricting-related cases at CLC, challenging gerrymanders and advocating for election systems that guarantee all voters an equal opportunity to influence our democracy. Prior to arriving at CLC, Simone was a law clerk in the office of Senator Ed Markey and at the Library of Congress, Office of General Counsel. She received her J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 2019 and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University in 2016.
Stephen Richer is the 30th Recorder of Maricopa County. He was elected in November 2020 and took office in January 2021. His office of approximately 150 employees records hundreds of thousands of public documents every year, maintains a voter registration database of 2.4 million voters -- the second largest voting jurisdiction in the United States -- and administers the mail voting component of all elections in Maricopa County. Prior to his time as Recorder, Stephen worked in various business sectors and, later, as an attorney at the law firms Steptoe & Johnson LLP and Lewis Roca LLP. He holds a J.D. and M.A. from The University of Chicago and a B.A. from Tulane University. He is completing his PhD at Arizona State University.
Adav Noti is Executive Director at Campaign Legal Center. He has conducted dozens of constitutional cases in trial and appellate courts and the United States Supreme Court. He also advises Members of Congress and other policymakers on advancing democracy through legislation. Prior to joining CLC, Adav served for more than 10 years in nonpartisan leadership capacities within the Office of General Counsel of the Federal Election Commission, and he served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. Adav regularly provides expert analysis for television, radio, and print journalism. He has appeared on broadcasts such as The Rachel Maddow Show, Anderson Cooper 360, PBS NewsHour, and National Public Radio's Morning Edition, and he is regularly cited in publications nationwide, including the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Politico, Slate, and Reuters.
Mia Hoffmann is a Research Fellow at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology. Her research focuses on AI harm incidents, aiming to provide a deeper understanding of failure modes and the efficacy of risk mitigation practices. In recent work, she examined the uses of AI in US election administration and their risks to electoral integrity. Prior to joining CSET, Mia worked at the European Commission and as a researcher in Brussels, where she studied AI adoption and its implications. She holds a MS in Economics from Lund University and a BS in International Economics from the University of Tuebingen.
Links:
How Artificial Intelligence Influences Elections, and What We Can Do About It - Campaign Legal CenterHow 2024 presidential candidates are using AI inside their election campaigns - CNBC
Nonprofit group plans ad campaign using AI misinfo to fight AI misinfo - Politico
CLC Op-Ed Examines Artificial Intelligence Disinformation in Elections - Campaign Legal Center
Congress should pass bipartisan bills to safeguard elections from AI - Campaign Legal Center
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In today’s episode, NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan speaks with the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) President, Heather Williams. Heather explains how the DLCC works to elect more Democrats to the House and Senate and win legislative majorities. She walks us through the DLCC’s strategy of targeting key states and legislature chambers, the opportunities she is most excited about this year, and the organization’s important work to raise awareness of legislative candidates and ensure that voters vote down the ballot. Tune in to learn about the many issues being shaped by state legislatures, including reproductive rights, housing, and climate, and why this year’s elections matter more than ever.
IN THIS EPISODE:
• [01:03] Introducing Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) President Heather Williams who joins us to discuss state legislative elections.
• [02:55] President Williams shares the three buckets that her work falls into this year.
• [06:55] An overview of the DLCC’s work and the cycle it follows.
• [09:54] How enthusiasm for the Harris-Walz Campaign differs from state-specific voting sentiment.
• [12:20] Factors that currently drive voter turnout including access to information.
• [15:01] Why it is important to give voters a clear option to vote for issues such as reproductive healthcare.
• [17:48] The important moment created by the Dobbs decision and how it widened people’s understanding of Roe.
• [19:34] The experience of recruiting candidates in 2024.
• [22:35] President Williams’ journey to public service.
• [25:55] What sparked a transition in representation in 2010 and how that has unfolded today.
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These final days before the election are tense times. Today’s toxic politics are hurtful and heart breaking for many of us.
Maybe we all need a hope vaccine. An injection of kindness, curiosity and understanding for those who see the world differently than we do.
In our latest report on the work, ideas, and people of Braver Angels, the nationwide citizen-led campaign against political polarization, we learn more about its Election Day Initiative: A volunteer-led effort to push back against political climate change— the hurricane of hate resentment and disdain that many on the left and right feel for the other side.
Our guests in this episode are liberal Dorsey Cartwright and conservative Roger Haynes. They are two of many red/blue pairs of citizens who will sit and stand together outside polling places across America.
