We Made This Political Podcast
We Made This Political Podcast
Podcast Description
Lauren Hall and Lura Forcum talk together and with guests about what political science, psychology, and parenting has taught them about making politics better for everyone. wemadethispolitical.substack.com
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on themes of political engagement, civic education, and the dynamics of parenting paired with political discourse, with episodes discussing the importance of independent thinking in politics, overcoming partisanship, and strategies for constructive political engagement.
Lauren Hall and Lura Forcum talk together and with guests about what political science, psychology, and parenting has taught them about making politics better for everyone.
Reimagining Political Engagement: Majority in the Middle’s Shannon Watson
Join us as we chat with Shannon Watson, founder of the nonprofit Majority in the Middle. We discuss the challenges of political partisanship, the importance of civic education, and how we can create spaces for constructive political engagement. Shannon shares insights on demographic shifts, the personal impacts of running for office, and the power of positive reinforcement in political discourse.
Tune in to learn about making politics more inclusive and less adversarial.
*There are a couple places where the audio in this episode is not ideal because Shannon was recording from a busy space for unavoidable (and very good!) reasons. Thanks for overlooking the audio imperfections so we can keep getting fantastic guests with busy lives like Shannon.
What You Can Do Today
Send an email or public social media comment to a public servant or politician you think is doing a great job doing bipartisan or bridging work. With so much negativity bias in politics, the folks who are doing the work of reaching across divides don’t hear enough (or any!) positive reinforcement when they’re doing the right thing. Those public messages of encouragement and support matter!
Books and resources we talk about and/or recommend:
What’s the Matter with Kansas (older book on voting behavior)It Takes a Candidate (women and political office)
Show Notes
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
01:20 Shannon Watson’s Background and Majority in the Middle
02:13 Defining the Middle and Civic Education
04:04 Personal Political Journeys
05:47 Family Political Dynamics
10:06 Political Polarization and Social Media
13:42 The Origin of Majority in the Middle
19:21 Challenges in Political Participation
20:40 Structural Partisanship in Legislatures
23:17 Encouraging Collaboration in Politics
26:05 Politics as Relationships vs. Power
27:39 Reflecting on Values and Intentional Storytelling
28:23 The Role of Media and Universities in Shaping Public Perception
29:07 Congress and the Attention Economy
30:01 Activists vs. Jurors in Politics
34:53 Challenges of Political Moderation and Independent Voters
44:09 Local Government and Nonpartisan Roles
48:58 Concluding Thoughts and Future Directions
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com
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