The Democracy Group

In this week’s episode, host Ryan Coonerty sits down with Representative Arturo Alonso-Sandoval, the youngest member of the Oklahoma legislature. Instead of pursuing a high-paying job as a mechanical engineer, Alonso-Sandoval decided to run for office during his senior year of college to serve the community where he grew up. Rep. Alonso-Sandoval talks about his motivation for getting into politics, ideas for drawing more young people to elected office, his advocacy for underserved communities, his fight against draconian anti-immigrant laws, and his efforts in shaping AI policy. Tune in to learn why Representative Alonso-Sandoval believes effective policy making requires having diverse voices at the table.IN THIS EPISODE:  • [01:04] Introducing today’s guest, Oklahoma’s Representative, Arturo Alonso-Sandoval.• [01:15] What listeners can expect to hear during today’s conversation.• [02:00] He unpacks his decision and motivation to run for office in his senior year of college.• [06:20] We discuss ideas on how to get more people, like Representative Alonso-Sandoval to run for office (at all levels).• [10:00] Representative Alonso-Sandoval describes in detail his experience running for office.• [12:48] He talks about his slogan “The Future is Ours” and the heart behind it.• [13:50] What it’s like serving in office in Oklahoma.• [15:15] His thoughts on creating sustainable systems using his engineering concepts.• [17:55] How he advocates for his community and breaks down assumptions about himself.• [21:54] We look at anti-immigration measures, mobilizing communities against them, and the prospects going forward.• [28:36] He expounds on one of the projects he’s involved with: You Have a Voice.• [29:16] He sheds light on his concerns with anti-immigration laws.• [32:00] We discuss AI regulations and his work with AI in the legislature. Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyAn Honorable Profession PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

What are some of the weakest arguments against Kamala Harris's candidacy for president? As our brilliant guest Jonathan Rauch put it, "There's some really stupid sh!t." At the same time, there are some more justified concerns. Let's talk about all of it! We also get into rank prognostication on who the Democratic VP pick will be, as well as how we think the 2024 presidential election will end up.But before we get into all that, we dive into Jon's two most recent pieces in THE ATLANTIC: One from 7/1/24 titled "The World Is Realigning | An emerging Axis of Resistance confronts the Liberal Alliance;" and the other from the 7/23/24 edition titled "The Party Is Not Over | Nominations belong to parties, not to candidates."Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyTalkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Mike, Ken, and Trey open with a discussion of President Biden’s decision to leave the race and the potential running mates and policies for presumptive nominee Kamala Harris. Ken argues that Biden would have done just fine against Trump and that Harris will also win in November, whereas Trey and Mike are far less bullish on her chances. They all agree that a potential Harris administration would be somewhat to the left of what we’ve seen from Joe Biden.They close the episode by looking at the Secret Service failures and congressional testimony that led to the resignation of director Kimberly Cheatle. Mike and Trey think Cheatle should have resigned sooner, with Mike arguing that President Biden should have called for her resignation shortly after the magnitude of the failure became evident.The Politics Guys on Facebook | XAdditional InformationThe Politics Guys PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

A.J. Jacobs is a journalist and author. His most recent book is The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning. We discuss how the Founding Fathers prized humility, experimentation, and a willingness to change their own minds. The heart of our democracy is for the community to come together and cooperate. One example is to advocate for democratic reforms, which are nonpartisan. Being apathetic or cynical helps the slide into autocracy. Resisting the allure of quick, hot takes and practicing slower thinking are also crucial to democracy. The founding fathers were deeply invested in balance, especially when it comes to the power of a president being balanced by Congress. A.J. reminds us that everyday citizens can control whether the sun is rising or setting on democracy. Follow A.J. on X: https://x.com/ajjacobsFollow Mila on X: https://x.com/milaatmosAdditional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyFuture Hindsight PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Jeremy Smith returns to The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about Civitech's new product, RunningMate, software for running a political campaign and what he thinks we need to do to fix the ongoing voter registration deficit.Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyThe Great Battlefield PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Content note: This episode discusses suicide and sexual violence.After a years-long legal fight from the Department of Homeland Security, a court order finally gave Nick and other investigators access to 33 reports detailing conditions in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities. The documents showed a disturbing pattern of abuse that extended far beyond the gates of Adelanto Detention Center, spreading throughout ICE detention facilities across the United States. In this episode, Maren gets into the conditions in ICE detention and raises the question: What needs to change for this broken system to be fixed?Maren breaks down the reports with POGO’s Senior Investigator Nick Schwellenbach and former Senior Researcher Freddy Martinez. She talks with activists Berto Hernandez and Arely Westley about their experiences of the conditions in ICE detention, and she visits a Louisiana airport with LA-AID volunteer Sarah Jones to meet people who were recently released from ICE facilities. Finally, to untangle just how immigration policy became entwined with counterterrorism — and how we can fix it — Maren talks with POGO’s Katherine Hawkins, the Brennan Center for Justice’s Spencer Reynolds, and The Ohio State University Professor César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández.Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyBad Watchdog PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

