

Future Hindsight
Future Hindsight
A weekly show that takes big ideas about civic life and democracy and turns them into action items for you.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 24, 2024 • 43min
Abandon the False Narratives: Jason Stanley
We discuss the purpose of fascist education, the political nature of universities in defending democracy, and the dangers of America’s powerful exceptionalist narrative. Jason’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Stand up in solidarity with those who are political targets Understand other people’s perspectives because that gives them the voice in a democracy Jason Stanley is the Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University and the author of seven books. His most recent is Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future. Let’s connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/ Discover new ways to #BetheSpark: https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark Follow Mila on X: https://x.com/milaatmos Sponsor: Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful. Early episodes for Patreon supporters: https://patreon.com/futurehindsight Credits: Host: Mila Atmos Guests: Jason Stanley Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Oct 17, 2024 • 34min
What is a Family Friendly Economy?: Sondra Goldschein
We discuss the necessary policies that make a family friendly economy possible, such as investments in child care, elder care, and paid family leave. Such investments ought to be considered basic infrastructure, which contribute to the economy. Sondra’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Talk to your friends and family who are having challenges around caregiving. Vote for candidates who support child care and paid family leave, and hold them accountable after elections. Sondra Goldschein is the Executive Director of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, which focuses on building grassroots support for family-friendly policies. The organization also runs a political action committee that focuses on electing candidates who support paid family and medical leave and affordable elder and childcare. Follow Sondra on X: https://x.com/SGoldschein Follow Mila on X: https://x.com/milaatmos Be the Spark!: https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/ Sponsor: Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful. Want to support the show and get it early? https://patreon.com/futurehindsight Credits: Host: Mila Atmos Guests: Sondra Goldschein Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Oct 10, 2024 • 3min
Take Action: Vote for Future Hindsight!
Future Hindsight is a finalist in the 2024 Signal Awards and we need your help to win the gold! We’re being recognized in the Activism, Public Service, & Social Impact category for our episode on Policing Equity and Justice with Dr. Phillip Atiba Solomon. Public voting is open until Oct 17th, 2024 and every vote counts. Go to this link to vote for Future Hindsight now: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/individual-episodes/general/activism-public-service-social-impact You can also vote for us by following us on Instagram @FutureHindsightPod and clicking the link in our bio there! https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/

Oct 10, 2024 • 42min
What is Project 2025?: Matt Cohen
We discuss the deep impact of Project 2025 policies on the American people, even if only 10-15% were implemented. Well beyond abortion bans and no-fault divorces, Project 2025 would adversely affect democracy. It would be easier for big money to influence election outcomes, for disinformation and misinformation to spread, and for foreign actors to meddle in elections. Matt’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Look at what’s going on around you and take action at the local level Join a mutual aid group in your community Matt Cohen is a senior staff writer covering elections, voting rights, and threats to democracy at Democracy Docket, the leading digital news platform dedicated to information, analysis, and opinion about voting rights and elections in the courts. Follow Matt on X: https://x.com/Matt_D_Cohen Follow Mila on X: https://x.com/milaatmos Be the Spark!: https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark Listen to Skye Perryman’s Episode: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/courts-for-democracy-skye-perryman Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/ Sponsor: Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful. Want to support the show and get it early? https://patreon.com/futurehindsight Credits: Host: Mila Atmos Guests: Matt Cohen Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Oct 3, 2024 • 1h 27min
Your Political Rights: Attorney General Eric Holder & Michael Waldman
Eric Holder, the 82nd Attorney General and chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, teams up with Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice, to delve into voter suppression and the importance of civic engagement. They discuss gerrymandering tactics and their impact on representation, the challenges faced by voters in red versus blue states, and the evolving strategies of political parties around election integrity. Both emphasize the urgent need for reforms to protect democracy and encourage everyone to participate actively in elections.

