The Purple Principle
Nonpartisan podcast for independent-minded Americans exploring the perils of partisanship in U.S. politics, society and daily life.Join & Support us with an Apple Podcast Subscription for bonus content.
S4 E23 · Thu, December 19, 2024
Election Reform in the Last Best Place? Voting Day 2024 in Kalispell, Montana
“You want to know why we’re polarized? You want to know why we have division?” Our featured guest Frank Garner posed this question to voters at the constitutional ballot initiative debate we attended in Helena, Montana and many similar events. “We have a system that allows for it and the pressure that is put on people… to vote a certain way.” A Republican member of the Montana House from 2015 to 2023, Garner spent over a year as the primary spokesperson for Montanans for Election Reform, the group that gathered 200 thousand signatures and fought off four lawsuits to place two Constitutional Initiatives (CI) on the 2024 ballot. CI 126 proposed replacing the current primary system where voters receive a ballot from each party (then choose one to complete) with a single, unified primary ballot of all candidates from which the top 4 advance to a general election. While CI 127 would require a majority winner from those 4 candidates. In this episode we also hear from Kendra Miller, Strategic Advisor to Montanans for Election Reform, on the critical need for competitive elections in “the last best place.” “I think one of the more shocking stats,” says Miller, a data analyst with extensive campaign experience, “is that in 2022…only 6% of Montana voters effectively elected 88% of the Montana House.” We then visit with former legislator Frank Garner on election night and into the next day as the results slowly come on the initiatives he’s championed throughout this vast state. Tune in for the final results and also reflections on the challenge of election reform messaging in a state saturated with ads from the most expensive US Senate race per capita in the country. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney
S4 E22 · Wed, November 20, 2024
Our Top 10 Predictive Insights: Explaining the 2024 Election & Beyond
The 2024 election results are in and clearly underscore a rightward shift in American politics. Most pundits and many pollsters did not foresee such a clear victory for the GOP. But some of our Purple Principle guests from the past four seasons have recognized the important dynamics at play behind these results. Such as Carlos Curbelo on the shift of Hispanic voters and Thomas Edsall on the longstanding drift of the Democratic Party away from economic issues and toward identity politics. In this bonus episode, we ask you, our Purple Principle listeners, to select your favorite guest insights using a ranked choice ballot available through our show notes and website. Please rank your top 5 of the 10 guest comments. We’ll announce the winner on our next episode and display the tabulation on our website and social media. Link to this podcast on our website, with episode transcript and the ballot to rank your favorite insights: 👉 https://bit.ly/TPPinsights The 2024 election may be over. But the undercurrents behind the ‘24 results are still in play and may be for some years to come. Tune in to get behind the numbers by ranking your top 5 Purple Principle guest insights for 2024.
S4 E21 · Thu, October 31, 2024
Transforming US Politics for $200 Million? Andrew Yang on Election Reform
“You meet them and you're like, ‘oh, wow, you're a good person trying to do the right thing, and there's nothing in it for you,’” says Andrew Yang, Founder and Co-Chair of the Forward Party. He’s referring to largely volunteer teams around the country that have raised the profile for election reform in 2024. “I mean, what could be more worthy of praise than that combination of attributes?” Yang was a relative unknown upon entering the 2020 Democratic Presidential primaries. But that did not last long. He energized young voters with his informal approach to campaigning and practical position on innovative policies, such as universal basic income. “The reason I do what I do is because I don't have that positive an outlook as to what America's future looks like if we don't get our s%%# together,” says Yang, also an author and frequent commentator on major news networks. “Like it or not, the world's future is determined very much by what happens here in the United States.” Tune in to find out why Yang and the Forward Party support election reform in all its variations for 2024 and beyond. And why $200 million dollars spent on election reform, which is less than that spent on several Senate campaigns this year, could transform American politics for the better. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
S4 E20 · Wed, October 23, 2024
Reform Milestones with FairVote’s Rob Richie: Ranked Choice Voting’s First Three Decades
“It’s a thrilling year. It’s a tense year. I am a believer that this is a marathon,” says Rob Richie, Co-Founder and longtime Director of FairVote, the nation’s foremost catalyst for ranked choice voting elections. “There's moments of excitement– of cresting hills, of victories and sometimes defeats.” In this Purple Principle episode, Richie recounts the highs and lows throughout the steady progression of ranked choice voting in US elections since co-founding FairVote three decades ago. For example, the successful implementation of RCV elections in Portland paved the way for the nation’s first statewide ballot passage by Maine voters in 2016. That was followed by Alaska as part of Top Four voting reforms in 2020. “Alaska and Maine, interestingly, those two states are ones where independents have done particularly well,” says Richie. “We've had governors be elected in both states as independents, and they're states that were always on the reform radar.” In 2024, ranked choice voting has moved off the radar and onto ballots in multiple states– as a stand alone reform in Oregon and as part of Top Four or Five election reforms in Nevada, Colorado and Idaho. In the same period, though, nearly a dozen GOP dominated state legislatures have outlawed RCV. Does that make it critical for RCV to pass in multiple states this election year? Richie, now a Senior Advisor to Fairvote, thinks RCV has a logic and a momentum all its own aside from election results. “Younger Americans, 50% of them do not identify with the major parties at this point,” says Richie. “So we’re going to get away from two choice politics and Ranked Choice Voting will be part of that. But whether it happens doesn't depend on November.” Tune in to learn more about the first thirty years of RCV in the USA, from college campuses to city, town and county elections, and now to multiple state ballots in the same election cycle. And check out Fairvote.org for much more info on RCV. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
S4 E19 · Wed, October 09, 2024
Frontiers of Election Reform (Part 2): Will Alaskans Preserve Top Four Voting?
In 2020, Alaskans passed a first-in-the-nation voting system which helped energize similar reform efforts around the country. In 2024, Alaska voters are now presented with a ballot measure to repeal this same Final or “Top Four” system that includes a unified open primary of all candidates plus a ranked choice general election. Meanwhile, voters in Nevada, Idaho, Colorado and other states consider measures to pass major elements of the “Alaska model.” This Purple Principle episode features discussion with election law expert and reform advocate Scott Kendall, a major catalyst behind “Top Four” in the frontier state. He explains the impetus behind the initial reform in terms of the perverse motivations elections have traditionally provided to candidates and elected representatives. “We have set up a system that gives all the wrong incentives and then we're surprised when people act on those incentives,” says Kendall, a former chief of staff to independent Governor Bill Walker. “It's as though a teacher graded their students' success on how much they misbehaved in class. And we wanted to change that.” By contrast, Republican state Senator Robert Myers stands in favor of the repeal effort, noting the longstanding Alaska tradition of forming bipartisan coalitions in the state legislature. “I think this a problem in search of a solution,” Myers told us at the 2024 Alaska State Fair. “The way it was passed… a lot of people voting for campaign finance changes didn't realize they were voting to put in a jungle primary and ranked choice voting general election.” New System, Long Tradition? Independent Alaska House Representatives Calvin Schrage and Rebecca Himschoot see the Top Four or Ranked Choice Voting system differently. They think it will preserve and strengthen Alaska’s less partisan, more pragmatic political tradition. “Going door to door on my campaign, I'm also talking to voters a lot about the initiative,” says Schrage, the House Minority Leader representing parts of Anchorage. “I think returning to the old system further empowers extreme partisan individuals to choose candidates for us.” Prior to election, Rep. Himschoot was a career educator with a window on family and community challenges in her historically low-income southeast Alaska district. She doubts she would have entered politics without the Top Four system. “It's a planetary test,” says Himschoot. “If we can keep open primaries and ranked choice voting, we have a chance at our state getting to a better place.” Tune in for Part Two of this exploration of the frontiers of election reform. How did Alaska become the North Star for other reform efforts around the country? What seminal events laid the groundwork for Top Four passage in 2020 and a first full set of elections in 2022? And what are the issues surrounding potential rep
S4 E18 · Wed, September 25, 2024
Frontiers of Election Reform: 5 Views on the Alaska Legislature (Part One)
“The notion of getting rid of a closed primary system in Alaska appealed to me instantly,” says former Alaska House Speaker Bryce Edgmon who has represented Bristol Bay and parts of the Aleutian Islands for nearly two decades. “It overrode right there almost on the spot any trepidation I might have about having to rank candidates or anything else that would eventually become part of the ballot measure that narrowly passed in Alaska.” Rep. Edgmon is referring to Alaska’s first-in-nation passage of a final or top four voting system with a unified open primary plus ranked choice general election. In this episode we examine the dynamics of the first state legislature in the country to have been elected by this system in 2022, even as a ballot measure to repeal the system has been put before Alaska voters in 2024. We also discuss the dynamics of the Alaska legislature with Anchorage Daily News Reporter, Iris Samuels, and University of Alaska Southeast Political Science Professor, Dr. Glenn Wright. “Alaska is fairly unique in that even before this election reform, we've had bipartisan and tri-partisan coalitions in the House and Senate,” says Samuels, who covers the Juneau State House. “But it has reinforced that phenomenon and made it possible for elected officials to envision doing that and not experience repercussions from within their party and from voters.” “If you talk to incumbent politicians,” explains Dr. Wright, “ they will tell you that they're less concerned about the primary challenge now– that before the reform that was in the back of their mind. And they were thinking not about what do voters in my district want but what do party primary voters in my district want.” AFL-CIO President Joelle Hall has also observed what might be a similar deepening of Alaska’s cross-partisan tendencies in the two years since passage of the top four reform. “One of the ways that we are really different is that we have always come to a bipartisan coalition at the end of every decade,” observes Hall, a legislative lobbyist for nearly three decades. “Redistricting happens. Then slowly the two parties claw back to roughly even. So it's accelerated what is already a normal path in Alaska where we gravitate towards these coalitions. But our final guest on this first of two Alaska episodes, Rep. Alyse Galvin of Anchorage, cautions that these post reform dynamics have not yet translated into legislative action. That’s partially because senior house leadership has blocked several bipartisan legislative efforts, while others were vetoed at the executive level. “if we don't allow this to play out a bit more, I'd say one more cycle, maybe two,” says Galvin, previously a two time candidate for the US House, ”then we're really missing a big chance to get things done that will give Alaskans hope.” Tune in for five
S4 E17 · Wed, September 11, 2024
When Legislatures Act Before Citizens Vote: Colorado's Top Four Election Reform
Election reform is officially on the ballot for voter approval in Colorado this year. This “Top Four” voting system is similar to the Alaska model of a unified open primary plus ranked choice general election. But there is a catch to this Colorado ballot measure, and it came via the state legislature in the final moments of the 2024 session. “Well, the last couple of days of the legislative session are very hectic,” says Jeni Arndt, a three term Democratic House Member in Colorado before her election as non-partisan Mayor of Fort Collins. “And you don't know every amendment that you're voting on in the last few days. But this was clearly an orchestrated effort to put in a poison pill.” The amendment in question requires at least 12 Colorado municipalities to pass and implement ranked choice voting elections before the state can do so. Thus it could delay citizen-will on this issue until at least 2028, even if voters overwhelmingly pass the initiative in November. “When our legislature waits and passes a law with very little debate that no one basically really knew that that was in the bill,” says Republican State Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer, “that's wrong.” Senator Kirkmeyer has not yet taken a position on the Top Four voting in Colorado. Both nationally and in Colorado her party has come out against any form of ranked choice voting. By contrast, Democratic opposition or concern around election reform has been more nuanced. “I think the folks who brought the amendment, I've worked closely with them on lots of different things,” says Democratic Senator Chris Hansen, a former House Member and former candidate for Mayor in Denver. “I think they were trying to make sure there was not an implementation issue with ranked choice if that moves forward in November.” Executive Director of Denver-based Unite America, Nick Troiano, is not so sure. He sees similar motivations behind both GOP and Democratic tactics in preventing or delaying these increasingly popular reform measures. “The fact that they went out of their way in a midnight effort to try and undermine the people's will not only demonstrates the potential impact of this reform,” says Troiano, author of The Primary Solution. “But it also demonstrates the problem that we're trying to solve, which is politicians are largely in it for their self-interest.” Was this Colorado amendment a self-interested poison pill or an effort to make RCV elections go smoothly once implemented? Tune in for three viewpoints on this question and make up your own independent mind. And stay tuned for more upcoming episodes on the various ways party and legislative leaders in multiple states begin pushing back on nonpartisan election reform momentum in 2024, a potentially historic year for depolarizing ballot initiatives. It’s all part of our season long series on stat
S4 E16 · Wed, August 28, 2024
New Oregon Trail for Ranked Choice Voting? From Farmer’s Market to Legislature & Citizen Ballot
“I've sat in rooms where we as Democrats have high-fived when a Libertarian party candidate gets into a competitive race,” recalls former Oregon House Speaker Dan Rayfield. “That's not democracy.” “And Republicans high five when a Green Party candidate gets into the race,” says Rayfield, currently running for Attorney General in Oregon. “That's not democracy.” Dan Rayfield is describing the spoiler effect of plurality voting, where a third party candidate with minimal support can determine the election outcome. Rayfield joined forces with Oregon-based campaign manager, Mike Alfoni, to do something about that spoiler effect. Namely, to promote ranked choice voting (RCV) first at the county and then the state level. “I love the impossible, which is why I did this in the first place,” says Alfoni with reference to the legislature’s recent passage of RCV for state and federal elections. Oregon is the first state in the country to do so. “And because everyone told me we couldn't do this, and then we did it anyway.” How did Rayfield and Alfoni blaze this Oregon trail for RCV? It took many years of patient effort in and outside the legislature, such as building a supporting network of community groups. And it took compromise, such as agreeing to remove state level legislature elections at the request of County Clerks. Tune in to hear more about first-in-the-nation Oregon, the prospects there for citizen ballot passage in November, and whether this Oregon trail could be followed by other reform leaders and legislatures around the country seeking to depolarize our politics. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
S4 E15 · Wed, August 14, 2024
Three Election Reformers Approach the Finish Line: Will Nevada Adopt the Alaska Model?
In 2024, Nevada voters will see a ballot Question 3 strikingly similar to the question on Final Five voting that passed by 6 points back in 2022. That’s because a constitutional amendment must be passed by voters twice in succession, according to Nevada law. And should voters approve Question 3 again this year, Nevada will become the second state (after Alaska) to implement this ambitious electoral voting reform system including a unified open primary and ranked choice general election. “After we won,” recalls Cesar Marquez of Nevada’s first passage of Final Five Voting in 2022, “Sondra, Doug, and I and so many others, we felt, okay, we now have two years to talk about ranked choice voting.” A former Tesla Engineer, Marquez is referring to his colleagues Doug Goodman of Nevadans for Election Reform and Dr. Sondra Cosgrove of Vote Nevada. In this episode We learn how Goodman, a retired military veteran, began working on election reform in the Silver State a decade ago. Initially, Goodman lobbied extensively for legislative action before pivoting to the ballot initiative process. He recalls: “One of the questions I was posing to business leaders at the time was, if you had a more open electoral system, could that be a tiebreaker if a company was considering moving to Nevada?” Sonda Cosgrove, a history professor at Southern Nevada College, soon joined Goodman in that effort. She had noticed an alarming and counterintuitive trend in her efforts at Vote Nevada. Yes, more voters were registering to vote. But they were not voting in larger numbers. “And so we started realizing that they were being turned off right at the get-go in the primary,” says Cosgrove.” That's when.. .they were just kind of opting out.” Marquez joined forces with Goodman and Cosgrove to place Final Five Voting on that 2022 ballot. But he came at political reform from a very different direction. “The first thing I'll say is that I never liked politics, I still don't like politics,” admits Marquez. “ My background is in engineering, and I've worked in manufacturing for my whole career.” What do a military veteran, academic historian and engineer turned reformer have in common? Is ranked choice voting best demonstrated by a “rank the drink” event in English or “rank the taco” evening in Spanish? The Purple Principles discusses these and other election reform questions in this latest episode of our season-long state election reform series. We began in Idaho then traveled to Washington DC, Alaska, South Dakota and Arizona, before landing here in Nevada. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
S4 E14 · Wed, July 31, 2024
How About Treating All Voters & Candidates the Same! Paul Johnson & Chuck Coughlin of Make Elections Fair AZ
“Everybody likes to think about these reforms as being revolutionary,” says Paul Johnson, former Mayor of Phoenix, now Co-Chair of Make Elections Fair AZ, on the record number of state level election reforms in play this year. “They’re not. City governments have been doing these reforms for about 50 to 60 years.” Johnson, a former Democrat turned Independent, is leading a third attempt at opening primary elections in Arizona to independent and unaffiliated voters through a 2024 citizen ballot initiative that also amends the state constitution to allow ranked choice general elections. He’s joined in this effort by GOP strategist Chuck Coughlin, a veteran of hundreds of candidate and issue campaigns in the Grand Canyon state and now treasurer at Make Elections Fair AZ. “The very basis of our thinking is that if you're going to use taxpayer money to run an election,” says Coughlin, “you have to treat every voter the same. You have to treat every candidate the same. I mean, that is a principle part of our American jurisprudence and the way we govern ourselves.” A Measured Approach In this episode, we learn how Johnson and Coughlin initially hoped to pursue the Alaska election Final Five Voting model of a unified open primary plus ranked choice general election. Ultimately, they decided on a measured approach with higher probability of success. “We did five statewide surveys trying to see if we could get that done, which would be a Final Five open primary, " says Coughlin. “I concluded in June of last year that that was not possible.... Paul and his colleagues came back and said, ‘Hey, we just want to do an open primary.’” Listen to the episode as Chuck and Paul share the data behind their incremental approach to election reform. Past Rivals Work Together We also hear how two political rivals (Paul & Chuck) joined forces in advocating for more sensible elections and pragmatic representation in the highly polarized state of Arizona. “I always liked to tease Chuck that the only job that he had in the governor's office was to destroy my career,” says Paul Johnson of two Gubernatorial campaign losses to candidates supported by Coughlin. “And he likes to tease me back, he did a pretty good job.” Is this the year Arizona voters embrace the principle of treating all voters and candidates the same in their elections? In fact, this Arizona amendment could precede further general election reform via the legislature or citizen ballot process. Opening party-run primaries could even happen in the near term. Looking Ahead This episode is part of our season-long non partisan election reform series. Previous episodes have visited Washington DC, Idaho and South Dakota. Upcoming episodes travel to Nevada, Colorado and Alaska. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledg
S4 E13 · Wed, July 17, 2024
Opening Primaries on the Great Plains: Are Stars Aligned for South Dakota Reform?