M. Dorsey Cartwright is a retired marriage and family therapist in Austin, Texas. She travelled internationally leading workshops for couples, individuals, adult children and parents, as well as for communities. Valuing the healing of relationships, Dorsey has turned her attention to America’s political environment. First as an active member of No Labels and its mission to depolarize the House and Senate, and then Braver Angels, with its mission to depolarize our citizenship. Her politics lean blue.
Red-leaning Roger Haynes is a retired Chief Master Sergeant with 23 years of active military service and he recently left a civil service appointment with the government. He has served in his community in various roles including HOA, City Commission, and is also active helping local Friends of NRA committees raise grant funding in areas such as youth education, women-focused clinics, law enforcement training, hunter safety, range improvement, firearms and marksmanship training and safety. He’s passionate about the First and Second Amendments.
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Election officials have always played a critical role in ensuring that our votes are cast and counted fairly. But in recent years, the landscape of election work has dramatically changed. No longer seen as a quiet, behind-the-scenes service, election officials are now on the front lines of an increasingly toxic environment, facing harassment, threats, and a flood of misinformation.
In this episode of Democracy Fix, two seasoned election officials, Tonya Wichman, Director of Elections in Defiance County, Ohio, and Wesley Wilcox, Supervisor of Elections in Marion County, Florida join Dr. Carah Ong Whaley and Angelina Clapp to discuss the evolving role of election administration, and how they’re standing up against the tide of misinformation and political interference to ensure the integrity of our elections. Both Tonya and Wesley are featured in the powerful new documentary, The Officials, which shines a light on the pressures and challenges they and their colleagues across the country face as they prepare for the 2024 presidential election.
Links in this episode:
The Officials film and companion toolkit
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What does it mean to be a conservative? (And no, Donald Trump is not a conservative.) Can the Republican Party be redeemed? What implications does any of this have on the 2024 election and beyond?
In this episode, we’re joined by Mona Charon, Policy Editor at The Bulwark and host of the podcasts Just Between Us and Beg to Differ. We explore the state of democracy, the role of media, and the evolving definitions of conservatism. Mona reflects on her experiences living in Israel, the challenges of peace negotiations, and her perspective on the Biden administration's policies. We discuss the extremism in both U.S. political parties, the impact of Trump's leadership, and the Republican Party's future post-Trump. Mona also details her work at The Bulwark and advocates for media integrity and accountability.
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Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other Podcast
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As we barrel toward America’s 250th, one could argue that if we crack up before we get there (some bad days we’d take even odds), it’ll have something to do with the complexity of being in charge of executing one of the founders’ biggest ideas — that the church and the state were to be separate in this new nation of theirs. (It had been so much “easier” when the king told all us peasants what religion we were.)
Our framers, for the first time in history, asserted that a citizenry had “natural rights” as human beings, given to them only by God, to follow (and be responsible for) our individual consciences — including the right to not believe at all. These rights could then not be taken by the government. Those dudes in tights, both Christian and Deist, had birthed a country where all sorts of religious belief would thrive.
Turns out high principles about freedom for everyone all at the same time wouldn’t be a piece of cake and after 250-ish years of disagreement, we’re still haggling over those darn specifics — partly because we’re masters of not seeing the log in our own eyes. God Squad goes right to the real conversation on this age-old prickly topic.
Learn more about the program and meet the God Squad here.
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In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Lee and James explore America’s reliance on direct primaries in federal elections with Nick Troiano. Troiano is the Executive Director of Unite America and the author of The Primary Solution: Rescuing Our Democracy from the Fringes (Simon & Schuster, 2024).
What are direct primaries? Why do Americans rely on them? When did they first start using direct primaries in federal elections? And what are the consequences? These are some of the questions Nick, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode.
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Chris Beem talks with political theorist Alexandre Lefebvre about why liberalism is more than just a political ideas and procedures, and how abiding by liberal principles can enhance your life far beyond politics.
In his book Liberalism as a Way of Life, Lefebvre argues that liberalism isn’t just a set of neutral procedures; it’s a comprehensive way of life that shapes the way we live and think and work and love in innumerable ways. He also argues that it’s a way of life worth robustly defending, drawing on examples from pop culture and recent history.
Lefebeve is a professor of politics and philosophy at the University of Sydney. He teaches and researches political theory, the history of political thought, modern and contemporary French philosophy, and human rights.
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Mike talks with Matt Grossmann, Director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research and Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University. Matt was on the show in 2019 when we talked about his book on public policy change, Artists of the Possible, and he’s back again for a discussion of his latest book, co-authored with David Hopkins, Polarized by Degrees: How the Diploma Divide and the Culture War Transformed American Politics.
