The Purple Principle

“You want to know why we're polarized? You want to know why we have division?” Our featured guest Frank Garner posed this question to voters at the constitutional ballot initiative debate we attended in Helena, Montana and many similar events. “We have a system that allows for it and the pressure that is put on people… to vote a certain way.” A Republican member of the Montana House from 2015 to 2023, Garner spent over a year as the primary spokesperson for Montanans for Election Reform, the group that gathered 200 thousand signatures and fought off four lawsuits to place two Constitutional Initiatives (CI) on the 2024 ballot.  CI 126 proposed replacing the current primary system where voters receive a ballot from each party (then choose one to complete) with a single, unified primary ballot of all candidates from which the top 4 advance to a general election. While CI 127 would require a majority winner from those 4 candidates.  In this episode we also hear from Kendra Miller, Strategic Advisor to Montanans for Election Reform, on the critical need for competitive elections in “the last best place.”  “I think one of the more shocking stats,” says Miller, a data analyst with extensive campaign experience, “is that in 2022…only 6% of Montana voters effectively elected 88% of the Montana House.”  We then visit with former legislator Frank Garner on election night and into the next day as the results slowly come on the initiatives he's championed throughout this vast state.  Tune in for the final results and also reflections on the challenge of election reform messaging in a state saturated with ads from the most expensive US Senate race per capita in the country.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney

The 2024 election results are in and clearly underscore a rightward shift in American politics. Most pundits and many pollsters did not foresee such a clear victory for the GOP. But some of our Purple Principle guests from the past four seasons have recognized the important dynamics at play behind these results. Such as Carlos Curbelo on the shift of Hispanic voters and Thomas Edsall on the longstanding drift of the Democratic Party away from economic issues and toward identity politics.  In this bonus episode, we ask you, our Purple Principle listeners, to select your favorite guest insights using a ranked choice ballot available through our show notes and website. Please rank your top 5 of the 10 guest comments. We'll announce the winner on our next episode and display the tabulation on our website and social media. Link to this podcast on our website, with episode transcript and the ballot to rank your favorite insights:

“You meet them and you're like, ‘oh, wow, you're a good person trying to do the right thing, and there's nothing in it for you,'” says Andrew Yang, Founder and Co-Chair of the Forward Party. He's referring to largely volunteer teams around the country that have raised the profile for election reform in 2024. “I mean, what could be more worthy of praise than that combination of attributes?” Yang was a relative unknown upon entering the 2020 Democratic Presidential primaries. But that did not last long. He energized young voters with his informal approach to campaigning and practical position on innovative policies, such as universal basic income.  “The reason I do what I do is because I don't have that positive an outlook as to what America's future looks like if we don't get our s%%# together,” says Yang, also an author and frequent commentator on major news networks. “Like it or not, the world's future is determined very much by what happens here in the United States.” Tune in to find out why Yang and the Forward Party support election reform in all its variations for 2024 and beyond. And why $200 million dollars spent on election reform, which is less than that spent on several Senate campaigns this year, could transform American politics for the better.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

“It's a thrilling year. It's a tense year. I am a believer that this is a marathon,” says Rob Richie, Co-Founder and longtime Director of FairVote, the nation's foremost catalyst for ranked choice voting elections. “There's moments of excitement– of cresting hills, of victories and sometimes defeats.” In this Purple Principle episode, Richie recounts the highs and lows throughout the steady progression of ranked choice voting in US elections since co-founding FairVote three decades ago. For example, the successful implementation of RCV elections in Portland paved the way for the nation's first statewide ballot passage by Maine voters in 2016. That was followed by Alaska as part of Top Four voting reforms in 2020.  “Alaska and Maine, interestingly, those two states are ones where independents have done particularly well,” says Richie. “We've had governors be elected in both states as independents, and they're states that were always on the reform radar.”  In 2024, ranked choice voting has moved off the radar and onto ballots in multiple states– as a stand alone reform in Oregon and as part of Top Four or Five election reforms in Nevada, Colorado and Idaho. In the same period, though, nearly a dozen GOP dominated state legislatures have outlawed RCV.  Does that make it critical for RCV to pass in multiple states this election year? Richie, now a Senior Advisor to Fairvote, thinks RCV has a logic and a momentum all its own aside from election results. “Younger Americans, 50% of them do not identify with the major parties at this point,” says Richie. “So we're going to get away from two choice politics and Ranked Choice Voting will be part of that. But whether it happens doesn't depend on November.” Tune in to learn more about the first thirty years of RCV in the USA, from college campuses to city, town and county elections, and now to multiple state ballots in the same election cycle. And check out Fairvote.org for much more info on RCV.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

In 2020, Alaskans passed a first-in-the-nation voting system which helped energize similar reform efforts around the country. In 2024, Alaska voters are now presented with a ballot measure to repeal this same Final or “Top Four” system that includes a unified open primary of all candidates plus a ranked choice general election. Meanwhile, voters in Nevada, Idaho, Colorado and other states consider measures to pass major elements of  the “Alaska model.” This Purple Principle episode features discussion with election law expert and reform advocate Scott Kendall, a major catalyst behind “Top Four” in the frontier state. He explains the impetus behind the initial reform in terms of the perverse motivations elections have traditionally provided to candidates and elected representatives. “We have set up a system that gives all the wrong incentives and then we're surprised when people act on those incentives,” says Kendall, a former chief of staff to independent Governor Bill Walker. “It's as though a teacher graded their students' success on how much they misbehaved in class. And we wanted to change that.” By contrast, Republican state Senator Robert Myers stands in favor of the repeal effort, noting the longstanding Alaska tradition of forming bipartisan coalitions in the state legislature. “I think  this a problem in search of a solution,” Myers told us at the 2024 Alaska State Fair. “The way it was passed… a lot of people voting for campaign finance changes didn't realize they were voting to put in a jungle primary and ranked choice voting general election.” New System, Long Tradition? Independent Alaska House Representatives Calvin Schrage and Rebecca Himschoot see the Top Four or Ranked Choice Voting system differently. They think it will preserve and strengthen Alaska's less partisan, more pragmatic political tradition. “Going door to door on my campaign, I'm also talking to voters a lot about the initiative,” says Schrage, the House Minority Leader representing parts of Anchorage. “I think returning to the old system further empowers extreme partisan individuals to choose candidates for us.” Prior to election, Rep. Himschoot was a career educator with a window on family and community challenges in her historically low-income southeast Alaska district. She doubts she would have entered politics without the Top Four  system. “It's a planetary test,” says Himschoot. “If we can keep open primaries and ranked choice voting, we have a chance at our state getting to a better place.” Tune in for Part Two of this exploration of the frontiers of election reform. How did Alaska become the North Star for other reform efforts around the country? What seminal events laid the groundwork for Top Four  passage in 2020 and a first full set of elections in 2022? And what are the issues surrounding potential repeal of Top Four or Ranked Choice Voting just four years after initial passage?  The Purple Principles is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. 

“The notion of getting rid of a closed primary system in Alaska appealed to me instantly,” says former Alaska House Speaker Bryce Edgmon who has represented Bristol Bay and parts of the Aleutian Islands for nearly two decades. “It overrode right there almost on the spot any trepidation I might have about having to rank candidates or anything else that would eventually become part of the ballot measure that narrowly passed in Alaska.” Rep. Edgmon is referring to Alaska's first-in-nation passage of a final or top four voting system with a unified open primary plus ranked choice general election. In this episode we examine the dynamics of the first state legislature in the country to have been elected by this system in 2022, even as a ballot measure to repeal the system has been put before Alaska voters in 2024. We also discuss the dynamics of the Alaska legislature with Anchorage Daily News Reporter, Iris Samuels, and University of Alaska Southeast Political Science Professor, Dr. Glenn Wright.   “Alaska is fairly unique in that even before this election reform, we've had bipartisan and tri-partisan coalitions in the House and Senate,” says Samuels, who covers the Juneau State House. “But it has reinforced that phenomenon and made it possible for elected officials to envision doing that and not experience repercussions from within their party and from voters.”  “If you talk to incumbent politicians,” explains Dr. Wright, “ they will tell you that they're less concerned about the primary challenge now– that before the reform that was in the back of their mind. And they were thinking not about what do voters in my district want but what do party primary voters in my district want.” AFL-CIO President Joelle Hall has also observed what might be a similar deepening of Alaska's cross-partisan tendencies in the two years since passage of the top four reform.  “One of the ways that we are really different is that we have always come to a bipartisan coalition at the end of every decade,” observes Hall, a legislative lobbyist for nearly three decades. “Redistricting happens. Then slowly the two parties claw back to roughly even. So it's accelerated what is already a normal path in Alaska where we gravitate towards these coalitions. But our final guest on this first of two Alaska episodes, Rep. Alyse Galvin of Anchorage, cautions that these post reform dynamics have not yet translated into legislative action. That's partially because senior house leadership has blocked several bipartisan legislative efforts, while others were vetoed at the executive level.  “if we don't allow this to play out a bit more, I'd say one more cycle, maybe two,” says Galvin, previously a two time candidate for the US House, ”then we're really missing a big chance to get things done that will give Alaskans hope.” Tune in for five different perspectives on the first legislature in the country elected by final or top four voting as citizens in four other US states (NV, ID, CO & MT) consider passing the Alaskan model for less divisive elections toward more collaborative governance.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

Election reform is officially on the ballot for voter approval in Colorado this year. This “Top Four” voting system is similar to the Alaska model of a unified open primary plus ranked choice general election. But there is a catch to this Colorado ballot measure, and it came via the state legislature in the final moments of the 2024 session.  “Well, the last couple of days of the legislative session are very hectic,” says Jeni Arndt, a three term Democratic House Member in Colorado before her election as non-partisan Mayor of Fort Collins. “And you don't know every amendment that you're voting on in the last few days. But this was clearly an orchestrated effort to put in a poison pill.” The amendment in question requires at least 12 Colorado municipalities to pass and implement ranked choice voting elections before the state can do so. Thus it could delay citizen-will on this issue until at least 2028, even if voters overwhelmingly pass the initiative in November.  “When our legislature waits and passes a law with very little debate that no one basically really knew that that was in the bill,” says Republican State Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer, “that's wrong.”  Senator Kirkmeyer has not yet taken a position on the Top Four voting in Colorado. Both nationally and in Colorado her party has come out against any form of ranked choice voting. By contrast, Democratic opposition or concern around election reform has been more nuanced. “I think the folks who brought the amendment, I've worked closely with them on lots of different things,” says Democratic Senator Chris Hansen, a former House Member and former candidate for Mayor in Denver. “I think they were trying to make sure there was not an implementation issue with ranked choice if that moves forward in November.” Executive Director of Denver-based Unite America, Nick Troiano, is not so sure. He sees similar motivations behind both GOP and Democratic tactics in preventing or delaying these increasingly popular reform measures. “The fact that they went out of their way in a midnight effort to try and undermine the people's will not only demonstrates the potential impact of this reform,” says Troiano, author of The Primary Solution. “But it also demonstrates the problem that we're trying to solve, which is politicians are largely in it for their self-interest.” Was this Colorado amendment a self-interested poison pill or an effort to make RCV elections go smoothly once implemented? Tune in for three viewpoints on this question and make up your own independent mind. And stay tuned for more upcoming episodes on the various ways party and legislative leaders in multiple states begin pushing back on nonpartisan election reform momentum in 2024, a potentially historic year for depolarizing ballot initiatives. It's all part of our season long series on state and district level reform from Washington DC to Alaska with a record number of states in between, including Idaho, Nevada, South Dakota, Arizona, Oregon and now Colorado.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

“I've sat in rooms where we as Democrats have high-fived when a Libertarian party candidate gets into a competitive race,” recalls former Oregon House Speaker Dan Rayfield. “That's not democracy.” “And Republicans high five when a Green Party candidate gets into the race,” says Rayfield, currently running for Attorney General in Oregon. “That's not democracy.” Dan Rayfield is describing the spoiler effect of plurality voting, where a third party candidate with minimal support can determine the election outcome. Rayfield joined forces with Oregon-based campaign manager, Mike Alfoni, to do something about that spoiler effect. Namely, to promote ranked choice voting (RCV) first at the county and then the state level.  “I love the impossible, which is why I did this in the first place,” says Alfoni with reference to the legislature's recent passage of RCV for state and federal elections. Oregon is the first state in the country to do so. “And because everyone told me we couldn't do this, and then we did it anyway.” How did Rayfield and Alfoni blaze this Oregon trail for RCV? It took many years of patient effort in and outside the legislature, such as building a supporting network of community groups. And it took compromise, such as agreeing to remove state level legislature elections at the request of County Clerks.  Tune in to hear more about first-in-the-nation Oregon, the prospects there for citizen ballot passage in November, and whether this Oregon trail could be followed by other reform leaders and legislatures around the country seeking to depolarize our politics.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

In 2024, Nevada voters will see a ballot Question 3 strikingly similar to the question on Final Five voting that passed by 6 points back in 2022. That's because a constitutional amendment must be passed by voters twice in succession, according to Nevada law.  And should voters approve Question 3 again this year, Nevada will become the second state (after Alaska) to implement this ambitious electoral voting reform system including a unified open primary and ranked choice general election.   “After we won,” recalls Cesar Marquez of Nevada's first passage of Final Five Voting in 2022, “Sondra, Doug, and I and so many others, we felt, okay, we now have two years to talk about ranked choice voting.” A former Tesla Engineer, Marquez is referring to his colleagues Doug Goodman of Nevadans for Election Reform and Dr. Sondra Cosgrove of Vote Nevada.  In this episode We learn how Goodman, a retired military veteran, began working on election reform in the Silver State a decade ago.  Initially, Goodman lobbied extensively for legislative action before pivoting to the ballot initiative process. He recalls:  “One of the questions I was posing to business leaders at the time was, if you had a more open electoral system, could that be a tiebreaker if a company was considering moving to Nevada?”  Sonda Cosgrove,  a history professor at Southern Nevada College, soon joined Goodman in that effort. She had noticed an alarming and counterintuitive trend in her efforts at Vote Nevada. Yes, more voters were registering to vote. But they were not voting in larger numbers.  “And so we started realizing that they were being turned off right at the get-go in the primary,” says Cosgrove.” That's when.. .they were just kind of opting out.” Marquez joined forces with Goodman and Cosgrove to place Final Five Voting on that 2022 ballot. But he came at political reform from a very different direction.  “The first thing I'll say is that I never liked politics, I still don't like politics,” admits Marquez. “ My background is in engineering, and I've worked in manufacturing for my whole career.” What do a military veteran, academic historian and engineer turned reformer have in common?  Is ranked choice voting best demonstrated by a “rank the drink” event in English or “rank the taco” evening in Spanish? The Purple Principles discusses these and other election reform questions in this latest episode of our season-long state election reform series. We began in Idaho then traveled to Washington DC, Alaska, South Dakota and Arizona, before landing here in Nevada.    The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

“Everybody likes to think about these reforms as being revolutionary,” says Paul Johnson, former Mayor of Phoenix, now Co-Chair of Make Elections Fair AZ, on the record number of state level election reforms in play this year. “They're not. City governments have been doing these reforms for about 50 to 60 years.” Johnson, a former Democrat turned Independent, is leading a third attempt at opening primary elections in Arizona to independent and unaffiliated voters through a 2024 citizen ballot initiative that also amends the state constitution to allow ranked choice general elections. He's joined in this effort by GOP strategist Chuck Coughlin, a veteran of hundreds of candidate and issue campaigns in the Grand Canyon state and now treasurer at Make Elections Fair AZ. “The very basis of our thinking is that if you're going to use taxpayer money to run an election,” says Coughlin, “you have to treat every voter the same. You have to treat every candidate the same. I mean, that is a principle part of our American jurisprudence and the way we govern ourselves.” A Measured Approach In this episode, we learn how Johnson and Coughlin initially hoped to pursue the Alaska election Final Five Voting model of a unified open primary plus ranked choice general election. Ultimately, they decided on a measured approach with higher probability of success. “We did five statewide surveys trying to see if we could get that done, which would be a Final Five open primary, " says Coughlin. “I concluded in June of last year that that was not possible.... Paul and his colleagues came back and said, ‘Hey, we just want to do an open primary.'” Listen to the episode as Chuck and Paul share the data behind their incremental approach to election reform. Past Rivals Work Together We also hear how two political rivals (Paul & Chuck) joined forces in advocating for more sensible elections and pragmatic representation in the highly polarized state of Arizona. “I always liked to tease Chuck that the only job that he had in the governor's office was to destroy my career,” says Paul Johnson of two Gubernatorial campaign losses to candidates supported by Coughlin. “And he likes to tease me back, he did a pretty good job.” Is this the year Arizona voters embrace the principle of treating all voters and candidates the same in their elections? In fact, this Arizona amendment could precede further general election reform via the legislature or citizen ballot process. Opening party-run primaries could even happen in the near term. Looking Ahead This episode is part of our season-long non partisan election reform series. Previous episodes have visited Washington DC, Idaho and South Dakota. Upcoming episodes travel to Nevada, Colorado and Alaska.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

“I like to say the stars are aligned for open primaries right now,” says South Dakota Open Primaries Director Joe Kirby. “I think there's a realization that closed primaries simply don't make sense when you're in a single party state.” “I also think that Open Primaries will foster a more representative and functional government,” adds De Knudson, former Sioux Falls City Councilor and Co-Director of “Amendment H” - an effort to create a single unified primary of all candidates from which the top two advance to the general election. This 2024 South Dakota measure is more modest than reforms advanced by the same team eight years ago which failed by ten points on Election Day. “We learned a valuable lesson in 2016,” admits Kirby, a business entrepreneur also involved in political reform efforts for three decades. “We tried to do two things at once. We tried to bring open primaries to South Dakota at the same time we tried to remove party labels.”  In this episode, John Opdycke, Founder and President of the national organization Open Primaries, explains why the 2024 crop of non-partisan election reforms is more robust and more diverse.  “Part of what I think is so healthy is that the national groups are saying, Hey, let us show you our research, let us show you what this looks like from up looking down,” says Opdycke, one of the nation's foremost experts on election reform. “And the local people say, great, that's really helpful. Let us show you what our local polling looks like. Let us show you what our political culture looks like.”  For Joe Kirby, De Knudson and many other supporters, Amendment H is an effort to turn away from political extremism and divisiveness and back toward traditional South Dakota values.  “I really love South Dakota,” says Knudson. “I care lots about government. I just knew that I didn't have a choice. I had to give this one more shot, and I really am confident that we will win this on November 5th.” Tune in to find out more about the 2024 South Dakota open primaries initiative– past lessons learned and prospects for passage this year.  This episode is part of our season long series on state level non partisan election reform ballot measures in 2024– from Washington DC to Alaska with numerous states in between– Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, South Dakota, and, next up, Arizona. With a record number of state level reforms this year, stay tuned to see if the stars align in South Dakota and on a national level. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

In this bonus episode we revisit the vast nation-sized state of Alaska, model for election reform in numerous states around the country even as that voting system of an open, unified primary plus instant runoff general election faces a potential 2024 recall ballot measure back in the frontier state.  The Purple Principle has made three previous audio visits to Alaska, arguably our least partisan, most indy-minded state with 60% of voters choosing not to register with either major party. We first revisit our initial Alaska episode from the fall of 2020 to learn how campaign manager, Shea Siegert, was persuaded to take on that challenge by his own family's enthusiasm for non-partisan voting reform. “I was having a conversation with my mother who lives in Boise, Idaho the other day,” Siegert confides. “And she said, every time I look at the news, I think about your ballot measure. And it just makes more and more sense.” Next we hear from independent Alaska House Member Calvin Schrage in the fall of 2022 as the Alaska voting model is put to the test for the first time. That election produced a pragmatic split ticket outcome with reelection of conservative governor Mike DunLeavey, moderate indy-minded US Senator Lisa Murkowski, and the pragmatic centrist House Democrat, Mary Peltola.  Our recent season four discussion with Native Alaskan Mary Peltola completes our trek across three episodes, highlighted by the advice she received some years before upon election to the Alaska state legislature.  “So when I was first elected, I was in my mid-twenties and I imagined, like most people do, that I was going to Juneau to fight, to fight against our enemies and fight for my district,” Peltola tells us. “And when I got there, one of my colleagues told me you have to have 59 best friends if you want to accomplish anything.” Tune in to find out how Rep. Peltola broke bread across the political aisles in this bonus episode with Alaska-related insights from Katherine Gehl, architect of Final Five Voting, Eric Bronner of Veterans for All Voters, as well as Doug Goodman of Nevadans for Better Elections and Lisa Rice of Make All Votes Count DC, both of whom have looked to Alaska as a model for their own reform efforts.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.

