#421 Braver Angels Reds and Blues: Election Day 2024 and Beyond

November 15, 2024 Richard Davies

Some wore red hats, others wore blue. Outside scores of polling places in many states across the country, pairs of Democrats and Republicans sat together in a radically simple experiment called the Braver Angels Election Day Initiative.

The contrast between dire media forecasts of violence, and calamity during the election and what actually happened was stark. The day passed by calmly with minimal reports of disruption. There was a sense of quiet majesty that day.

In this episode we hear about the experience of three Red/Blue pairs of Braver Angels volunteers. For all of them the experience of presenting themselves in public as liberals and conservatives who could get along was uplifting. We also get reactions and reflections about the results and what they mean for our democracy.

#420 Tangle: Independent, Non-partisan News. Isaac Saul

November 1, 2024 Richard Davies

Do you believe what you see in newspapers, websites and on TV? Most Americans don't trust the people who are supposed to truthfully report the news. A new Gallup poll says Americans have record-low trust in mass media. Only one-in-three adults has a "great deal" or a "fair amount" of confidence in the media to report the news "fully, accurately and fairly."

More than 150,000 readers each day turn to Tangle, a website read by liberals, conservatives and independents. Every day Tangle tackles one current debate in American politics, and summarizes arguments from left, right, and center. All Sides Bias Checker gives Tangle a "middle" rating, which means the site neither leans left nor right.

Our guest, politics reporter Isaac Saul, started Tangle in 2019 as an independent, ad-free, nonpartisan newsletter. He grew up in Bucks County Pa. — one of the most politically divided counties in America — where he was exposed to a huge range of political opinions and values. As a young journalist, Isaac learned the media ecosystem was broken when he found that he wasn’t being judged based on his writing, but where it was being published.

#419 Braver Angels Election Day Initiative. Elizabeth Doll and Don Goldberg

October 25, 2024 Richard Davies

Are you fed up with politics and especially the presidential campaign? On How Do We Fix It? we're reporting on the people, projects and ideas of Braver Angels. This nationwide citizen-led movement is a growing coalition of liberals and conservatives working to restore hope and co-operation to our politics.

In this episode we speak with a second pair of Red-Blue volunteers who will be working together and meeting voters outside a polling site on November 5th. It's all part of the nationwide Election Day Initiative. Our guests are Elizabeth Doll and Don Goldberg. On election day, they will be outside King County Election HQ in Renton, Washington.

"The other is not necessarily the enemy", Don tells us. "They just happen to be another side." Elizabeth agrees and hopes that one result of the Initiative is that Americans "recognize people can be friends... talk about politics with each other, disagree about politics, and still be in relationship with each other."