The Origins of Today's Identity Politics - Yascha Mounk (part one)

The longest-ever federal government shutdown and the flawed Presidency of Donald Trump are symptoms of something far deeper: Dysfunction in Washington.In this episode, Philip K. Howard attacks the failed ideologies of Republicans and Democrats, and calls for a radical simplification of government to re-empower Americans in their daily choices. Americans are a practical people, he says. They want government to be practical."Unfortunately, we got this idea in the 1960's that we could solve the problems of human fallibility by just telling everybody how to do everything," Philip tells us. "Rules are the ultimate dictator, and even worse, you can't yell at them."For more than a decade, Philip has been campaigning for a government that works. He is an expert on the effects of modern law and bureaucracy on human behavior. Philip is the author of several books, including the best-seller “The Death of Common Sense: How Law Is Suffocating America” and, “Try Common Sense: Replacing Failed Ideologies of Left and Right” He’s the founder of Common Good, a nonprofit group with this mission statement "simplify government, put humans back in charge, and cut mindless red tape.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Tammi 201925min

The terrible bloodshed in Syria, Yemen, and other countries at war capture global headlines. But the vast majority of killings in countries around the world are neither the result of warfare nor terrorism. Homicides by gangs, organized crime groups, paramilitary death squads, and ordinary people are the most common cause of violent deaths. More people have died in Mexico in recent years than in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Murder rates in four U.S. cities are higher than in Latin American centers known for their past violence. Rachel Kleinfeld, a senior fellow in the Democracy, Conflict and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is our guest in this episode. Her new book, "A Savage Order: How the World's Deadliest Countries Can Forge a Path to Security", is an urgent look at how many countries, once overwhelmed by massive violence, have since recovered.What are the specific steps needed to reduce the hugely uneven impact of "privilege violence?" In this episode of "How Do We Fix It?" we look at the vital role played by middle class citizens, who worked to restore widespread trust in democracy and institutions of government that work to protect all of the people. Drawing on fifteen years of study and firsthand field research in many nations, Rachel Kleinfeld, tells us why some democracies are so violent, and how others have reclaimed security. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Tammi 201932min

With a simple Facebook post saying that she wanted to end partisan gerrymandering, Katie Fahey sparked the beginnings of an extraordinary grassroots campaign. Katie is in her late 20's. With neither connections nor deep pockets, she started Voters Not Politicians to change Michigan's State Constitution. Hundreds of thousands of signatures were collected,. The movement pulled off a remarkable feat, winning a ballot measure that will create an independent citizen commission to decide the shape of congressional and state legislature districts. The goal was simple: voters - not politicians or lobbyists - would compromise and draw electoral maps that cannot favor one party or candidate. When the campaign needed money to print petitions and organize meetings, volunteers asked family and friends to contribute. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Tammi 201926min

In a year of crazy politics, disdain for the views of experts, and deep partisan divisions, we look beyond anger and fear stoked by cable TV, talk radio and social media to learn eight deeper lessons of where we are today and in what direction we are headed.Here are the eight “Fix It” takeaways as we head into 2019. Warning: Some are hopeful!1. “Women just aren’t going to take it anymore.” We discuss the growing power of women in politics, entertainment and hear why workplace programs to stop the widespread crisis of sexual harassment could be so much better than most initiatives are today. 2. “Debt is back in a big, bad way. Why the debate over rising federal deficits and the nation’s debt mountain will grow in 2019. 3. “The economy slows down and financial worries heat up.”As Wall Street volatility returns, reporter and author Diana Henriques tells us what new financial protections are needed to prevent a future meltdown.4. “Don’t count capitalism out.” We pushback against the recent celebration of socialism and discuss why markets are still the best way to enable opportunity for all—even despite fears that AI will take all the jobs and inequality will destroy the middle class. 5.”Identity Politics Are Back (And that’s not a good thing.)”. Political tribes were a big theme for us in 2018: The decline of civil debate and the view of some that those they disagree with are their enemies. Can ideas be traumatizing and is support for free speech and democracy declining?6. “New Hope From The Heartland.” Why it’s not all opioids and despair. We look at promising developments in towns and cities across the country. 7.“Things Are Better Than You Think “ At a time when many are gripped by optimism and fear we look at the powerful case for optimism. 8. “So far the system works.” From the Mueller investigation to gains made in 2018 by the economy and business, we look at how the system is holding up from assaults by extremists on the right and left. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Joulu 201824min