“I like to say the stars are aligned for open primaries right now,” says South Dakota Open Primaries Director Joe Kirby. “I think there’s a realization that closed primaries simply don’t make sense when you’re in a single party state.” “I also think that Open Primaries will foster a more representative and functional government,” adds De Knudson, former Sioux Falls City Councilor and Co-Director of “Amendment H” - an effort to create a single unified primary of all candidates from which the top two advance to the general election. This 2024 South Dakota measure is more modest than reforms advanced by the same team eight years ago which failed by ten points on Election Day. “We learned a valuable lesson in 2016,” admits Kirby, a business entrepreneur also involved in political reform efforts for three decades. “We tried to do two things at once. We tried to bring open primaries to South Dakota at the same time we tried to remove party labels.” In this episode, John Opdycke, Founder and President of the national organization Open Primaries, explains why the 2024 crop of non-partisan election reforms is more robust and more diverse. “Part of what I think is so healthy is that the national groups are saying, Hey, let us show you our research, let us show you what this looks like from up looking down,” says Opdycke, one of the nation’s foremost experts on election reform. “And the local people say, great, that's really helpful. Let us show you what our local polling looks like. Let us show you what our political culture looks like.” For Joe Kirby, De Knudson and many other supporters, Amendment H is an effort to turn away from political extremism and divisiveness and back toward traditional South Dakota values. “I really love South Dakota,” says Knudson. “I care lots about government. I just knew that I didn't have a choice. I had to give this one more shot, and I really am confident that we will win this on November 5th.” Tune in to find out more about the 2024 South Dakota open primaries initiative– past lessons learned and prospects for passage this year. This episode is part of our season long series on state level non partisan election reform ballot measures in 2024– from Washington DC to Alaska with numerous states in between– Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, South Dakota, and, next up, Arizona. With a record number of state level reforms this year, stay tuned to see if the stars align in South Dakota and on a national level. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
S4 E12 · Wed, July 03, 2024
The Alaska Election Frontier: Our July 4th Trek Across Three Episodes
In this bonus episode we revisit the vast nation-sized state of Alaska, model for election reform in numerous states around the country even as that voting system of an open, unified primary plus instant runoff general election faces a potential 2024 recall ballot measure back in the frontier state. The Purple Principle has made three previous audio visits to Alaska, arguably our least partisan, most indy-minded state with 60% of voters choosing not to register with either major party. We first revisit our initial Alaska episode from the fall of 2020 to learn how campaign manager, Shea Siegert, was persuaded to take on that challenge by his own family’s enthusiasm for non-partisan voting reform. “I was having a conversation with my mother who lives in Boise, Idaho the other day,” Siegert confides. “And she said, every time I look at the news, I think about your ballot measure. And it just makes more and more sense.” Next we hear from independent Alaska House Member Calvin Schrage in the fall of 2022 as the Alaska voting model is put to the test for the first time. That election produced a pragmatic split ticket outcome with reelection of conservative governor Mike DunLeavey, moderate indy-minded US Senator Lisa Murkowski, and the pragmatic centrist House Democrat, Mary Peltola. Our recent season four discussion with Native Alaskan Mary Peltola completes our trek across three episodes, highlighted by the advice she received some years before upon election to the Alaska state legislature. “So when I was first elected, I was in my mid-twenties and I imagined, like most people do, that I was going to Juneau to fight, to fight against our enemies and fight for my district,” Peltola tells us. “And when I got there, one of my colleagues told me you have to have 59 best friends if you want to accomplish anything.” Tune in to find out how Rep. Peltola broke bread across the political aisles in this bonus episode with Alaska-related insights from Katherine Gehl, architect of Final Five Voting, Eric Bronner of Veterans for All Voters, as well as Doug Goodman of Nevadans for Better Elections and Lisa Rice of Make All Votes Count DC, both of whom have looked to Alaska as a model for their own reform efforts. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
S4 E11 · Wed, June 26, 2024
Making All Votes Count in DC: Proposer Lisa Rice & the Yes on 83 Team
It was nearing summer temperatures on this early June primary voting day outside a polling station in Washington, DC. Lisa Rice, official Proposer of Initiative 83, is wearing a sandwich board with the message, “Ask Me Why I Can’t Vote Today?” “Why can’t you vote today?” asks a woman on her way to vote. “Because I’m an independent,” Lisa replies. “ I'm not affiliated with the Democratic party or the Republican party and we're barred from voting in the primary…” “All day people came up to me and asked at every polling place,” Lisa tells us in this extended episode introducing several members of the Make All Votes Count DC team. “So people definitely wanted to know why and it was great conversations all day long.” We also meet Philip Pannell, Make All Vote Votes Count Treasurer, on this episode. A long time Democratic Party official and activist, Philip was widely recognized at the Capital Pride Parade where we met him. Yet despite his storied credentials, Philip’s encountered no small amount of negative reaction to his support for Initiative 83 from longtime Democratic Party colleagues. “Independents are pretty much left out of the decision making because all the action is pretty much in the Democratic Party,” Philip tells us, adding he still believes the Democratic party is the best vehicle for opportunity and justice. “They like to say that if you want to participate in our primary, you have to be a Democrat. That's not forward of thinking, that's not bringing more people in.” Kenyatta Smith is a District Outreach Coordinator for the predominantly African American areas in East D.C, where gentrification creates added challenges for Initiative 83 outreach. “I want to keep it black too,” Kenyatta confides. “I want us to be in power still. I feel strongly about that. But I also want to challenge my community to educate themselves on something new.” Meet these and other members of the Make All Votes Count DC team this episode, another in our series on the record number of non-partisan election reform initiatives in play for the 2024 election. And learn how leadership and teamwork have come together behind the Initiative 83 effort, now in its final stages of signature collection for the November 2024 Washington DC voter ballot. SHOW NOTES Our Guests: From Make All Votes Count DC : Lisa D. T. Rice (Proposer of Ballot Initiative 83), Philip Pannell (Treasurer), Kenyatta Smith (District Coordinator), Miguel Deramo (Steering Committee Member), and Nate Roseboro (Volunteer Petitioner). Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: <a href="https://l
S4 E10 · Wed, June 12, 2024
Idaho's Open Primaries & Final Four Voting Initiative: Sometimes it Takes a Coalition!
In April of 2024, Luke Mayville, co-founder of the grassroots organization ReClaim Idaho, addressed volunteers on the final day of signature gathering for this year’s Open Primaries and Final Four Voting ballot initiative. “We are here today because we are tired of playing the same old game under a broken set of rules,” Luke told the 50 or so volunteers gathered in Boise’s IvyWild Park that morning. “The root of the problem,” Mayville stated, “ is the fact that there are 270,000 independent voters who are blocked from voting in the most important primary elections. And the root of the problem is that we don't even have competitive general elections.” Continuing our Purple Principle (TPP) series on the record number of nonpartisan state-level election reform efforts in 2024, this episode profiles the coalition working to advance Idaho’s Open Primary initiative. The initiative is patterned in part after the Alaska “Final Four Voting” model first proposed by Katherine Gehl, author, business leader, and TPP guest earlier this season. Margaret Kinzel of Mormon Women for Ethical Government, or MWEG, represents another important member of this non-partisan coalition. “ One of the things that helped me sign on to being active in this effort was hearing how many of our races are uncontested in the 2022 election,” Margaret explains. “Nine of the 38 districts, the race for state senator and the two-state representatives were uncontested. So you had no choice to vote for; you either voted for the candidate or you didn't.” Retired Attorney General and former Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice, Jim Jones, is another important coalition leader. “After the 2022 Alaska election, “Jones explains, “ it appeared to me that this was the answer to Idaho's problem because we had gotten so involved in culture wars, and the culture warriors were essentially picked by the Republican Party, which had been taken over by extremists.” Tune in to learn more about the Idaho coalition that collected and submitted over 90 thousand signatures toward election reform in a largely conservative state and meet coalition leaders Luke Mayville (Reclaim Idaho), Margaret Wentzl (Mormon Women for Ethical Government) and former Idaho Supreme Court Justice Jim Jones. Sometimes a village is not enough and it takes a broad coalition to take on “a broken election system.” The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Guests: Luke Mayville , Co-founder Reclaim Idaho. Margaret Kinzel , Co-Liasson, Mormon Women For Ethical Government. Jim Jones , Former Attorney Ge
S4 E9 · Wed, May 29, 2024
Can Competition Foster Better Government? Reform Strategist Katherine Gehl on 2024 Ballots & Beyond
Katherine Gehl, co-author of The Politics Industry and Founder of The Institute for Political Innovation, has always asked herself what she needed “to do in order to change the political situation.” “So at first I needed to sell my business,” Katherine tells us. “Then I needed to make the intellectual case.. And then I needed to try to sell this reform to people. It just went like that.” Today, in 2024, after many years of effort and adaptation, Katherine Gehl’s Final Four or Final Five voting initiatives are now poised to be on the ballot in another four states (Nevada, Idaho, Montana and Colorado) having passed in Alaska back in 2020, which then held the first such election in 2022. Katherine recounts that in the time she’s been working on these reforms, “going all the way back to 2013, but really trying to raise money actively since 2015, the reception has changed dramatically.” In this episode, which launches our extended series on 2024 election reform initiatives, we’ll learn how non-partisan, competition-based election reform has gained traction among donors, reformers and voters alike. We’ll also get a better understanding of how her institute and action fund “catalyze” grassroots leaders in reform-minded states, such the former Idaho Attorney General Jim Jones and Reclam Idaho founder Luke Mayhew. “The combination of someone like Luke with Jim Jones is a bit of a dream that you could put that together,” Katherine recounts, while also detailing emerging efforts in Colorado and Montana and the second ballot initiative in Nevada this cycle as required by the state constitution. Will this be the year Final Five Voting moves onto the national stage and transforms the incentives of elected officials in these pathbreaking states? Tune in to learn more from Katherine Gehl, co-author of The Politics Industry (with Harvard Business School Professor, Michael Porter) and a central catalyst in the nation’s growing non-partisan election reform movement. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Guest: Katherine Gehl , Reform Strategist & Founder, The Institute for Political Innovation (IPI) Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Yout
S4 E8 · Wed, May 15, 2024
United States of Gerrymandering? Ripple Effects from State House to White House
“The Presidential race might get thrown into the House of Representatives,” says Dr. Sam Wang of the Princeton Gerrymandering Initiative in this episode. “And in the House of Representatives, every state gets one vote.” Both a neuroscientist and recognized authority on gerrymandering, Wang is highlighting the connection between partisan gerrymanders in states throughout the country and following on effects at the national level in the US House but potentially also the White House. “And certainly when I’ve done cases involving congressional delegations, a piece of it is the one Sam mentioned,” echoes Paul Smith, Senior Vice President at Campaign Legal Center. “Who’s going to control the delegation for this particularly unusual house resolution of presidential elections?” In this two-guest episode, we’ll discuss the strategies behind partisan gerrymanders and the leading defenses against them. These include lawsuits argued by Paul Smith and other litigators and the establishment of independent redistricting commissions at the state level. “A well-crafted citizens commission that's non-partisan is always going to do a more fair and balanced job than a partisan legislature,” says Smith, citing the cases of California and Michigan. “Right now, we’re stuck playing small ball, getting small things locally like, say, rank choice voting or redistricting reform,” explains Sam Wang, whose gerrymandering report cards are often cited in legal cases. “The long game is to start implementing some of the bigger reforms and repairs.” Tune in for two informed views on how the tide is turning against partisan gerrymandering in critical states like Wisconsin and how plugging the gerrymander leak in one state prevents even more significant problems at the national level. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Guests: Sam Wang , Founder & Director, Princeton Gerrymandering Project. Paul Smith , Senior Vice President Campaign Legal Center. Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Youtube: @thepurpleprinciple Our website: http
Wed, May 01, 2024
Dissenting Voices on Today’s GOP: Interviews from The 2024 Principles First Summit
The 700-plus attendees at the 2024 Principles First Summit in Washington DC come from various locations and backgrounds yet attended this event for similar political reasons: all are concerned about authoritarian trends within today’s GOP. Blaire Egan, for example, had been questioning her GOP political orientation since interning on Capitol Hill for a Republican legislator. Jeff Mayhew points to congressional gridlock, especially within the US House, as a major obstacle to functional, representative government. Mike Cantwell has long been a politically engaged military veteran working on election reform, among other issues, from an independent perspective. These are a few of the many attendees Producer Alex Couraud interviewed at this year’s Summit, held the same weekend as the Trump-dominated CPAC. Tune in to this season four episode to move beyond simplistic labels of red vs. blue, Republican vs. Democrat, and learn about various efforts looking to shore up American democracy at this difficult time. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production—original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Guests: Jeff Mayhugh , Blair Egan , Liam Kerr , and Mike Cantwell Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Youtube: @thepurpleprinciple Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja
S4 E6 · Wed, April 17, 2024
Former RNC Chair Michael Steele: An Alarmed Critique of a GOP Transformed
“I’m still in it to hold a mirror up to my GOP colleagues,” former RNC Chair Michael Steele tells us in this episode. “To show them how unLincolnlike they have become.” Michael Steele has borne painful witness to that transformation over the past two-plus decades as the first African American Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, then RNC Chair in 2009-2011, as well as US Senate Candidate. Steele may have been one of the first prominent Republicans to push back on the populist redirection of the party back in 2009 when he tussled with popular right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh over who led the Republican party. “It did say a lot about a base that had become very animated and defensively protective,” Steele recalls of the pushback from that episode, including a drop in RNC fundraising. Steele reexamines that moment in recent GOP history and reflects on a GOP today that, in his view, has turned its back on conservative principles of personal liberty and freedom, and also long-held Republican positions on US foreign policy. “Reagan is probably looking at their dance with Putin, Orban and others, going: who are these people?” Join us for an informed, concerned discussion with Michael Steele, now an MSNBC host and commentator, on why Americans need to stay civically engaged despite the political theatrics of this 2024 election year and our current political era. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Guest Micheal Steele, MSNCB Political Analyst, Former RNC Chairman, and Former Lt. Gov, (Maryland). Twitter . Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Youtube: @thepurpleprinciple Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja
S4 E5 · Wed, April 03, 2024
Asa Hutchinson on 2024 GOP Primaries: Hard to Get Any Other Message Out!
“I'm the only candidate that was Head of the DEA, that was in charge of border security in the Bush administration, governor for eight years,” says our featured guest, Asa Hutchinson. Yet despite possessing perhaps the most impressive resume among GOP presidential candidates, Hutchinson failed to receive substantial media attention or garner significant support from Iowa caucus goers. There's just so much happening in his world that you have to say is newsworthy,” says Hutchinson of Trumpian media attention. It's hard to get any other message out.” Hutchinson also speaks to the possibility of a significant third-party candidacy for president in 2024, such as from the bipartisan group, No Labels. “Right now you’ve got two major parties that are giving Americans what they don't want– “They don't want another Biden Trump rematch,” says Hutchinson. “So I think there is a potential for a third-party candidacy this year”. Full episode are available on our website (purpeprinciple.com), on YouTube with video highlights, and on all major streaming apps. The Purple Principle is Fluent Knowledge Production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Guest Asa Hutchinson, 2024 POTUS Candidate, Gov. Arkansas (2015-2023), US House Rep. (R-AK) 2001-2003. Hutchinson’s Twitter . Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Youtube: @thepurpleprinciple
S4 E4 · Wed, March 20, 2024
Grand Old Party or Brand New MAGA? Contrarian Conservative Charlie Sykes
“I had been a conservative critic of mainstream media bias for many years,” says author and MSNBC columnist, Charlie Sykes, a “contrarian conservative” and our featured guest. “It suddenly occurred to me that we had succeeded in not just critiquing the liberal bias, but in destroying the credibility of fact-based media altogether.” Sykes is the author of the notable 2017 book, How the Right Lost Its Mind. Within our interview, as in the book, he is unsparing of himself and other traditional conservatives for paving the way for MAGA populism. Yet he emphasizes there is still some degree of factionalism within the GOP. A sizable number of these more traditionally conservative Republicans were in attendance at the 2024 Principles First Summit in Washington DC, where we spoke with Sykes. Held the same weekend as the feverishly pro-Trump CPAC event a few miles away, this year’s Summit included appearances by Adam Kinzinger, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Cassady Hutchinson. There are more than 700 people,” Sykes observes.” And you look at the panels, the people who are speaking, they represent some of the most prominent conservatives, influential conservatives of just the past few decades.” Join us for this conversation with contrarian conservative, Charlie Sykes, author of How the Right Lost Its Mind and MSNBC columnist. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Guest Charlie Sykes , MSNBC Columnist. Author of How The Right Lost Its Mind. Sykes’s book , and Twitter . Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Youtube: @ThePurplePriniple Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja
Bonus · Tue, February 27, 2024
A Primary Solution to Unite America? New Book From Election Reformer, Nick Troiano
“My goal in this book isn't just to diagnose the problem,” explains Nick Troiano, Executive Director of Unite America. “But to give people a solution that is viable and can happen right there in their own states.” That book is “The Primary Solution: Rescuing Our Democracy from the Fringes,” published this week by Simon & Schuster in time for another polarizing primary season. Yet Nick notes in the book, as in our interview, that a record number of 2024 state level efforts to reform primary elections may soon shift the US Congress from gridlock to governance. “This will be the most robust year for election reform that we've seen in the modern era,” says Troiano who ran for Congress a decade ago in his mid twenties as an independent in Pennsylvania. “The people do agree that every voter should have the right to vote for any candidate in every election, and that elected officials have to win a majority of votes to get elected.” Troiano also details the importance of Alaska’s Final Four electoral reforms, passed in 2020 and utilized in the 2022 election, as proof of concept for other state and city efforts. “At the end of the day, we all have one vote,” says Troiano. “There's nothing so wrong with the state of our democracy that we can't fix with the tools that our democracy gives us to do so.” Tune in to learn how as few as 6 state level initiatives could motivate Congress to tackle such long standing chronic issues as the fiscal deficit, gun violence and immigration reform. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Guest Nick Troiano: Bio , X (Twitter) Executive Director, Unite America Additional Resources Nicks Book Information Primary Elections Alaska Case Study by Unite America Problem Solving Caucus Nevada and Open Primaries Find us online! X: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: <a href="https:
S4 E2 · Wed, February 14, 2024
Systems Level Failure? Veterans for All Voters Takes on Polarizing Elections
“Every time I talk to someone about running for office, the first thing they say is, Eric, you have to pick a team,” confides Navy veteran Eric Bronner, COO of the non-partisan group Veterans for All Voters. “And something didn't sit right with me. So the pump was primed, as my parents would say, for some kind of awakening.” That awakening occurred listening to a Freakonomics podcast episode with former Purple Principle guest Katherine Gehl, co-author of The Politics Industry. In that episode, as in our own 2021 interview, Gehl highlighted the lack of incentives our elected officials have to govern effectively. To tackle that problem, Eric and his co-founders are forming a nationwide network of veterans to volunteer on behalf of state level election reform initiatives like opening primaries to the large percentage of registered independent or unaffiliated veterans unable to vote in primary elections and also to advance Final Four or Five voting as detailed in The Politics Industry. “The last thing we need is more partisanship,” says Bronner who now works full time coordinating hundreds of volunteers in forty states and counting. “We can have differences of opinion, right? But the system itself is broken.” Tune in to meet three other veterans behind this effort and find out how Bronner and Veterans For All Voters hope to mend the system in this 2024 election cycle and beyond. The Purple Principle is Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Guests Eric Bronner: Bio , X (Twitter) Co-founder and COO of Veterans for All Voters Additional Resources Show Me Integrity Freakonomics: America’s Hidden Duopoly The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy by Katherine M. Gehl and Michael E. Porter Find us online! X: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja
