Best Common Ground Committee LLC Podcasts (2024)

1
Finding Common Ground in a Divided Congress: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R) and Abigail Spanberger (D) 28:33

4M ago28:33

28:33

This episode makes a powerful case for compromise and pragmatism as crucial ingredients in passing laws and getting things done. Our guests are Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican Brian Fitzpatrick, who are both members of the Problem Solvers Caucus: 62 Members of Congress, evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. Although you wouldn’…

1
Public Schools: Talking Across the Divide. Becky Pringle and Gisele Huff 23:26

5M ago23:26

23:26

Almost everyone has an opinion about public education, especially in the years since the COVID pandemic when the physical closure of schools and online schooling became highly controversial. The vast majority of American students attend public school, but the numbers are falling, partially because of growing financial support for school choice and …

1
Pro-Life and Pro-Choice Leaders Together in the Same Room: Reverend Anne Fowler and Francis Hogan 27:53

5M ago27:53

27:53

Abortion is one of the most passionate, divisive, and emotional issues in the 2024 election campaign. The debate is often dominated by extremes on both sides. But what if passionate pro-life and pro-choice movement leaders could get together in the same room and learn how to disagree better? That is exactly what happened in Massachusetts, beginning…

1
How The Media Rage Machine Divides America: Chris Stirewalt 28:23

6M ago28:23

28:23

From cars to entertainment, technology to retailing, most large industries have faced huge changes in the past thirty years. But none more so than the news business. Since 2000, countless numbers of local and regional newspapers went bust. Those that did survive fired a big percentage of their reporters and slimmed down. The past two decades also s…

1
Why Trump is Popular in Small-Town America: Salena Zito 26:48

6M ago26:48

26:48

Unlike the vast majority of journalists who cover American politics, Salena Zito lives far away from the centers of power and wealth. She writes about small-town America and the parts of the country that much of the media doesn’t cover. Zito's commitment to understanding the heartland of America is evident in her frequent trips along the nation’s b…

1
Bipartisan Trust and Common Ground in Congress: Reps. Dusty Johnson (R) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D) 29:31

7M ago29:31

29:31

More than 50 Members of Congress have announced that they’re not running for reelection in 2024. Many cite political dysfunction and angry divisive rhetoric as reasons behind their decision to quit. Retiring Democratic Senator Joe Manchin recently told CNN: “Every one of us should be ashamed of what we’re living through now in the 118th Congress.” …

1
Curiosity, Not Compliance: Bridge Building In The Workplace: Simon Greer 30:32

7M ago30:32

30:32

Many Americans are exhausted by polarization and hyper-partisanship. Bitter divides are not just a problem for election campaigns and public institutions; they’re also damaging the workplace. Employee morale at many businesses and nonprofits has plunged— impacted by tribalism, culture wars, and political divides. CEOs are often in a tough spot. Som…

1
2024 Election Politics: How Divided Are We Really? Kate Carney and John Geer 24:16

8M ago24:16

24:16

Partisan divides are as deep as ever. Most Americans are exhausted by the dysfunction and divisions in American politics. Some scholars claim the country is on the brink of civil war. But several recent polls suggest that clear majorities of voters agree on many issues. We dive into the data from two different groups that study American attitudes a…

1
Depolarizing America: Ending Toxic Polarization. Peter Coleman 23:58

8M ago23:58

23:58

Soon after Joe Biden became president he said in his inaugural address that wanted to bring Americans together, to forge unity. But maybe unity isn’t what we should aim for. Our guest this week says instead of focusing on that elusive goal, Americans need to concentrate on what’s damaging all of us: toxic polarization. In this episode we look at wh…

1
Racism Renounced: A Black Man Talks With White Supremacists. Daryl Davis 28:36

9M ago28:36

28:36

Acclaimed musician and recording artist Daryl Davis has interviewed hundreds of KKK members and other White supremacists and influenced many of them to renounce their racist ideology. We hear his brave and remarkable story. Daryl's personal quest began many years ago, after a concert when he was in a country music band. A card-carrying member of th…