America is facing a reading crisis. According to a government survey the number of adults who read for pleasure has fallen by more than 30% in less than 15 years. Another recent study found that Americans watch an average of three hours of TV a day, compared to less than half-an-hour spent reading."Reading is seeing the world through someone else's eyes", says Professor Joseph Luzzi of Bard College , our guest in this episode. "Social media is a mirror," says Joseph. "You look into it and your tastes and interests are reflected back on you. Literature is a prism. You look into it and you are engaged, as Virginia Wolfe said, with the mind of someone else."The decline in reading and the popularity of social media may have profound impacts on democracy, feeding into our deep partisan division, and reinforcing extreme opinions.We discuss how reading Dante helped save Joseph after he became a widower and a father on the same day. We also learn about his 4-for-45 prescription for how reading literature can bring pleasure enlightenment to our daily lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Joulu 201823min

The high stakes show-down between the U.S. and China on tariffs, trade and cyber security threatens to disrupt the global economy. Growing tensions were temporarily put on pause during a recent meeting at the Group of 20 summit between President Trump and China's leader Xi Jinping. But many long-term challenges remain. Relations with China are the most important foreign policy issue.The Trump Administration imposed tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods and has pushed back against China's trade policies and aggressive attempts to exploit U.S. technology to boost its own economy. Under Xi, China has reversed a three-decade trend towards greater political and economic opening. In this episode we look at how the U.S. and the West should deal with a more assertive, confident and anti-democratic China. Our guest is the respected scholar, Elizabeth Economy, Director for Asia Studies at The Council on Foreign Relations and the author of the highly praised book, "The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State. She is among "a distinguished group of China specialists" who have long favored engagement with Beijing, but are now advocating the United States take a more forceful approach as China attempts to undermine democratic values."Managing this relationship is essential," says Elizabeth Economy. "It cannot allowed to it to spiral down too far." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Joulu 201826min

What you think is true doesn't necessarily line up with reality. From the heated debate over gun violence deaths to our views about violent crime and global poverty, many of us have serious perception gaps. Democracy can be damaged when public opinion is out-of-step with the facts.The opioid epidemic is often in the headlines and was recently declared a public health emergency. But did you know there's another substance that kills far more people every year? Another example: massacres at schools, malls and other public places get massive media coverage, but they account for a tiny percentage of gun deaths.Our guest in this episode is Samantha Laine Perfas, host of the new podcast series, "Perception Gaps". She tells us "there are things we perceive to be true that are simply not. And challenging us to think about these misperceptions... begins to peel back the layers of why we believe what we believe."We hear fascinating and deeply personal stories from several recent guests on "Perception Gaps," including addiction expert and former federal drug czar Michael Botticelli, Captain Perri Johnson, Commander of the Juvenile Division at the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and Professor Jennifer Stuber of the University of Washington School of Social Work, who studies suicide prevention and mental health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Joulu 201828min

The opioid and heroin epidemic has caused massive destruction suffering and pain. After rising for many decades, America’s life expectancy rate has dropped for the past two years in a row. Nearly 50 thousand Americans last year were the victims of opioid overdose deaths--twice the rate of other wealthy nations.But now, because of impressive initiatives to tackle the crisis, there are small glimmers of hope. The death-rate might be starting to fall. This month, a New York Times report highlighted a plunge in fatal overdoses in Dayton, Ohio, which had one of the highest rates in 2017.Among the possible solutions we hear about is GROW, a local effort that dispatches teams of social workers, medics, police officers and recovery experts to the homes of people who've overdosed. We also discuss the FDA's approval of the controversial synthetic opioid, Dsuvia, to treat cases of extreme pain, and the recent passage of a bipartisan bill to fight the epidemic.For this episode, we include last year's "How Do We Fix It?" interview with journalist Sam Quinones, author of the highly praised book, "Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Marras 201822min