It was nearing summer temperatures on this early June primary voting day outside a polling station in Washington, DC. Lisa Rice, official Proposer of Initiative 83, is wearing a sandwich board with the message, “Ask Me Why I Can't Vote Today?” “Why can't you vote today?” asks a woman on her way to vote. “Because I'm an independent,” Lisa replies. “ I'm not affiliated with the Democratic party or the Republican party and we're barred from voting in the primary…” “All day people came up to me and asked at every polling place,” Lisa tells us in this extended episode introducing several members of the Make All Votes Count DC team. “So people definitely wanted to know why and it was great conversations all day long.” We also meet Philip Pannell, Make All Vote Votes Count Treasurer, on this episode. A long time Democratic Party official and activist, Philip was widely recognized at the Capital Pride Parade where we met him. Yet despite his storied credentials, Philip's encountered no small amount of negative reaction to his support for Initiative 83 from longtime Democratic Party colleagues. “Independents are pretty much left out of the decision making because all the action is pretty much in the Democratic Party,” Philip tells us, adding he still believes the Democratic party is the best vehicle for opportunity and justice. “They like to say that if you want to participate in our primary, you have to be a Democrat. That's not forward of thinking, that's not bringing more people in.” Kenyatta Smith is a District Outreach Coordinator for the predominantly African American areas in East D.C, where gentrification creates added challenges for Initiative 83 outreach. “I want to keep it black too,” Kenyatta confides. “I want us to be in power still. I feel strongly about that. But I also want to challenge my community to educate themselves on something new.” Meet these and other members of the Make All Votes Count DC team this episode, another in our series on the record number of non-partisan election reform initiatives in play for the 2024 election. And learn how leadership and teamwork have come together behind the Initiative 83 effort, now in its final stages of signature collection for the November 2024 Washington DC voter ballot.  SHOW NOTES Our Guests: From Make All Votes Count DC: Lisa D. T. Rice (Proposer of Ballot Initiative 83), Philip Pannell (Treasurer), Kenyatta Smith (District Coordinator), Miguel Deramo (Steering Committee Member), and Nate Roseboro (Volunteer Petitioner).  Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online: Twitter: @purpleprincipl Youtube: @thepurpleprinciple  Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/online-conspiracies  Subscribe to our newsletter: bit.ly/3wDbr4o  Make All Votes Count DC social media accounts: Make All Votes Count DC Twitter Make All Votes Count DC Instagram Make All Votes Count DC Facebook Additional Resources / Fact Checking: Ballotpedia – Initiative 83 Wikipedia – Initiative 83 Party affiliation among adults in the Washington, DC metro area. Pew Research Center (2014).  About Us. Make All Votes Count DC.  Registrant Disclosure for Make All Votes Count DC. The District of Columbia - Office of Campaign Finance E-Filing.  End Taxation Without Representation Tags. DC Department of Motor Vehicles.  Phillip Pannell, Longtime LGBTQIA+ Activist, Leader, Emphasizes Continued Advocacy for Local Communities. Washington Informer. 

In April of 2024, Luke Mayville, co-founder of the grassroots organization ReClaim Idaho, addressed volunteers on the final day of signature gathering for this year's Open Primaries and Final Four Voting ballot initiative.  “We are here today because we are tired of playing the same old game under a broken set of rules,” Luke told the 50 or so volunteers gathered in Boise's IvyWild Park that morning.  “The root of the problem,” Mayville stated, “ is the fact that there are 270,000 independent voters who are blocked from voting in the most important primary elections. And the root of the problem is that we don't even have competitive general elections.” Continuing our Purple Principle (TPP) series on the record number of nonpartisan state-level election reform efforts in 2024, this episode profiles the coalition working to advance Idaho's Open Primary initiative. The initiative is patterned in part after the Alaska “Final Four Voting” model first proposed by Katherine Gehl, author, business leader, and TPP guest earlier this season.  Margaret Kinzel of Mormon Women for Ethical Government, or MWEG, represents another important member of this non-partisan coalition. “ One of the things that helped me sign on to being active in this effort was hearing how many of our races are uncontested in the 2022 election,”  Margaret explains. “Nine of the 38 districts, the race for state senator and the two-state representatives were uncontested. So you had no choice to vote for; you either voted for the candidate or you didn't.” Retired Attorney General and former Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice, Jim Jones, is another important coalition leader. “After the 2022 Alaska election, “Jones explains, “ it appeared to me that this was the answer to Idaho's problem because we had gotten so involved in culture wars, and the culture warriors were essentially picked by the Republican Party, which had been taken over by extremists.” Tune in to learn more about the Idaho coalition that collected and submitted over 90 thousand signatures toward election reform in a largely conservative state and meet coalition leaders Luke Mayville (Reclaim Idaho), Margaret Wentzl (Mormon Women for Ethical Government) and former Idaho Supreme Court Justice Jim Jones.  Sometimes a village is not enough and it takes a broad coalition to take on “a broken election system.” The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.  SHOW NOTES Our Guests: Luke Mayville, Co-founder Reclaim Idaho. Margaret Kinzel, Co-Liasson, Mormon Women For Ethical Government. Jim Jones, Former Attorney General Idaho.  Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Youtube: @thepurpleprinciple  Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja  Resources:  https://www.reclaimidaho.org/ https://www.mormonwomenforethicalgovernment.org/ https://idahocapitalsun.com/author/jim-jones/  https://idahocapitalsun.com/2024/05/01/having-exceeded-goal-idaho-open-primary-supporters-submit-final-signatures-for-verification/ https://idahocapitalsun.com/2024/04/24/idaho-open-primary-supporters-make-final-push-before-may-1-deadline/ https://sos.idaho.gov/elect/primary_elections_in_idaho.html https://represent.us/2024-campaigns/idaho-final-four-voting/ https://store.hbr.org/product/the-politics-industry-how-political-innovation-can-break-partisan-gridlock-and-save-our-democracy/10367 https://sos.idaho.gov/elect/stcon/article_I.html#:~:text=All%20men%20are%20by%20nature,POWER%20INHERENT%20IN%20THE%20PEOPLE https://idahocapitalsun.com/2024/05/23/almost-24-of-idahos-registered-voters-voted-in-primary-election-initial-estimates-show/

Katherine Gehl, co-author of The Politics Industry and Founder of The Institute for Political Innovation, has always asked herself what she needed “to do in order to change the political situation.” “So at first I needed to sell my business,” Katherine tells us. “Then I needed to make the intellectual  case.. And then I needed to try to sell this reform to people. It just went like that.” Today, in 2024, after many years of effort and adaptation, Katherine Gehl's Final Four or Final Five voting initiatives are now poised to be on the ballot in another four states (Nevada, Idaho, Montana and Colorado) having passed in Alaska back in 2020, which then held the first such election in 2022.   Katherine recounts that in the time she's been working on these reforms, “going all the way back to 2013, but really trying to raise money actively since 2015, the reception has changed dramatically.” In this episode, which launches our extended series on 2024 election reform initiatives, we'll learn how non-partisan, competition-based election reform has gained traction among donors, reformers and voters alike. We'll also get a better understanding of how her institute and action fund “catalyze” grassroots leaders in reform-minded states, such the former Idaho Attorney General Jim Jones and Reclam Idaho founder Luke Mayhew.  “The combination of someone like Luke with Jim Jones is a bit of a dream that you could put that together,” Katherine recounts, while also detailing emerging efforts in Colorado and Montana and the second ballot initiative in Nevada this cycle as required by the state constitution.  Will this be the year Final Five Voting moves onto the national stage and transforms the incentives of elected officials in these pathbreaking states?  Tune in to learn more from Katherine Gehl, co-author of The Politics Industry (with Harvard Business School Professor, Michael Porter) and a central catalyst in the nation's growing non-partisan election reform movement.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.   SHOW NOTES Our Guest: Katherine Gehl, Reform Strategist & Founder, The Institute for Political Innovation (IPI) Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Youtube: @thepurpleprinciple  Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja  Resources:  Institute for Political Innovation  https://hbr.org/2020/07/fixing-u-s-politics https://ballotpedia.org/Alaska_election_results,_2022 https://www.uniteamericainstitute.org/research/alaskas-election-model-how-the-top-four-nonpartisan-primary-system-improves-participation-competition-and-representation https://store.hbr.org/product/the-politics-industry-how-political-innovation-can-break-partisan-gridlock-and-save-our-democracy/10367 https://www.veteransforallvoters.org/ https://ballotpedia.org/Nevada_Question_3,_Top-Five_Ranked-Choice_Voting_Initiative_(2022) https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/after-restructuring-is-nevada-ranked-choice-ballot-measure-ready-for-election https://vote.nyc/page/ranked-choice-voting https://www.rcvmontana.org/petition https://rcvforcolorado.org/ https://idahocapitalsun.com/author/jim-jones/ https://idahocapitalsun.com/2024/05/01/having-exceeded-goal-idaho-open-primary-supporters-submit-final-signatures-for-verification/ https://www.reclaimidaho.org/ https://www.reclaimidaho.org/medicaid https://kentthiry.com/about/ https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/rankedchoicefaq.html https://idahocapitalsun.com/2024/03/11/proposed-constitutional-amendment-to-block-ranked-choice-voting-fails-in-idaho-house/ https://wisconsinwatch.org/2024/01/wisconsin-republican-voting-senate-assembly-legislation-bill-watch/

“The Presidential race might get thrown into the House of Representatives,” says Dr. Sam Wang of the Princeton Gerrymandering Initiative in this episode. “And in the House of Representatives, every state gets one vote.”  Both a neuroscientist and recognized authority on gerrymandering, Wang is highlighting the connection between partisan gerrymanders in states throughout the country and following on effects at the national level in the US House but potentially also the White House.  “And certainly when I've done cases involving congressional delegations, a piece of it is the one Sam mentioned,” echoes Paul Smith, Senior Vice President at Campaign Legal Center. “Who's going to control the delegation for this particularly unusual house resolution of presidential elections?” In this two-guest episode, we'll discuss the strategies behind partisan gerrymanders and the leading defenses against them. These include lawsuits argued by Paul Smith and other litigators and the establishment of independent redistricting commissions at the state level. “A well-crafted citizens commission that's non-partisan is always going to do a more fair and balanced job than a partisan legislature,” says Smith, citing the cases of California and Michigan.  “Right now, we're stuck playing small ball, getting small things locally like, say, rank choice voting or redistricting reform,” explains Sam Wang, whose gerrymandering report cards are often cited in legal cases. “The long game is to start implementing some of the bigger reforms and repairs.” Tune in for two informed views on how the tide is turning against partisan gerrymandering in critical states like Wisconsin and how plugging the gerrymander leak in one state prevents even more significant problems at the national level.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.  SHOW NOTES Our Guests: Sam Wang, Founder & Director, Princeton Gerrymandering Project. Paul Smith, Senior Vice President Campaign Legal Center.   Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Youtube: @thepurpleprinciple  Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja  Resources:  https://campaignlegal.org/ https://gerrymander.princeton.edu/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2012/11/09/house-democrats-got-more-votes-than-house-republicans-yet-boehner-says-hes-got-a-mandate/ https://history.house.gov/Institution/Election-Statistics/ https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Congressional_elections_results,_2012 https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2012/results/house.html npost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-says-federal-courts-dont-have-a-role-in-deciding-partisan-gerrymandering-claims/2019/06/27/2fe82340-93ab-11e9-b58a-a6a9afaa0e3e_story.html https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/initiative-and-referendum-states https://www.michigan.gov/micrc/about/meet-the-commissioners https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-constitution/section-11.1 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/11/us/redistricting-map-utah-salt-lake-city.html https://apnews.com/article/utah-redistricting-3cb3fb05e7253f3ec3d26749138bea9e https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/01/wisconsin-supreme-court-rejects-democrats-congressional-redistricting-challenge-00144529

The 700-plus attendees at the 2024 Principles First Summit in Washington DC come from various locations and backgrounds yet attended this event for similar political reasons: all are concerned about authoritarian trends within today's GOP.  Blaire Egan, for example, had been questioning her GOP political orientation since interning on Capitol Hill for a Republican legislator. Jeff Mayhew points to congressional gridlock, especially within the US House, as a major obstacle to functional, representative government. Mike Cantwell has long been a politically engaged military veteran working on election reform, among other issues, from an independent perspective.  These are a few of the many attendees Producer Alex Couraud interviewed at this year's Summit, held the same weekend as the Trump-dominated CPAC.  Tune in to this season four episode to move beyond simplistic labels of red vs. blue, Republican vs. Democrat, and learn about various efforts looking to shore up American democracy at this difficult time.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production—original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.  SHOW NOTES Our Guests: Jeff Mayhugh, Blair Egan, Liam Kerr, and Mike Cantwell  Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Youtube: @thepurpleprinciple  Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja 