Topics Mike & Matt Discuss Include:
- the educultural realignment in American Politics
- the degree divide as an international phenomenon
- if the progressive left has moved too fast
- the dangerous ramifications of destroying institutional trust
- the political right and ‘woke capitalism’
- why liberals dominate popular culture
- conservatives’ attempts to set up parallel institutions
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Voter registration is the number one obstacle to voting in the United States. It should be easy, accessible and secure, but too often, states are moving backwards; making voter registration more difficult and less equitable. Here, we introduce a new type of episode: an up-to-the-minute interview with an expert to help you better understand some of the most important issues affecting elections. Danielle Lang, a voting rights attorney at CLC, joins Simone to explain why major actions in Arizona and Texas involve what should be a straightforward component of elections: voter registration.
Danielle explains voter purges, mass challenges to voter registrations, and their effects on voters. And she lays out actions that states and individuals alike can take to ensure registering to vote is safe and secure ahead of Election Day.
Host and Guests:
Simone Leeper litigates a wide range of redistricting-related cases at CLC, challenging gerrymanders and advocating for election systems that guarantee all voters an equal opportunity to influence our democracy. Prior to arriving at CLC, Simone was a law clerk in the office of Senator Ed Markey and at the Library of Congress, Office of General Counsel. She received her J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 2019 and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University in 2016.
Danielle Lang is Senior Director for Voting Rights at Campaign Legal Center. Danielle has worked as a civil rights litigator her entire career. At CLC, she has led litigation against Texas's racially discriminatory voter ID law, Florida's modern-day poll tax for rights restoration, Arizona's burdensome registration requirements, North Dakota's voter ID law targeting Native communities, and numerous successful challenges to signature match policies for absentee ballots. Previously, Danielle served as a Skadden Fellow in the Employment Rights Project of Bet Tzedek Legal Services in Los Angeles, where she represented low-wage immigrant workers in wage and hour, discrimination, and human trafficking matters. From 2012 to 2013, Danielle clerked for Judge Richard A. Paez on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Links:
Frivolous Mass Challenges to Voter Eligibility Damaging to Democracy - Campaign Legal Center
Our Strict Laws Ensure Only U.S. Citizens Vote in Federal Elections - Campaign Legal Center
How To Prevent Unfair Voter Purges - Campaign Legal Center
Modernizing Voter Registration - Campaign Legal Center
What Does the U.S. Supreme Court’s Recent Arizona Decision Mean for Voters? - Campaign Legal Center
Texas Expands Push to Halt Democratic Voter Registration Efforts - Bloomberg Law
Tweet from Kyle Huddleston
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Bexar County Voter Registration Case - The New York Times
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We discuss the power and the promise of public schools, the universal rejection of book bans by parents across the country, and an inclusive vision for democracy.
Their civic action toolkit recommendations are:
Have a conversation with people with whom you disagreeRemain open-minded.Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider are co-hosts of the education podcast Have You Heard. Their new book is The Education Wars: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual.
Follow Jennifer on X:
https://x.com/BisforBerkshire
Follow Jack on X:
https://x.com/edu_historian
Read The Education Wars:
https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight
Follow Mila on X:
https://x.com/milaatmos
Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/
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Progressive talk show host Thom Hartmann returns to The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about his latest book "The Hidden History of the American Dream: The Demise of the Middle Class―and How to Rescue Our Future".
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In this episode, hosts Carah Ong Whaley, Angelina Clapp, and Mia Minkin sit down with King County, WA Director of Elections Julie Wise for a deep dive into the county’s award-winning initiatives to ensure all voices are heard in elections. Known for her passionate advocacy for voter accessibility and election transparency, Wise discusses the critical role of trained, nonpartisan election administrators in preserving democracy.
She highlights the challenges faced by election officials across the country, including the need for consistent and reliable federal funding, the impact of the spread of false election information, and the rise in threats against election workers. Despite the challenges, Wisee’s dedication to increasing voter participation and improving election systems remains unwavering.
Whether you're a policy wonk or just curious about what goes on behind the scenes in our elections, this episode is packed with insights on how to build a more inclusive and transparent democratic process.
Tune in to hear about the inspiring work being done in King County, WA to strengthen the foundation of our democracy.