S4 E1 · Wed, January 17, 2024
Breaking Bread, Sharing Salad & Final Four Voting: Alaska Representative Mary Peltola
“I know that I would not be in this position if we didn't have the Final Four system,” Representative Mary Peltola (D-AK) tells us in this first Purple Principle episode of season four. “Because I would not have made it through a partisan primary.” A native Alaskan, Representative Peltola gained re-election to the US House on the third ballot of the nation’s first Final Four election in 2022. Final Four Voting combines a unified open primary with a ranked choice general election. The intended goal is to replace the current system of polarizing party-led primaries. Final Four Voting Across Party Lines Peltola’s election to the US House may seem surprising from a vast, largely rural state with twice as many registered Republicans as Democrats. But the majority of Alaskan voters are registered as non-partisan or unaffiliated. Final Four: Lessons for the Lower 48? Prior to US House election, Peltola was a member of the bipartisan “Bush Caucus" within the Alaska House of Representatives. Now, after moving to what feels like a foreign country, she continues to work across the aisle in Washington, DC. “I have had very few opportunities just to eat with Republicans and I am very eager to meet and collaborate with as many Republicans as I can,” she explains. “I'm a member of the Western Caucus, which right now is 106 Republicans and me.” Peltola is hopeful US House polarization can be overcome yet clear-eyed about the current gridlock. “The entrenchment is so deep,” she tells us. Does this vast, frontier state and it's current Rep. hold lessons for our divided nation? Tune in to learn more about Mary Peltola’s bipartisan efforts in the US House and the distinctive culture of her native Alaska. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja
S3 E25 · Mon, December 19, 2022
Election Lessons Unheeded? A Cautionary View of the New U.S. House
“The American people want serious people to solve serious challenges,“ declares former Texas Congressman Will B. Hurd in this season finale on the U.S. House of Representatives. “That’s the lesson we should take away from 2022.” But he’s quick to add, “I don’t think that lesson is going to be implemented in this new congress.” Hurd then dissects the GOP factionalism at work in the contested house speaker’s election and confirms that most House members are more interested in “messaging bills” than progress on tough, important issues like immigration and climate change. The Purple Principle covered the U.S. Senate in our previous episode with former centrist Senators Doug Jones and Bob Corker. This episode we turn to the unruly chamber next door in discussion with Will B. Hurd, former CIA officer, three-term Texas Congressman and author of American Reboot. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Let us know!: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey SHOW NOTES The Purple Principle has been nominated for three Signal Awards, but we need your help. Click here to cast a vote! Our Guest Will Hurd is a former three-term Congressman for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, serving in the U.S. House from 2015 to 2021. A former CIA officer and cybersecurity executive, he’s the author of the recently released book American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done . Find him on Twitter @WillHurd More episode resources: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/new-us-house Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney Subscribe to Purple Principle Premium on Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Sign up for our newsletter : https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report Follow us on: Mastodon: mastodon.social/@purpleprinciple Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: <a hre
S3 E24 · Wed, December 07, 2022
Is the Fever Breaking? Two Centrist Senators on the 2022 Elections
“It appears to me that the fever has broken,” observes Bob Corker, former two-term GOP Senator from Tennessee. ”And there's gonna be a real serious debate on the Republican side of the aisle as to where the party is gonna go in 2024.” Fading GOP loyalty to former President Trump is the elephant in the room as we discuss the 2022 election, successes of the current Congress, and prospects for governance going forward. “Right now you got a lot of folks feeling their oats over in the House” says Doug Jones, the Democratic winner of an Alabama special election in 2017. “And they have promised a lot of oversight, a lot of investigations… Who the hell knows? On the Senate side, though, it will be steady as she goes.” Join the conversation with two centrist U.S. Senate alumni--Doug Jones, a storied civil rights litigator, and Bob Corker, who raised alarms during the Trump administration as Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Let us know!: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey SHOW NOTES The Signal Awards has recognized The Purple Principle as a finalist in three award categories, but we need your votes to win. Click here and search "purple principle" to find our nominated episodes and vote! Our Guests The Hon. Bob Corker is a former Republican Senator from Tennessee, serving for two terms in Congress. A commercial real estate developer, he began his political career as commissioner for the Tennessee Finance and Administration Department before being elected Mayor of Chattanooga in 2001. While a member of the U.S. Senate, Corker served as Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee. You can follow him on Twitter @SenBobCorker The Hon. Doug Jones is a former Democratic Senator from Alabama, serving in Congress for three years after a high-profile special election in 2017. He was the first Democrat to represent Alabama in the U.S. Senate in over two decades. Jones was appointed U.S. Attorney for Alabama’s Northern District in 1997, and is known for his prosecution of two Ku Klux Klan members for their role in the 1963 Birmingham church bombing. You can follow him on Twitter @DougJones More episode resources: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/centrist-senators Subscribe to Purple Principle Premium on App
S3 Enull · Wed, November 23, 2022
Repodcast: Deflating Political Football with Tania Israel
Happy Thanksgiving from The Purple Principle team! This week we’re revisiting an episode from November 2021. In the aftermath of another fractious election season, and heading into the holiday season, it feels appropriate to bring psychologist Tania Israel back into the feed. She explains the active listening methods we need to have genuine conversations across the political divide and across the dinner table, when opposing viewpoints are in the house. Are we Americans trapped in our end zones of polarized bubbles ever more motivated to reason away conflicting viewpoints? Our featured guest, psychologist Tania Israel, thinks not and should know. Dr. Israel has been holding workshops over the past two decades to help participants bridge political and social divisions. In this Purple Principle episode, co-hosts Robert Pease & Jillian Youngblood speak with Tania about these workshops, her flowchart that (almost) solved political polarization, and her book, Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide. With Dr. Israel’s facilitation, we apply the bubble bursting toolkit to a serious in-house case of affective (aka negative) polarization -- Jillian’s deep dislike of the New England Patriots, especially ex-Patriot and presumptive GOAT (greatest of all time), quarterback Tom Brady, stemming from her identity as a New York Jets Fan. “I’m so glad you brought up something that’s so central to our democracy,” quips Israel, who gamely plays along as we advance this metaphor down the political football field. Family gatherings were never friction-free. Then polarization came along. Listen in for helpful advice from an all-star in respectful and compassionate dialogue, just in time for Thanksgiving. Author and scholar Dr. Tania Israel is the first guest in our three-part Holiday Survival Kit. More here: https://fluentknowledge.com/holiday-kit SHOW NOTES Our Guests Tania Israel: Website , Twitter , Book , Faculty page . Additional Resources How to Win a Political Argument | Dr. Tania Israel | TEDxSanLuisObispo Moderates are less likely to post about their political views on social media | Pew Research <a href="https://drum.lib.umd.edu
S3 E23 · Thu, November 10, 2022
As 2022 Election Results Roll In: Concern, Context, & Perspective
The 2022 election will consume us over the coming days, weeks, and months. There will likely be recounts, runoffs and court challenges before a new Congress takes shape. This Purple Principle episode highlights concerns surrounding this election, with many GOP candidates questioning election integrity, while providing context and perspective from a variety of guests. For Sarah Longwell of the Republican Accountability Project, the question is whether Democrats nominated “broadly appealing candidates” attractive enough to swing voters. Dr. Adrienne Jones of Morehouse College finds a silver lining in the Senate race between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and GOP challenger Hershel Walker–the first such contest between two African Americans in Georgia history. And Dr. Charles Bullock, the respected University of Georgia scholar, proposes recalculation of former President Trump's endorsement “batting average” while suggesting GOP leadership could distance itself from Trump as a result of these losses. Tune in for important insights on and around the 2022 election. How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Let us know!: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney . SHOW NOTES Our Featured Guests from past episodes: Sarah Longwell - Executive Director, Republican Accountability Project Thomas Edsall - New York Times Columnist Will Hurd - Former CIA Agent and U.S. Congressman for TX-23 Chuck Rocha - Democratic Political Strategist, The Latino Vote co-host Mike Madrid - GOP Political Strategist, The Latino Vote co-host Dan Goodgame - Editor-in-Chief of Texas Monthly Joel Kotkin - Chapman University Professor, Author Deval Patrick - Former Massachusetts Governor Charles Bullock - Chair in Political Science at the <a href="https://spia.uga.edu/faculty-member/charles-s-bullock
S3 E22 · Thu, October 27, 2022
Test Driving Ranked Choice Voting: These Not So United States (AK Part 2 & NV)
Alaska will soon be the first state in the country to hold a ranked choice voting election for all representatives, state and federal. But can RCV moderate our severely polarized politics? If the August special election and current congressional campaign are any guide, the answer is a hearty, “Maybe.” That’s according to Matt Buxton, editor of the Alaskan political blog The Midnight Sun and co-host of the Hello Alaska! podcast. TPP Reporter Dylan Nicholls interviewed Buxton just after the special election and again now in the run up to Election Day. Dylan’s second guest, Doug Goodman, is the founder of Nevadans for Election Reform. Doug’s watching Alaska closely as his state goes to the polls on an election reform measure he originated years ago. Will RCV come to pass in Nevada, as in Alaska? Are we on a path toward more moderate campaigns, at least in our most purple states? Listen in to find out. How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Let us know!: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey SHOW NOTES Our Guests Matt Buxton is editor of the Alaskan political blog The Midnight Sun and co-host of the politics podcast Hello Alaska! His writing has also been featured on the Anchorage Daily News , and he publishes The Midnight Sun Memo newsletter regularly on Substack. Find him on Twitter @mattbuxton . Doug Goodman is the founder and Executive Director of Nevadans for Election Reform , and has been working to bring Ranked Choice Voting to Nevada for almost a decade. He’s collaborating with the Yes on 3 campaign to build support for Nevada Question 3, which would bring ranked choice to the silver state if adopted. More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/alaska-nevada Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney Join Purple Principle Premium on Apple : https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-re
S3 E21 · Wed, October 12, 2022
No Such Thing as The Latino Vote? Hispanic American Swing Voters (Finale)
TPP wraps up its series on Hispanic American Swing Voters with three very different yet highly insightful guests. Northwestern University historian Geraldo Cadava tells us that both parties have spun overly-simplistic narratives of the Hispanic voter – a mythical concept in his view. Carlos Mencia has always been an iconoclast aiming satire in all directions. He reflects on his immigrant childhood, as one of 18 children, and living with relatives in a rough East L.A. neighborhood. And he expounds his indie-minded philosophy that to be completely conservative or liberal is to ignore the critical importance of change or tradition in American society. Cristela Alonzo knows a thing or two about that conflict between tradition and change. She grew up in an immigrant Tejano Catholic family just over the U.S. border in an abandoned diner, and became the first Latina to create and star in a network TV comedy, Cristela. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Please answer our 1-question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Sign up for our newsletter : https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report SHOW NOTES Our Guests Geraldo Cadava is a historian of the United States and Latin America, and is a Professor of History at Northwestern University . He’s the author of The Hispanic Republican: The Shaping of An American Political Identity, from Nixon to Trump . Find him on Twitter @gerry_cadava . Cristela Alonzo is a comedian, writer, and actress. She was the first Latina to create and star in a network TV comedy, Cristela , and her latest comedy special, Middle Classy , is now streaming on Netflix. Find her on Twitter @cristela9 . Carlos Mencia is a comedian, writer, and actor. He hosted The Journey podcast, and his cable show Mind of Mencia ran four seasons on Comedy Central. Find him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/carlosmenci
S3 E20 · Wed, October 05, 2022
Will Latinization Bring Moderation? Hispanic American Swing Voters (Part 2)
How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey How large a role will Hispanic voters play in 2022 elections? (Hint: It’s big.) How are the major parties appealing to this diverse voting bloc? (Not so effectively.) Can Latino candidates turn down the heat on our political rhetoric? (No sign of that yet.) In the 2nd episode of our Hispanic American Swing Voters series, these questions frame our discussion with veteran Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha, and Mike Madrid from the anti-Trump GOP side. They’ve teamed up to co-host the insightful podcast, The Latino Vote . “What's nice about this podcast is we're both at an age where we don't care about the parties anymore,” confesses Madrid. “Donald Trump brought us together to fight a common enemy,” adds Rocha. Despite extreme positioning, the GOP has been picking up Latino candidates and voters. We discuss that trend and look at how these races could put forth less extreme rhetoric – if more Latino campaign experts were involved. Understand the Latinization of our body politic with Chuck Rocha and Mike Madrid of The Latino Vote podcast. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney . SHOW NOTES Our Guests Chuck Rocha is a Democratic political strategist and the founder of Solidarity Strategies . He’s the author of Tío Bernie , a memoir of the Sanders 2020 campaign, and co-hosts The Latino Vote podcast. You can find him on Twitter @ChuckRocha . Mike Madrid is a GOP political strategist and co-founder of The Lincoln Project . He currently serves as Principal of the Grassroots Lab , is the Editor and Publisher of California City News , and co-hosts The Latino Vote podcast. You can find him on Twitter @madrid_mike . More resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/hispanic-series Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: <a href=
Bonus · Fri, September 30, 2022
Repodcast: Politically Persuadable But Focused on Jobs? Hispanic American Swing Voters (Part 1)
How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Today, we're re-podcasting the first episode of our 3-part mini-series on Hispanic American swing voters. The series continues into October for National Hispanic Heritage Month. Is a large and growing segment of Hispanic American voters now leaning independent? That’s the operative question in this first episode, featuring three noted experts: former Florida Congressman Carlos Curbelo, UT San Antonio political scientist Dr. Sharon Navarro, and former four-term San Antonio Mayor and Clinton Cabinet member, Dr. Henry Cisneros. Carlos Curbelo suggests the recent shift of some Latinos to the GOP may be due to discomfort with far left rhetoric. Dr. Sharon Navarro observes many Hispanic voters may be registered to one political party yet remain “persuadable.” Listen in for a better understanding of the less purely-partisan viewpoints characterizing Hispanic American swing voters, and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss episodes two and three of the series, coming soon. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests The Hon. Carlos Curbelo: Twitter , Unite America , University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute . Check out Carlos as a regular contributor to Telemundo , NBC News , MSNBC and NBC 6 Dr. Sharon Navarro, Professor of Political Science at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and editor of Latinas in American Politics: Changing and Embracing Political Tradition . Dr. Navarro’s faculty page , Twitter , website Dr. Henry Cisneros, former four-term Mayor of San Antonio, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and former President of Univision. Currently a board member of the Bipartisan Policy Center . Dr. Cisneros on Twitter . More on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/hispanic-series-1 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast
S3 E19 · Wed, September 28, 2022
End of Bay State Bipartisanship?: These Not So United States (MA Part Two)
How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here for our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Massachusetts has long been a bipartisan enigma at the state level, electing moderate GOP governors for 30 of the past 60 years while seating a Democratic legislature. But the governor’s office is expected to revert to Democrats in 2022 and beyond. In our second MA episode, we discuss this unique history and inflection point with former moderate GOP Lt. Governor, Dr. Kerry Healey. “Massachusetts is a wonderful model...for the advantages of bipartisan government,” says Healey, pointing to the passage of “Romneycare” that became the model for “Obamacare.” Our second guest, Dr. Alexander Theodoridis of UMass Amherst, feels these traditions of bipartisanship and moderate GOPism are already well under attack. “Things have become nationalized,” says Dr. Theodoridis. “It becomes much more difficult for the average voter to think… Well, you know, I really can't stand these Republicans at the national level. But I'm going to pull the lever for a Republican here in Massachusetts.” Is no state immune to the forces of polarization? Listen in for an in-depth discussion. SHOW NOTES Our Guests Kerry Healey is a former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts and currently the President of the Center for Advancing the American Dream at the Milken Institute. You can find her on Twitter @KerryMHealey. Alexander Theodoridis is an associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and many political science journals. You can find him on Twitter @AGTheodoridis. More resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/states-ma-part2 Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Follow us online: Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report
S3 E18 · Wed, September 14, 2022
Deval Patrick Talks Governing: These Not So United States (MA Part One)
“There are all kinds of ways in which we, as a community, enable the American story,” says Deval Patrick, implying that our success stories overemphasize the individual. Patrick’s own American story is a remarkable one, starting in a tough South Chicago neighborhood, journeying to a planet called boarding school, then onto Harvard and a distinguished legal career, before two terms as Governor. He recounts how then Senator Barack Obama was initially quizzical, though supportive, of his long-shot run for office. He also underscores the unusual nature of politics in the Bay State, where there are more unenrolled or independent voters than both parties combined, and a Democratic legislature that may prefer GOP Governors to enhance their own power. “These are human dynamics,” says Patrick, “not so much partisan dynamics.” But politics in Massachusetts is changing as throughout the nation. Listen in for a clear-eyed, richly-informed discussion with Deval Patrick, 2020 White House aspirant now teaching at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney . SHOW NOTES Our Guest Deval Patrick: Former two-term Governor of Massachusetts , 2020 Presidential candidate, and Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School . Follow him on Twitter @DevalPatrick . More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/states-ma-part1 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: <a href="https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinci
Bonus · Tue, August 30, 2022
Iron Woman Diane
Fluent Knowledge, producers of The Purple Principle (TPP), have a new podcast in the health, wellness and medicine realm, My Body Odyssey (MBO). With TPP staff on summer break, we’re introducing TPP listeners to MBO with our second episode, featuring IronWoman Diane. Imagine taking on a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile cycle, and then a 26.2 mile run. And in a single day, not a week or a month. Now add the additional challenge of type one diabetes. “My entire race plan,” Diane tells us, “consisted of a two page spreadsheet on how to manage my blood sugars.” In addition to completing triathlons, Diane is no stranger to the yoga mat, having practiced for years. Why then does she pass out in yoga class soon after receiving a new insulin pump? Tune in to find out on this odyssey of the rewards and challenges of exercise with diabetes, featuring Iron Woman Diane and expert commentary from Dr. Michael Riddell of York University. On The Purple Principle podcast, Fluent Knowledge points the way toward healthier politics. On My Body Odyssey, we’re pointing toward a healthier, more active lifestyle, through one rife with challenges of all kinds. Check out our website, www.mybodyodyssey.com , and follow us on social media! Twitter: @mybodyodyssey Instagram: @mybodyodysseypodcast
S3 E17 · Tue, August 16, 2022
Less Partisan Elections in Alaska 2022? These Not So United States (AK Part One)