“I'm still in it to hold a mirror up to my GOP colleagues,” former RNC Chair Michael Steele tells us in this episode. “To show them how unLincolnlike they have become.” Michael Steele has borne painful witness to that transformation over the past two-plus decades as the first African American Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, then RNC Chair in 2009-2011, as well as US Senate Candidate.  Steele may have been one of the first prominent Republicans to push back on the populist redirection of the party back in 2009 when he tussled with popular right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh over who led the Republican party.  “It did say a lot about a base that had become very animated and defensively protective,” Steele recalls of the pushback from that episode, including a drop in RNC fundraising.   Steele reexamines that moment in recent GOP history and reflects on a GOP today that, in his view, has turned its back on conservative principles of personal liberty and freedom, and also long-held Republican positions on US foreign policy.  “Reagan is probably looking at their dance with Putin, Orban and others, going: who are these people?” Join us for an informed, concerned discussion with Michael Steele, now an MSNBC host and commentator, on why Americans need to stay civically engaged despite the political theatrics of this 2024 election year and our current political era.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.  SHOW NOTES Our Guest Micheal Steele, MSNCB Political Analyst, Former RNC Chairman, and Former Lt. Gov, (Maryland). Twitter.   Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Youtube: @thepurpleprinciple  Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja 

“I'm the only candidate that was Head of the DEA, that was in charge of border security in the Bush administration, governor for eight years,” says our featured guest, Asa Hutchinson.  Yet despite possessing perhaps the most impressive resume among GOP presidential candidates, Hutchinson failed to receive substantial media attention or garner significant support from  Iowa caucus goers. There's just so much happening in his world that you have to say is newsworthy,” says Hutchinson of Trumpian media attention.  It's hard to get any other message out.” Hutchinson also speaks to the possibility of a significant third-party candidacy for president in 2024, such as from the bipartisan group, No Labels.  “Right now you've got two major parties that are giving Americans what they don't want– “They don't want another Biden Trump rematch,” says  Hutchinson. “So  I think there is a potential for a third-party candidacy this year”. Full episode are available on our website (purpeprinciple.com), on YouTube with video highlights, and on all major streaming apps.  The Purple Principle is Fluent Knowledge Production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.  SHOW NOTES Our Guest Asa Hutchinson,  2024 POTUS Candidate, Gov. Arkansas (2015-2023), US House Rep. (R-AK) 2001-2003. Hutchinson's Twitter. Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Youtube: @thepurpleprinciple 

“I had been a conservative critic of mainstream media bias for many years,” says author and MSNBC columnist, Charlie Sykes, a “contrarian conservative” and our featured guest. “It  suddenly occurred to me that we had succeeded in not just critiquing the liberal bias, but in destroying  the credibility of  fact-based media altogether.” Sykes is the author of the notable 2017 book, How the Right Lost Its Mind. Within our interview, as in the book, he is unsparing of himself and other traditional conservatives for paving the way for MAGA populism. Yet he emphasizes there is still some degree of factionalism within the GOP.  A  sizable number of these more traditionally conservative Republicans were in attendance at the 2024 Principles First Summit in Washington DC, where we spoke with Sykes. Held the same weekend as the feverishly pro-Trump CPAC event a few miles away, this year's Summit included appearances by  Adam Kinzinger, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Cassady Hutchinson.   There are more than 700 people,” Sykes observes.” And you look at the panels, the people who are speaking, they represent some of the most prominent conservatives, influential conservatives of just the past few decades.” Join us for this conversation with contrarian conservative, Charlie Sykes, author of How the Right Lost Its Mind and MSNBC columnist.   The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.  SHOW NOTES Our Guest Charlie Sykes, MSNBC Columnist. Author of How The Right Lost Its Mind. Sykes's book, and Twitter. Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Youtube: @ThePurplePriniple Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja 

“My goal in this book isn't just to diagnose the problem,” explains Nick Troiano, Executive Director of Unite America. “But to give people a solution that is viable and can happen right there in their own states.” That book is “The Primary Solution: Rescuing Our Democracy from the Fringes,” published this week by Simon & Schuster in time for another polarizing primary season. Yet Nick notes in the book, as in our interview, that a record number of 2024 state level efforts to reform primary elections may soon shift the US Congress from gridlock to governance.  “This will be the most robust year for election reform that we've seen in the modern era,” says Troiano who ran for Congress a decade ago in his mid twenties as an independent in Pennsylvania. “The people do agree that every voter should have the right to vote for any candidate in every election, and that elected officials have to win a majority of votes to get elected.” Troiano also details the importance of Alaska's Final Four electoral reforms, passed in 2020 and utilized in the 2022 election, as proof of concept for other state and city efforts.  “At the end of the day, we all have one vote,” says Troiano. “There's nothing so wrong with the state of our democracy that we can't fix with the tools that our democracy gives us to do so.”  Tune in to learn how as few as 6 state level initiatives could motivate Congress to tackle such long standing chronic issues as the fiscal deficit, gun violence and immigration reform.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Guest Nick Troiano: Bio, X (Twitter) Executive Director, Unite America Additional Resources Nicks Book Information Primary Elections  Alaska Case Study by Unite America  Problem Solving Caucus  Nevada and Open Primaries  Find us online! X: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja

“Every time I talk to someone about running for office, the first thing they say is, Eric, you have to pick a team,” confides Navy veteran Eric Bronner, COO of the non-partisan group Veterans for All Voters.  “And something didn't sit right with me. So the pump was primed, as my parents would say, for some kind of awakening.” That awakening occurred  listening to a Freakonomics podcast episode with former Purple Principle  guest Katherine Gehl, co-author of The Politics Industry. In that episode, as in our own 2021 interview, Gehl  highlighted the lack of incentives our elected officials have to govern effectively.   To tackle that  problem, Eric and his co-founders are forming a nationwide network of veterans to volunteer on behalf of state level election reform initiatives like opening primaries to the large percentage of registered independent or unaffiliated veterans unable to vote in primary elections and also to advance Final Four or Five voting as detailed in The Politics Industry.  “The last thing we need is more partisanship,” says Bronner who now works full time coordinating  hundreds of volunteers in forty states and counting. “We can have differences of opinion, right? But the system itself is broken.” Tune in to meet three other veterans behind this effort and find out how Bronner and Veterans For All Voters hope to mend the system in this 2024 election cycle and beyond. The Purple Principle is Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.   SHOW NOTES Our Guests Eric Bronner: Bio, X (Twitter) Co-founder and COO of Veterans for All Voters Additional Resources Show Me Integrity  Freakonomics: America's Hidden Duopoly The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy by Katherine M. Gehl and Michael E. Porter Find us online! X: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja

“I know that I would not be in this position if we didn't have the Final Four system,” Representative Mary Peltola (D-AK) tells us in this first Purple Principle episode of season four. “Because I would not have made it through a partisan primary.”  A native Alaskan, Representative Peltola gained re-election to the US House on the third ballot of the nation's first Final Four election in 2022. Final Four Voting combines a unified open primary with a ranked choice general election. The intended goal is to replace the current system of polarizing party-led primaries. Final Four Voting Across Party Lines Peltola's election to the US House may seem surprising from a vast, largely rural state with twice as many registered Republicans as Democrats. But the majority of Alaskan voters are registered as non-partisan or unaffiliated.  Final Four: Lessons for the Lower 48? Prior to US House election, Peltola was a member of the bipartisan “Bush Caucus" within the Alaska House of Representatives. Now, after moving to what feels like a foreign country, she continues to work across the aisle in Washington, DC.  “I have had very few opportunities just to eat with Republicans and I am very eager to meet and collaborate with as many Republicans as I can,” she explains. “I'm a member of the Western Caucus, which right now is 106 Republicans and me.” Peltola is hopeful US House polarization can be overcome yet clear-eyed about the current gridlock. “The entrenchment is so deep,” she tells us.  Does this vast, frontier state and it's current Rep. hold lessons for our divided nation? Tune in to learn more about Mary Peltola's bipartisan efforts in the US House and the distinctive culture of her native Alaska.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.  Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja

“The American people want serious people to solve serious challenges,“ declares former Texas Congressman Will B. Hurd in this season finale on the U.S. House of Representatives. “That's the lesson we should take away from 2022.”  But he's quick to add, “I don't think that lesson is going to be implemented in this new congress.” Hurd then dissects the GOP factionalism at work in the contested house speaker's election and confirms that most House members are more interested in “messaging bills” than progress on tough, important issues like immigration and climate change.  The Purple Principle covered the U.S. Senate in our previous episode with former centrist Senators Doug Jones and Bob Corker. This episode we turn to the unruly chamber next door in discussion with Will B. Hurd, former CIA officer, three-term Texas Congressman and author of American Reboot.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production; original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Let us know!: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey SHOW NOTES The Purple Principle has been nominated for three Signal Awards, but we need your help. Click here to cast a vote! Our Guest Will Hurd is a former three-term Congressman for Texas' 23rd Congressional District, serving in the U.S. House from 2015 to 2021. A former CIA officer and cybersecurity executive, he's the author of the recently released book American Reboot: An Idealist's Guide to Getting Big Things Done. Find him on Twitter @WillHurd More episode resources: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/new-us-house Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney Subscribe to Purple Principle Premium on Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple   Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report  Follow us on:   Mastodon: mastodon.social/@purpleprinciple Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Youtube: youtube.com/@thepurpleprinciple TPP website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ

“It appears to me that the fever has broken,” observes Bob Corker, former two-term GOP Senator from Tennessee. ”And there's gonna be a real serious debate on the Republican side of the aisle as to where the party is gonna go in 2024.” Fading GOP loyalty to former President Trump is the elephant in the room as we discuss the 2022 election, successes of the current Congress, and prospects for governance going forward.  “Right now you got a lot of folks feeling their oats over in the House” says Doug Jones, the Democratic winner of an Alabama special election in 2017. “And they have promised a lot of oversight, a lot of investigations… Who the hell knows? On the Senate side, though, it will be steady as she goes.”  Join the conversation with two centrist U.S. Senate alumni--Doug Jones, a storied civil rights litigator, and Bob Corker, who raised alarms during the Trump administration as Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee.  The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.   How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Let us know!: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey SHOW NOTES The Signal Awards has recognized The Purple Principle as a finalist in three award categories, but we need your votes to win. Click here and search "purple principle" to find our nominated episodes and vote! Our Guests  The Hon. Bob Corker is a former Republican Senator from Tennessee, serving for two terms in Congress. A commercial real estate developer, he began his political career as commissioner for the Tennessee Finance and Administration Department before being elected Mayor of Chattanooga in 2001. While a member of the U.S. Senate, Corker served as Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee. You can follow him on Twitter @SenBobCorker The Hon. Doug Jones is a former Democratic Senator from Alabama, serving in Congress for three years after a high-profile special election in 2017. He was the first Democrat to represent Alabama in the U.S. Senate in over two decades. Jones was appointed U.S. Attorney for Alabama's Northern District in 1997, and is known for his prosecution of two Ku Klux Klan members for their role in the 1963 Birmingham church bombing. You can follow him on Twitter @DougJones More episode resources: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/centrist-senators Subscribe to Purple Principle Premium on Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple   Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report Follow us on: Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Mastodon: @purpleprinciple@mastodon.social Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ

Happy Thanksgiving from The Purple Principle team! This week we're revisiting an episode from November 2021.  In the aftermath of another fractious election season, and heading into the holiday season, it feels appropriate to bring psychologist Tania Israel back into the feed. She explains the active listening methods we need to have genuine conversations across the political divide and across the dinner table, when opposing viewpoints are in the house. Are we Americans trapped in our end zones of polarized bubbles ever more motivated to reason away conflicting viewpoints?  Our featured guest, psychologist Tania Israel, thinks not and should know. Dr. Israel has been holding workshops over the past two decades to help participants bridge political and social divisions. In this Purple Principle episode, co-hosts Robert Pease & Jillian Youngblood speak with Tania about these workshops, her flowchart that (almost) solved political polarization, and her book, Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide.  With Dr. Israel's facilitation, we apply the bubble bursting toolkit to a serious in-house case of affective (aka negative) polarization -- Jillian's deep dislike of the New England Patriots, especially ex-Patriot and presumptive GOAT (greatest of all time), quarterback Tom Brady, stemming from her identity as a New York Jets Fan.  “I'm so glad you brought up something that's so central to our democracy,” quips Israel, who gamely plays along as we advance this metaphor down the political football field.   Family gatherings were never friction-free. Then polarization came along. Listen in for helpful advice from an all-star in respectful and compassionate dialogue, just in time for Thanksgiving.  Author and scholar Dr. Tania Israel is the first guest in our three-part Holiday Survival Kit. More here: https://fluentknowledge.com/holiday-kit   SHOW NOTES Our Guests Tania Israel: Website, Twitter, Book, Faculty page.   Additional Resources How to Win a Political Argument | Dr. Tania Israel | TEDxSanLuisObispo Moderates are less likely to post about their political views on social media | Pew Research Bipartisan Public Consensus Offers Direction for US Foreign Policy in Second Bush Term | Dr. Steven Kull The Bias Blind Spot: Perceptions of Bias in Self Versus Others Motivated Skepticism in the Evaluation of Political Beliefs | AJPS Tom Brady suspension case timeline NFL History - Super Bowl Winners | ESPN   Subscribe to Purple Principle Premium w/Apple Podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple   Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report  Follow us on: Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ

The 2022 election will consume us over the coming days, weeks, and months. There will likely be recounts, runoffs and court challenges before a new Congress takes shape.  This Purple Principle episode highlights concerns surrounding this election, with many GOP candidates questioning election integrity, while providing context and perspective from a variety of guests.  For Sarah Longwell of the Republican Accountability Project, the question is whether Democrats nominated “broadly appealing candidates” attractive enough to swing voters.  Dr. Adrienne Jones of Morehouse College finds a silver lining in the Senate race between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and GOP challenger Hershel Walker–the first such contest between two African Americans in Georgia history.  And Dr. Charles Bullock, the respected University of Georgia scholar, proposes recalculation of former President Trump's endorsement “batting average” while suggesting GOP leadership could distance itself from Trump as a result of these losses.  Tune in for important insights on and around the 2022 election. How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Let us know!: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Featured Guests from past episodes: Sarah Longwell - Executive Director, Republican Accountability Project Thomas Edsall - New York Times Columnist Will Hurd - Former CIA Agent and U.S. Congressman for TX-23 Chuck Rocha - Democratic Political Strategist, The Latino Vote co-host Mike Madrid - GOP Political Strategist, The Latino Vote co-host Dan Goodgame - Editor-in-Chief of Texas Monthly Joel Kotkin - Chapman University Professor, Author Deval Patrick - Former Massachusetts Governor Charles Bullock - Chair in Political Science at the University of Georgia Adrienne Jones - Assistant Professor of Political Science at Morehouse College Bill Walker - former Governor of Alaska, 2022 gubernatorial candidate Chris Bail - Director of the Duke University Polarization Lab More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/election-2022 Follow us on: Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report Want more purple content? Subscribe to Purple Principle Premium on Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple

Alaska will soon be the first state in the country to hold a ranked choice voting election for all representatives, state and federal. But can RCV moderate our severely polarized politics? If the August special election and current congressional campaign are any guide, the answer is a hearty, “Maybe.”  That's according to Matt Buxton, editor of the Alaskan political blog The Midnight Sun and co-host of the Hello Alaska! podcast. TPP Reporter Dylan Nicholls interviewed Buxton just after the special election and again now in the run up to Election Day.  Dylan's second guest, Doug Goodman, is the founder of Nevadans for Election Reform. Doug's watching Alaska closely as his state goes to the polls on an election reform measure he originated years ago. Will RCV come to pass in Nevada, as in Alaska? Are we on a path toward more moderate campaigns, at least in our most purple states?  Listen in to find out. How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Let us know!: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey SHOW NOTES Our Guests Matt Buxton is editor of the Alaskan political blog The Midnight Sun and co-host of the politics podcast Hello Alaska! His writing has also been featured on the Anchorage Daily News, and he publishes The Midnight Sun Memo newsletter regularly on Substack. Find him on Twitter @mattbuxton. Doug Goodman is the founder and Executive Director of Nevadans for Election Reform, and has been working to bring Ranked Choice Voting to Nevada for almost a decade. He's collaborating with the Yes on 3 campaign to build support for Nevada Question 3, which would bring ranked choice to the silver state if adopted.  More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/alaska-nevada Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney Join Purple Principle Premium on Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report Follow us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast

TPP wraps up its series on Hispanic American Swing Voters with three very different yet highly insightful guests. Northwestern University historian Geraldo Cadava tells us that both parties have spun overly-simplistic narratives of the Hispanic voter – a mythical concept in his view.  Carlos Mencia has always been an iconoclast aiming satire in all directions. He reflects on his immigrant childhood, as one of 18 children, and living with relatives in a rough East L.A. neighborhood. And he expounds his indie-minded philosophy that to be completely conservative or liberal is to ignore the critical importance of change or tradition in American society.  Cristela Alonzo knows a thing or two about that conflict between tradition and change. She grew up in an immigrant Tejano Catholic family just over the U.S. border in an abandoned diner, and became the first Latina to create and star in a network TV comedy, Cristela. The Purple Principle is a Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Please answer our 1-question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report SHOW NOTES Our Guests Geraldo Cadava is a historian of the United States and Latin America, and is a Professor of History at Northwestern University. He's the author of The Hispanic Republican: The Shaping of An American Political Identity, from Nixon to Trump. Find him on Twitter @gerry_cadava. Cristela Alonzo is a comedian, writer, and actress. She was the first Latina to create and star in a network TV comedy, Cristela, and her latest comedy special, Middle Classy, is now streaming on Netflix. Find her on Twitter @cristela9. Carlos Mencia is a comedian, writer, and actor. He hosted The Journey podcast, and his cable show Mind of Mencia ran four seasons on Comedy Central. Find him on Twitter @carlosmencia. More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/hispanic-series Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report Follow us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ

How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey How large a role will Hispanic voters play in 2022 elections? (Hint: It's big.)  How are the major parties appealing to this diverse voting bloc? (Not so effectively.) Can Latino candidates turn down the heat on our political rhetoric? (No sign of that yet.) In the 2nd episode of our Hispanic American Swing Voters series, these questions frame our discussion with veteran Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha, and Mike Madrid from the anti-Trump GOP side. They've teamed up to co-host the insightful podcast, The Latino Vote.  “What's nice about this podcast is we're both at an age where we don't care about the parties anymore,” confesses Madrid. “Donald Trump brought us together to fight a common enemy,” adds Rocha. Despite extreme positioning, the GOP has been picking up Latino candidates and voters. We discuss that trend and look at how these races could put forth less extreme rhetoric – if more Latino campaign experts were involved. Understand the Latinization of our body politic with Chuck Rocha and Mike Madrid of The Latino Vote podcast.   Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Guests Chuck Rocha is a Democratic political strategist and the founder of Solidarity Strategies. He's the author of Tío Bernie, a memoir of the Sanders 2020 campaign, and co-hosts The Latino Vote podcast. You can find him on Twitter @ChuckRocha. Mike Madrid is a GOP political strategist and co-founder of The Lincoln Project. He currently serves as Principal of the Grassroots Lab, is the Editor and Publisher of California City News, and co-hosts The Latino Vote podcast. You can find him on Twitter @madrid_mike. More resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/hispanic-series Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Follow us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report

How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Today, we're re-podcasting the first episode of our 3-part mini-series on Hispanic American swing voters. The series continues into October for National Hispanic Heritage Month. Is a large and growing segment of Hispanic American voters now leaning independent? That's the operative question in this first episode, featuring three noted experts: former Florida Congressman Carlos Curbelo, UT San Antonio political scientist Dr. Sharon Navarro, and former four-term San Antonio Mayor and Clinton Cabinet member, Dr. Henry Cisneros. Carlos Curbelo suggests the recent shift of some Latinos to the GOP may be due to discomfort with far left rhetoric. Dr. Sharon Navarro observes many Hispanic voters may be registered to one political party yet remain “persuadable.” Listen in for a better understanding of the less purely-partisan viewpoints characterizing Hispanic American swing voters, and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss episodes two and three of the series, coming soon. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests The Hon. Carlos Curbelo: Twitter, Unite America, University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute. Check out Carlos as a regular contributor to Telemundo, NBC News, MSNBC and NBC 6 Dr. Sharon Navarro, Professor of Political Science at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and editor of Latinas in American Politics: Changing and Embracing Political Tradition. Dr. Navarro's faculty page, Twitter, website Dr. Henry Cisneros, former four-term Mayor of San Antonio, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and former President of Univision. Currently a board member of the Bipartisan Policy Center. Dr. Cisneros on Twitter. More on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/hispanic-series-1 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast And follow us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja 

How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here for our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Massachusetts has long been a bipartisan enigma at the state level, electing moderate GOP governors for 30 of the past 60 years while seating a Democratic legislature. But the governor's office is expected to revert to Democrats in 2022 and beyond. In our second MA episode, we discuss this unique history and inflection point with former moderate GOP Lt. Governor, Dr. Kerry Healey. “Massachusetts is a wonderful model...for the advantages of bipartisan government,” says Healey, pointing to the passage of “Romneycare” that became the model for “Obamacare.”  Our second guest, Dr. Alexander Theodoridis of UMass Amherst, feels these traditions of bipartisanship and moderate GOPism are already well under attack. “Things have become nationalized,” says Dr. Theodoridis. “It becomes much more difficult for the average voter to think… Well, you know, I really can't stand these Republicans at the national level. But I'm going to pull the lever for a Republican here in Massachusetts.” Is no state immune to the forces of polarization? Listen in for an in-depth discussion. SHOW NOTES Our Guests Kerry Healey is a former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts and currently the President of the Center for Advancing the American Dream at the Milken Institute. You can find her on Twitter @KerryMHealey. Alexander Theodoridis is an associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and many political science journals. You can find him on Twitter @AGTheodoridis.  More resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/states-ma-part2 Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Follow us online: Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report

