

The Democracy Group
The Democracy Group
Welcome to The Democracy Group - a network of podcasts about democracy, civic engagement, and civil discourse. In this feed you will find a sampling of episodes from our podcasts in the Democracy Group as well recordings from our events. If you enjoy this podcast, please visit democracygroup.org to find all of our podcast shows, events, topic guides, and newsletter.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 3, 2026 • 35min
Dangers in Democracy: What Today’s Threats Reveal About Our System
This panel explores three major threats to democracy:
Erosion of the rule of law
Loss of experienced public servants
Rising hyper-partisanship
Panelists share firsthand insights and respond to questions from fellowship participants about public service, media, and civic engagement.
Speakers
Brandon Stover – Network Manager, The Democracy Group
Jenna Spinelli – Moderator, Founder of The Democracy Group
Simone Leeper – Host of Democracy Decoded
David Martin – Host of The Good Government Show
David Beckemeyer – Host of Outrage Overload
Fellowship Participants (Q&A)
Key Moments
00:00 – Introduction
Overview of the fellowship and panel purpose
01:08 – Simone: Threats to the Rule of Law
Executive overreach
Pressure on judicial independence
Election system concerns
06:42 – David Martin: Public Service Crisis
Loss of experienced civil servants
Institutional knowledge drain
Fear and silence within agencies
12:11 – David Beckemeyer: Hyper-Partisanship
Polarization as a root cause
Psychological blind spots
Citizens becoming “combatants”
16:53 – Q&A Begins
17:00 – Staying vs. Leaving Government
Ethical dilemmas for public servants
Personal trade-offs
21:59 – Young People in Politics
Encouragement to pursue public service
Importance of new leadership
24:21 – Media’s Role in Democracy
Amplifying underreported stories
Creating nuanced conversations
29:09 – Fellow Reflections
Inspiration and challenges
Desire for deeper, more balanced dialogue
Links
The Democracy Group Podcast Fellowship
Democracy Decoded
The Good Government Show
Outrage Overload
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Apr 1, 2026 • 17min
The New Rules of Politics: Follow The Money | The Politics Guys
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Mar 30, 2026 • 41min
Changing Minds Is Hard—Especially Your Own | The Context
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Mar 25, 2026 • 25min
David M. Drucker of The Dispatch on the MAGA Coalition, the Media, and What Twitter Gets Wrong | Talkin Politics & Religion
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Mar 23, 2026 • 1h 35min
The Pursuit of Liberty, with Jeff Rosen | Village SquareCast
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Mar 18, 2026 • 18min
How to Make Caring for Families More Affordable | An Honorable Profession
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Mar 16, 2026 • 57min
Gloves Off Leadership Needed with Tara McGowan | Freedom Over Fascism
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Mar 11, 2026 • 40min
Why Does Money Matter? | Politics in Question
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Mar 9, 2026 • 46min
Jeff Clements of American Promise on How to Fix Money in Politics | New Faces of Democracy
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Mar 4, 2026 • 51min
Your Friends at the IRS | Good Government
Imagine getting a call from the President to tell you he wants you to be the head of the IRS. That happened to Danny Werfel. Listen to how he explains the mission of the IRS.
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