In our continuing state series, TPP visits the state with the highest percentage of non-partisan voters (58%): vast and varied Alaska. On August 16, 2022, for the first time in the US, Alaskans will use the final four voting system, which combines a unified open primary with ranked choice voting in the general election. Our special guests for this episode, each interviewed by TPP Reporter Dylan Nicholls, offer three perspectives on Alaskan political culture, the new election system, and the major candidates. Brendan Jones, an Alaska-based author, describes the strong independent, survivalist streak at work in our nation’s largest state. Independent Alaska House member Calvin Schrage speaks to the value of political independence as a legislator, noting how it allows him to form policy positions based on their merits. Liz Ruskin of Alaska Public Media, explains how final four voting was intended to operate and some of the unintended consequences she’s observed so far. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to tell us: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey SHOW NOTES Our Guests Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Alaska Public Media. She reports from the U.S. Capitol and from Anchorage. Find her on Twitter @lruskin . Calvin Schrage is an independent Alaska State Senator representing District 25. You can find him on Twitter @CalvinSchrage . Brendan Jones is an award-winning novelist, essayist, and journalist based in Sitka, Alaska. Find him on Twitter @BrendanIJones . More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/states-alaska-part1 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Follow us on social media: Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Sign up for our newsletter : <a href="https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-princip
S3 E16 · Tue, August 02, 2022
Revisiting GOP Party Dynamics: The Decline of Moderates & Rise of Populism
This week we revisit an episode from 2020, adding some fresh questions and analysis on its lessons in GOP history from a 2022 perspective. Is Donald Trump losing his populist grip on the Republican Party after 6 long years, a failed re-election, a failed campaign to reverse that result, and the January 6 insurrection? According to recent polls, critical editorials from The New York Post and Wall Street Journal, and an abscess of Trump coverage on Fox News, that may be the case. But does this mean the GOP is turning from populism toward more moderate leadership? That’s a very different question. And our special guest for the repodcast, Dr. Geoffrey Kabaservice (author of Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and The Destruction of the Republican Party ) suggests that populist momentum in the GOP predated Trump by decades, and could remain dominant for some time. To look ahead with clarity at the 2022 and 2024 elections, we need to review with accuracy the forces that shape today’s politics. Tune in for a fluently knowledgeable revisit of GOP party dynamics with Dr. Geoffrey Kabaservice. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Geoffrey Kabaservice : Columnist, Author of Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party , and Vice President of Political Studies for the Niskanen Center . More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/revisiting-gop-party-dynamics Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Follow us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report
S3 E15 · Tue, July 19, 2022
Great American Independents (Part Two): Andrew Heaton on Liberty, Justice & Satire for All
On this second episode featuring great American independents, The Purple Principle sits down with Andrew Heaton, political satirist, author, podcast host and small “l” libertarian. “I’m a temperamental moderate who wants to help people,” Heaton confides, “but thinks government is not very effective at it.” Heaton also describes the origins of his dual career track, working as a Capitol Hill Staffer while performing comedy – in his own words, “necktie man” by day and “degenerate pseudo-drunk” by night. But Heaton has a less degenerate side as well. “We've moved on from thinking people are in error to thinking they're in sin,” bemoans Heaton. “And that is just lamentable for everyone involved, from the politicians all the way down to us and the constituency.” Tune in for a welcome dose of edifying entertainment from Andrew Heaton, a uniquely thoughtful independent voice in these not so United States. The Purple Principle is Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guest Andrew Heaton: Political Satirist, host of The Political Orphanage podcast, and author of Los Angeles is Hideous: Poems About An Ugly City ,, Inappropriately Human: 21 Short Stories , and Laughter is Better Than Communism . Check out his website and follow him on Twitter @MightyHeaton . More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/great-american-independents-part2 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report
S3 E14 · Mon, July 04, 2022
Great American Independents (Part One): Amy Chua on Political Tribalism
The Purple Principle celebrates July 4th with its first episode in a miniseries on America’s great independent voices. Amy Chua, known for her bestselling Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother , is a Yale law professor and author of Political Tribes. “Every group feels attacked, pitted against other groups not just for jobs and spoils, but for the right to define the nation’s identity. In these conditions, democracy devolves into zero-sum group competition. Pure political tribalism.” In a conversation with TPP host Rob Pease, Chua talks about the challenges of speaking to a fragmented student body. She also discusses the degradation of our shared national identity as marginalized groups increasingly denigrate traditional American ideals. These and related topics explored on this special July 4th episode. Enjoy the show, and don’t forget to rate & review us at: ratethispodcast.com/purple How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here for a 1-question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney . SHOW NOTES Our Guest Amy Chua: John M. Duff Professor of Law at Yale Law School and author of Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations , Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother , and World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability . Check out her website and follow her on Twitter @amychua . More episode resources on
S3 E13 · Tue, June 28, 2022
Strength in Diversity, Weakness in One Party Rule? These Not So United States (CA Finale)
The Purple Principle completes its three-episode tour of the great state of California with three uniquely positioned viewpoints on the Golden State. First, Leon Panetta, former Cabinet Secretary and nine-term US Congress member, who questions the one party mindset of Democratic governance in Sacramento and the rightward populist tilt of the California GOP. Our second guest, former State Assembly Minority Leader Kristin Olsen, helped initiate a 2018 effort to reform the Golden State GOP called “New Way California” which ultimately failed to gain traction. And our third guest, political satirist Andrew Heaton, describes the rivalry between largely blue California and largely red Texas, the topic of an earlier seven-part TPP series. “Don't California my Texas,” observes Heaton, now an Austin resident, “that is a frequent political bumper sticker here, which occasionally you'll see on cars from Florida.” These and other surprises on this California finale. Tune in and review us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney . How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey SHOW NOTES Our Guests Leon Panetta: Former Secretary of Defense and Director of the CIA for President Obama, White House Chief of Staff for President Clinton, and nine-term Member of Congress. Now the Co-Founder and Chairman of The Panetta Institute for Public Policy , and author of the memoir Worthy Fights . Kristin Olsen: Former Republican Minority Leader of the California State Assembly, Board Member of New Way California, and current Partner at California Strategies . Olsen’s Twitter . Andrew Heaton: Comedian and political satirist, host of The Political Orphanage podcast and author of books like Los Angeles is Hideous: Poems About An Ugly City . Heaton’s website , Twitter . More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/states-california-part3 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl
S3 E12 · Tue, June 21, 2022
2022 California Primaries by Faction & Tortilla with Gustavo Arellano: These Not So United States (CA Part 2)
If California progressives were tortillas, they’d be delicious but expensive and inaccessible; establishment Democratic tortillas would be ubiquitous, if not so tasty; and Republican tortillas would be pretty tasteless… Is this any way to understand California politics? It is when speaking with LA Times columnist, author and frequent tortilla contest judge, Gustavo Arellano. In discussion with host Rob Pease and guest co-host Barbara Bogaev, Arellano rebuts the idea that California voters sent a clear “tough on crime” message in the 2022 primary. Instead, he points out that crime is nowhere near the levels of the 1990s, but has attracted more media coverage because of its spread to affluent, white majority areas. Articulate, informed and candid, Arellano relates how he convinced his father, a “macho hillbilly,” to get the COVID vaccine and why his notion of “rancho libertarianism” explains increasing GOP success with California’s Latino voters. Tune in for political analysis, tortilla metaphors, and family dynamics on this Purple Principle episode, the second in our California series. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney . How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey SHOW NOTES Our Guest Gustavo Arellano, L.A. Times columnist and host of The Times podcast. Author of books like ¡Ask a Mexican! and Taco USA . Arellano’s columns , newsletter , and Twitter . More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/states-california-part2 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja
S3 E11 · Tue, June 07, 2022
One Golden State, Two Democratic Parties: These Not So United States (CA Part 1)
“I always point out to people that California is still a two-party state,” says Dan Schnur, former independent candidate for Secretary of State. “It just so happens they're both Democratic parties.” So starts a series of TPP episodes on our largest and bluest of states this primary season. Schnur’s outline of factions within Democratic Party are all the more vital, as are the economic insights of Joel Kotkin, the noted author and professor at Chapman University. “In the past, middle class and working class people trying to improve their lives came to California,” says Kotkin, who feels Texas now offers some of that upward mobility. “I don't think they come anymore for that.” Has the California dream given way to a cost of living nightmare? NPR veteran Barbara Bogaev co-hosts with Rob Pease for an in-depth discussion on the challenges faced by this complex, diverse, nation-sized state, as primary voters head to the polls on June 7th. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney . How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey SHOW NOTES Our Guests Dan Schnur, former GOP strategist and Independent candidate for CA Secretary of State. Professor at UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Public Policy, and USC’s Annenberg School of Communications. Dan Schnur’s faculty page , Twitter . Joel Kotkin, Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures and Roger Hobbs Professor in Urban Studies at Chapman University. Author of The Coming of Neo-Feudalism: A Warning to the Global Middle Class . Joel Kotkin’s website , Twitter . More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/states-california-part1 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our web
S3 E10 · Tue, May 24, 2022
Georgia On All Our Minds: These Not So United States
How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey All political roads lead to Georgia these days. The Peach State was so pivotal in the 2020 election of Joe Biden and the 2021 runoff election of two Democratic senators. Georgia’s again on our minds in 2022 as Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger battle primary challenges from the GOP’s “Stop the Steal” wing. TPP is fortunate to have three informed guides for this visit: Dr. Adrienne Jones of Morehouse College speaks to the weakening of the 1965 Voting Rights Act which has allowed for more restrictive voting laws. Ken Lawler, the Chair of Fair Districts GA, details the role of gerrymandering in this purple state, where party control could again hinge on a district or two. And Dr. Charles Bullock (U of Georgia) suggests we calculate former President Trump’s endorsement batting average after the results of these primaries are in. Tune in for important insights on the great state of Georgia, where the political action was in 2020 and is now again in 2022. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests Dr. Adrienne Jones, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Pre-Law Director at Morehouse College. Dr. Jones’ faculty page , Twitter . Ken Lawler, Board Chair of Fair Districts GA . Ken Lawler’s Twitter . Check out Fair District GA’s partnership with the Princeton Gerrymandering Project for their 2021 Georgia Redistricting Report Card . Dr. Charles S. Bullock III, Richard B. Russell Chair in Political Science at the University of Georgia, editor of The New Politics of the Old South . Dr. Bullock’s faculty page . More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/georgia-1 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagr
S3 E9 · Tue, May 10, 2022
Politically Persuadable But Focused on Jobs? Hispanic American Swing Voters (Part 1)
How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Is a large and growing segment of Hispanic American voters now leaning independent? That’s the operative question in this first episode on Hispanic swing voters, featuring three noted experts: former Florida Congressman Carlos Curbelo, UT San Antonio political scientist Dr. Sharon Navarro, and former four-term San Antonio Mayor and Clinton Cabinet member, Dr. Henry Cisneros. Carlos Curbelo suggests the recent shift of some Latinos to the GOP may be due to discomfort with far left rhetoric. Dr. Sharon Navarro observes many Hispanic voters may be registered to a political party yet remain “persuadable.” Tune in for a better understanding of the less purely partisan viewpoints characterizing Hispanic American swing voters. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests The Hon. Carlos Curbelo: Twitter , Unite America , University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute . Check out Carlos as a regular contributor to Telemundo , NBC News , MSNBC and NBC 6 Dr. Sharon Navarro, Professor of Political Science at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and editor of Latinas in American Politics: Changing and Embracing Political Tradition . Dr. Navarro’s faculty page , Twitter , website Dr. Henry Cisneros, former four-term Mayor of San Antonio, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and former President of Univision. Currently a board member of the Bipartisan Policy Center . Dr. Cisneros on Twitter . More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/hispanic-series-1 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Ins
S3 E8 · Tue, April 26, 2022
Like Family, Like Nation: A Braver Angel Mediates Polarization at Home & Nationwide
How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Our TPP guest this episode, Mónica Guzmán of Braver Angels, is a fascinating conversationalist who knows how to stop a conversation, particularly among blue-leaning Seattle friends discussing politics. Guzmán merely mentions that her Mexican immigrant parents avidly supported Donald Trump and the room goes silent. We kick off Episode 8 of Season 3, “Like Family, Like Nation,” with Guzmán’s retelling of that conversation stopper also featured in her new book, I Never Thought of It That Way . Part personal memoir, part communication guide, the book is informed by her work at Braver Angels, one of the nation’s most successful facilitators of cross-partisan dialogue. “The opinion…. is just above the surface,” observes Guzmán. “Underneath is everything that backs it up, all their experiences.” As a result, she cautions that, “you’re not going to change someone’s mind in the course of conversation unless they were already at the cusp of changing it on their own.” Important points from a uniquely qualified voice. Tune in for an entertaining and informative episode on the challenges and rewards of communication across the great American divides. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests Mónica Guzmán: Director of Digital & Storytelling at Braver Angels , Host of Civic Cocktail , and Author of I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times . Mónica Guzmán’s website , Twitter Visit our website for a list of additional resources related to today's episode: fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/monica-guzman Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign
S3 E7 · Tue, April 12, 2022
Is Texas the Future of America? These Not So United States (TX Finale)
How’d you hear about The Purple Principle?: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey The Purple Principle brings its seven-part series on politics and identity in the already huge, yet fast-growing Lone Star State to conclusion with a guided tour of key insights from our notable “Texperts” in all six episodes. Is our nation’s red vs blue infighting eroding what was once a more distinctive, cohesive Texas identity? Jason Whitely, senior news reporter at WFAA Dallas and co-host of the podcast Y’all-itics, feels that is the case. Dan Goodgame, Editor in Chief of Texas Monthly, disagrees. No discussion of Texas identity is complete without consideration of the large Hispanic community. Former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros highlights the appeal of the powerful Texas GOP with regard to young Hispanic business owners. And Dr. Sharon Navarro of UT San Antonio observes that the GOP has created more pathways for Latina candidates in South Texas than the Democratic Party. Our finale concludes with observations from two best-selling and prize-winning authors who happen to be friends and neighbors in Austin. Novelist and historian Stephen Harrigan feels the GOP circulated slogan, “Don’t California My Texas,” is part of a “rear guard action defending the Texas identity.” While New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright expects that “California will become more conservative and Texas will become more liberal.” Is Texas the future of America? Tune in to consider that provocative question and the insights of a dozen informed “Texperts” from throughout the nation-sized Lone Star State. O riginal music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests Jason Whitely: Episode 1 of our Texas series , Y’all-itics Jason Wheeler: Episode 1 , Y’all-itics Linda Curtis: League of Independent Voters of Texas Dan Goodgame: Episode 2 , Texas Monthly James Henson: Episode 3 , Texas Politics Project Paul Oshinski: Episode 3 , Threads of Texas Dr. Henry Cisneros: Episode 4 , Bipartisan Policy Center Dr. Sharon Navarro: Episode 4 , UTSA Lawr
S3 E6 · Fri, April 01, 2022
A New American Operating System? These Not So United States (TX Part 6)
How’d you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Purple Principle listeners know these not so United States need a new political operating system. But who’s going to code it? Based on a great new book, American Reboot (just out from Simon & Schuster), and our TPP conversation, it’s clear former three-term, centrist Texas Congressman Will B. Hurd should be a part of that “U.S. 2.0” development team. Hurd was far from the most logical candidate to win not one but three terms representing the vast, 800-mile long 23rd district, covering southwest Texas. First off, he had been out of the public eye and in the CIA for a decade prior to his first attempt. Second, he was a moderate, Black Republican running in a largely Hispanic and Democratic district. Yet he had more than sufficient appeal with Democrats and independents to win that TX-23rd Congressional seat on a second attempt in 2014 and in two subsequent re-elections. Of his arrival to the U.S. House of Representatives, Hurd recounts his early experiences with artfully two-faced Congressional colleagues. He describes being attacked in a committee hearing by a Texas Democrat who then chummily provides advice to Hurd immediately after the hearing. And he recalls a major television show appearance where four Congress members (two Republicans, two Democrats) swap family niceties until the camera lights come on, then promptly descend into “Wrestlemania.” In this episode, our sixth in this Texas mini-series, we also discuss Hurd’s “brain gain” objectives on immigration reform. Hurd argues that expanding and refining the legal immigration process based on labor shortages would take pressure off illegal immigration. Hurd also recounts his bipartisan, cross-country road trip with then-Congress member Beto O’Rourke (D). The 35-hour, live-streamed ride resulted in millions of social media views, lots of TV coverage, and some warm bipartisan glow—until the next election cycle. “It was silly to me that we go from a moment where the entire country's like, wow, this is really cool—civility in politics. And then…everybody went to their corners,” Hurd recalls with, on balance, more optimism than disappointment. “But I saw at that moment the American people want their elected officials to disagree without being disagreeable. And it was a reminder that way more unites us as a country than divides us.” For more on Will Hurd’s ideas for “getting big things done,” tune into “A New American Operating System? These Not So United States.” Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests Will Hurd, former Congressman for Texas’ 23rd Co
S3 E5 · Tue, March 29, 2022
Lone Star Launch Pad for Rear-Guard America? These Not So United States (TX Part 5)
Our special guests for this fifth episode on Lone Star State identity are two authors with Texas-sized reputations: Lawrence Wright ( The Looming Tower , God Save Texas ) and Stephen Harrigan ( The Gates of the Alamo , Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas ). Wright, a New Yorker staff writer, wastes no time in spinning around our hypothesis that polarized national politics might erode that rather famous, not shyly-held Texas state identity. “Texas is taking over the country,” states Wright emphatically. “Whatever happens in Texas is the future of America.” Longtime Texas Monthly writer Stephen Harrigan does see some weakening of the loud, proud Texan identity in recent times. But he also observes the state's current GOP political monopoly pushing back against these changes, natural or not. Wright and Harrigan have more in common than a shelf of prize-winning American books bearing their names on dust jackets. Born in the same Oklahoma Hospital in the same year, they both moved to Texas as adults, wrote for Texas Monthly , currently live in the same Austin neighborhood and recently published books on their adoptive state: Wright’s reportorial memoir, God Save Texas , and Harrigan’s Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas . This episode features an extended discussion between these longtime friends and some-time collaborators on the magnetic appeal of Texas. They assess the legacy of political icons on the Texas of today and tomorrow, such as independent Texas President Sam Houston; independent presidential candidate Ross Perot; one-term populist Democratic Governor Ann Richards; and Lady Bird Johnson. They also bemoan the loss of rational, moderate, Texan-accented voices in recent time, such as former Republican Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, and three-term moderate Republican Congressman Will Hurd, author of the just published book American Reboot . And they contemplate the potential for a “passionate centrist” like the Texas-born actor Mathew McConaughey to bridge the political divide in Texas, perhaps with spillover effects. Tune up your understanding of this strongest and proudest of state identities, and gauge the influence of ever more populous and prosperous Texas on American politics and identity writ large. Original music created and composed by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests Lawrence Wright, staff writer at The New Yorker , author of The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 , The End of October , The Plague Year<
S3 E4 · Tue, March 22, 2022
Polarized Politics & Hispanic Identity: These Not So United States (TX Part 4)
The Purple Principle is visiting the Lone Star State throughout the month of March 2022 and wondering if the famously strong Texas identity is holding up under the powerful forces of red vs. blue throughout our nation. In Polarized Politics & Hispanic Identity, we focus the discussion on Hispanic Texans and, particularly, the large Tejano community (Texans of Mexican descent) in South Texas. Two respected commentators weigh in on this and related issues. Former four-term San Antonio mayor, Henry Cisneros, provides an insightful critique of his own Democratic Party’s failings in Texas of late, as well the growing appeal of the GOP to specific groups of Hispanics, such as small business owners. “If all of the invitations to you as a member of a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce are to be with like-minded business people, and they're all Republicans,” observes Cisneros. “Then at some point you say to yourself, ‘well, maybe that's where I should be if I want to advance.’” Dr. Sharon Navarro, political scientist at UT San Antonio and author of Latina Legislator , feels that the Tejano identity still runs stronger and deeper than political party affiliation in South Texas. But she also notes that the GOP has been successfully conflating the identities of Texan and Republican while wielding power to full advantage in the region. Texas is not only as large as a good-sized European nation but more diverse as well, being 40% Hispanic statewide and 80% in the South Texas region. For a deeper dive into Texas diversity, tune into Polarized Politics & Hispanic Identity: These Not So United States (TX, Part 4), with original music by long-time Texas resident Ryan Adair Rooney . SHOW NOTES Our Guests Dr. Henry Cisneros, former four-term Mayor of San Antonio, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and former President of Univision. Currently a board member of the Bipartisan Policy Center . Dr. Cisneros on Twitter . Dr. Sharon Navarro, Professor of Political Science at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and editor of Latinas in American Politics: Changing and Embracing Political Tradition . Dr. Navarro’s Faculty page , Twitter , website Additional Resources Listen to our full Texas series: https://fluentknowledge.com/texas-series <
S3 E3 · Tue, March 15, 2022
Growth, Diversity & One Party Politics? These Not So United States (TX Part 3)
Is democracy still democracy when one party wins all the elections? That’s a question we’ll be asking around the country on our state-level identity and polarization series, since 37 state “trifectas,” or one-party governments, are now in office. It’s also a major point of discussion with Dr. James Henson, Director of The Texas Politics Project, in our third episode on the biggest and proudest of the Republican trifectas: Texas. “The Democrats have gone from being the disadvantaged party to a structurally hobbled party," observes Henson, who’s been analyzing and polling on Texas politics for over 15 years at UT Austin. "You get in a position where you're just so structurally disadvantaged that it almost changes the fundamental nature of political competition.” Which might cause one to believe that political identity in Texas is as uniformly red as this legislation. But according to a major recent research project by the group More In Common, there is far more diversity of viewpoint in Texas, even among those with strong Texas identities than would be expected from its politics. TPP speaks with Global Research Director Stephen Hawkins about the origin of More in Common’s first state-level identity project and with the report’s co-author, Paul Oshinski, on the finding of seven distinct social “Threads of Texas,” from far left “Lone Star Progressives” to far right “Heritage Defenders,” with five interesting gradations somewhere in between. Think Texas is a ruby red state? Well, yes, if you look only at election results and legislative output. But not if you look beyond, to the rapidly growing, changing and diversifying society beneath one-party rule. O riginal music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests James Henson, Director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin Stephen Hawkins, Global Director of Research at More in Common Paul Oshinski, Research Fellow at More in Common and co-author of the Threads of Texas report More in Common and Hidden Tribes US on Twitter Additional Resources Listen to our full Texas series: fluentknowledge.com/texas-series Texas law banning abortion as early as six weeks goes into effect as the U.S. Supreme Court takes no action (Texas Tribune) <a href="https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2021/06/16/permitless
S3 E2 · Tue, March 08, 2022
Strongest Identity of Them Y’all? These Not So United States (TX Part 2)
Texas has long had one of the most powerful and vocal identities of any American state. But how’s that unique Texas pride faring under the homogenizing power of polarization? In this TPP episode, Strongest Identity of Them Y’all , Texas Monthly Editor-in-Chief Dan Goodgame argues that the social and cultural identities of Texans writ large remain intact despite zero-sum maneuverings of Texas politicians writ small. “I'm gonna read a short series of numbers and let you guess what they represent: 29, 22, 16, 4, 2, and 1,” says Goodgame, a Rhodes Scholar and former Pulitzer Prize finalist. “29 million is the population of Texas right now…4 million is the number who vote in primaries in Texas, 2 million is the number who vote in the Republican primary in Texas, 1 million is all it takes to win. So that's 3.3% of the population deciding who the statewide office holders are in Texas.” Indeed Republicans do rule top to bottom in the Lone Star State, as they have for over two decades. “People who don't like Republican policies are very quick to place all the blame there,” explains Goodgame. “But Democrats here similarly play to their base rather than to centrists. You would think after 27 years of losing, you'd try something different.” Meanwhile, the nation’s second largest state in size and population continues to be an outsized force economically and demographically. “Texas is experiencing a net in-migration of about 3,800 a week, which is pretty striking when you think about it,” observes Goodgame, citing newly minted Texans from California, New Jersey, India, Mexico and Nigeria as examples. “They are not turning the state blue, as we reported in our December cover story. So they’re as diverse politically as they are culturally.” Tune in to learn more about social and cultural diversity amidst political conformity in the Lone Star State with Dan Goodgame, Editor-in-Chief of Texas Monthly – Part 2 of our Texas mini-series within The Purple Principle’s season-long exploration of polarization and state identity. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guest Dan Goodgame, Editor-in-Chief of Texas Monthly since 2019 . Co-author of Marching in Place: The Status Quo Presidency of George Bush Texas Monthly on Twitter Additional Resources Polarization in Congress has risen sh
S3 E1 · Tue, March 01, 2022
Messing with that Texas Identity? These Not So United States (TX Part 1)
The Purple Principle kicks off its extended Season Three series on state level polarization with a mini-series on the great state of Texas. And who better to discuss Texas politics than the co-hosts of the artfully named podcast, Y’all-itics: Jason Wheeler (Senior News Reporter) and Jason Whitely (News Anchor) of the ABC Dallas affiliate, WFAA. Both Jasons concur that polarization has been eating away at that powerful Texas identity in recent times. “People do like to maintain that they have that independent streak,” says Wheeler, pointing to both Texas Republicans and Democrats. “And I think that one of the things you have in common is that you like to think that you're perhaps more of an independent thinker than you are.” What factors are contributing to erosion of that common Texas identity? One party rule, without real need for bipartisanship, certainly plays a role. And gerrymandering has helped maintain Republican domination of Texas politics over the past two decades. Therefore, Republican office holders often look over their right shoulders at primary battles rather than ahead to general elections and swing voters. The most recent Texas legislative session put forth a number of bills catering to that small subset of Republican primary loyalists, including restricted abortion and voting access, yet unrestricted open carry of firearms. Will this “red meat” legislation invoke electoral backlash? That’s a point of discussion in this episode, along with last year’s major power failure and the continuing movement of California companies and workers into Texas. Tune in for a “Y’all-itical Science” mini-course with the equally articulate, almost equally named hosts of Y’all-itics, Jason Wheeler and Jason Whitely, as The Purple Principle kicks off our extended state polarization series in the vast, varied, and vocal Lone Star State. Original Texas–themed music this episode by Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Guests Jason Whitely: co-host of the podcast Y’all-itics, Senior News Reporter at WFAA in Dallas, Texas. Host of WFAA’s Inside Texas Politics . Jason Whitely’s Twitter Jason Wheeler: co-host of the podcast Y’all-itics, News Anchor at WFAA, and Editor of WFAA’s Right on the Money . Jason Wheeler’s Twitter Find the Y’all-itics podcast on WFAA.com , Apple Podcasts
S2 E26 · Tue, February 22, 2022
Heard the One About a Centrist Congressman? Carlos Curbelo on Polarization in the House
What’s it like to represent one of the very few remaining swing districts on the U.S. Congressional map, and be virtually the only Republican member at that time to publicly address climate change? Former Congressman Carlos Curbelo from Florida’s 26th district (including southwest Miami and the Florida Keys) fields these questions in a season-ending Purple Principle episode entitled, Heard the One About a Centrist Congressman? Curbelo also recounts some telling anecdotes from his time in the U.S. House, such as his application to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (traditionally bipartisan but now controlled by Democrats), which was ultimately rejected. “Polarization in the House” is the subtitle and subtext of this episode, which also includes intel on the polarization of music choices in the House members' gym. There’s also a more serious discussion of the populist drift of his Republican Party. “I told people that I was not gonna let Donald Trump define this party, or kick me out of it,” says Curbelo, now a political analyst for NBC and Visiting Fellow at the University of Chicago. This episode also marks Jillian Youngblood’s last co-hosting stint for the foreseeable future as she turns full attention to an innovative new round of Civic Genius engagement programs nationwide. Tune in to learn more about these efforts and get a refreshingly non-partisan perspective on the U.S. House from former Congressman Carlos Curbelo. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guest The Hon. Carlos Curbelo: Twitter page , Unite America , University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute Check out Carlos as a regular contributor to Telemundo , NBC News , MSNBC and NBC 6 Additional Resources Rep. Carlos Curbelo - House of Representatives 2021 Partisan Voter Index Scores by Congressional District (Cook Political Report) <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/how-many-house-rep
S2 E25 · Tue, February 08, 2022
Voice of Reason for Independent Minds: Talking Media & Polarization with CNN's Michael Smerconish
“I have been paying attention for thirty years,” CNN and SiriusXM host & commentator Michael Smerconish tells us. “And during that time the country has been driven into a partisan ditch.” A well-known visage from his CNN show, Smerconish is also a widely recognized voice, having started on “terrestrial” AM radio two decades before migrating to his current SiriusXM show and podcasts. The Purple Principle wanted to know more about Michael Smerconish, the individual, who features more indie-minded segments on his shows and podcasts as well as his platform, Smerconish.com. Smerconish details his 2010 decision to break with the Republican Party he grew up in, citing the reckless expansion of the War on Terror and the nasty tone of 2010 Tea Party congressional campaigns. He bemoans the loss of moderate Republicans like Senator Arlen Specter (PA) and Congressman Mike Castle (DE) in that period, expressing current concern that incivility and vitriol is creeping down from the national and state to the local level. “There have been a number of nasty exchanges at school board meetings pertaining to masks or vax policy,“ he observes. “And they’re probably driving reasonable people right out of the discourse.” Smerconish is also a frequent critic of the media, such as in his 2021 Reagan Library speech, “It’s Time to Change the Channel.” “Division sells,“ he states emphatically, noting the extreme voices from both parties manipulating that business model to raise money and further congressional careers without legislative success. Join us today for this master class from Michael Smerconish on partisan politics in the media and partisan media in politics, the tightly-wound symbiosis driving polarization in our country. No magic solutions offered for this trend, but lots of enlightening anecdotes and insights in this episode, Voice of Reason for Independent Minds with Michael Smerconish. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guest Michael Smerconish: Twitter , Smerconish.com , CNN’s Smerconish , SiriusXM Radio’s “The Michael Smerconish Program” , and SXM podcasts “Book Club with Michael Smerconish” and “The Smerconish Podcast” . Additional Resources CNN’s Michael Smerconish - Bio (CNN) Michael Smerconish’s Reagan Library Speech (YouTube) <a href="https://www.beasleyfirm.com/about-our-f
S2 E24 · Tue, January 25, 2022
The United States of Narcissism? Speaking of Democracy’s Worst Enemies
“If we believe democracy has failed us,” writes author and scholar Tom Nichols in his latest book, Our Own Worst Enemy , “we should first ask ourselves whether we have failed the test of democracy.” In this Purple Principle episode entitled “ The United States of Narcissism ,“ co-hosts Rob Pease and Jillian Youngblood ask Nichols why many Americans seem to be enthusiastically failing that test in recent times. A longtime Soviet Union—then Russia expert—Nichols points back to the US triumph at the end of the Cold War as a tipping point from civic seriousness toward national narcissism – an event he likens to winning the lottery. “And anybody who's followed the history of lottery winners can tell you,” Nichols observes, “winning the lottery never goes well.” The bleakness of 1970s’ industrial decline initially turned Nichols into a young, Reaganite Republican, setting him on the path of Russian language and history study to understand the necessity of a strategic air command post in his hometown. However, by 2018, Nichols believed that same party was no longer taking international security threats seriously enough. “We were the first to defect from the Republicans,” says Nichols of he and many fellow security experts, “because we were primarily concerned about national security and about putting the nuclear codes in the hands of an unstable sociopath.” Not one to shy away from bold statements, Nichols has seen what lack of freedom means in today’s Russia and other autocratic nations. As a result, he’s issued an urgent plea in this latest book, Our Own Worst Enemy , for Americans across the political spectrum to re-embrace civic values, abstain from biased media, and resist the siren call of autocratic solutions. Join us on The Purple Principle for an impassioned discussion with Dr. Tom Nichols, Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval War College and author of the new Oxford University Press book, Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault from within on Modern Democracy. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guest Tom Nichols: Twitter , Faculty Page , The Atlantic Buy his latest book: Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault from within on Modern Democracy Additional Resources Tom Nichols, 'Death of Expertise' Author, Is Profiled (Harvard Magazine) <a href="
S2 E23 · Tue, January 11, 2022
Wait, I’m Not the Crazy One! Sarah Longwell, Conservative Watchdog of Republican Sanity
“I'm watching everybody slowly turn into a pro-Trump zombie that I've ever worked with or been around; everyone's doing their rationalizations.“ So recalls special guest this episode, Sarah Longwell, conservative strategist turned watchdog of Republican populism as Executive Director of the Republican Accountability Project and Publisher of The Bulwark . “The fact that there were a bunch of people that I respected who I had been intellectually interested in for many years — when those people saw the world the same way I did, it kept me from feeling insane." Those people included highly respected conservative journalist Charles Sykes, founder of The Bulwark, and William Kristol, veteran of several Republican White House positions, now Chairman of the Republican Accountability Project (RAP). Longwell goes on to describe perhaps the most visible outcome of her partnership with Kristol thus far, the “Republican Voters Against Trump” campaign, which ran throughout the 2020 election. Not sparing in her criticisms of the left, Longwell also calls out the political hazards of progressive pronoun obsession and legislative overreach by the White House. “Especially if you think that the Republican Party is as dangerous as we do,” she cautions, “you really are rooting for the Democrats to build a broad coalition. And that's not what's happening at the moment.” So much happening yet not happening in US politics these days, with legislation gridlocked but primary elections coming up soon. Join us for a fast-paced, no-holds-barred discussion with one of Washington’s keenest minds and sharpest wits, Sarah Longwell of the Republican Accountability Project and The Bulwark. SHOW NOTES Our Guest Sarah Longwell: Twitter , Defending Democracy Together , The Bulwark Additional Resources ‘I Can Talk To Anyone’: McCarthy Defends His Visit To See Trump At Mar-A-Lago (Forbes) McConnell endorses Herschel Walker, solidifying GOP establishment support for Senate candidate in Georgia (Washington Post) The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results (New York Times) The 20
S2 E22 · Tue, December 28, 2021
Speaking Truth in Polarized Times: Top Guest Insights from 2021
Cast your votes here! The year 2021 would certainly be worth forgetting if its worst elements weren’t so clearly continuing on into the New Year 2022 and very likely beyond: the Omicron surge, the worst U.S. inflation in decades, and the maelstrom of misinformation swirling around the clear benefits of vaccination and the equally obvious outcome of the 2020 election. In this episode entitled Speaking Truth in Polarized Times , we ask what TPP guests in 2021 speak most insightfully to the challenges of this era. We’ve highlighted ten great insights, asking listeners to select the best of them, to be announced early in 2022. We kick off our 10 nominees with Harvard University political geographer Ryan Enos on the trend of political polarization right down to the neighborhood level, where Republicans and Democrats cluster apart from each other. Did we suddenly arrive at this moment of hyperpartisanship and rabid misinformation? Princeton historian Julian Zelizer explains that the blueprint for Congressional polarization was laid decades ago by a young firebrand named Newt Gingrich whose accusations brought down Speaker of the House Jim Wright in 1989. And are there any clear routes out of this gordian knot of political identities, where every issue is immediately politicized making consensus solutions all but impossible in our highly antagonized zero-sum polity and society? New York Times Contributing Writer Thomas Edsall places the burden on the more rational of the two major parties, the Democrats, to ameliorate the sense of threat perceived by the American right. And Dr. Omar Ali finds inspiration in the resilience of independent black American leaders as far back as Frederick Douglass and as recently as Lenora Fulani. There’s something for every inquiring mind here in our list of Top Guest Insights from 2021. Which speaks most directly to your hopes and concerns? We hope you’ll listen through this episode, then click the link in our show notes to complete the website poll. SHOW NOTES Cast your votes here! This episode features: Ryan D. Enos: Website , Episode 3 Nick Andert: Behind the Curve , Episode 8 Julian Zelizer: Princeton University , Episode
S2 E21 · Tue, December 14, 2021
Celebration & Polarization, Holiday Survival Kit (Part 3): Identity with all the Trimmings
Support us on Patreon! Can a German town be socially divided by sneakers? Or the Canadian landmass united by a beer commercial? And is US individualism more a group identity than its individualistic citizens would ever admit? Tune into the third and final episode in our Holiday Survival Kit , Identity with All the Trimmings , featuring Psychology Professor Dominic Packer of Lehigh University for answers to these and other important questions around the topic of social identity. Dr. Packer is the co-author, along with Jay Van Bavel of NYU, of the new book, The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Social Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation and Promote Social Harmony. We kick off the interview with Packer’s retelling of the book’s opening tale: how tensions (and odors) created by Van Bavel’s hockey bag were erased by a life-saving intervention at an academic reception. We’ll also hear Dr. Packer’s thoughts on why COVID became more politically polarized in the US than any other nation. Finally, we’ll test Dr. Packer’s ability to implement his research in an all-too-common (if fictionalized) role play with TPP host Rob Pease playing Dominic’s anti-vax Cousin Rob. Can Dominic sway Cousin Rob toward vaccination prior to the family holiday gathering? Join us for an informative and entertaining discussion with Dr. Dominic Packer. And be prepared to discover a few things about your own identity in the process. SHOW NOTES Our Guest Dominic Packer: Twitter , Faculty Page , Google Scholar Buy his book, co-authored with Jay van Bavel: The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony Additional Resources Shifting attention to accuracy can reduce misinformation online (Nature) Emotion shapes the diffusion of moralized content in social networks (PNAS) Who voted for the People’s Party of Canada? Anti-vaxxers and those opposed to vaccine mandates (The Conversation) I Am Not American: What can beer ads tell us about our national identi
S2 E20 · Tue, November 30, 2021
Celebration & Polarization, Holiday Survival Kit (Part 2): When Anti-Science Makes the Menu
It’s tempting to think of anti-science sentiments, such as the current pushback against COVID vaccination, as the disparate sum of misinformed individuals. But Lee McIntyre, author of the recent book, How to Talk to a Science Denier, has found otherwise. “All science denial is really organized. It’s a campaign,” explains McIntyre. “And as a campaign it deserves some pushback, which is what I do.” In this Purple Principle Part Two of our Holiday Survival Kit , we learn from Lee McIntyre how artful pushback must be to reach skeptical counterparts with identities defined by anti-science belief. In the episode, we first discuss Lee’s background in the philosophy of science, then his decision to leave the relative comfort of scholarly research to engage with science deniers. Here he learns firsthand the surprisingly common elements across such disparate groups as flat earthers, GMO skeptics, and anti-vaxxers. “They all followed the same reasoning strategy,” McIntrye tells us. “They cherry-picked facts, believed in conspiracy theories, engaged in illogical reasoning, relied on fake experts, and thought that science had to be perfect in order to be believed.” Do you have friends, colleagues, or family members prone to anti-science beliefs? Then join us on Episode Two of the Celebration & Polarization, Holiday Survival Kit: When Anti-Science Makes the Menu for helpful insights from Philosopher of Science, Lee McIntyre. His latest book, How to Talk to A Science Denier , comes at a time when these difficult discussions are vital to our families, our workplaces, and our democracy. SHOW NOTES Support us on Patreon! Our Guests Lee McIntyre: Website , Twitter How to Talk to a Science Denier : Purchase Additional Resources The 5 Characteristics of Scientific Denialism Focus Group: Exploring GOP Views on Vaccines Rising Out Of Hatred by Eli Saslow Combatting Cult Mind Control by Steven Hassan Fact Checks</strong