Episode links:
King County, WA ElectionsVoter Education FundAdditional InformationThe Democracy Group listener survey
Democracy Fix Podcast
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In this week's episode, producer Rachel Walsh joins co-hosts Ryan Coonery and Debbie Cox Bultan to recap the past few months of this exciting election cycle. They discuss last week's Democratic National Convention, highlighting key themes and standout moments from speakers, including many NewDEAL leaders and alumni. They also reflect on our Road to November 2024 Messaging series, which featured insights from political strategists, policy experts, and state and local elected officials. Ryan, Debbie, and Rachel analyze how to address voters' top concerns and strategies for a strong performance up and down the ballot, and they explore the growing momentum within the Democratic Party, outlining the crucial steps leaders must take to keep this energy through the fall. Tune in to hear their takeaways and better understand the road ahead.
IN THIS EPISODE:
• [04:08] What it was like to be on the floor of the DNC this year.
• [09:13] Freedom as a central narrative of the Democratic campaign.
• [12:41] Congresswoman Annie Kuster on the framing of freedom by the Democratic Party.
• [13:39] Ilana Rubel’s insights on how attacks on reproductive rights impact broader freedoms.
• [17:52] Jesse Ferguson on campaigning on the subject of reproductive rights.
• [18:42] Passing the torch to a younger generation within the party; appealing to young voters.
• [20:58] Olivia Julianna’s insights on what young people are most concerned about.
• [23:47] Mike Madrid on reaching Latino voters and the importance of a pro-housing agenda.
• [27:06] Why it’s so important to build a broad coalition from the middle out.
• [29:28] Simon Rosenberg on patriotism as an antidote to MAGA’s nationalism.
• [32:19] Karen Finney’s thoughts on acknowledging the daily anxieties of Americans.
• [35:00] The role of An Honorable Profession and NewDEAL going forward.
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An Honorable Profession Podcast
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In the 20th Century, we had Cold War adversaries. In the early 2000s, George W. Bush talked about the Axis of Evil. But are those frameworks the most accurate way to understand the forces attempting to undermine not just democratic nations but democratic ideas? And to what degree have these antagonists - those that are fundamentally opposed to our core principles such as the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and basic human rights - pervaded U.S. politics?
In this episode we welcome Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer-prize winning historian, staff writer at The Atlantic and senior fellow at the Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. After discussing her motivations, experiences, and insights into the autocratic regimes and their impacts on global democracy, we dive into Anne’s new book Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World. We explore how autocracies collaborate, ways the rest of the world is complicit in autocratic behaviors, and strategies to combat these influences. The conversation also touches on Anne's personal history and initial fascination with the history, literature, culture and politics of the “Borderlands,” a region that includes Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia and beyond.
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Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other Podcast
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Jay, Justin, and Mike open the preview of this supporters’ midweek episode with a discussion of the recent economic speeches by Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Jay is unhappy with what he’s hearing from both sides, and Mike makes the case that if you like Biden’s policies, you’ll like Harris’ even more. Justin points out that much of what we’re hearing from Trump isn’t new, but it’s the first major policy speech from Harris. As such, they spend some time debating her plans to combat ‘price gouging’, raise the child tax credit, increase the housing supply, and forgive student loan and medical debt. They all take issue with one policy proposal on which Harris and Trump seem to agree – eliminating taxation of tips.
They close with Mike introducing his presidential prediction model, which Jay rightly pokes fun at, and then consider the utility of these models more generally.
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Barbara McQuade is a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, co-host of the podcast #SistersinLaw, and a professor at the University of Michigan Law School. Her first book is Attack From Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America. We discuss the dangers of disinformation and how we can defeat it.
Democracy depends on truth, and as Americans we should prize truth over tribe. A lot of disinformation is hiding behind the First Amendment – telling lies as a right to free speech. We are overrun with disinformation. One of the strategies is to exhaust us by constantly pumping false claims into the media ecosphere, so that we become cynical or disengage. That is fertile ground for would-be authoritarian regimes. For example, in response to the big lie that the 2020 election was stolen, a number of states have passed laws making it more difficult to vote. Defending truth is vitally important when it is under attack.
Follow Barbara on X:
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In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Lee discusses the history of primary elections and options for reform with Robert Boatright. Boatright is professor of political science at Clark University and the world’s leading expert on the American primary system. He is also the director of research for the National Institute of Civil Discourse at the University of Arizona. His most recent book is Reform and Retrenchment: A Century of Efforts to Fix Primary Elections (Oxford University Press, 2024).
Why did the United States become the only democracy in the world that gives its voters a decisive voice in candidate selection? When did Americans begin using primary elections to select a party’s candidates for office? What is the difference between open and closed primaries? How did primary elections change in the 1960s and 1970s? Did the Democratic and Republican parties sideline reformers and take over primary elections during that period? How do different factions within each party view primary reform? These are some of the questions Robert and Lee ask in this week’s episode.
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