1
Is Everything We're Told About Independent Voters Wrong? Jackie Salit and John Opdycke 29:17

9M ago29:17

29:17

Independent voters make up well over 40 percent of the voting public. But you wouldn’t know that from media coverage, which focuses almost exclusively on red versus blue. Independents are often overlooked or seen as wishy-washy, bending in the wind. Our guests on this episode say that’s a big misconception. In this show, we look at a huge group of …

1
How Curiosity Can Bridge Dangerous Divides: Mónica Guzmán 27:08

10M ago27:08

27:08

In this presidential election year, partisan divides cause political gridlock and distrust. We're encouraged to believe that we're right and those on the other side are ignorant, stupid, or evil. But avoiding awkward conversations with those we disagree with is a big reason why America is so bitterly divided. Journalist, bridge builder, and author …

1
What Americans Want from Politicians— And What They're Not Getting: Sean Westwood 32:43

10M ago32:43

32:43

American politics are often dominated by the loudest voices on the left and right. In this episode, we learn the crucial difference between what Americans get from their elected representatives and what they really want to hear. Professor Sean Westwood of Dartmouth College is our guest. As Director of The Polarization Research Lab, he studies Ameri…

1
The Third Founding 35:19

11M ago35:19

35:19

With our political system mired in problems, there’s plenty of talk about ‘fixing politics.’ But our guest Mark Sappenfield, Editor of the Christian Science Monitor, says that idea is too simplistic. What needs to change, he says “is upstream from politics. It’s how we relate to each other as human beings in our society. And until that changes, pol…

1
Year-End Show: Conflict, Patriotism and Creative Ways to Find Common Ground 30:28

11M ago30:28

30:28

Our final podcast for 2023 is the one-hundredth episode of “Let’s Find Common Ground”. We look back and include special moments from six shows during the year. Americans disagree on many things, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Journalist and author Amanda Ripley explains why, all too often, we see conflicts that are more about scoring points t…

1
Disagree Better: Politics Across Divides. Utah Governor Spencer Cox 33:18

12M ago33:18

33:18

Recently, during a public event at Utah's State Capitol, Governor Spencer Cox issued a stark warning: "Either we, the people, collectively decide we're going to stop hating our fellow Americans, or we'll start shooting each other." In our podcast, we hear why Governor Cox passionately believes that the country is heading in a dangerous direction wi…

1
The Soul of Civility 26:50

1y ago26:50

26:50

The state of public discourse is often dire and includes insults and threats. We assume the worst of the other side and are not afraid to call them out publicly, especially online. Our guest on today’s show says this behavior isn’t just rude. It’s uncivil. And that civility - not politeness - makes a real difference in how we think about ourselves …

1
Finding Common Ground In-person— Not Over Zoom: State Reps. Mark Klicker and Alex Ramel 27:27

1y ago27:27

27:27

When conservative Republican Mark Klicker and liberal Democrat Alex Ramel met in person for the first time, their opinions about each other rapidly changed. A frosty online exchange of policy differences over Zoom quickly turned into a constructive example of close bipartisan cooperation. After Washington State eased COVID restrictions and resumed …

1
Polarization and political violence: Rachel Kleinfeld 32:22

1y ago32:22

32:22

Violent threats against members of Congress are up, and hate crimes have increased to the highest levels ever recorded. Fear is being used as a tool by both Republicans and Democrats to win votes. In this episode, we speak with Rachel Kleinfeld, a fellow in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International …

1
Populism, Polarization, and Threats to Western Democracy: Rory Stewart 34:30

1y ago34:30

34:30

Rory Stewart walked across Afghanistan, was an elected politician, served as a senior British government minister, and was a visiting fellow at Yale University. Today he is the host of a highly successful podcast— "The Rest Is Politics"— and outgoing president and advisor of the global anti-poverty charity, GiveDirectly. By any measure, he is a man…