S2 E19 · Tue, November 16, 2021
Celebration & Polarization, Holiday Survival Kit (Part 1): Deflating Political Football
Are we Americans trapped in our end zones of polarized bubbles ever more motivated to reason away conflicting information or viewpoints? Our featured guest, psychologist Tania Israel, thinks not and should know. Dr. Israel has been holding workshops over the past two decades to help participants bridge political and social divisions. In this Purple Principle episode, the first in a three-part series on holiday survival amidst polarization, co-hosts Rob Pease & Jillian Youngblood speak with Tania about these workshops, her flowchart that (almost) solved political polarization, and her new book, Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide. With Dr. Israel’s facilitation, we apply the bubble bursting toolkit to a serious in-house case of affective (e.g negative) polarization -- Jillian’s deep dislike of the New England Patriots, especially ex-Patriot and presumptive GOAT (greatest of all time), quarterback Tom Brady, stemming from her identity as a New York Jets Fan. “I’m so glad you brought up something that’s so central to our democracy.” quips Tania, who gamely plays along as we advance this metaphor down the political football field. Family gatherings were never friction-free. Then polarization came along. Tune in for helpful advice from an all-star in respectful and compassionate dialogue, just in time for Thanksgiving. Author and scholar Dr. Tania Israel is the first guest in our three-part Holiday Survival Kit. SHOW NOTES Please Support us on Patreon! Our Guests Tania Israel: Website , Twitter , Book , Faculty page . Additional Resources How to Win a Political Argument | Dr. Tania Israel | TEDxSanLuisObispo Moderates are less likely to post about their political views on social media | Pew Research Bipartisan Public Consensus Offers Direction for US Foreign Policy in Second Bush Term | Dr. Steven Kull The Bias Blind Spot: Perceptions of Bias in Self Versus Other
S2 E18 · Tue, November 02, 2021
Hollywood Presidents for a Partisan Nation (Pt 4): Romance, Grandeur & Smugness on The West Wing
Our Purple Principle series on Hollywood Presidents would not be complete without a stroll back in time through that show of all Potus shows, The West Wing , featuring Martin Sheen as President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet. We speak with award-winning West Wing writer, Paul Redford, a former Shakespearean actor turned screenscribe, who recalls: “West Wing came along and...filled a need that nobody knew was there… a need to believe again.” Canadian writer and cultural critic, Luke Savage, thinks the show gave American Democrats a little too much of what they wanted to believe. One of his prominent critiques is entitled, “How Liberals Fell in Love with The West Wing,” describing it as “a series of glittering illusions to be abandoned.” In our TPP interview, Savage points to the smugness of the show, as well as naivete regarding possibilities for bipartisanship, as two of the more obvious weaknesses. Redford concurs that The West Wing was created at a less partisan political time. In fact, following that show, he went on to write for two TV series deploying fictional independent Presidents to reach a wider audience -- Madam Secretary starring Téa Leoni and Designated Survivor starring Kiefer Sutherland. And regarding Designated Survivor , Redford agrees with the show creator David Guggenheim (TPP Season 2, Episode 12) that this was an effort to make an anti-West Wing, with not a lofty Bartlet but an everyman figure as President. Our third guest, the Greece-based media scholar Dr. Betty Kaklamanidou, sees not so much distinction as similarity among The West Wing, Madam Secretary, Designated Survivor and Commander in Chief (starring Geena Davis as independent President Mackenzie Allen), whose creator, Rod Lurie, was featured in TPP Season 2, Episode 11, the kick-off to this series. “It doesn't matter whether they are Independents, Republicans or Democrats,” observes Dr. Kaklamanidou, co-editor of Politics and Politicians in Contemporary US Television . “They are idealists. They want to do the right thing, irrespective of political games.” Is the lofty idealism of West Wing a relic of the past or part of a cycle coming back into play? Dr. Kaklamanidou feels political idealism will always find new forms and variations. But looking back over two decades of polarizing tumult, Paul Redford is not sure a West Wing reboot could sustain a large audience today. Still, he argues that it’s not for political leanings but dramatic tension that West Wing has resonated so widely for so long. And he credits the show’s creator and principal writer, Aaron Sorkin, for this enduring appeal. “Honestly, I think it ultimately came from Aaron and his vision for the show, because his constant demand from the other writers was, I need an argument,“ Redford recalls of Sorkin. “[G]ive me a go
S2 E17 · Tue, October 19, 2021
Hollywood Presidents for a Partisan Nation (Pt3): Hail the Flip-Flopping Egomania of Veep
Support us on Patreon! HBO's Veep , starring Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, is likely the most successful American political satire in television history. Yet, in seven seasons, the show never mentions the party labels "Democrat" or "Republican," instead using terms like "the enemy camp" or "my extremist colleague from across the aisle." In " Hollywood Presidents for a Partisan Nation (Part Three) ," The Purple Principle speaks with Veep showrunner and head writer David Mandel, about this convention and the many challenges to creating a popular political satire at a time when real-world norms are shattered week after week. Mandel is a blue ribbon comedy A-lister, having written for SNL , Seinfeld , Curb Your Enthusiasm , and the occasional Simpsons episode prior to the Veep showrunner role. He led the show for its final three seasons, winning an Emmy for Best Comedy Series in two of those three years. As a result, it was no easy decision to end Veep with Season 7. Veep protagonist, Selina Meyer, was "a horrible person...who was also a politician," Mandel explains, looking back over this remarkable run. "That doesn't mean that the writers… were endorsing the offensive things she was saying." Fortunately, a large, still loyal audience appreciates the satirical brilliance of Veep —sharp, topical writing and pitch-perfect performances from a true ensemble cast. Tune into " Hollywood Presidents for a Partisan Nation (Part Three) " for more on the show's enduring appeal across the political divide from Hollywood comedy writer extraordinaire, David Mandel. Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney Our Guest David Mandel , writer and producer for HBO's Emmy-winning political satire Veep . Follow him on Twitter: @DavidHMandel Additional Resources Funny Because It's True, Harvard Magazine Robert Caro '53 Awards Prize for Literary Excellence in the Writing of History at Horace Mann School David Mandel '88: a career in comedy, The Record Armand
S2 E16 · Tue, October 05, 2021
Amazing Grace For Our Partisan Times
Is it possible to have grace-filled conversations during these ingracious times of ours? After 500 episodes heard by hundreds of thousands of listeners, Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers, Kentucky-based creators of Pantsuit Politics, can decisively say that it is. In Episode 16, “Amazing Grace for Our Partisan Times,” they share some of the secrets to their podcasting and publishing success. But that doesn’t mean the two long-time friends agree on all things political. In fact, disagreement is common currency on the show. But it’s the respectful nature of their disagreement, with each other as with guests and listeners, that makes for great discussion. The two-point to a series of shows on the Kavanaugh hearings as a case in point. There’s barely an issue that Pantsuit Politics has not tackled in nearly five years on the digital air: COVID, gun violence, police reform, global warming, etc. The list is impressive, if daunting. Yet Beth and Sarah conduct all show research themselves, podcasting twice weekly to listeners throughout the US and internationally. Tune into the Purple Principle episode, “Amazing Grace for Our Partisan Times,” to meet Beth and Sarah and learn how we all might communicate more artfully in these polarized times. Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney Our guests @bluegrassred @nkybeth Listen to the Pantsuit Politics podcast on their website . Purchase their book, I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening) . Additional Resources: Kentucky’s closed primaries Find us online at: The Purple Principle Podcast (website) Twitter Facebook Sign up for our newsletter: The Purple Principle in Print
S2 E15 · Tue, September 21, 2021
Liberty & Justice For Some
Here’s a seemingly inexplicable historical event: How did the anti-slavery Republican party take the White House in 1861, only six years after its formation? Thanks to the work of our special guest, Dr. Omar Ali, a historian at UNC-Greensboro, we know this accomplishment is largely due to the earlier work of the abolitionist Liberty Party beginning in the 1840s and continued by the Free Soil Party, which worked against the extension of slavery. Author of In the Balance of Power: Independent and Third Party Black Politics in the United States , Dr. Ali emphasizes the importance of looking twenty years prior to fully understand these events. By this method, he describes the Civil Rights movement as an independent mobilization that rose outside the two-party structure in the 1950s and 60s. In this Purple Principle episode, “Liberty & Justice for Some,” we find that the history of independent and third-party black political mobilization is rich, significant, and long-running, with notable modern accomplishments as well. These include Mayor Harold Washington's defeat of Chicago Democratic machine candidates in the 1980s and Lenora Fulani’s 1988 independent campaign for President. In an age where two parties seem to have a solid lock on our politics, it’s important to highlight periods when independents and third parties have had a significant impact. And at a time when issues of race and identity polarize our politics and society, it’s vital to understand the fluid nature of issues over time. Tune into Season Two, Episode 15, “Liberty and Justice for Some,” for an in-depth discussion with Dr. Ali as well as archival audio of some important voices in this throughline, including Frederick Douglass (courtesy of James Earl Jones), W.E.B DuBois, Jesse Jackson, Lenora Fulani, and others. Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney Show Notes Our Guest Dr. Omar Ali, Professor of Comparative African Diaspora History, African American & African Diaspora Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro @AliNCInd In the Balance of Power: Independent Black Politics and Third-Party Movements in the United States, Ohio University Press, 2008. Additional Resources Frederick Douglass, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” July 5, 1852. Frederick Douglass. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. W.E.B. Du Bois. Library of Congress. <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/du
S2 E14 · Tue, September 07, 2021
A Civic Way to Reverse Polarization?
Is civics education in the U.S. having a moment, as in a long-overdue upgrade, for a topic essential to our democracy? And will that moment translate into more substantial education on the rights and obligations of our citizens and voters-to-be? In “A Civic Way to Reverse Polarization,” The Purple Principle takes on these questions with four special guests well versed in civics, kicking off with the producer-hosts of the popular NHPR radio show, podcast, and educational series Civics 101 , Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice. Civics 101 has produced 250 episodes to date on topics ranging from the electoral college to Supreme Court decisions and Executive Orders. In recent years, it has also expanded its educational outreach to middle and high school classrooms around the country. But can the rights and responsibilities of citizens really engage kids in the age of Tik Tok or House Party? In her TPP interview, Superintendent Dr. Laura Hammack attests that civics can engage kids, particularly when a well-conceived curriculum with some competition is attached – at least this was the case with her former school district and the We the People competition created by the Center for Civic Education. Also in this episode, Lt. Colonel Michael Moffett, a former Marine, teacher of Civics, and now state legislator, underscores the importance of assessments of civics education. Lt.Col. Moffet sponsored New Hampshire House Bill 320, which mandates the citizenship test for high school graduates in the state. Civics may not have had this much attention since the “I’m Just A Bill” song aired on Schoolhouse Rock in the mid-1970s or Lisa earned extra points for her civics speech after the judge met her father in a 1990s Simpsons episode. Tune into The Purple Principle’s “A Civic Way to Reverse Polarization?” to learn more. Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney Show Notes Our Guests @Capodice @HMcCarthyNHPR @Civics101pod @BeechGroveSupt @MofMichael Civics 101: A Podcast Nick Capodice & Hannah McCarthy, A User’s Guide to Democracy: How America Works Additional Resources Center for Civic Education iCivics Tufts' CIRCLE Annenberg Classr
S2 E13 · Tue, August 24, 2021
Woking up to Backlash
“The rise of the conservative movement on the right and the decline of liberalism on the left have been a preoccupation of mine for 40 years or more,” Thomas Edsall confides in our latest Season Two episode, “Woking up to Backlash.” Edsall describes for us the high amperage polarities between the two parties – how the far left can be the right’s greatest ally, and vice-versa. He further notes that while the excesses of each party are not morally equivalent, they can often be politically equivalent. And he firmly states that the Republican Party under Trump’s influence has become delusional with regard to the previous election, among other issues, leaving the Democratic Party the more rational of the two. Rationality, however, brings responsibility. And, according to Edsall, if “big D” Democrats wish to preserve “small d” democracy, they must accept the lion’s share of responsibility in ratcheting down the political temperature in our polarized climate. Tune in to learn more from Thomas Edsall, one of the most objective, thoughtful, and distinguished American journalists writing today. And meet new Purple Principle co-host Jillian Youngblood, Executive Director of the non-profit, non-partisan, Civic Genius . Jillian brings two decades of frontline political experience to the show along with wit, wisdom, and passion for a more perfect union. Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney Our Guest Tom Edsall: Columbia Journalism School Thomas B. Edsall - The New York Times Thomas B. Edsall. Building Red America: The New Conservative Coalition and the Drive for Permanent Power, 2006. @Edsall Additional Resources Lilliana Mason Lilliana Mason, Julie Wronski, & John V. Kane (2021). “ Activating Animus: The Uniquely Social Roots of Trump Support.” American Political Science Review . Shanto Iyengar Jonathan Haidt Julie A. Wronski Ashley Jardina D-Nominate after 10 Years: A Comparative Update to Con
Bonus · Tue, August 24, 2021
Passing of the Mic
This bonus episode features the passing of the ceremonial mic from Emily Crocetti to our new co-host, Jillian Youngblood, Executive Director of Civic Genius . After a full year and 35 episodes, Emily is moving onto a newspaper position in a breathtakingly beautiful area of California which is, unfortunately, clouded in fire smoke at this moment. While a co-host a few months ago, Emily interviewed Jillian in the early Season Two episode, “When Martians Land, Pigs Fly, and Americans Reach Consensus,” noting her respect for the work done at Civic Genius. Jillian is a former Capitol Hill staffer who also worked in the Bloomberg administration. She currently directs the nonpartisan efforts at Civic Genius, an organization that works toward reducing political polarization and rebuilding American civic culture: a perfect fit with many themes and topics explored on The Purple Principle. Tune in to hear a bittersweet sign-off by Emily Crocetti, who will revisit the show periodically. But please get to know our new Purple Principle co-host, Jillian Youngblood. She brings a decade of frontline political experience to the show along with wit, wisdom, and the passion for a more perfect union.
S2 E12 · Tue, August 10, 2021
Hollywood Presidents for a Partisan Nation (Part Two)
Imagine creating a television series premised on a U.S. Capitol building attack, then watching a less-lethal yet all too real version of that event unfold years later. Writer/Creator David Guggenheim relates how that felt in the second part of our Purple Principle series on Hollywood Presidents. “When the insurrection happened at the Capitol,” recalls Guggenheim, “so many people were emailing…‘Oh my God, this is like straight out of the show.’” That show was Designated Survivor, which aired on ABC in 2016 and starred Kiefer Sutherland as the low-level independent cabinet member Tom Kirkman, elevated to the Oval Office when a Capitol bombing decimates other high-ranking members of the government. Kiefer Sutherland, a grandson of a famous Canadian politician, was entirely on board with the notion of a more independent, more pragmatic American POTUS, according to Guggenheim. As with previous series guest Rod Lurie (creator of Commander in Chief ), Guggenheim confides that creating an independent POTUS was a commercial decision to reach the largest audience possible. Having made that decision, his team portrayed the unique dilemmas faced by a more centrist President lacking major party backing. Tune in to learn more about those dilemmas and the challenges of attracting viewers in our partisan age on “Hollywood Presidents for a Partisan Nation (Part Two): Hail the Independent & Designated Survivor . ” Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. Our guest David Guggenheim @DBGuggenheim Designated Survivor Additional Resources Simone Del Rosario (9/4/12). “Kal Penn: From White Castle to the White House.” The Washington Post. Tommy Douglas, “History of Canadian Medicare.” Canadian Museum of History. Richard Klein Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/hollywood-presidents-two Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja
S2 E11 · Tue, July 27, 2021
Hollywood Presidents for a Partisan Nation (Part One)
In a time of extreme polarization, how does Hollywood portray a POTUS with broad audience appeal? That question is at the heart of our multi-part series on Hollywood Presidents, starting with special guest Rod Lurie , the first to create an independent President in a major TV series, Commander in Chief (starring Geena Davis as President Mackenzie Allen in 2005). “I definitely made her an independent, then tried to keep the topics we were dealing with something that both sides could relate to,” says Lurie. Lurie himself has a plotline worth tracing. A West Point-educated military veteran, his 1999 film Deterrence featured the first Jewish American President negotiating a nuclear conflict with Iraq. “I always figured that you shouldn't go to school to study film,” Lurie confides. “ You should go and study what you want to make movies about. I was always fascinated by leadership and character. And there's no better school for leadership than West Point.” Lurie also weighs in on the many high-level military appointees who didn’t last long in the Trump White House, the sadly performative nature of our current Congress, and the even greater difficulties of creating a mainstream show or movie today with political content. Entertaining and insightful, profane yet profound, Lurie provides a memorable half-hour on the cultural dimensions of hyperpartisanship and polarization. How does Hollywood choose its Presidents? Let’s hear from one who’s created a few: Rod Lurie, a product of West Point and a Hollywood original. Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney Our Guest Rod Lurie Twitter: @RodLurie Instagram: @RodLurie Commander in Chief (TV Series 2005–2006) Deterrence (1999) The Contender (2000) The Outpost (2020) Additional Resources Jeffrey Resner (4/6/08). “Guns and Moses.” Politico Hollywood’s Fictional Presidents & the Challenges of a Polarized Audience. The Purple Principle in Print Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: <a href="https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/nicest-troll-
S2 E10 · Tue, July 13, 2021
Nicest Troll in Town
"Social media is not fundamentally a source of information or a competition of ideas, but a competition of identities. " With that and other provocative findings, Dr. Chris Bail , Director of the Duke University Polarization Lab and author of Breaking the Social Media Prism (Princeton U. Press) challenges what we know about social media – its uses and abuses. Dr. Bail and his colleagues delineate the strong incentives to create online alter-egos, especially more extreme ones, that command so much more attention . Social and political identity is dangerously challenging to shift. And Dr. Bail’s experiments underscore this point. His team exposed hundreds of Democrats and Republicans to media feeds from the other point of view – but with completely unexpected results. Virtually no one became more moderate from this exposure and many participants, especially Republicans, doubled down on their identity. Bail’s broader point is how social media amplifies extremism and mutes moderation. His team has built tools to help users understand trolling, gauge online identity, and create more civil discourse through anonymity, guided discussion, and other techniques to reverse that trend. To learn more about Polarization Lab tools, experiments, and why you really spend all those hours on social media, tune into “Nicest Troll in Town: On and Offline identity, Extremism, and Polarization,” with Dr. Chris Bail, Director o
S2 E9 · Tue, June 29, 2021
Embrace Complexity To Overcome Polarization?
Police reform, gun violence, global warming... When did you last have a civil, informative, productive conversation with someone of differing opinions on any of these vital but polarizing topics? In the current U.S. climate, such conversations range from difficult to impossible to regrettable. The eminent social psychologist, Peter Coleman (Director of The Difficult Conversations Lab at Columbia University) is deeply familiar with such conversations and with longstanding group conflicts among nations. Yet he remains optimistic enough to suggest a blueprint for reversing the toxic polarization currently afflicting the U.S. In Episode 9, “Embrace Complexity to Overcome Polarization,” we speak with Dr. Coleman about the methods and examples at the heart of his book, The Way Ou t, recently published by Columbia University Press. In his view, embracing complexity is a first essential step on the way toward real dialogue and away from weaponized debates. Dr. Coleman also describes examples suggesting seemingly intractable conflicts can improve over time. Costa Rica emerged from a bloody civil war with a broad consensus for change, resulting in the disbanding of the armed forces and mandatory peace instruction in the schools. Sitting in a deep red upstate New York territory, the town of Watertown rates as one of the least polarized in the country by several measures, including intermarriage between “reds” and “blues”. To learn more about the art of real dialogue and the science of reconciliation, tune into Episode 9, “Embrace Complexity to Overcome Polarization: Discussing a Way out with Dr Peter Coleman, of Columbia University.” Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney Our guest Peter T. Coleman, Columbia University @PeterTColeman Additional Resources The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization (Columbia University Press) Gottman Love Lab Bridging Divides Initiative Costa Rica: Choosing a Path to Build and Sustain Peace . Support for universal background checks on gun buyers is near 90% Find us online!
