The Democracy Group

As we commemorate the third anniversary of the attacks on the U.S. Capitol, we talk with DC Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges. On January 6, 2021, Ofc. Hodges responded with Civil Defense Unit 42 to the attacks on the U.S. Capitol as Capitol Police units were overrun. Ofc. Hodges fought those who assaulted the Capitol on the west lawn, the west terrace, and in the tunnel leading out to the inaugural platform, sustaining many injuries in the process. While fighting in the tunnel he was crushed by rioters in the west terrace doors of the Capitol and beaten. He returned to full duty within a month and continues to serve as an officer. Not only does he continue to serve, he also has testified in court cases about January 6 and in a case in the Colorado Supreme Court, which recently ruled  that Donald Trump is disqualified from the state's 2024 ballot under the Constitution's “insurrectionist ban.” Former President Donald Trump formally asked the US Supreme Court to reverse that decision on January 3.Along with others who defended democracy on January 6, 2021, Officer Hodges received a Congressional medal, the Presidential Citizens Medal and the Center for Politics’ 2023 Defenders of Democracy award.Hodges joined the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in 2014.  Hodges has also received multiple awards for his services with MPD, including a Commendation medal for responding to a man brandishing a gun and threatening MPD Officers and talking him into disarming and surrendering.  Civil Disturbance Unit 42 is a "rapid response" platoon that is equipped with non-standard defensive gear and is activated for policing a variety of First Amendment assemblies, protests, and riots.Links in this episode:Officer Daniel Hodges testifies to Congress about the January 6, 2021 attacks on the U.S. Capitol.Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyPolitics is Everything PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week we bring you a special episode from Sean Schrader, one of our 2023 Podcast Fellows.Sean Schrader is currently a final-year MBA candidate at the University of South Florida, and has been fortunate to work on social impact projects focused on tackling our most significant challenges at the local, state, and national levels. Sean is passionate about civility, and is excited to strengthen his podcasting skills in hopes to bolster civic engagement more broadly.Know a student interested in democracy and podcasts? Send them over to our fellowship to apply: https://www.democracygroup.org/fellowship  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week we bring you a special episode from Kabod Mauwong, one of our 2023 Podcast Fellows.KJ Mauwong is a political science major at Swarthmore College, and he studys political theory, comparative politics, and American foreign policy. He loves talking with people and engaging in conversation. Discussion is what drives democracy, and in this day and age, it's good to be able to do so civilly and productively. He wants to create an environment of growth and learning so that everyone listening in can walk away with something to think about or maybe even joke about. In my spare time, I like to play guitar, powerlifting, legos, and badminton. Know a student interested in democracy and podcasts? Send them over to our fellowship to apply: https://www.democracygroup.org/fellowship  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an  episode from Politics is Everything, hosted by Carah Ong Whaley & Kyle Kondik.Center for Politics Professor of Practice Liz Cheney sat down with Center for Politics Director Larry J. Sabato and other members of our team this week for a discussion about the challenges facing American politics and democracy. She speaks out for the first time about the new Speaker of House Mike Johnson (R-LA-4) and why he is dangerous. Cheney’s forthcoming book, Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning, is now available for pre-order and will be released on December 5, 2023. Cheney, former chair of the House Republican Conference, joined the Center for Politics as Professor of Practice in March.Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyPolitics is Everything PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Download our free guide on 5 ways to take action!Across the country, voters are organizing to protect their right to elect candidates of their choice. In the final episode of Season 3 of Democracy Decoded, host Simone Leeper explores the changing landscape of state and local elections, and some of the initiatives that can help ensure voters can choose candidates who truly represent their interests. This forward-looking episode offers a glimpse into innovative reforms that hold the promise of strengthening democracy.Simone speaks with Susan Soto Palmer, a community advocate and plaintiff that Campaign Legal Center represented in a landmark discrimination case in Yakima County, Washington. Mark Gaber, Senior Director for Redistricting at CLC delves into the problems with at-large districts and how they dilute the voting power of communities of color. Then, the Executive Director of Alaskans for Better Elections, Juli Lucky, explains to Simone how Alaska has enacted ranked choice voting and why states around the country are using this tool to improve democratic elections. Alexandra Copper, Legal Counsel for Litigation at CLC, breaks down how ranked choice voting can ensure that voters' voices are being heard. Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyDemocracy Decoded PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an  episode from The Great Battlefield podcast, with hosts Nathaniel Pearlman.Jahnavi Rao joins The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about her start in political activism, founding New Voters, which registers high school students to vote and now running New Voters Research Network where they use behavioral science tools to solve challenging problems.Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyThe Great Battlefield PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an  episode from Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other, hosted by Corey Nathan.You might recognize David Brooks from his columns in The New York Times or his essays in The Atlantic. Perhaps you’ve seen him on PBS NewsHour or Meet the Press. He’s also a prolific author. In fact, his 2019 book The Second Mountain was a major inspiration for this program. We discuss that as well as David’s new book, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen (Penguin Random House).Our conversation with "Brooksie" went in a number of surprising directions:Sociological observations (and confessions) of New York Mets fans;The way lifelong friends enrich our lives;Depression - fair warning that this section gets pretty gritty and candid;How, as observant Jews, we both discovered Christianity later in life;As Jews who are Christian, whether we have any ambivalence;American Evangelicalism - talk about ambivalence!David's writing process and the motivation of deadlines;and much, much more!Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management: www.mezawealth.comAnd you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.David's new book HOW TO KNOW A PERSON: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/652822/how-to-know-a-person-by-david-brooksAdditional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyTalkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an  episode from the How Do We Fix It? podcast, hosted by Richard Davies and Jim Meigs. Toxic polarization is "the problem that eats all other problems... It's the sludge at the base of everything else," our guest Mónica Guzmán tells us. In this really useful repeat episode from 2022, we learn how to fight back against the confusion and heartbreak of living with rigid divides.This show is a curtain raiser for a series we are doing this fall with funding from Solutions Journalism Network. We will be examining threats to our society from polarization and recent efforts to build a national movement to bridge divides.Monica is a bridge builder and author of the highly-praised book "I Never Thought Of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times". She serves as a Senior Fellow for Public Practice at the national depolarization organization, Braver Angels.This interview contains surprises. One of them, says Monica, is that "the anger and the rage that we see out there that defines our division doesn't actually exist that much on the one-to-one level,"She argues that the best tool we can use to have successful conversations with those we disagree with is our own curiosity. We also learn about Monica's personal story as the loving liberal daughter of Mexican immigrants who strongly supported Donald Trump. We hear how Mónica discovered ways to overcome divisions that hurt our relationships and society.In this episode, Monica discusses how we can put our natural sense of wonder to work, finding the answers needed to work with people,rather than score points against them. Bridging the gap involves asking questions that help you get across the difficult divides that are causing so much pain in our families and communities.We also learn about the work and practice of Braver Angels and its current campaign, "Rise For America."Additional InformationHow Do We Fix It? PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an  episode from the When the People Decide podcast, hosted by Jenna Spinelle.Librarians have spoken for years about “library faith,” the belief that public libraries are central to democracy because they contribute to an informed citizenry. Today, the idea is gaining even more traction, and even conservative crackdowns on what’s permitted in libraries reinforce the idea that they’re more than just “book warehouses” but centers for community engagement and representativeness. This week, hear from two librarians working to enhance the role libraries of libraries democracy and civic engagement. Shamichael Hallman explains how he brought his experience in tech and faith leadership to bear when he ran a branch of the Memphis Public Libraries, including bringing Civic Saturdays to his community, a program of Citizen University. And public policy advocate Nancy Kranich of Rutgers University shares the high hopes she has that libraries remain crucial institutions that allow us to engage with our government–and each other.Learn more about the podcast at thepeopledecide.show and follow us on Twitter @PeopleDecidePod.Additional InformationWhen the People Decide PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an  episode from the Democracy Matters podcast.In this episode, we talk with Dr. Anthony Fauci about the tensions between expertise and democratic decision-making during the pandemic, and his advice for navigating apathy and misinformation during the next major public health crisis.See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode atAdditional InformationDemocracy Matters PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.