Jonathan M. Metzl is the Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry and the Director of the Department of Medicine, Health, and Society at Vanderbilt University. His most recent book is What We’ve Become: Living and Dying in a Country of Arms. We discuss lax gun laws and gun ownership as an identity.

The public health narrative is about how guns pose a health risk, a threat to mortality to our bodies. Those who vote based on guns see guns as symbols of power or protection. In fact, many people in the South own guns because they’re afraid of government tyranny. Unfortunately, gun laws have become more and more lax in a country that has almost 500 million civilian-owned firearms. Metzl shares that “We've had a dramatic erosion in the ability of states and towns and the country itself to limit who can own and carry a firearm.”     

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Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Jonathan Metzl

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

Philip K. Howard is the founder and chair of Common Good, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocates for simplifying government, and has advised both parties on needed reforms. His latest book is Everyday Freedom: Designing the Framework for a Flourishing Society.

Every community depends on democracy to deliver, whether that’s government services, schools, hospitals, or housing. Howard argues that a democracy depends on people being able to take responsibility, to interpret guidelines and perform their jobs or service accordingly. In a time when a significant percentage of Americans no longer believe in democracy, we need a national movement to remake institutions that honor the capacity of humans.  

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Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Philip K Howard

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

Danielle Allen is the author of Justice by Means of Democracy. She is also the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University and Director of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. We discuss power sharing liberalism as a new paradigm in the practice of democracy.

Whether it’s through ballot measures to introduce ranked choice voting or open primaries, we are experiencing great innovation in democratic practice that make it more possible for us to bring our whole selves and to share political power within US democracy. Power sharing liberalism centers around the lived human experience, which needs foundations for flourishing. To that end, the economy should serve the ends of human flourishing. Allen envisions a “dynamic economy that supports people in their lives and to support people in their lives requires supporting their empowerment politically as well as supporting them materially.” 

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Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Danielle Allen

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

Jeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center and the author of The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America. We discuss how the Constitution is a framework for a productive conversation for people with fundamentally different points of view.

For the Founders, personal self government was a pre-requisite for political self government. In order to deliberate with fellow citizens and vote wisely, citizens ought first be their best selves, which puts a high bar for citizens to educate themselves. In fact, the founders thought education was central to creating the perfect citizen. Thinking in constitutional terms opens citizens up to hear arguments they might disagree with, which in turn makes it possible to change their minds. Jeffrey Rosen stresses that “that openness, that curiosity to diverse points of view is exactly the point of the Constitution”. 

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Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Jeffrey Rosen

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

Braxton Brewington is the Press Secretary of the Debt Collective. We discuss the origins of the Debt Collective in the Rolling Jubilee and its history in canceling student debt. Their example is a powerful model for canceling student debt, which continues to be important for all Americans in this election cycle and beyond.

Education is a public good, yet the cost of college over the past couple of decades has risen eight times faster than the average wages. The average student debt is $30,000-$35,000. Two thirds of student debt is owed by women, and a large number of student loan borrowers don't have a college degree. This means that they are paying down student debt on non-college degree wages. The Debt Collective started out as the Rolling Jubilee, which canceled tens of millions of dollars of debt and gave instant relief to borrowers. Canceling student debt creates millions of jobs, boosts the economy, and advances racial and gender justice. Although the Biden administration has canceled billions in student debt, it is only making a small dent in over $1.7 trillion worth of student loans. 

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Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Braxton Brewington

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

Rachel Bitecofer is a political scientist and election forecaster turned political strategist. Her most recent book is Hit ’Em Where it Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game. We discuss why it's time for Democratic Party candidates to embrace negative partisanship in their campaigns.

Half of America’s electorate doesn't vote – even in the most consequential elections – because they aren't interested in politics. The Knight Foundation took a very large sample survey of non voters and discovered that the most commonly cited reason for not voting is lack of interest. The US has raised and created a political culture that encourages lack of civic participation and views politics as dirty. Turning the tide on disinterest and bolstering American democracy must include fixing the civic culture.

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Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Rachel Bitecofer

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

Richard L. Hasen is Professor of Law and Political Science at UCLA and director of UCLA Law’s Safeguarding Democracy Project. We discuss his most recent book, A Real Right to Vote: How a Constitutional Amendment Can Safeguard American Democracy.

A country that believes that its people are equal should ensure equal voting rights. However, the US Constitution does not currently protect the right to vote. All adult non-felon citizens should have a constitutional right to vote where they reside. That vote should be equally weighted and eligible voters should not face unnecessary burdens to voting. Furthermore, minority voters should have voter protection and Congress should have broad powers to protect voting rights. Even though the US has not enacted a constitutional amendment since the 1970s, Americans should start thinking about a movement towards passing a voting rights amendment with the expectation that it might take decades. Rich Hasen reminds us that “Nobody is coming to save American democracy. We have to do it ourselves, and people are stepping up.” 

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Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Richard L. Hasen

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

Phillip Atiba Solomon is the chair and Carl I. Hovland Professor of African American Studies, Professor of Psychology at Yale University, and co-founder of the Center for Policing Equity. We discuss policing equity, investing in communities, and taking police out of the mental health crisis business.

Policing equity is multi-faceted and requires collaboration with communities. Proven solutions to reduce violence include anti-poverty investments, stopping low level traffic stops, sending non-police to mental health crises or to interventions for the houseless, as well as having clear limits and rules to when force can be used. 

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https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/policing-equity-and-justice-phillip-atiba-solomon 

Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Phillip Atiba Solomon

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

Sam Wang is the Director of the Electoral Innovation Lab and a professor of neuroscience at Princeton University. We discuss how we can better understand the current state of district maps across the US, and how they can be made more fair and representative of their constituents.

Gerrymandering is not only unfair but also anti-democratic. It favors one party over another, effectively shutting out the possibility of accurate representation in a legislative body. The current electoral system forces voters into opposite camps and then rewards them for doing so. For example, primary elections reward a partisan loyalist who is unlikely to represent the views of the majority of voters. But, local and state elections are a hope for the future because voters are less polarized.

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Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Sam Wang

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

Jess Piper is the Executive Director of Blue Missouri and the host of the Dirt Road Democrats podcast. We discuss the reality of living in rural Missouri, the state of education, and the dearth of Democratic candidates across the state.

Rural candidates have little to no support from the state party, but Republicans enjoy the support of local churches. One-third of Missouri is rural, but there is not a single elected Democrat representing these areas. Uncontested races are bad for democracy and without Democrats in the race, there is no contest of ideas. In Missouri, for example, multiple school districts only have four days of school, but there have not been elected Democrats who are willing to push back and properly fund these public schools. 

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Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Jess Piper

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

Ken Harbaugh is the host of the Burn the Boats podcast, a former United States Navy pilot, and executive producer of Against All Enemies, a documentary film that explores the critical role of military veterans in domestic violent extremist groups.

We discuss why veterans are equally sought out to work in Fortune 500 companies and to be in leadership positions of extremist groups. Most veterans make a successful transition to civilian life, but a small minority become radicalized. Anger and resentment is a common through line for them. Fueled by the big lie about the 2020 election, extremists continue to become more popular. In fact, the big lie has torn our country apart. Ken stresses that “fundamentally, our elections are secure and the will of the people will be honored in November of 2024, as it was in November of 2020.” 

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Credits: 

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guests: Ken Harbaugh

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis