This is Democracy – Episode 309: Government Shutdowns
This week, Jeremi and Zachary invite John Lawrence, a former senior staff member with extensive experience in the U.S. House of Representatives, to discuss the recent government shutdown. The conversation delves into the causes and impacts of these shutdowns, the role of partisanship, and historical precedents.
Jeremi opens the conversation with a powerful excerpt from C.P. Cavafy’s poem "Waiting for the Barbarians," setting the tone with a poignant reflection on the complexities and challenges of democracy.
Dr. John A. Lawrence served for thirty-eight years as a senior staff person in the United States House of Representatives, including as chief of staff for Speaker Nancy Pelosi from 2005 to 2013. He is currently a visiting professor at the University of California’s Washington Center. He is the author of: The Class of ’74: Congress after Watergate and the Roots of Partisanship; Arc of Power: Inside Nancy Pelosi’s Speakership; and Sherlock Holmes: The Affair at Mayerling Lodge.
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This is Democracy – Episode 308: Greenland and the Arctic
This week, Jeremi and Zachary sit down with Dr. Mikkel Runge Olesen, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, to discuss Greenland and its growing significance in global politics. Dr. Olesen offers a comprehensive overview of Greenland's history, its political relationship with Denmark, and its strategic importance to the United States. The conversation also explores the broader geopolitical interests in the Arctic as well as the environmental impact of climate change in this crucial region.
Zachary sets the scene with an excerpt from the poem "Rise" written by climate activists, Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner and Aka Niviana.
Dr. Mikkel Runge Olesen is a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). His research interests include NATO and transatlantic relations, the Arctic, the Nordic countries, Danish foreign policy, and recent Danish diplomatic history. His theoretical interests include realism (international relations), foreign policy analysis, and political psychology.
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This is Democracy – Episode 307: Deliberative Democracy
Jeremi and Zachary have a conversation with Gryffin Wilkens-Plumley about his work designing assemblies of independent citizen governance. They have an in-depth discussion of deliberative democracy, a practice that is about citizen's individual participation, reasoning, and sense of duty to vote and make decisions in society, and how it could apply to our democracy today.
Jeremi sets the stage with some words by William James from 1897.
Gryffin Wilkens-Plumley is a senior at Yale University and a deliberative-democracy designer. He currently works as Project Manager and Design Lead for the Connecticut Citizens’ Assembly initiative at the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities -- an initiative to hold the first ever official State-level citizens’ assembly in America. Gryffin's work focuses on citizen governance, designing assemblies for independent citizen governance, and working with funders and elected officials to turn designs into reality.
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This is Democracy – Episode 306: Federal Science Funding
This week, we have Prof. John Beckett Wallingford to discuss the current landscape of federal science funding, and the importance of science in American industry and society.
We set the scene with a reading of The Polio Vaccine, Chatham, Virginia, 1964, by Claudia Emerson.
John Beckett Wallingford is a developmental biologist with three decades of experience. He is the Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Doherty Jr. Regents Chair in Molecular Biology and a Professor in the Dept. of Molecular Biosciences at the University of Texas at Austin. Since 2003, his laboratory has sought to understand how form and function arise in embryos using advanced microscopy, systems biology, and biomechanics. Wallingford's research explores animal models and collaborates with human geneticists to understand human birth defects. He is writing a forthcoming book about embryos: In the Beginning.
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This is Democracy – Episode 305: New School Year
This week, Jeremi and Zachary sit down with Dr. Jack Loveridge, Vice President of the El Paso Independent School District (ISD) Board of Trustees, to discuss the start of the new school year, with a particular focus on American schools' challenges and opportunities at this moment. Dr. Loveridge shares insights into the primary issues facing his district, including budget constraints and declining enrollment, the impact of Texas' new school voucher program, and the importance of holistic approaches to address poverty and educational disparity.
Zachary sets the scene with Muriel Rukeyser's "Elegy in Joy".
Dr. Jack Loveridge is the vice president of the El Paso ISD Board of Trustees, a public school district serving over 48,000 students on the U.S.-Mexico border. He is also the CEO and co-founder of Panoculum, Inc., a digital history startup based in his hometown. Jack holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.Phil. in International Development from Oxford, and a B.A. with honors from Stanford University.
The future of democracy is uncertain, but we are committed to its urgent renewal today. This podcast will draw on historical knowledge to inspire a contemporary democratic renaissance. The past offers hope for the present and the future, if only we can escape the negativity of our current moment — and each show will offer a serious way to do that! This podcast will bring together thoughtful voices from different generations to help make sense of current challenges and propose positive steps forward. Our goal is to advance democratic change, one show at a time. Dr. Jeremi Suri, a renown scholar of democracy, will host the podcast and moderate discussions.
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