S2 E8 · Tue, June 15, 2021
Online Conspiracies & Virtual Cults, Part 2
Do we live in an age where online conspiracies and cults proliferate ever more frequently and powerfully? We continue to explore this question by focusing on the growth of the flat earth movement in “Online Conspiracies & Virtual Cults, Part 2: Celebrity Makes the World Go Flat.” Our special guests for this episode, filmmakers Daniel Clark and Nick Andert, gained unprecedented access to the flat earthers for their insightful Netflix documentary, Behind the Curve . The central character in their film is the surprisingly engaging flat earth celebrity, Mark Sargent, whose Youtube videos have had over 19 million views. In addition to interview discussion, this Purple Principle episode features numerous audio highlights from Behind the Curve, including interplay between Mark and his ever-tolerant Mom, other flat earth celebrities and adherents, as well as scientists commenting on the challenges of combating conspiratorial thinking. Tune in to learn more about the making of Behind the Curve and the window it offers onto conspiratorial thinking and cultic identities, including Qanon and other polarizing ideologies, along our political and social fault lines. Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/celebrity-makes-the-world-go-flat Subscribe to our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3sSOTKL Our guests: Daniel Clark, @djcfilm Nick Andert, @nickandert Additional Resources: Behind the Curve. Netflix. Behind the Curve Behind the Curve. International Documentary Association Delta-v Productions Rachel Brazil (7/14/20). “Fighting flat-Earth theory.” Physics World Rhett Herman (10/26/98). “How fast is the earth moving?” Scientific American. “Who started the flat ear
S2 E7 · Tue, June 01, 2021
Online Conspiracies & Virtual Cults
Our digital universe is full of information, and misinformation, swirling about constantly, sampled in bits and bytes, most of it rarely gaining more than passing attention. How then does misinformation swirl up into a popular conspiracy theory? How do some conspiracy theories, such as Qanon, eventually gain a loyal cult-like following without physical contact between members or between leaders and followers? In this episode, The Purple Principle speaks with three noted cultic experts on these issues as well as the cult-like aspects of the recent Trump Presidency. Dr. Steven Hassan , author of the 2019 book The Cult of Trump , is uniquely positioned to discuss the Trump years and the differences between healthy and not-so-healthy group identification. He was recruited into the Unification Church from his college cafeteria at age 19. Prof. Doni Whitsett of the USC School of Social Work reminds us that cults formed decades ago, such as Scientology and the Unification Church, are still with us but not garnering much media attention. She further explains that, historically, cults arise when and wherever individuals have a longing for group identity. Rachel Bernstein , cultic therapist and host of the podcast IndoctriNation , observes that today’s online cults still occupy a physical space, but mainly within our brains. Join us for “Online Conspiracies & Virtual Cults” and reflect whether group dynamics have overwhelmed logic and conviction in your life, or that of a loved one. And consider the purple and principled advice our cultic experts convey: the important issue is not where groups fall on the political spectrum, left or right or center, but rather, whether the elements of real democracy are at work, such as consulting external information and questioning internal authority. Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/online-conspiracies Subscribe to our newsletter: bit.ly/3wDbr4o Our guests Doni Whitsett, USC <
S2 E6 · Tue, May 18, 2021
Vaccines Prevent Viruses; What Combats COVID Vax Skepticism?
Battling the COVID pandemic has been a war on many fronts – disease management, the race to develop effective vaccines, and now the equally tricky PR battle against vaccine misinformation and skepticism. In this episode, the Purple Principle speaks with Dr. Jeanine Guidry , Director of the Media and Health Lab at Virginia Commonwealth University, on the varied approaches needed to address the multiple forms of COVID vaccine anxiety: concerns about effectiveness, safety, fertility, and personal liberty. No easy task, but Dr. Guidry has been waging similar battles well before founding the Media and Health Lab at VCU. As a graduate student not long ago, she discovered that the vast majority of vaccine-related discussions on Pinterest were anti-vaccine in nature, and her paper on that topic helped alert Pinterest to the issue. Today, Dr. Guidry feels the social media platforms are doing more to combat misinformation in the case of COVID vaccination. But by its very nature, social media misinfo is impossible to quell completely. Thus personal communications with friends, family, clergy, and primary care doctors are an essential front in this war. Purple Principle listeners, and anyone with empathy and accurate info, can be part of current efforts against vaccine skepticism and misinformation within their social networks. Tune in to learn more about challenges of vaccine science communication in “Vaccines Prevent Viruses; What Combats COVID Vax Skepticism?” with featured guest Dr. Jeanine Guidry of Virginia Commonwealth University. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney Subscribe to our newsletter! https://fluentknowledge.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a805f5f26b01137e6d893f779&id=e49bf57788 Visit our website https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/vaccines-prevent-viruses Follow us on social media https://twitter.com/purpleprincipl https://www.instagram.com/thepurpleprinciplepodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/thepurpleprinciplepodcast Recommended resources from Dr. Guidry <a href="https://news.vcu.edu/article/How_to_fight_misconceptions_about_COVID19_v
S2 E5 · Wed, May 05, 2021
The Politics Industry at Work
Our national legislative agenda hinges on any one Senator’s vote or abstention or last minute demand… A few months into term and the majority of U.S. House Members already anticipate their next primary battle… Meanwhile, bridges crumble, the border crisis deepens, and gun carnage continues unabated… Might be time to take a fresh look at our political gridlock. This episode’s featured guest, Katherine Gehl (co-author of The Politics Industry ) provides a sorely needed new perspective on our two-party duopoly. Applying the “five forces” strategic analysis of her co-author, renowned HBS Professor Michael Porter , Katherine describes her “eureka” moment of recognition: politics industry “suppliers” (meaning, politicians) have so much power while “consumers” (we, the voters) have so very little. How do we unshackle from politics industry gridlock? Katherine’s plan for Final Five voting is the designated first step in changing the incentive structure of politics-as-usual. Combining the benefits of open primaries with ranked choice voting, Final Five voting reduces the polarizing effects of primaries and eliminates the spoiler effect that locks in our two party duopoly. For a master-class in politics industry reform, tune into “The Politics Industry at Work: And How Would You Like Your Gridlock?” Featuring Katherine Gehl, Founder of the Institute for Political Innovation and co-author of The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy (HBR Press, 2020). Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney Check out our website for show notes, transcripts, and more: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/the-politics-industry Follow us on social media! Twitter: https://twitter.com/purpleprincipl Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepurpleprinciplepodcast/ Show Notes: Katherine M. Gehl & Michael Porter (2020). The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy. Harvard Business School Press. The Institute for Political Innovation Katherine M. Gehl & Michael Porter (2020). “Fixing U.S. Politics: What business can—and must—do to revitalize democracy.” The Harvard Business Review. <a href="https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/
S2 E4 · Tue, April 20, 2021
The Senate Filibuster
The U.S. system of government is commonly known as one of checks and balances. But a careful review of legislative efforts over the past century might need to revise that description to checks and balances and filibusters. In this episode of The Purple Principle, we look at that awkwardly named but often-debated tactic unique to the U.S. Senate, the filibuster. This rule currently allows any Senator to silently delay a vote on a piece of legislation until a supermajority of 60 Senators votes otherwise. Our guests on Season 2, Episode 4 are two of the most informed writers on this topic: Adam Jentleston, former Deputy Chief of Staff to Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid and author of the recent book, Kill Switch (LiveRight Press, 2021); and Richard Arenberg, former Senior Staffer (to Democratic Senators Levin, Tsongas, and Mitchell) and author of the 2012 book, Defending the Filibuster (Indiana U. Press). Jentleson describes the filibuster as the tool which grinds the government to a halt by presenting an impossibly high 60 vote threshold for major legislation. He cites the failure to pass a bipartisan bill on background checks after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre as one of many cases in point. Arenburg agrees that polarization is afflicting the current U.S. Senate. But he argues that repealing the filibuster will only exacerbate, not ameliorate, that disease. He also suggests that progressives pushing for filibuster reform today do not fully appreciate what will happen when “the keys to the legislative bulldozer are stolen” and Democrats are no longer in the majority. Both viewpoints have merit. Tune in to learn how we arrived at this moment where so much hinges on this thing called filibuster. And make up your own independent mind whether the filibuster has to go in favor of majority-backed legislation; must stay in favor of minority rights; or needs reform to create a better balance. Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney. Visit our website: fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/the-senate-filibuster Subscribe to our newsletter, The Purple Principle in Print Show Notes: Adam Jentleson (2021). Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy. Liveright Publishing Corporation. Richard Arenberg & Robert Dove (2014). Defending the Filibuster, Revised and Updated Edition: The Soul of
S2 E3 · Tue, April 06, 2021
What’s Behind Those Red and Blue Maps?
In this episode of The Purple Principle, we wonder, what’s behind those red and blue maps of American political and social geography and our deepening urban-rural divide? To find out, we consult not one but two political scientists named Ryan who have extensively researched the social geography of polarization in the U.S. – Ryan Enos of Harvard University (author of The Space Between Us ) and Ryan Strickler of Colorado State ( co-author of Demography, Politics and Partisan Polarization in the US from 1828 to 2016 ). We start with Dr. Enos by asking what led him to study the politics of place and what factors contribute most to the deepening divisions among those blue and red map areas. The conversation quickly turns to social psychology, as Enos emphasizes the importance of neighbors and neighborhoods in shaping our political views. Ryan Strickler of Colorado State also notes the dangers of our polarizing trends. He notes how much attention is devoted to the siloing effects of social media, while the siloing of physical spaces, such as our neighborhoods, is underappreciated. Is there hope for bridging this chasm? The Purple Principle throws out the possibility of mandatory empathy zones and summer picnics with grape popsicles. But it’s likely that Dr. Enos’ recommendation for changes to housing policy may be more substantive. Tune into Season 2, Episode 3, “What’s Behind Those Red and Blue Maps?” for these other salient insights into the social and political polarization on our maps, across our cities, counties, and right down into our neighborhoods. Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes, transcripts, and to sign up for our newsletter, The Purple Principle in Print , please visit our website: fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/the-geography-of-polarization Show Notes Ryan D. Enos Ryan Enos (2017). The Space Between Us: Social Geography and Politics. Cambridge University Press. Brown, J.R., Enos, R.D. The measurement of partisan sorting for 180 million voters. Nature Human Behavior (2021). Emily Badger, Kevin Quealy, Josh Katz (3/17/21). “A Close-Up Picture of Partisan Segregation, Among 180 Million Voters.” The New York Times. <a href="https://ryanstr
S2 E2 · Tue, March 23, 2021
When Martians Land, Pigs Fly, and Americans Reach Consensus
We’ve all seen and heard the sad decline of civil discussions at congressional town hall forums over the past decade or two. The anger, the shouting, the gotcha questions. Not to mention generous amounts of obfuscation from congressional representatives. The result being that even before COVID, many members of Congress and other elected officials began to abandon town halls all together. But the non-profit, non-partisan group Civic Genius sensed opportunity where others just heard shouting. One of several deliberative democracy efforts, Civic Genius, in partnership with the survey group Voice of the People , holds surprisingly civil and productive “Citizen Panel” forums, where participants deliberate and present bipartisan recommendations to their district’s Congressional Representative. In the process, the group aims to revive the Congressional town hall tradition and give civil society a shot in the arm. This episode features interviews with Civic Genius’s Executive Director, Jillian Youngblood, who leads the Citizen Panel effort, as well as Dr. Steve Kull of Voice of the People, the survey group facilitating selection and orientation of citizens on topics as tricky and timely as police reform and immigration, among others. Tune into Episode Two (Season Two) of the Purple Principle, “When Martians Land, Pigs Fly, and Americans Reach Consensus,” for a refreshing earful of civility. And please visit our website for info on past and future episodes, as well as access to our newsletter, The Purple Principle in Print. For this episode's show notes, transcript, and more, visit our website . Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
S2 E1 · Thu, March 18, 2021
Portrait of the Arsonist As Young Congressman
Does history create vulnerabilities that any number of populist politicians could seize upon? Or do exceptional populists create those opportunities only he or she can exploit? There’s no simple answer to that question. But it does frame the informative discussion we have surrounding a major populist figure, Newt Gingrich, on our first Season Two episode with Princeton historian Julian Zelizer . Zelizer’s most recent book is Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party . A 2020 New York Times Notable selection, Burning Down the House focuses on Gingrich’s unprecedented 1989 takedown of then-Speaker of the House, Jim Wright , on relatively minor corruption charges. In our Purple Principle interview, Dr. Zelizer points to this as a major turning point on our unfortunate path toward greater polarization. Please tune in for Season 2, Episode 1, “Portrait of the Arsonist as Young Congressman: historian Julian Zelizer on the inflammatory influence of Newt Gingrich.” Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney Music by The Talking Heads licensed by Rhino Entertainment Company (A division of Warner Music Group) & Warner Chappell Music (Index Music Inc.; WC Music Corp). For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/portrait-of-the-arsonist-as-young-congressman Source Notes Julian Zelizer, Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941 Professor of History and Public Affairs, Princeton School of Public & International Affairs Newt Gingrich: Rise to Power" (July 30, 1999) C-SPAN Julian Zelizer (2020). Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party. Penguin Press. <a href="https://www.deseret.com/2012/1/27/20247725/coach-honed-debating-skills-of-young-newt-gingrich#in-this-photo-taken-wednesday-jan-25-2012-chester-gibson-a-former-professor-who-ran-one-of-the-nations-top-ranked-competitive-debating-programs-from-the-middle-of-rural-georgia-is-photographed-in-hortons-bookstore-in-carrollton-ga-as-a-young-college-professor-running-for-congress-newt-gingrich-wanted-to-sharpen-his-debating-skills-admirers-say-the-republican-was-always-a-dynamic-speaker-but-he-had-flaws-he-frowned-he-titled-his-head-oddly-and-fell-back-repeatedly-on-the-same-words-he-went-for-the-rhetorical-ju
S1 E23 · Tue, February 23, 2021
We're Polarized; Now What? The Hard Work of Depolarization
To some degree, all Americans realize we’ve become more polarized in recent times. Those at one extreme obsess about the other, while those in between wonder if that incessant tug of war will fray our social fabric to the breaking point. Fortunately, there are committed individuals and groups working hard to combat polarization. In Part Two of our season finale (“We’re Polarized; Now What?”), we highlight this important work. First off, the anti- gerrymandering efforts of the Campaign Legal Center, founded by Trevor Potter ( former Chair of the Federal Election Commission ). Then John Opdycke , President of the non-profit Open Primaries, explains why the opening of closed primaries to independent voters is an important means of combating gerrymandering and polarizing primaries. And Scott Siebel of Fair Vote discusses why Ranked Choice Voting (now adopted in Maine and Alaska at the state level) is an important prescription for our political ills. And what analysis of U.S. politics would be complete without discussion of money? In light of the new high of $14 billion spent on the 2020 election cycle, Joan Mandle, Executive Director of Democracy Matters , outlines some methods for reigning in the influence of money on elections and policy. Last but not least, we visit with Charles Wheelan , founder of Unite America and our first featured guest on Season One of the Purple Principle. He recounts the strategic shifts at Unite America toward electing moderates from both parties and the legislative progress that might then accrue. If you think U.S. politics is broken, you might be right. But these and other democracy repair experts are hard at work. Tune in to restore some optimism on the path ahead, daunting as that may seem. And please stay tuned to Season Two of the Purple Principle, launching in March. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/were-polarized-now-what-the-hard-work-of-depolarization
S1 E22 · Tue, February 09, 2021
Polarization as Plague
A first presidential impeachment… the COVID pandemic with great dissension over shutdowns, social distancing and mask-wearing…Our hotly contested 2020 election followed by major efforts at election reversal culminating with insurrection and a second impeachment trial... It’s been quite a year, much too full of subject matter since we started researching and producing Purple Principle episodes on the theme of polarization. Episode 22, “Polarization as Plague,” is Part One of our two-part season finale. We start off in the neuroscience laboratory with previous featured guests, Dr. Abigail Marsh of Georgetown (Ep 4, “Heard from the Herd”) and Dr. Jay Van Bavel (Ep 9, “Your Brain on Partisanship”) for a quick lesson on the brain structures underlying political orientation and the brain functions fueling partisanship. Yet brains haven’t changed in millenia. Why are we more partisan of late? Look no further than the polarizing nature of our two party political system, as noted by both Dr. Van Bavel and noted author and historian, Dr. Geoffrey Kabaservice (author of Rule and Ruin, Oxford Press). We also consult media experts from two different but equally influential domains: Dr. Robert Elliott Smith (University College London) on the polarizing algorithms of social media and Dr. Dominik Stecula on opinion-based Cable News. What is a polarized nation and society to do? Several experts weigh in on that question during this fast-moving finale focused on the hyperpartisan plague. Please tune in, share us on social media, review us on Apple Music, and subscribe to our newsletter, The Purple Principle in Print, which collects the latest and greatest articles, trends, and issues around the perils of partisanship. Original Music composed by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/polarization-as-plague Source Notes: Keith Poole Data . Voteview. Lauren Sibilia. Vermont General Assembly. Party Affiliation. Gallup . Abigail Marsh. Georgetown University . Abigail Marsh. The Laboratory on Social and Affective Neuroscience . Across the Table. Pew Research Center . Political Polarization in the American Public. Pew Research Center. DeAngelis, T. (2001). “All you need is contact.” American Psychological Assoc
S1 E21 · Wed, January 27, 2021
2020 Polling in Hindsight
Anyone casually following the 2020 election this year may have noticed a particular pattern in polling trends and election results. That pattern, in key presidential states as well as Senate races, went something like this: Democrat ahead… Democrat still ahead... Democrat a bit ahead, days away from the election… But then: Republican wins by a fair amount. How was so much polling inaccuracy possible again in 2020 at nearly all levels? Episode 21 of the Purple Principle, “2020 Polling in Hindsight , ” attempts to answer that vexing question by consulting two polling experts – Dr. Natalie Jackson , Director of Research at PRRI and Dr. Brian Schaffner of Tufts University. Dr. Jackson gives a sense of the technological challenges faced today by pollsters now that few individuals answer their phones, both landline or mobile. On top of that, a sizable number of bright red Republicans are mistrustful of pollsters and unlikely to participate even when contacted. But for indie-minded Purple Principle listeners, Dr. Jackson does confirm that the independent position often predicts which way the American majority will swing. Dr. Shaffner mentions that in today’s polarized environment, some respondents deliberately give dishonest answers to pollsters, often venting ideological views in the process. It also appears a “non-trivial” number of voters split their tickets in 2020, marking the Pro-Biden (or anti-Trump) box up top, but hedging against Democratic control down-ballot as well. What’s a pollster to do in a polarized age with a mistrustful slice of electorate and a shifting political landscape? No simple answers but a lot of helpful insights and information in Episode 21, “2020 Polling in Hindsight (Someone Please Answer the Phone)” . Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/2020-polling-in-hindsight Source Notes: Changing Attitudes on Same-Sex Marriage, Pew Research Center Increasing Support for Religiously Based Service Refusals, PRRI National Council on Public Polls Analysis Of Final 2012 Pre-Election Polls Raymond La Raja and Brian Schaffner (2015). Campaign Finance and Political Polarization. Un
S1 E20 · Tue, January 12, 2021