Sep 26, 2024 • 59min
End Climate Silence: Genevieve Guenther
We discuss deepening our understanding of the climate crisis, the urgent need for decarbonization, and our role in speaking truth about phasing out fossil fuels. Genevieve’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Call your elected representatives and demand policies to phase out fossil fuels. If extreme weather comes up in conversation, connect the dots to climate change and say: “We really need to phase out fossil fuels so we can halt global heating.” Genevieve Guenther is the founding director of End Climate Silence and affiliate faculty at The New School. Her most recent book is The Language of Climate Politics: Fossil-Fuel Propaganda and How to Fight It. Follow Genevieve on X: https://x.com/DoctorVive Read The Language of Climate Politics: https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight Follow Mila on X: https://x.com/milaatmos Be the Spark!: https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/ Sponsor: Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful. Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey! http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey Want to support the show and get it early? https://patreon.com/futurehindsight Read the transcript here: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/end-climate-silence-genevieve-guenther Credits: Host: Mila Atmos Guests: Genevieve Guenther Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Sep 19, 2024 • 53min
Everybody Benefits from Public Schools: Jennifer Berkshire & Jack Schneider
We discuss the power and the promise of public schools, the universal rejection of book bans by parents across the country, and an inclusive vision for democracy. Their civic action toolkit recommendations are: Have a conversation with people with whom you disagree Remain open-minded. Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider are co-hosts of the education podcast Have You Heard. Their new book is The Education Wars: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual. Follow Jennifer on X: https://x.com/BisforBerkshire Follow Jack on X: https://x.com/edu_historian Read The Education Wars: https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight Follow Mila on X: https://x.com/milaatmos Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/ Sponsor: Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful. Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey! http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey Want to support the show and get it early? https://patreon.com/futurehindsight Check out the Future Hindsight website! www.futurehindsight.com Read the transcript here: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/everybody-benefits-from-public-schools-jennifer-berkshire-and-jack-schneider Credits: Host: Mila Atmos Guests: Jennifer Berkshire & Jack Schneider Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Sep 12, 2024 • 42min
People Power on the Ballot: Chris Melody Fields Figueredo
We discuss how ballot measures give voters the opportunity to take power and agency. It is about citizens putting issues that are important to their communities, gathering signatures, and then putting them on the ballot directly to effect policy change. Her civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1. Voting is the starting line, not the finish line. 2. Hold your elected officials accountable after elections by reaching out to them about the issues that matter to you, and making sure they are keeping their promises. Chris Melody Fields Figueredo is the Executive Director of The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which works to strengthen American democracy using ballot initiatives. Follow Chris on X: https://x.com/fieldsy Follow Mila on X: https://x.com/milaatmos Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/ Sponsor: Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful. Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey! http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey Want to support the show and get it early? https://patreon.com/futurehindsight Check out the Future Hindsight website! www.futurehindsight.com Read the transcript here: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/people-power-on-the-ballot-chris-melody-fields-figueredo Credits: Host: Mila Atmos Guests: Chris Melody Fields Figueredo Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Sep 5, 2024 • 41min
Break Up the Two-Party System: Lee Drutman
We discuss how two parties alone cannot represent the diversity of views in American society, how fusion voting could solve for better representation, and who exactly should get engaged in our civic lives. His civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1. Support political parties and reforms that create more choices. 2. Be a good neighbor and participate in a local meeting. Lee Drutman is Senior Fellow in the Political Reform program at New America, co-host of the Politics in Question podcast (a fellow Democracy Group podcast!), and author of Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America. Follow Lee on X: https://x.com/leedrutman Read Lee’s Paper: https://protectdemocracy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/The-Case-for-Multiparty-Presidentialism.pdf Follow Mila on X: https://x.com/milaatmos Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/ Sponsor: Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful. Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey! http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey Want to support the show and get it early? https://patreon.com/futurehindsight Check out the Future Hindsight website! www.futurehindsight.com Read the transcript here: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/break-up-the-two-party-system-lee-drutman Credits: Host: Mila Atmos Guests: Lee Drutman Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis

Aug 29, 2024 • 46min
What Is It Like to Run for Office?: Wendy Davis
We discuss what it takes for citizens to take action and run for elected office. Wendy ran as a Democrat in Utah because she wanted to give voters a viable, different choice. She knew it was going to be difficult to win as a first time candidate, but she ran so hard that she left a body mark in the wall. She lost by a mere 78 votes. Her civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1. Vote and encourage other people to vote 2. Work or volunteer for a candidate during an election year Wendy Davis is a former candidate for Utah House of Representatives and the author of The Fight You Don’t See – an honest memoir about her campaign. Follow Wendy on X: https://x.com/wendydavisutah Follow Mila on X: https://x.com/milaatmos Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/ Sponsor: Thanks to Shopify for supporting Future Hindsight! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful. Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey! http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard Take the Democracy Group’s Listener Survey! https://www.democracygroup.org/survey Want to support the show and get it early? https://patreon.com/futurehindsight Check out the Future Hindsight website! www.futurehindsight.com Read the transcript here: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/what-is-it-like-to-run-for-office-wendy-davis Credits: Host: Mila Atmos Guests: Wendy Davis Executive Producer: Mila Atmos Producer: Zack Travis