Future Hindsight

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: 

1. Have a conversation with people with whom you disagree

2. Remain open-minded.

Jenni...

We discuss how ballot measures give voters the opportunity to take power and agency. It is about citizens putting issues that are important to their communities, gathering signatures, and then putting them on the ballot directly to effect policy change.

Her civic action toolkit recommendations are:  

1. Voting is the starting line, not the finish line.

2. Hold your elected officials accountable after elections by reaching out to ...

We discuss how two parties alone cannot represent the diversity of views in American society, how fusion voting could solve for better representation, and who exactly should get engaged in our civic lives.

His civic action toolkit recommendations are: 

1. Support political parties and reforms that create more choices.

2. Be a good neighbor and participate in a local meeting.

Lee Drutman is Senior Fellow in the Political Reform ...

We discuss what it takes for citizens to take action and run for elected office. Wendy ran as a Democrat in Utah because she wanted to give voters a viable, different choice. She knew it was going to be difficult to win as a first time candidate, but she ran so hard that she left a body mark in the wall. She lost by a mere 78 votes.

Her civic action toolkit recommendations are: 

1. Vote and encourage other people to vote

2. Work ...

Joe Spielberger is the policy counsel for the Effective and Accountable Government team at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), where he advocates in Congress and the executive branch to strengthen whistleblower rights, protect a merit based civil service, and promote government ethics and transparency. We discuss how government can be transparent and accountable to us, the People. 

All Americans need to be confident that ...

Daniel Alvarenga is a journalist who covers issues pertaining to immigration, racial equity, and Latinx cultures – with a special emphasis on Central America and its diasporas. He’s also the English language podcast host of Humo: Murder and Silence in El Salvador. We discuss the intersection of foreign policy, immigration policy, and democracy.

US foreign interference in Central America has had a huge impact on destabilizing the ...

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 A...

Daria Dawson is the Executive Director of America Votes, which coordinates more than 400 partners to engage and mobilize voters for elections up and down the ballot across the country. We discuss why 2024 is - yet again - the most important election of our lifetimes. 

The biggest threat to American democracy is fascism and thus the most important issue in this election is preserving our democracy. Of course, democracy and protect...

Alissa Quart is the executive director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and the author of Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream. We discuss what it really means to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps in America, “the land of the self-made.”

Humans are biologically wired to be interdependent. In fact, achievement is often accompanied with isolation and loneliness. Alissa reminds us that “People w...

A.J. Jacobs is a journalist and author. His most recent book is The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning. We discuss how the Founding Fathers prized humility, experimentation, and a willingness to change their own minds. 

The heart of our democracy is for the community to come together and cooperate. One example is to advocate for democratic reforms, which are nonpa...

Nationly is a limited election series podcast by Immigrantly Media. Join hosts Sara Sadhwani and Juan Diego Ramirez as they offer their unique perspectives on swing states pivotal in determining the 2024 election outcomes. Focusing on minority communities—specifically, immigrants and communities of color—'Nationly' uncovers the issues that truly matter to these voters, ranging from global events like the situation in Gaza to local ...

Melanie D’Arrigo is the Executive Director of the Campaign for New York Health, which aims to win universal single-payer healthcare for all New Yorkers. We discuss the intersection of democracy and healthcare and what is necessary to create better health outcomes.

The New York Health Act is a current bill in the New York State Legislature that would implement a single payer healthcare system in New York, similar to Medicare for A...

Wajahat Ali is a Daily Beast columnist and the co-host of Democracy-ish. He's also the author of Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American. Together, Mila and Waj discuss what it means to be American and to love a country that often doesn’t love them back.

Defense of democracy continues to resonate as a kitchen table issue for all Americans. Mainstream media is not properly servin...

Robert L. Tsai is the author of Demand the Impossible: One Lawyer’s Pursuit of Equal Justice for All and Professor of Law and Harry Elwood Warren Memorial Scholar at Boston University School of Law. We discuss the death penalty, legal representation for the indigent, and equality under law.

People do see the flaws in the criminal justice system. They are often aware that aside from major metropolitan areas, public defenders are n...

Rachel Vindman is the co-host of the Suburban Women Problem podcast and she has her finger on the pulse on all things politics for American women. We discuss abortion, Trump's conviction, Ukraine, and relational organizing.

The goal in this year’s election is maintaining American democracy. Relational organizing is about talking to people about what's going on, making sure they know and understand. Being a reliable source of good...

Madiba Dennie is Deputy Editor and Senior Contributor at the critical legal commentary outlet Balls and Strikes. Her debut book is The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We The People Can Take it Back. We discuss a fresh way to interpret the Constitution.

Inclusive Constitutionalism interprets the Constitution in a way that makes inclusive democracy real. By contrast, originalism interprets the meanin...

Jessica Gonzalez Rojas is the New York State Assembly Member representing the 34th District in New York City. We discuss the New York State budget and how she represents her constituents on housing, food insecurity, and healthcare.

The number one issue for constituents is housing, ranging from vermin problems and bad landlords to high rents. Food insecurity became more apparent during the pandemic and continues to be rampant. Acc...

Debbie Cox Bultan is the CEO of the NewDEAL, a network of 150 rising state and local officials, and the NewDEAL Forum, which identifies and promotes innovative state and local pro-growth progressive policies. We discuss what it means to deliver good governance at the state and local level.

We have a big problem with our democracy right now, and it stems from people believing that the government is to blame for all of our problems...