Polarization at the Tipping Point
A Major Pandemic… Election 2020 that lasted weeks… Election Denial 2020 is still going months later… Insurrection… Impeachment… And possibly more to come. There’s been a lot of polarized and polarizing events over the past few months. So it seems time to step back and take a longer range, wider-angle view of partisanship in our DisUnited States. The Purple Principle does that in Episode 20 with featured guests Dr. Andrew Gelman of Columbia University (Departments of Political Science and Statistics) and Stephen Hawkins, Research Director of the international non-profit, More in Common , authors of the seminal study on American political identity, The Hidden Tribes . Dr. Gelman explains how polarization is measured over time with modern statistical techniques, which reveal how seemingly unrelated issue positions can form into partisan constellations. Why, for example, should someone’s position on the minimum wage correlate with their view on global warming? Logically, there’s little connection. But in our partisan age, these correlations are increasing over time, if not yet fully correlated. Stephen Hawkins of More in Common defines the seven tribal identities identified through extensive psychology-driven polling. More in Common defines the four groups in the American center as “The Exhausted Majority.” Hawkins explains that those suffering from partisan exhaustion tune out from political news while our tribal wings consume more media, thus incentivizing media companies to play to their outrage. What’s a polarized nation to do? Hawkins suggests the answer may lie back in the Cold War, when a common enemy solidified American identity. Tune in to learn more about the major trends in polarization and our surprisingly complex political tribalism in Episode 20, “Polarization at the Tipping Point.” Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/polarization-at-the-tipping-point
Bonus · Thu, December 31, 2020
Repodcast of Declaration of Independents, Alaska Style
The Year 2020 has not exactly been brimming with good news. Certainly in terms of public health and the economy, you could say it was the worst of times and the worst of times. But we did find a bright audio spot in Purple Principle Episode 13, which we repodcast today with important new information, most notably that Alaska’s ambitious Ballot Measure Two has officially passed. Ballot Measure Two packaged together the opening of statewide primaries to non-partisan or independent voters with top four ranked choice voting and greater campaign finance transparency – all in one referendum! But Alaskan politics is different. A remarkable 57% of Alaskan voters are registered as either non-partisan or unaffiliated voters. The drafters of Alaska Ballot Measure Two sought to preserve and enhance this non-partisan political culture toward more cooperative governance. This repodcast features excerpted interviews with the successful Campaign Manager of Alaskans for Better Elections, Shea Siegert, on the challenges surmounted by Ballot Measure Two. Join us as The Purple Principle takes an audio cruise through our nation’s most indie-minded state while asking if Alaska might inspire similar efforts against polarization among the lower 48. Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/repodcast-of-declaration-of-independents-alaska-style
S1 E18 · Tue, December 22, 2020
Civil Society and Campus Politics
Colleges have come to be known as havens for divisive politics, cancel culture, and trollism, all miserably co-existing with academic stress, social pressure and stale pizza. In Episode 18, “Civil society and Campus Politics,” The Purple Principle profiles two college students pushing back against the polarizing forces on college campuses and the nation writ large. Avinash Bakshi, President of the Penn State College Independents , describes the importance of having a third, less tribal option among political groups on his campus of 40,000 undergraduates. While Tyler Swanson, sophomore at University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and founder of the student-run Bipartisan Post , decided fact-based reportage was the best method to counter disinformation, echo chambers, and polarization on his and other campuses around the country. Tune in to hear that all is not quite lost in our not so United States, assuming a growing number of college students like Avinash and Tyler join the fight against polarization as a true threat to American higher education, politics, and society. Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/civil-society-and-campus-politics
S1 E17 · Wed, December 16, 2020
Party Dynamics and the 2020 Election in Context
Inaccurate polling… Split-ticket results… Denial of election results by large numbers of Republican voters and members of Congress... There have been plenty of head-scratching developments related to the 2020 election. In Episode 17, “Party Dynamics in Context,” we turn to noted historian and columnist, Geoffrey Kabaservice , for 2020 election analysis. Given the demise of moderates in the Republican party, Dr. Kabaservice explains that today’s unprecedented Republican loyalty to Donald Trump, the individual, rather than to the party, is not entirely surprising. He also explains why swing voters seem to have gone for President-elect Joe Biden but not for Democrat candidates down ballot, as had been expected. What about the future of the Republican Party and for bipartisan governance within a closely divided Congress? Dr. Kabaservice is not optimistic about major legislation but does see some hope for a centrist coalition in the House of Representatives. For an informed, contextual view of the 2020 election and current party dynamics, tune into Episode 17 of the Purple Principle with Dr. Geoffrey Kabaservice, author of Rule to Ruin (Oxford Press) and Director of Policy Studies, Niskanen Center. Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/party-dynamics-and-the-2020-election-in-context
S1 E16 · Wed, December 09, 2020
Democracy & Elections Under Stress
The 2020 election has revealed the partisan state of American politics and society like no other event in recent history. How did we get to this point? Our special guest today, Trevor Potter , Founder and President of the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), provides insight into that question and suggestions for rehabilitating our polarized polity. Gerrymandering , the partisan drawing of electoral districts, is one major factor. In Episode 16, “Democracy & Elections Under Stress,” Trevor Potter (a former Chairman of the Federal Election Commission) describes how the long-practiced art of gerrymandering has become a polarizing science in the age of big data. Potter’s nonpartisan group, the CLC, is working to combat gerrymandering through litigation and the establishment of independent redistricting commissions at the state level. Potter also outlines CLC initiatives in campaign finance transparency and ranked choice voting. Last but not least, Trevor Potter (General Counsel to John’s McCain’s presidential campaigns) comments on attempts by the Trump campaign to block and overturn 2020 election results in several pivotal states. He commends the courage and professionalism of Secretaries of State and election officials from both parties for adhering to democratic process. Tune in to learn more about our democracy and our elections under stress in Episode 16, with Trevor Potter, Founder and Chairman of Campaign Legal Center, and Former Chairman of Federal Election Commission. Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/democracy-elections-under-stress-a-discussion-with-trevor-potter-of-the-campaign-legal-center
S1 E15 · Thu, November 19, 2020
The Second Coming Turns 100 (Part II)
Exactly one hundred years ago this month, at a time of political polarization and the Spanish Flu pandemic, William Butler Yeats published “ The Second Coming ,” a poem premised on the cycles of history that resonates today with striking immediacy. Things fall apart, the center cannot hold, the worst are full of passionate intensity.. . These and other enduring lines from “The Second Coming” are now part of our collective vocabulary. In Episode 15, “The Second Coming Turns 100," we look at the historical context in which Yeats conceived and published the poem with special guest, prize-winning documentary filmmaker Briona Nic Dhiarmada , Professor of Film and Irish Studies at Notre Dame University. Find out more about the poem, its birthplace, and remarkable composer, Nobel Prize-winning poet, W.B. Yeats, in Episode 15, “The Second Coming Turns 100," Part 2. Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/the-centennial-of-w-b-yeats-the-second-coming-part-2
S1 E14 · Thu, November 12, 2020
The Second Coming Turns 100 (Part I)
How does a century-old poem written in Ireland as European civil wars erupted in the aftermath of World War I still resonate in our own partisan era? That is the central question The Purple Principle asks in both Episode 14 and 15, as the classic poem, “The Second Coming”, by William Butler Yeats, turns one hundred years young. In Episode 14, our special guest is another great Irish poet, Paul Muldoon , author of 15 collections of poetry, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and Professor of Poetry at Princeton University . Muldoon speaks about the poem’s insight and longevity, the influences at work on Yeats as he wrote it, and the impact Yeats still exerts on poetry today. The center cannot hold .. The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity… Lines published one hundred years ago this month (November 1920) that still speak to us today here in the U.S., as we polarize over COVID, election results, and other issues. Tune in to learn more about the remarkable relevance and endurance of “The Second Coming” by W.B. Yeats with special guest, the renowned Irish poet, Paul Muldoon. Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/the-second-coming-turns-100
S1 E13 · Tue, October 27, 2020
Declaration of Independents, Alaska Style
The great state of Alaska is different in many ways – its vast size, low population, and great distance from “the lower 48” (states). Politics in Alaska is different as well: a remarkable 57% of Alaskans are registered as either non-partisan or unaffiliated voters. The proponents of Alaska Ballot Measure 2 would like to preserve and enhance the state’s non-partisan political culture. This measure would create an open unified primary system , top four ranked choice voting , and greater campaign finance transparency. If passed this year, it would be one of the most comprehensive and significant reforms to state level elections in U.S. history. Episode 13 features Campaign Manager of Alaskans for Better Elections Shea Siegert on both the challenges and rewards of Ballot Measure 2. Join The Purple Principle as we take an audio cruise through our nation’s most independent-minded state, meeting notable Alaskans along the way, and learning that electoral change never comes easy. Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/declaration-of-independents-alaska-style
S1 E12 · Tue, October 20, 2020
Non-Partisan David vs. the D.C. Disenfranchisement Goliath: Independent Krucoff Promotes Douglass County MD as the Future of Washington DC
Independent candidate David Krucoff is running for the non-voting D.C. Congress position without much hope of unseating incumbent Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton for her 16th term. Instead, Krucoff seeks to call attention to his non-partisan “retrocession” solution to D.C. disenfranchisement – the creation of Douglass (as in Frederick Douglass) County, Maryland as the new and fully enfranchised home for Washington, D.C. citizens. Could David’s retrocession proposal slay the D.C. disenfranchisement Goliath? Krucoff says he’s in it for the long game with the hope of seeing Douglass County, Maryland created before the 2030 census. Tune in to find out how non-partisan candidates and proposals can take on partisan politics on Episode 12 of The Purple Principle . Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/a-discussion-with-non-partisan-dc-candidate-for-congress-krucoff
S1 E11 · Tue, October 13, 2020
Science, Comedy & Partisanship
What makes a stand-up comedian wake up one day and decide comedy needs more science? A road comic for 13 years, Shane Mauss made this enlightened decision 5 years ago in launching his science podcast, Here We Are , and then expanded it by creating Stand Up Science comedy shows, inviting local professors around the country on stage to discuss their research. We asked Shane about the origin of his scientific interests, as well as the challenges of doing regular and Stand Up Science shows around our highly partisan nation. The result is that science has a lighter side, and comedy an important edge, on this episode of the Purple Principle, Science Comedy & Partisanship, with featured guest, Shane Mauss. Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/science-comedy-partisanship-shane-mauss-stands-up-and-speaks-out
S1 E10 · Tue, September 29, 2020
2020 Election Polling: The Science & Psychology of Polls in a Partisan Age
How much trust can independent-minded voters place in polling this 2020 election season? It seems not a day goes by without multiple new poll results blaring from cable networks and rebounding across the Web. But how accurate are these polls? What’s been learned from the 2016 polling fiasco where many polls predicted a large Clinton for President victory? And how much more difficult is election polling in our highly partisan age? The Purple Principle asks these questions of veteran pollster and Director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, Dr. Andrew Smith . In Episode 10, Dr. Smith details lessons learned from 2016 currently in force for 2020 election polling. He also describes ongoing challenges faced by pollsters such as the “spiral of silence,” when respondents fail to reveal true preferences. And he issues a provocative challenge to American voters this 2020 election. To hear that challenge, tune into Episode 10 of The Purple Principle with Dr. Andrew Smith, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/2020-election-polling-primer-the-science-psychology-of-polls-in-a-partisan-age
S1 E9 · Thu, September 17, 2020
The Brain on Partisan Politics
Let’s say, for the sake of Episode 9: The Brain on Partisan Politics , that identical twins are separated at birth and raised in different families, politically speaking: one deep blue, the other deep red. They’re bound to have different political leanings as adults, correct? Actually, probably not, according to Dr. Jay Van Bavel , NYU Neural Scientist and our featured guest in Episode 9, The Brain on Partisan Politics . Genetics account for nearly half of our political inclinations. Then what about the independent brain, you indie listeners out there are asking? We’ll get to that as well. To learn where your gray matter concentrates, tune into Episode 9, The Brain on Partisan Politics , with featured guest Dr. Jay Van Bavel, Associate Professor of Psychology and Neural Science at NYU. Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/the-brain-on-partisan-politics
S1 E8 · Thu, September 03, 2020
Comedy & Partisanship
Ok, Comedians, make America laugh with surprising, original jokes that offend absolutely no one and work equally well in our very blue, very red and very antagonized parts of the country... To the Purple Principle team, that seemed a near-impossible challenge in today’s partisan environment. With Episode 8, The Purple Principle begins a series of related discussions with comedians starting with Myq Kaplan, who has performed on Conan, The Tonight Show, The Late Show and put out 7 solo comedy albums, including his latest, AKA. Can stand-up comedy survive the triple threat of polarization, political correctness and cancel culture? Myq Kaplan asserts that comedy is up to the challenge and deftly destroys our carefully constructed hypotheses. Tune in to learn, laugh and appreciate the art of comedy in a challenging age. Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/comedy-partisanship-the-transcendent-laugh-with-special-guest-myq-kaplan
S1 E7 · Thu, August 20, 2020
Congress and Partisanship
Did you hear the one about bipartisanship? Two opposing congressmen walk into a town hall…and civil discussion breaks out. Hard to believe in the current climate, but former three-term Congressman Jason Altmire recounts the origin and unfortunate demise of these bipartisan town halls in Episode 7, Congress and Partisanship. Author of Dead Center: How Political Polarization Divided America, Altmire was rated the most centrist member of the U.S. Congress during his three terms, 2007-2013. The Purple Principle discusses a range of issues with Hon. Jason Altmire, including the 2020 election, the Trump presidency, the role of partisan media in both parties, and the deep-rooted psychology underlying polarization. Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/congress-and-partisanship-the-outlook-from-dead-center-with-former-us-congressman-jason-altmire
S1 E6 · Thu, August 06, 2020
Social Media & Partisanship
How do social media algorithms feed us news, entertainment, advertisements, even suggesting friends and lovers? By grossly simplifying human nature, according to featured guest Dr. Robert Elliott Smith, Research Fellow in Computer Science at University College London and author of Rage Inside the Machine: How to Prevent the Internet from Making Bigots of Us All . Dr. Smith details how the same Artificial Intelligence (AI) that reaps engineering benefits has disastrous consequences for civil society. Raised in Birmingham Alabama in the 1960’s, he knows something about polarized situations. That upbringing, and his 30-year career in AI, informs Dr. Smith’s warnings about polarizing algorithms and advice on how to mitigate that damage. Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/social-media-partisanship-polarizing-algorithms-and-a-blind-date-with-dividends-featuring-dr-robert-elliott-smith
Bonus · Fri, July 31, 2020
Broadcast Media and Partisanship
What the heck happened to broadcast news in recent decades? That is the burning question we ask of Dr. Dominik Stecula, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Colorado State University and expert on broadcast media trends in the US over the past fives decades. Dr. Stecula contrasts the more fact-based, consolidated and regulated broadcast news industry of the 1970’s and 80’s with the highly fragmented, largely partisan news environment of today. And what’s an independent-minded American to do for objective news content these days? Tune into this bonus episode (Ep 5) for insights on these and other polarizing elements in US politics, society and just plain daily life. Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/broadcast-media-andpartisanship
S1 E4 · Thu, July 23, 2020
Psychology and Partisanship
In this interview-based episode, Dr. Marsh explains the centrality of fear in human behavior, which motivates any social species (whether musk ox or democrats or republicans) to cluster together against perceived threats. The unfortunate result is the formation of tribes, demonization of others, and the filtering of information leading to stark, unhealthy divisions. In Part I of the interview, staff reporter Emily Crocetti queries Dr. Marsh on how the US became so partisan. In response, Dr. Marsh emphasizes the importance of social situations in determining emotions and behavior. And she points to the substantial sorting of US citizens along political lines in recent decades as a major factor. In Part II, Dr. Marsh discusses methods by which Americans might become less partisan, pointing to seminal psychology studies and methods used in her own classes. Here, students with opposing viewpoints are guided through civil discussions on hot topics of the day. In Part III, Dr. Marsh emphasizes she is not a political scientist yet offers great insights into whether independent-minded Americans can help bridge the political divide. She proposes that independents are better able to deal with the cognitive complexity of different life experiences and viewpoints. As a result, independents might be able to have the sensitive, trust-based conversations on political issues sorely lacking in the US today. Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/heard-from-the-herd-psychology-and-partisanship-featuring-dr-abigail-marsh-author-of-the-fear-factor-professor-of-psychology-neuroscience-georgetown-university
S1 E3 · Thu, July 09, 2020
America’s Independent Voters and Voices
By most measures, the US has over 40 million independent or unaffiliated voters representing a third or more of the electorate. Yet despite large and growing numbers, independents are often missing from the national conversation. Independents have no cable channel or national newspaper. You rarely encounter independent viewpoints on major networks or opinion pages. And there’s a surprising lack of scholarship on independents as well. Who are American’s prominent, politically-engaged political independents? We’ll meet four in Episode 3: Laura Sibilia, a three-term independent legislator in the Vermont Assembly ; John Opdycke, President of Open Primaries ; Thom Reilly, Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education ; and Jacqueline Salit, President of Independentvoting.org . Original Music by Ryan Adair Rooney For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/americas-independent-voters-and-voices
S1 E2 · Fri, June 19, 2020
Front Lines of Partisanship with Dr Charles Wheelan
Our Episode 2 guests include a former Republican speechwriter, a former centrist Democratic congressional candidate, a former Economist Magazine correspondent, a current Professor of Public Policy (Dartmouth College) and the founder of the non-partisan group, Unite America, working to bridge our partisan divide. Lots of voices for one podcast? In fact, each of these perspectives come from a single featured guest this episode, Dr. Dr. Charles Wheelan (a.k.a. all of the above), who has been working to overcome partisanship and legislative gridlock in the U.S. for three decades. Tune in for an expertly guided tour along the Front Lines of Partisanship with Charles Wheelan. Original music composed by Ryan Adair Rooney. Episode Guest Dr. Charles Wheelan , Founder & Co-Chair, Unite America Guest Books The Centrist Manifesto; Naked Statistics; Naked Economics, ( W.W. Norton & Company) For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/episode-2-is-live
Trailer · Fri, June 19, 2020
Partisanship from All Angles
How did these United States get so thoroughly partisan? How do we get less partisan? Can independent-minded Americans help bridge the divide? These questions lie behind this first and every episode of The Purple Principle, a podcast about the perils of partisanship in US politics, society and daily life. Episode 1 is a fast-paced lap around the subject, introducing upcoming guests from the fields of psychology, computer science, politics and political science, as well as non-partisan activists and prominent independent Americans. Original music composed and created by Ryan Adair Rooney. For show notes and transcript, please visit our website: www.fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/partisanship-from-all-angles
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