Let's Find Common Ground
As the tone of public discourse becomes increasingly angry and divisive, Common Ground Committee offers a healing path to reaching agreement and moving forward. We talk with top leaders in public policy, finance, academe and more to encourage the seeking and finding of points of agreement, and to demonstrate how combating incivility can lead us forward.
Episodes
May 9, 2024 • 26 mins
Unlike the vast majority of journalists who cover American politics, Salena Zito lives far away from the centers of power and wealth. She writes about small-town America and the parts of the country that much of the media doesn’t cover. Zito's commitment to understanding the heartland of America is evident in her frequent trips along the nation’s back roads. She drives thousands of miles, avoiding interstates and major cities, to g...
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More than 50 Members of Congress have announced that they’re not running for reelection in 2024. Many cite political dysfunction and angry divisive rhetoric as reasons behind their decision to quit.
Retiring Democratic Senator Joe Manchin recently told CNN: “Every one of us should be ashamed of what we’re living through now in the 118th Congress.”
But there are constructive examples of cooperation. On the next episode of "Let's Fin...
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April 11, 2024 • 30 mins
Many Americans are exhausted by polarization and hyper-partisanship. Bitter divides are not just a problem for election campaigns and public institutions; they’re also damaging the workplace.
Employee morale at many businesses and nonprofits has plunged— impacted by tribalism, culture wars, and political divides. CEOs are often in a tough spot. Some have banned talking politics at the office. Or they’ve taken a public stand on an ...
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March 28, 2024 • 24 mins
Partisan divides are as deep as ever. Most Americans are exhausted by the dysfunction and divisions in American politics. Some scholars claim the country is on the brink of civil war. But several recent polls suggest that clear majorities of voters agree on many issues.
We dive into the data from two different groups that study American attitudes and beliefs.
Kate Carney is chief of staff for the nonpartisan research organization,...
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March 14, 2024 • 23 mins
Soon after Joe Biden became president he said in his inaugural address that wanted to bring Americans together, to forge unity. But maybe unity isn’t what we should aim for. Our guest this week says instead of focusing on that elusive goal, Americans need to concentrate on what’s damaging all of us: toxic polarization.
In this episode we look at what toxic polarization is, how it got worse in recent decades, and how to end it, pers...
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February 29, 2024 • 28 mins
Acclaimed musician and recording artist Daryl Davis has interviewed hundreds of KKK members and other White supremacists and influenced many of them to renounce their racist ideology.
We hear his brave and remarkable story. Daryl's personal quest began many years ago, after a concert when he was in a country music band. A card-carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan praised his piano playing. Daryl recognized that he had an opportunity...
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February 15, 2024 • 29 mins
Independent voters make up well over 40 percent of the voting public. But you wouldn’t know that from media coverage, which focuses almost exclusively on red versus blue. Independents are often overlooked or seen as wishy-washy, bending in the wind. Our guests on this episode say that’s a big misconception.
In this show, we look at a huge group of voters, including many young people, who make up a growing slice of the US populatio...
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February 1, 2024 • 27 mins
In this presidential election year, partisan divides cause political gridlock and distrust. We're encouraged to believe that we're right and those on the other side are ignorant, stupid, or evil. But avoiding awkward conversations with those we disagree with is a big reason why America is so bitterly divided.
Journalist, bridge builder, and author Mónica Guzmán is the loving liberal daughter of conservative Mexican immigrant pare...
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January 18, 2024 • 32 mins
American politics are often dominated by the loudest voices on the left and right. In this episode, we learn the crucial difference between what Americans get from their elected representatives and what they really want to hear.
Professor Sean Westwood of Dartmouth College is our guest. As Director of The Polarization Research Lab, he studies American political behavior and public opinion, examining how partisanship and information...
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January 4, 2024 • 35 mins
With our political system mired in problems, there’s plenty of talk about ‘fixing politics.’ But our guest Mark Sappenfield, Editor of the Christian Science Monitor, says that idea is too simplistic. What needs to change, he says “is upstream from politics. It’s how we relate to each other as human beings in our society. And until that changes, politics isn’t going to change.”
In a deeply thoughtful conversation, Mark shares his pe...
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December 21, 2023 • 30 mins
Our final podcast for 2023 is the one-hundredth episode of “Let’s Find Common Ground”. We look back and include special moments from six shows during the year.
Americans disagree on many things, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Journalist and author Amanda Ripley explains why, all too often, we see conflicts that are more about scoring points than seeking resolution. Rachel Kleinfeld of the Carnegie Endowment, who studies democ...
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December 7, 2023 • 33 mins
Recently, during a public event at Utah's State Capitol, Governor Spencer Cox issued a stark warning: "Either we, the people, collectively decide we're going to stop hating our fellow Americans, or we'll start shooting each other."
In our podcast, we hear why Governor Cox passionately believes that the country is heading in a dangerous direction with hyperpartisanship and political dysfunction and what he's doing about it with hi...
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November 21, 2023 • 26 mins
The state of public discourse is often dire and includes insults and threats. We assume the worst of the other side and are not afraid to call them out publicly, especially online. Our guest on today’s show says this behavior isn’t just rude. It’s uncivil. And that civility - not politeness - makes a real difference in how we think about ourselves and treat each other.
Our guest, Alexandra Hudson, is the author of the new book The ...
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November 9, 2023 • 27 mins
When conservative Republican Mark Klicker and liberal Democrat Alex Ramel met in person for the first time, their opinions about each other rapidly changed. A frosty online exchange of policy differences over Zoom quickly turned into a constructive example of close bipartisan cooperation.
After Washington State eased COVID restrictions and resumed in-person legislative sessions last year, Representatives Ramel and Klicker worked t...
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October 26, 2023 • 32 mins
Violent threats against members of Congress are up, and hate crimes have increased to the highest levels ever recorded. Fear is being used as a tool by both Republicans and Democrats to win votes.
In this episode, we speak with Rachel Kleinfeld, a fellow in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Rachel says people talking across differences isn’t enough to end polarizati...
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October 12, 2023 • 34 mins
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 ...
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September 28, 2023 • 25 mins
What a time to try and fix Congress. But that’s what our guests on this episode are determined to do. This show features two politicians from the newly launched Fix Congress caucus. Reps Derek Kilmer (D-Wa) and William Timmons (R-SC), first appeared on our show last year as members of the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress.
The stakes were high when we recorded this latest interview: the budget deficit had once...
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September 14, 2023 • 25 mins
When we consider the meaning of citizenship, most Americans usually think about individual rights. In this episode, we hear a bold call for change. Our guest, Richard Haass, says that if democracy is to survive, we must re-envision citizenship and consider our obligations to one another.
He argues that the greatest threat the country faces comes not from foreign adversaries but from none other than ourselves. Finding common ground...
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August 31, 2023 • 28 mins
Until recently most of us outside of state government didn’t know much about the role of Secretary of State, the state’s top election official. We simply didn’t think about it. But since 2020, election laws and procedures have been in the spotlight – and election officials have come under attack.
In this episode of Let’s Find Common Ground, we meet Democrat Steve Hobbs, Secretary of State for Washington, and Republican Michael Ada...
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August 17, 2023 • 26 mins
The United States has one of the highest news avoidance rates in the world. Tens of millions of Americans don’t read, watch or listen to the news each day. The media is generally held in low regard. So, is there a better way to report and analyze current events that will satisfy readers’ interests?
In this repeat episode, we hear from Mark Sappenfield, Editor of The Christian Science Monitor, and Story Hinckley, the paper's Nationa...
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