1
The Challenge of Fixing Congress 25:32

1y ago25:32

25:32

What a time to try and fix Congress. But that’s what our guests on this episode are determined to do. This show features two politicians from the newly launched Fix Congress caucus. Reps Derek Kilmer (D-Wa) and William Timmons (R-SC), first appeared on our show last year as members of the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. The…

1
A New Definition of Citizenship: Rights and Obligations. Richard Haass 25:39

1y ago25:39

25:39

When we consider the meaning of citizenship, most Americans usually think about individual rights. In this episode, we hear a bold call for change. Our guest, Richard Haass, says that if democracy is to survive, we must re-envision citizenship and consider our obligations to one another. He argues that the greatest threat the country faces comes no…

1
How States Hold Fair Elections. Secretaries of State Michael Adams and Steve Hobbs 28:24

1y ago28:24

28:24

Until recently most of us outside of state government didn’t know much about the role of Secretary of State, the state’s top election official. We simply didn’t think about it. But since 2020, election laws and procedures have been in the spotlight – and election officials have come under attack. In this episode of Let’s Find Common Ground, we meet…

1
Broken Media? Restoring Trust in News Coverage. Mark Sappenfield, Story Hinckley 26:39

1+ y ago26:39

26:39

The United States has one of the highest news avoidance rates in the world. Tens of millions of Americans don’t read, watch or listen to the news each day. The media is generally held in low regard. So, is there a better way to report and analyze current events that will satisfy readers’ interests? In this repeat episode, we hear from Mark Sappenfi…

1
Two Friends— a Democrat and a Republican— Search Together for Common Ground. Jordan Blashek, Chris Haugh 24:20

1+ y ago24:20

24:20

Are Americans really as divided as we think we are? One liberal and one conservative jumped in an old Volvo and drove along nearly 20,000 miles of roads and highways in a series of journeys to find the answer. They went through 44 states and met an extraordinary range of people along the way. At a time of political gridlock and hyper-partisanship, …

1
Anti-Racism: Fighting Bigotry With Love. Chloé Valdary 29:46

1+ y ago29:46

29:46

Love is a central force in mitigating conflict, says writer and entrepreneur Chloé Valdary. She founded the diversity and inclusion training company, The Theory of Enchantment, and has a unique take on how we can heal racial division and hatred inside organizations and across American society. Chloé developed a program for "compassionate anti-racis…

1
A Pragmatic Republican Makes His Case: Will Hurd 31:45

1+ y ago31:45

31:45

Moderate Republican Will Hurd insists that across the country "there is more that unites us than divides us." The former GOP Congressman threw his hat into the ring in June with a video announcement that he's running for President of the United States. Our latest episode of "Let's Find Common Ground" re-visits our interview with Will Hurd, recorded…

1
The Big Challenge of Common Ground Politics: Tulsa, Oklahoma Mayor G.T. Bynum 32:23

1+ y ago32:23

32:23

Working across party divides is the best way to bring people together and make progress, says our guest, Tulsa Mayor, G.T. Bynum. But he also points out that common ground is “the least valued political real estate in America today”. Overwhelmingly reelected to office as a nonpartisan in a deep-red state, Mayor Bynum calls himself a moderate and te…

1
America at a Crossroads, with Judy Woodruff 28:41

1+ y ago28:41

28:41

Veteran journalist Judy Woodruff has been covering US politics for more than 50 years. She moved to Washington DC in 1977 and has been there ever since, reporting for NBC, CNN, and PBS, most recently spending 11 years as anchor of the PBS News Hour. During her career, she has gotten to know a lot of politicians socially as well as professionally. I…

1
Patriotism: Pride, Race and Reckoning. Theodore Johnson 28:26

1+ y ago28:26

28:26

Memorial Day honors the men and women who sacrificed their lives in service to our country. In our next podcast episode, we discuss different ways to look at patriotism. Our guest, retired US naval officer and Washington Post newspaper columnist Theodore Johnson ponders the question, “How can we take pride in a nation with a history of injustice an…

1
The Abortion Talks: They Found Respect, but not Common Ground. Frances Hogan, The Rev. Anne Fowler 33:36

1+ y ago33:36

33:36

We speak with two women from opposing sides of the bitter and often toxic debate over abortion. Frances Hogan and The Rev. Anne Fowler were involved in a series of years-long intensive, secret talks. Their candid conversations began after a gunman opened fire at two Massachusetts abortion clinics nearly thirty years ago. The attack left two women d…

1
Divided We Stand? What Americans Really Think About Politics 23:02

1+ y ago23:02

23:02

It’s often said that America is as politically divided as it has ever been. In this week’s show we dive into the data from two different groups that study American attitudes. What they discovered challenges some of our assumptions about the current state of US politics, and offers us a sense of context missing from noisy ‘us versus them’ type argum…

1
High Conflict vs. Good Conflict: The Vital Difference. Amanda Ripley 25:49

1+ y ago25:49

25:49

Every day we are bombarded with negative news and polarizing opinions from politicians, pundits, and others who seek attention, power, and money by escalating division. Our guest, Amanda Ripley, calls them "conflict entrepreneurs." In this podcast, Amanda explains why she believes the problem we face in America isn't too much conflict. Instead, it’…

1
Break Out of Your Bubble to Build Friendship and Empathy 34:40

1+ y ago34:40

34:40

Our last show focused on finding common ground when talking to strangers. In this show we explore friendship and empathy with two guests who are friends themselves, a Catholic priest and a Protestant pastor. Father Tim Holeda leads Saint Thomas More Co-Cathedral, and Latricia Scriven is pastor of Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church, both in Tallah…

1
Break Out of Your Bubble: Talk to a Stranger 27:23

1+ y ago27:23

27:23

Most of us live comfortably in our bubbles, interacting with people who think and often look like us. We may sift out others who don’t fit our mold. A long pandemic hasn’t helped: Covid has made many people wary of being around strangers, let alone talking to them. If you live in a city you operate by invisible rules where you pay just enough atten…

1
Mass Shootings and Guns: Seeking Common Ground: Patrik Jonsson and Ryan Busse 24:54

1+ y ago24:54

24:54

In the first eight weeks of this year, America’s epidemic of mass shootings and gun crimes showed no signs of reprieve. In fact, the crisis may be getting much worse. According to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit group that tracks firearms violence in the U.S., there have been at least 90 mass shootings since January 1. We take a close look at…

1
Why Republicans are Losing Gen Z 30:49

2y ago30:49

30:49

Almost 70 percent of Generation Z voted for Democrats in November’s midterm elections. As the years go by, Republicans are getting an ever smaller slice of the youth vote. In the last episode, we looked at why Democrats are failing with rural voters. This time we ask why the GOP does so badly with young ones. Generation Z is often described as over…

1
Why Democrats Fail With Rural Voters: Chloe Maxmin 28:50

2y ago28:50

28:50

Why do the two main political parties do so poorly with some large groups of voters? In this episode, we look at how in recent decades Democrats have been losing rural America by growing margins. In 1996, Bill Clinton carried nearly half of all rural counties. But in 2020 Joe Biden won majorities in fewer than 7% of these counties. Our guest, Chloe…

1
Why We Misunderstand Independent Voters 28:56

2y ago28:56

28:56

Independent voters make up more than 40 percent of the voting public. But you wouldn’t know that from media coverage, which focuses almost exclusively on red versus blue. Independents are often overlooked or seen as wishy-washy. Our guests on this episode say that’s a big misconception. In this show we look at a group of voters, including many youn…

1
Local Common Ground: Dinner and a Fight. Simon Miontlake, Ted Wetzel, Tom Hach 31:26

2y ago31:26

31:26

Want to know one of the most exciting and innovative ways to find common ground? Get people out of their political bunkers and move them beyond rigid polarization in our divided nation. Consider local grassroots efforts, such as the one we profile in this podcast episode. Journalist Simon Montlake of The Christian Science Monitor tells us about his…