“There are all kinds of ways in which we, as a community, enable the American story,” says Deval Patrick, implying that our success stories overemphasize the individual.   Patrick's own American story is a remarkable one, starting in a tough South Chicago neighborhood, journeying to a planet called boarding school, then onto Harvard and a distinguished legal career, before two terms as Governor.  He recounts how then Senator Barack Obama was initially quizzical, though supportive, of his long-shot run for office. He also underscores the unusual nature of politics in the Bay State, where there are more unenrolled or independent voters than both parties combined, and a Democratic legislature that may prefer GOP Governors to enhance their own power.  “These are human dynamics,” says Patrick, “not so much partisan dynamics.” But politics in Massachusetts is changing as throughout the nation. Listen in for a clear-eyed, richly-informed discussion with Deval Patrick, 2020 White House aspirant now teaching at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Guest Deval Patrick: Former two-term Governor of Massachusetts, 2020 Presidential candidate, and Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. Follow him on Twitter @DevalPatrick. More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/states-ma-part1   Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report 

Fluent Knowledge, producers of The Purple Principle (TPP), have a new podcast in the health, wellness and medicine realm, My Body Odyssey (MBO). With TPP staff on summer break, we're introducing TPP listeners to MBO with our second episode, featuring IronWoman Diane.  Imagine taking on a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile cycle, and then a 26.2 mile run. And in a single day, not a week or a month. Now add the additional challenge of type one diabetes. “My entire race plan,” Diane tells us, “consisted of a two page spreadsheet on how to manage my blood sugars.”  In addition to completing triathlons, Diane is no stranger to the yoga mat, having practiced for years. Why then does she pass out in yoga class soon after receiving a new insulin pump?  Tune in to find out on this odyssey of the rewards and challenges of exercise with diabetes, featuring Iron Woman Diane and expert commentary from Dr. Michael Riddell of York University.  On The Purple Principle podcast, Fluent Knowledge points the way toward healthier politics. On My Body Odyssey, we're pointing toward a healthier, more active lifestyle, through one rife with challenges of all kinds. Check out our website, www.mybodyodyssey.com, and follow us on social media! Twitter: @mybodyodyssey Instagram: @mybodyodysseypodcast

In our continuing state series, TPP visits the state with the highest percentage of non-partisan voters (58%): vast and varied Alaska. On August 16, 2022, for the first time in the US, Alaskans will use the final four voting system, which combines a unified open primary with ranked choice voting in the general election. Our special guests for this episode, each interviewed by TPP Reporter Dylan Nicholls, offer three perspectives on Alaskan political culture, the new election system, and the major candidates. Brendan Jones, an Alaska-based author, describes the strong independent, survivalist streak at work in our nation's largest state.  Independent Alaska House member Calvin Schrage speaks to the value of political independence as a legislator, noting how it allows him to form policy positions based on their merits.  Liz Ruskin of Alaska Public Media, explains how final four voting was intended to operate and some of the unintended consequences she's observed so far.  Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to tell us: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey SHOW NOTES Our Guests Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Alaska Public Media. She reports from the U.S. Capitol and from Anchorage. Find her on Twitter @lruskin. Calvin Schrage is an independent Alaska State Senator representing District 25. You can find him on Twitter @CalvinSchrage.  Brendan Jones is an award-winning novelist, essayist, and journalist based in Sitka, Alaska. Find him on Twitter @BrendanIJones.  More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/states-alaska-part1 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Follow us on social media: Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report 

This week we revisit an episode from 2020, adding some fresh questions and analysis on its lessons in GOP history from a 2022 perspective. Is Donald Trump losing his populist grip on the Republican Party after 6 long years, a failed re-election, a failed campaign to reverse that result, and the January 6 insurrection?  According to recent polls, critical editorials from The New York Post and Wall Street Journal, and an abscess of Trump coverage on Fox News, that may be the case. But does this mean the GOP is turning from populism toward more moderate leadership? That's a very different question. And our special guest for the repodcast, Dr. Geoffrey Kabaservice (author of Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and The Destruction of the Republican Party) suggests that populist momentum in the GOP predated Trump by decades, and could remain dominant for some time.    To look ahead with clarity at the 2022 and 2024 elections, we need to review with accuracy the forces that shape today's politics. Tune in for a fluently knowledgeable revisit of GOP party dynamics with Dr. Geoffrey Kabaservice.  Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Geoffrey Kabaservice: Columnist, Author of Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party, and Vice President of Political Studies for the Niskanen Center. More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/revisiting-gop-party-dynamics Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Follow us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report

On this second episode featuring great American independents, The Purple Principle sits down with Andrew Heaton, political satirist, author, podcast host and small “l” libertarian. “I'm a temperamental moderate who wants to help people,” Heaton confides, “but thinks government is not very effective at it.”  Heaton also describes the origins of his dual career track, working as a Capitol Hill Staffer while performing comedy – in his own words, “necktie man” by day and “degenerate pseudo-drunk” by night. But Heaton has a less degenerate side as well. “We've moved on from thinking people are in error to thinking they're in sin,” bemoans Heaton. “And that is just lamentable for everyone involved, from the politicians all the way down to us and the constituency.” Tune in for a welcome dose of edifying entertainment from Andrew Heaton, a uniquely thoughtful independent voice in these not so United States.  The Purple Principle is Fluent Knowledge production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guest Andrew Heaton: Political Satirist, host of The Political Orphanage podcast, and author of Los Angeles is Hideous: Poems About An Ugly City,, Inappropriately Human: 21 Short Stories, and Laughter is Better Than Communism. Check out his website and follow him on Twitter @MightyHeaton. More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/great-american-independents-part2 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report

The Purple Principle celebrates July 4th with its first episode in a miniseries on America's great independent voices. Amy Chua, known for her bestselling Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, is a Yale law professor and author of Political Tribes. “Every group feels attacked, pitted against other groups not just for jobs and spoils, but for the right to define the nation's identity. In these conditions, democracy devolves into zero-sum group competition. Pure political tribalism.”  In a conversation with TPP host Rob Pease, Chua talks about the challenges of speaking to a fragmented student body. She also discusses the degradation of our shared national identity as marginalized groups increasingly denigrate traditional American ideals. These and related topics explored on this special July 4th episode. Enjoy the show, and don't forget to rate & review us at: ratethispodcast.com/purple How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here for a 1-question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Guest Amy Chua: John M. Duff Professor of Law at Yale Law School and author of Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, and World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability. Check out her website and follow her on Twitter @amychua.  More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/great-american-independents-part1 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our homepage: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/purpleprinciple/the-purple-principle-report 

The Purple Principle completes its three-episode tour of the great state of California with three uniquely positioned viewpoints on the Golden State. First, Leon Panetta, former Cabinet Secretary and nine-term US Congress member, who questions the one party mindset of Democratic governance in Sacramento and the rightward populist tilt of the California GOP.  Our second guest, former State Assembly Minority Leader Kristin Olsen, helped initiate a 2018 effort to reform the Golden State GOP called “New Way California” which ultimately failed to gain traction. And our third guest, political satirist Andrew Heaton, describes the rivalry between largely blue California and largely red Texas, the topic of an earlier seven-part TPP series.   “Don't California my Texas,” observes Heaton, now an Austin resident, “that is a frequent political bumper sticker here, which occasionally you'll see on cars from Florida.”  These and other surprises on this California finale. Tune in and review us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey SHOW NOTES Our Guests Leon Panetta: Former Secretary of Defense and Director of the CIA for President Obama, White House Chief of Staff for President Clinton, and nine-term Member of Congress. Now the Co-Founder and Chairman of The Panetta Institute for Public Policy, and author of the memoir Worthy Fights. Kristin Olsen: Former Republican Minority Leader of the California State Assembly, Board Member of New Way California, and current Partner at California Strategies. Olsen's Twitter. Andrew Heaton: Comedian and political satirist, host of The Political Orphanage podcast and author of books like Los Angeles is Hideous: Poems About An Ugly City. Heaton's website, Twitter.  More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/states-california-part3 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja

If California progressives were tortillas, they'd be delicious but expensive and inaccessible; establishment Democratic tortillas would be ubiquitous, if not so tasty; and Republican tortillas would be pretty tasteless…  Is this any way to understand California politics? It is when speaking with LA Times columnist, author and frequent tortilla contest judge, Gustavo Arellano. In discussion with host Rob Pease and guest co-host Barbara Bogaev, Arellano rebuts the idea that California voters sent a clear “tough on crime” message in the 2022 primary. Instead, he points out that crime is nowhere near the levels of the 1990s, but has attracted more media coverage because of its spread to affluent, white majority areas.  Articulate, informed and candid, Arellano relates how he convinced his father, a “macho hillbilly,” to get the COVID vaccine and why his notion of “rancho libertarianism” explains increasing GOP success with California's Latino voters. Tune in for political analysis, tortilla metaphors, and family dynamics on this Purple Principle episode, the second in our California series. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey SHOW NOTES Our Guest Gustavo Arellano, L.A. Times columnist and host of The Times podcast. Author of books like ¡Ask a Mexican! and Taco USA. Arellano's columns, newsletter, and Twitter. More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/states-california-part2 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja

“I always point out to people that California is still a two-party state,” says Dan Schnur, former independent candidate for Secretary of State. “It just so happens they're both Democratic parties.” So starts a series of TPP episodes on our largest and bluest of states this primary season. Schnur's outline of factions within Democratic Party are all the more vital, as are the economic insights of Joel Kotkin, the noted author and professor at Chapman University.  “In the past, middle class and working class people trying to improve their lives came to California,” says Kotkin, who feels Texas now offers some of that upward mobility. “I don't think they come anymore for that.” Has the California dream given way to a cost of living nightmare? NPR veteran Barbara Bogaev co-hosts with Rob Pease for an in-depth discussion on the challenges faced by this complex, diverse, nation-sized state, as primary voters head to the polls on June 7th.  Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey SHOW NOTES Our Guests Dan Schnur, former GOP strategist and Independent candidate for CA Secretary of State. Professor at UC Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies, Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Public Policy, and USC's Annenberg School of Communications. Dan Schnur's faculty page, Twitter. Joel Kotkin, Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures and Roger Hobbs Professor in Urban Studies at Chapman University. Author of The Coming of Neo-Feudalism: A Warning to the Global Middle Class. Joel Kotkin's website, Twitter.   More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/states-california-part1 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja

How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey All political roads lead to Georgia these days. The Peach State was so pivotal in the 2020 election of Joe Biden and the 2021 runoff election of two Democratic senators. Georgia's again on our minds in 2022 as Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger battle primary challenges from the GOP's “Stop the Steal” wing. TPP is fortunate to have three informed guides for this visit: Dr. Adrienne Jones of Morehouse College speaks to the weakening of the 1965 Voting Rights Act which has allowed for more restrictive voting laws. Ken Lawler, the Chair of Fair Districts GA, details the role of gerrymandering in this purple state, where party control could again hinge on a district or two. And Dr. Charles Bullock (U of Georgia) suggests we calculate former President Trump's endorsement batting average after the results of these primaries are in.  Tune in for important insights on the great state of Georgia, where the political action was in 2020 and is now again in 2022. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests Dr. Adrienne Jones, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Pre-Law Director at Morehouse College. Dr. Jones' faculty page, Twitter. Ken Lawler, Board Chair of Fair Districts GA. Ken Lawler's Twitter. Check out Fair District GA's partnership with the Princeton Gerrymandering Project for their 2021 Georgia Redistricting Report Card. Dr. Charles S. Bullock III, Richard B. Russell Chair in Political Science at the University of Georgia, editor of The New Politics of the Old South. Dr. Bullock's faculty page. More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/georgia-1  Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja

How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Is a large and growing segment of Hispanic American voters now leaning independent? That's the operative question in this first episode on Hispanic swing voters, featuring three noted experts: former Florida Congressman Carlos Curbelo, UT San Antonio political scientist Dr. Sharon Navarro, and former four-term San Antonio Mayor and Clinton Cabinet member, Dr. Henry Cisneros. Carlos Curbelo suggests the recent shift of some Latinos to the GOP may be due to discomfort with far left rhetoric. Dr. Sharon Navarro observes many Hispanic voters may be registered to a political party yet remain “persuadable.” Tune in for a better understanding of the less purely partisan viewpoints characterizing Hispanic American swing voters.   Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests The Hon. Carlos Curbelo: Twitter, Unite America, University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute. Check out Carlos as a regular contributor to Telemundo, NBC News, MSNBC and NBC 6 Dr. Sharon Navarro, Professor of Political Science at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and editor of Latinas in American Politics: Changing and Embracing Political Tradition. Dr. Navarro's faculty page, Twitter, website Dr. Henry Cisneros, former four-term Mayor of San Antonio, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and former President of Univision. Currently a board member of the Bipartisan Policy Center. Dr. Cisneros on Twitter. More episode resources on our website: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/hispanic-series-1 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja 

How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Our TPP guest this episode, Mónica Guzmán of Braver Angels, is a fascinating conversationalist who knows how to stop a conversation, particularly among blue-leaning Seattle friends discussing politics. Guzmán merely mentions that her Mexican immigrant parents avidly supported Donald Trump and the room goes silent. We kick off Episode 8 of Season 3, “Like Family, Like Nation,” with Guzmán's retelling of that conversation stopper also featured in her new book, I Never Thought of It That Way. Part personal memoir, part communication guide, the book is informed by her work at Braver Angels, one of the nation's most successful facilitators of cross-partisan dialogue.  “The opinion…. is just above the surface,” observes Guzmán. “Underneath is everything that backs it up, all their experiences.” As a result, she cautions that, “you're not going to change someone's mind in the course of conversation unless they were already at the cusp of changing it on their own.”  Important points from a uniquely qualified voice. Tune in for an entertaining and informative episode on the challenges and rewards of communication across the great American divides.  Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests Mónica Guzmán: Director of Digital & Storytelling at Braver Angels, Host of Civic Cocktail, and Author of I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times. Mónica Guzmán's website, Twitter  Visit our website for a list of additional resources related to today's episode: fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/monica-guzman Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja 

How'd you hear about The Purple Principle?: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey The Purple Principle brings its seven-part series on politics and identity in the already huge, yet fast-growing Lone Star State to conclusion with a guided tour of key insights from our notable “Texperts” in all six episodes.  Is our nation's red vs blue infighting eroding what was once a more distinctive, cohesive Texas identity? Jason Whitely, senior news reporter at WFAA Dallas and co-host of the podcast Y'all-itics, feels that is the case. Dan Goodgame, Editor in Chief of Texas Monthly, disagrees. No discussion of Texas identity is complete without consideration of the large Hispanic community. Former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros highlights the appeal of the powerful Texas GOP with regard to young Hispanic business owners. And Dr. Sharon Navarro of UT San Antonio observes that the GOP has created more pathways for Latina candidates in South Texas than the Democratic Party. Our finale concludes with observations from two best-selling and prize-winning authors who happen to be friends and neighbors in Austin. Novelist and historian Stephen Harrigan feels the GOP circulated slogan, “Don't California My Texas,” is part of a “rear guard action defending the Texas identity.” While New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright expects that “California will become more conservative and Texas will become more liberal.” Is Texas the future of America? Tune in to consider that provocative question and the insights of a dozen informed “Texperts” from throughout the nation-sized Lone Star State. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests Jason Whitely: Episode 1 of our Texas series, Y'all-itics Jason Wheeler: Episode 1, Y'all-itics Linda Curtis: League of Independent Voters of Texas Dan Goodgame: Episode 2, Texas Monthly James Henson: Episode 3, Texas Politics Project  Paul Oshinski: Episode 3, Threads of Texas Dr. Henry Cisneros: Episode 4, Bipartisan Policy Center Dr. Sharon Navarro: Episode 4, UTSA Lawrence Wright: Episode 5, Website Stephen Harrigan: Episode 5, Website Will Hurd: Episode 6, American Reboot Listen to our full Texas series: http://fluentknowledge.com/texas-series Visit our website for a list of additional resources for today's episode: fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/states-texas-part7 Join us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja

How'd you hear about The Purple Principle? Click here to answer our one question survey: https://fluentknowledge.com/tpp-survey Purple Principle listeners know these not so United States need a new political operating system. But who's going to code it? Based on a great new book, American Reboot (just out from Simon & Schuster), and our TPP conversation, it's clear former three-term, centrist Texas Congressman Will B. Hurd should be a part of that “U.S. 2.0” development team.  Hurd was far from the most logical candidate to win not one but three terms representing the vast, 800-mile long 23rd district, covering southwest Texas. First off, he had been out of the public eye and in the CIA for a decade prior to his first attempt. Second, he was a moderate, Black Republican running in a largely Hispanic and Democratic district. Yet he had more than sufficient appeal with Democrats and independents to win that TX-23rd Congressional seat on a second attempt in 2014 and in two subsequent re-elections. Of his arrival to the U.S. House of Representatives, Hurd recounts his early experiences with artfully two-faced Congressional colleagues. He describes being attacked in a committee hearing by a Texas Democrat who then chummily provides advice to Hurd immediately after the hearing. And he recalls a major television show appearance where four Congress members (two Republicans, two Democrats) swap family niceties until the camera lights come on, then promptly descend into “Wrestlemania.” In this episode, our sixth in this Texas mini-series, we also discuss Hurd's “brain gain” objectives on immigration reform. Hurd argues that expanding and refining the legal immigration process based on labor shortages would take pressure off illegal immigration. Hurd also recounts his bipartisan, cross-country road trip with then-Congress member Beto O'Rourke (D). The 35-hour, live-streamed ride resulted in millions of social media views, lots of TV coverage, and some warm bipartisan glow—until the next election cycle.  “It was silly to me that we go from a moment where the entire country's like, wow, this is really cool—civility in politics. And then…everybody went to their corners,” Hurd recalls with, on balance, more optimism than disappointment. “But I saw at that moment the American people want their elected officials to disagree without being disagreeable. And it was a reminder that way more unites us as a country than divides us.” For more on Will Hurd's ideas for “getting big things done,” tune into “A New American Operating System? These Not So United States.” Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests Will Hurd, former Congressman for Texas' 23rd Congressional District (2015-2021), former CIA officer, and author of the newly released American Reboot: An Idealist's Guide to Getting Things Done. Will Hurd's website, Twitter  Listen to our full Texas series: https://fluentknowledge.com/texas-series Visit our website for a list of additional resources related to today's episode: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/states-texas-part6 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja

Our special guests for this fifth episode on Lone Star State identity are two authors with Texas-sized reputations: Lawrence Wright (The Looming Tower, God Save Texas) and Stephen Harrigan (The Gates of the Alamo, Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas).   Wright, a New Yorker staff writer, wastes no time in spinning around our hypothesis that polarized national politics might erode that rather famous, not shyly-held Texas state identity. “Texas is taking over the country,” states Wright emphatically. “Whatever happens in Texas is the future of America.”  Longtime Texas Monthly writer Stephen Harrigan does see some weakening of the loud, proud Texan identity in recent times. But he also observes the state's current GOP political monopoly pushing back against these changes, natural or not.  Wright and Harrigan have more in common than a shelf of prize-winning American books bearing their names on dust jackets. Born in the same Oklahoma Hospital in the same year, they both moved to Texas as adults, wrote for Texas Monthly, currently live in the same Austin neighborhood and recently published books on their adoptive state: Wright's reportorial memoir, God Save Texas, and Harrigan's Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas.   This episode features an extended discussion between these longtime friends and some-time collaborators on the magnetic appeal of Texas. They assess the legacy of political icons on the Texas of today and tomorrow, such as independent Texas President Sam Houston; independent presidential candidate Ross Perot; one-term populist Democratic Governor Ann Richards; and Lady Bird Johnson. They also bemoan the loss of rational, moderate, Texan-accented voices in recent time, such as former Republican Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, and three-term moderate Republican Congressman Will Hurd, author of the just published book American Reboot. And they contemplate the potential for a “passionate centrist” like the Texas-born actor Mathew McConaughey to bridge the political divide in Texas, perhaps with spillover effects. Tune up your understanding of this strongest and proudest of state identities, and gauge the influence of ever more populous and prosperous Texas on American politics and identity writ large.  Original music created and composed by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests Lawrence Wright, staff writer at The New Yorker, author of The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, The End of October, The Plague Year, and God Save Texas. Lawrence Wright's website, Twitter  Stephen Harrigan, contributor to Texas Monthly, author of The Gates of the Alamo and Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas. Stephen Harrigan's website, Twitter Listen to our full Texas series: https://fluentknowledge.com/texas-series Visit on our website for a list of additional resources related to today's episode: https://fluentknowledge.com/shows/the-purple-principle/states-texas-part5 Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja

The Purple Principle is visiting the Lone Star State throughout the month of March 2022 and wondering if the famously strong Texas identity is holding up under the powerful forces of red vs. blue throughout our nation. In Polarized Politics & Hispanic Identity, we focus the discussion on Hispanic Texans and, particularly, the large Tejano community (Texans of Mexican descent) in South Texas.   Two respected commentators weigh in on this and related issues. Former four-term San Antonio mayor, Henry Cisneros, provides an insightful critique of his own Democratic Party's failings in Texas of late, as well the growing appeal of the GOP to specific groups of Hispanics, such as small business owners.  “If all of the invitations to you as a member of a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce are to be with like-minded business people, and they're all Republicans,” observes Cisneros. “Then at some point you say to yourself, ‘well, maybe that's where I should be if I want to advance.'” Dr. Sharon Navarro, political scientist at UT San Antonio and author of Latina Legislator, feels that the Tejano identity still runs stronger and deeper than political party affiliation in South Texas. But she also notes that the GOP has been successfully conflating the identities of Texan and Republican while wielding power to full advantage in the region. Texas is not only as large as a good-sized European nation but more diverse as well, being 40% Hispanic statewide and 80% in the South Texas region. For a deeper dive into Texas diversity, tune into Polarized Politics & Hispanic Identity: These Not So United States (TX, Part 4), with original music by long-time Texas resident Ryan Adair Rooney. SHOW NOTES Our Guests Dr. Henry Cisneros, former four-term Mayor of San Antonio, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and former President of Univision. Currently a board member of the Bipartisan Policy Center. Dr. Cisneros on Twitter. Dr. Sharon Navarro, Professor of Political Science at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and editor of Latinas in American Politics: Changing and Embracing Political Tradition. Dr. Navarro's Faculty page, Twitter, website Additional Resources Listen to our full Texas series: https://fluentknowledge.com/texas-series How Immigration Politics Drives Some Hispanic Voters to the G.O.P. in Texas (New York Times) The Good Wife (Texas Monthly) Secretary Henry G. Cisneros - US Department of Housing and Urban Development Juan Seguín - Humanities Texas Univision Chooses Cisneros As President, Operating Chief (Wall Street Journal, 1997) Carolina Malpica Munguia - Handbook of Texas HUD nominee gets bipartisan praise (UPI, 1993) Here are the Republican senators who voted for the infrastructure bill (New York Times) Here are the 13 House Republicans that defied Kevin McCarthy and voted for Biden's $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure bill (Business Insider) U.S. gets 'C-,' faces $2.59 trillion in infrastructure needs over 10 years: report (Reuters) Bill that would give the U.S. Postal Service a major overhaul moves to the Senate (NPR) Party affiliation among adults in Texas by race/ethnicity (Pew Research Center) Why Democrats Are Losing Texas Latinos The South Texas Region - 2020 Regional Report - Texas Comptroller Senator Lisa Murkowski - U.S. Senate Senator Mark Warner - U.S. Senate The left hates Joe Manchin. His fellow Senate Dems are staying quiet (Politico) Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja 

Is democracy still democracy when one party wins all the elections? That's a question we'll be asking around the country on our state-level identity and polarization series, since 37 state “trifectas,” or one-party governments, are now in office. It's also a major point of discussion with Dr. James Henson, Director of The Texas Politics Project, in our third episode on the biggest and proudest of the Republican trifectas: Texas.     “The Democrats have gone from being the disadvantaged party to a structurally hobbled party," observes Henson, who's been analyzing and polling on Texas politics for over 15 years at UT Austin. "You get in a position where you're just so structurally disadvantaged that it almost changes the fundamental nature of political competition.” Which might cause one to believe that political identity in Texas is as uniformly red as this legislation. But according to a major recent research project by the group More In Common, there is far more diversity of viewpoint in Texas, even among those with strong Texas identities than would be expected from its politics. TPP speaks with Global Research Director Stephen Hawkins about the origin of More in Common's first state-level identity project and with the report's co-author, Paul Oshinski, on the finding of seven distinct social “Threads of Texas,” from far left “Lone Star Progressives” to far right “Heritage Defenders,” with five interesting gradations somewhere in between.  Think Texas is a ruby red state? Well, yes, if you look only at election results and legislative output. But not if you look beyond, to the rapidly growing, changing and diversifying society beneath one-party rule. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guests James Henson, Director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin Stephen Hawkins, Global Director of Research at More in Common Paul Oshinski, Research Fellow at More in Common and co-author of the Threads of Texas report More in Common and Hidden Tribes US on Twitter Additional Resources Listen to our full Texas series: fluentknowledge.com/texas-series Texas law banning abortion as early as six weeks goes into effect as the U.S. Supreme Court takes no action (Texas Tribune) Gov. Greg Abbott signs bill to allow Texans to carry handguns without a permit (Austin American-Statesmen) 2021 Bum Steer of the Year: The Texas Democratic Party (Texas Monthly) Partisan Ideological Identification (Texas Politics Project) Negative Partisanship in Texas Stifles Potential Crossover Voting (Texas Politics Project) How Well is Democracy Working in Texas Today? (Texas Politics Project) Direction of Texas Trend (Texas Politics Project) State government trifectas - Ballotpedia Henry Cisneros Biography Threads of Texas - Key Issues Hidden Tribes of America Report Threads of Texas - The 7 Segments Texans used mutual aid to help their communities (Texas Tribune) These Americans Are Done With Politics (New York Times) Nearly half of all Texans support abortion ban after 6 weeks, new poll finds (KXAN) Few Texans believe voting fraud is common, UT/TT poll shows (Texas Tribune) The Brief: Straus' retirement announcement reverberates through Capitol (Texas Tribune) Barbara Jordan - U.S. House of Representatives Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja 

Texas has long had one of the most powerful and vocal identities of any American state. But how's that unique Texas pride faring under the homogenizing power of polarization? In this TPP episode, Strongest Identity of Them Y'all, Texas Monthly Editor-in-Chief Dan Goodgame argues that the social and cultural identities of Texans writ large remain intact despite zero-sum maneuverings of Texas politicians writ small.  “I'm gonna read a short series of numbers and let you guess what they represent: 29, 22, 16, 4, 2, and 1,” says Goodgame, a Rhodes Scholar and former Pulitzer Prize finalist. “29 million is the population of Texas right now…4 million is the number who vote in primaries in Texas, 2 million is the number who vote in the Republican primary in Texas, 1 million is all it takes to win. So that's 3.3% of the population deciding who the statewide office holders are in Texas.” Indeed Republicans do rule top to bottom in the Lone Star State, as they have for over two decades. “People who don't like Republican policies are very quick to place all the blame there,” explains Goodgame. “But Democrats here similarly play to their base rather than to centrists. You would think after 27 years of losing, you'd try something different.” Meanwhile, the nation's second largest state in size and population continues to be an outsized force economically and demographically. “Texas is experiencing a net in-migration of about 3,800 a week, which is pretty striking when you think about it,” observes Goodgame, citing newly minted Texans from California, New Jersey, India, Mexico and Nigeria as examples. “They are not turning the state blue, as we reported in our December cover story. So they're as diverse politically as they are culturally.” Tune in to learn more about social and cultural diversity amidst political conformity in the Lone Star State with Dan Goodgame, Editor-in-Chief of Texas Monthly – Part 2 of our Texas mini-series within The Purple Principle's season-long exploration of polarization and state identity.  Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney SHOW NOTES Our Guest Dan Goodgame, Editor-in-Chief of Texas Monthly since 2019. Co-author of Marching in Place: The Status Quo Presidency of George Bush Texas Monthly on Twitter  Additional Resources Polarization in Congress has risen sharply. Where is it going next? (Washington Post) Texas' Attorney General Faces a Tough Primary. Will Trump's Nod Be Enough? (New York Times) Will the Bush Dynasty Die With George P. Bush? (Texas Monthly) Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is headed to a runoff against George P. Bush (Texas Monthly) Progressive Texas Democrats are having a moment — but a red wave is coming (Houston Chronicle) Lone Star 'Squad': AOC Rallies for Texans Greg Casar and Jessica Cisneros (Texas Observer) Republicans celebrate in Texas, as Democrats gird for November (Washington Post) About the Texas Politics Project The Power Behind the Throne (Texas Monthly) The Texas town that banned fracking (and lost) (BBC) History of Austin City Limits Texas Primary Election Results (New York Times) William B. Hurd - U.S. House of Representatives The Newest Texans Are Not Who You Think They Are (Texas Monthly) Profile of the Unauthorized Population: Texas (Migration Policy Institute) Op-Ed: How to Stop the Migrant Caravans That Are Headed to Texas (Texas Monthly) 2022 Bum Steer of the Year: Greg Abbott (Texas Monthly) 2021 Bum Steer of the Year: The Texas Democratic Party (Texas Monthly) About Bill White Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja 

The Purple Principle kicks off its extended Season Three series on state level polarization with a mini-series on the great state of Texas. And who better to discuss Texas politics than the co-hosts of the artfully named podcast, Y'all-itics: Jason Wheeler (Senior News Reporter) and Jason Whitely (News Anchor) of the ABC Dallas affiliate, WFAA.  Both Jasons concur that polarization has been eating away at that powerful Texas identity in recent times. “People do like to maintain that they have that independent streak,” says Wheeler, pointing to both Texas Republicans and Democrats. “And I think that one of the things you have in common is that you like to think that you're perhaps more of an independent thinker than you are.”  What factors are contributing to erosion of that common Texas identity? One party rule, without real need for bipartisanship, certainly plays a role. And gerrymandering has helped maintain Republican domination of Texas politics over the past two decades. Therefore, Republican office holders often look over their right shoulders at primary battles rather than ahead to general elections and swing voters. The most recent Texas legislative session put forth a number of bills catering to that small subset of Republican primary loyalists, including restricted abortion and voting access, yet unrestricted open carry of firearms. Will this “red meat” legislation invoke electoral backlash?  That's a point of discussion in this episode, along with last year's major power failure and the continuing movement of California companies and workers into Texas. Tune in for a “Y'all-itical Science” mini-course with the equally articulate, almost equally named hosts of Y'all-itics, Jason Wheeler and Jason Whitely, as The Purple Principle kicks off our extended state polarization series in the vast, varied, and vocal Lone Star State. Original Texas–themed music this episode by Ryan Adair Rooney.    SHOW NOTES Our Guests Jason Whitely: co-host of the podcast Y'all-itics, Senior News Reporter at WFAA in Dallas, Texas. Host of WFAA's Inside Texas Politics. Jason Whitely's Twitter Jason Wheeler: co-host of the podcast Y'all-itics, News Anchor at WFAA, and Editor of WFAA's Right on the Money. Jason Wheeler's Twitter Find the Y'all-itics podcast on WFAA.com, Apple Podcasts Additional Resources Why “heartbeat bill” is a misleading name for Texas' near-total abortion ban (Texas Tribune) Gov. Greg Abbott signs Texas voting bill into law, overcoming Democratic quorum breaks (Texas Tribune) Permitless Carry Becomes Legal In Texas Next Week. Here's What You Need To Know (Houston Public Media) Texas Partisan Index: Rating New Senate Seats From Most Republican to Most Democratic (The Texan) Ken Paxton - About the Attorney General Texas attorney general refuses to hand over Jan. 6 records (AP) With primaries under way in Texas, Ken Paxton's bid for a 3rd term is marked by legal troubles (Houston Public Media) Why Texas Democrats lost the 2020 voter turnout battle, even among Latinos (NBC News) Texas President Results, 2020 (CNN)  Triumph The Insult Comic Dog Meets Beto And Cruz Pandemic politics fuel long-shot Republican challenges to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (NBC News) Governor Abbott Issues Executive Order Prohibiting Government Entities From Mandating Masks Surreal photos and videos capture dangers of severe winter storm across the South (Today.com)  Colin Allred - U.S. House of Representatives  Van Taylor - U.S. House of Representatives  Join Us for Premium Content: Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/PurpleApple Patreon: patreon.com/purpleprinciplepodcast Find us online! Twitter: @purpleprincipl Facebook: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Instagram: @thepurpleprinciplepodcast Our website: https://bit.ly/2ZCpFaQ Sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UfFSja