In this week’s episode, Ryan Coonerty sits down with Illinois State Representative Bob Morgan. They reflect on the horrific mass shooting in the representative's community of Highland Park during a 4th of July Parade in 2022 – a timely topic as he returns from a visit to the White House, as he co-chairs the Illinois House Firearm Safety Reform Working Group. Morgan shares his experience working on this crucial issue and the personal ties that ignited his passion for combating gun violence. In addition, Ryan and Representative Morgan delve into his highly debated efforts to eliminate junk fees in Illinois, his commitment to reducing healthcare costs, and his approach to building strong relationships within the legislature, as well as his experience as a Jewish leader during a surge of antisemitism across the country. Tune in to learn about his push to end daylight savings time and the obstacles to making this a reality.  IN THIS EPISODE:  • [01:04] Introducing Illinois State Representative Bob Morgan and his efforts to work on gun safety.• [02:36] The stories of gun violence that ignited his passion for taking this issue seriously.• [05:23] Prospects for reducing these kinds of incidents in US communities.• [07:43] Representative Bob’s journey to public service.• [13:17] Building and maintaining relationships with colleagues by building your understanding of them.• [14:26] Issues he has worked on and why healthcare is a focus for him.• [20:04] Why no changes have been made to daylight savings.• [22:40] Facing the rise of antisemitism as a member of the Jewish caucus.• [27:26] Predictions for the upcoming convention and the elections to follow.Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyAn Honorable Profession PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Jake Grumbach joins Lee and James to consider whether American democracy is in crisis. Grumbach is an associate professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. He studies the political economy of the United States, with interests in democratic institutions, labor, federalism, racial and economic inequality, and statistical methods. And he is the author of Laboratories Against Democracy: How National Parties Transformed State Politics (Princeton University Press, 2022).What is the state of American democracy? Are concerns that it is failing overblown? Or are they justified? What is the best standard to evaluate the quality of representation in the United States? How does that standard change based on the different types of democracy? These are some of the questions Jake, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode.Additional InformationPolitics in Question PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Melanie D’Arrigo is the Executive Director of the Campaign for New York Health, which aims to win universal single-payer healthcare for all New Yorkers. We discuss the intersection of democracy and healthcare and what is necessary to create better health outcomes.The New York Health Act is a current bill in the New York State Legislature that would implement a single payer healthcare system in New York, similar to Medicare for All. Instead of accessing health insurance, this bill would provide access to health care without the middleman, which is the insurance industry. The United States is the only industrialized country in the world that does not have universal health care. We spend the most amount of money with worse health outcomes. In addition, we allow millions of Americans to go into medical debt. More information on the Campaign for NY Health is here: https://www.nyhcampaign.org/Follow Melanie on X: https://twitter.com/DarrigoMelanieFollow Mila on X: https://x.com/milaatmosAdditional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyFuture Hindsight PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

At colleges across America this spring, thousands of students and many faculty called on their institutions to recognize Israel’s war in Palestine as a genocide, and to disclose their interests in arms, oil and violence. Administrators did not take kindly to the students’ demands or their tactics, and called in the police instead. Today on the show — our final episode for now — historian Lauren Lassabe Shepherd says these events fit a pattern of campus conflict going back decades to the Vietnam War.Additional InformationDemocracy in Danger PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group