1
The Search for Common Ground: 2022 Year-End Show 26:23

2y ago26:23

26:23

2022 was a year of surprises in politics and the world beyond. In our year-end special, "Let's Find Common Ground" podcast puts the spotlight on six interviews that we published during the past twelve months. We hear former Congressman Will Hurd discuss moderation and extremes in American politics. Author and market researcher Diane Hessan tells us…

1
Common Ground at Work: From Disaster to Success 26:54

2y ago26:54

26:54

Collaboration is seen as a given in working life. Being part of a team means cooperating with others on all kinds of projects. But the reality is few of us learn how to collaborate. And when a collaboration fails it can leave such bad scars that the people involved never want to work together again. In this episode, we speak with professor and coll…

1
Talking with people you love, whose views you don’t. Holiday Special: Brian and Clare Ashcraft & Tania Israel 36:03

2y ago36:03

36:03

The holiday season is here but many people across the country may be dreading sitting down with their nearest and dearest— all because of politics. In the first half of this episode, we discuss political differences with a father and daughter who have different ways of seeing the world. Clare Ashcraft and her dad Brian live in Ohio. He’s an enginee…

1
Special Episode: Lessons From the 2022 Midterm Elections 31:05

2y ago31:05

31:05

Democrats feared and Republicans expected a "red wave" election, but it didn’t happen. Why was the outcome such a surprise? Who gets the credit and blame? How do results impact the near-term future? What are the prospects for finding common ground in Congress where both the Senate and House will have razor-thin majorities? We discuss these question…

1
Broken Media: The Roots of Today's News Crisis. With Chris Stirewalt 28:20

2y ago28:20

28:20

While many American consumers have given up their daily news habit, millions of others are now addicted to rage media— cable news and social media that push sensationalism, groupthink, and tribalism. This trend of "news bubbles" is relatively recent. Over the past 30 years, the decline of many regional newspapers has given way to a new form of slic…

1
Broken Media: Restoring Trust in News Coverage. Mark Sappenfield and Story Hinckley 26:24

2y ago26:24

26:24

The United States has one of the highest news avoidance rates in the world. Tens of millions of Americans don't read, watch or listen to the news each day. The media are held in low regard by the public. So, is there a better way to report and analyze current events that satisfies readers' interests? We hear from Mark Sappenfield, Editor of The Chr…

1
Bridging Divides on College Campuses: Clare Ashcraft and Jackson Richter 27:46

2y ago27:46

27:46

Rigid polarization and political division are among the biggest challenges facing our country. Young people often feel that tribalism is better than unity and that conversations across political and cultural divides are impossible. College students Clare Ashcraft, who comes from a conservative background, and Jackson Spencer Richter, who calls hims…

1
Bridging Divides at Work 38:35

2y ago38:35

38:35

Polarization is not just a problem for Congress and our political system, it’s also taking a toll in the workplace. Employees are falling out with each other over politics and fiery issues in the culture wars. Organizations are trying to stem the discord. Some have banned political talk at the office. Others have taken a public stand on an issue of…

1
Two Young Southerners Speak Up on Guns 26:45

2y ago26:45

26:45

Our guests on today’s show are part of the school shooting generation. Each grew up with active shooter drills and concerns that their school could be next, concepts that were unthinkable when most of today’s politicians were in the classroom. Sophie Holtzman and Jackson Hoppe are sophomores at George Washington University. They are also joint vice…

1
Primaries and Polarization: Is The Whole System Broken? 23:00

2y ago23:00

23:00

The primary election season in this midterm election year is now over in most states. Turnout was often very low— less than 20% of registered voters showed up in many places— while the partisan divide was as wide as ever. In this episode, we hear from leading political strategists, scholars, authors, and journalists about the American system for ch…

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Common Ground Committee LLC Podcasts

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