How Do We Fix It?

In 2017, data analyst Wesley Warshawer was shocked by a poll that said 50% of Americans supported Donald Trump, about half lived with a gun their home, and a third believed in a literal reading of The Book of Genesis. This didn’t match the views of anyone he knew in Silicon Valley, California. What he read about our country's deep divides led him to sell his apartment in San Jose and spend 18 months living in some of the most conservative parts of America. What he found was that most people across the country, from right wing conservatives to lefty liberals live by a similar ethical code. “I was so shocked to find that we were so similar”, Wesley told us. To his surprise, the bubbles in California and in rural America turned out to be quite alike. In this episode we explore whether Americans are a lot less divided and more friendly than we’ve been told. We consider what can be learned about America when we listen and acknowledge people with different political beliefs. We also discuss this provocative question: Do Braver Angels and other groups in the bridging community have it wrong about how polarized we are? Wesley Warshawer shares moving stories about what he learned from his travels to Bismark, North Dakota, Biloxi and Clarksdale, Mississippi, and other conservative parts of America. “I always think it’s so paradoxical that the best way to learn about yourself is to meet other people. And the best way to learn about your bubble is to leave it.” Find many more of our podcasts at http://www.howdowefixit.me. We report on the people, projects, and ideas of Braver Angels and others who are working every day to bridge divides, rebuild America’s civic muscle, and make courageous citizenship the accepted norm. Most episodes are 30 minutes or less. Our guest, Wesley Warshawer, is a business analyst in Silicon Valley’s semiconductor industry, a Fulbright Scholar to South Korea, essayist, podcast host, and public speaker. He loves his work. For a living he analyzes data and communicates about it. Wesley has looked for wisdom in travel— across the world, or simply across town, meeting a new person or experiencing a new neighborhood. “Outside your comfort zone", he says, “you are a sponge to personal insight and growth.” Our host Richard Davies spent four decades as a Radio Correspondent at ABC News. Richard writes a Substack column about issues covered by “How Do We Fix It?”. His “Here Hear” posts offer frequent thoughts on listening, language, and public square. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What role does the news media play in polarizing us? How do print, radio, TV, and online journalists reinforce our views of the world rather than connecting us to all sides of an issue? Our guest is John Gable, co-founder and CEO of AllSides.com, which rates news media sites for bias, organizes citizen roundtables, and links readers every day to coverage from left, right, and center-biased media. AllSides presents major news stories from a range of perspectives. In the episode we hear how it does it and why. Over four decades our podcast host, Richard Davies, worked in network radio newsrooms as a correspondent, reporter, and newscaster. He shares his concern that the work of many journalists “does more to divide us than make people curious about new ideas including those we disagree with or simply weren’t aware of.” At its worst, news coverage can be preachy, one-sided, or contain flat out lies. As consumers, how do we navigate this? What’s the best way to find balanced and truthful news that you can trust? Every day, AllSides dot com offers a free service: balanced news from MAGA, conservative, centrist, liberal and progressive publications. “The mission at AllSides is to free people from filter bubbles, to help them understand the world and each other,” John tells us in this episode. “If you only know the facts and don’t understand each other that’s not understanding.” John Gable is co-founder and CEO of AllSides, a public benefit corporation. He often writes about news coverage, polarization, and how technology impacts the media. John believes that information integrity is needed in news, AI, businesses, schools, government, and throughout our daily lives — wherever good decisions matter. Richard writes a Substack column about “How Do We Fix It?”. His “Here Hear” posts also offer frequent thoughts on language, politics, and the public square. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here’s something many Democrats and Republicans agree on: The way we debate and discuss politics is messed up. We talk past each other instead of getting things done. Huge amounts of time and money are wasted on bickering and bravado. Neither political party has built a lasting coalition to deal with the most urgent problems of the day. In this podcast we look something local and practical: New Hampshire’s experiment in bi-partisan cooperation. Dozens of state legislators are part of the nation’s first Braver Angels-inspired cross partisan caucus where elected officials put aside political combat and learn skills of cooperation. Our guests are Democrat Patricia Higgins and Republican Doug Teschner. Patricia served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 2012 to 2018. Doug is also a former state legislator, and co-author of the recent book, “Beyond the Politics of Contempt: Practical Steps to Build Positive Relationships in Divided Times.” Both work with New Hampshire politicians at workshops and other events where caucus members learn how to disagree better and listen closely to the views of the other side. “It’s not easy and it has its ups and downs, but we’re excited we found people who are committed to the idea that we need to get along and have relationships,” Doug told us. “It’s not that we can’t disagree. We should disagree, but do it respectfully.” Political polarization is part of everyday life in America. Families are divided, friendships have been torn apart, public meetings can descend into shouting matches, and the work of elected officials can be stalled or disrupted when the political becomes the personal. “We know that fundamentally Americans need to learn how to talk with one another,” says Patricia Higgins. “This has to part of all the work that we do.” In this podcast we also discuss courageous citizenship, what Doug and Patricia learned as civic renewal activists, and the many challenges facing the national movement to bridge bitter partisan divides. How Do We Fix It? is a member of the Democracy Group network of podcasts and media publications. Our latest podcasts cover the people, projects and ideas of Braver Angels. Journalist Richard Davies is the host of “How Do We Fix It?” During four decades as an ABC News Radio Correspondent, Richard covered breaking news in 35 states and filed reports from more than ten nations in Europe, The Middle East and Latin America. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here’s the bad news about civic renewal: It will not come easily or quickly. Toxic divides won’t be dramatically reduced because of one person or a dramatic election result. Renewal of America’s civic culture will require enormous effort in every state of the nation. Now the good news. Everyone can make a difference. Participation in renewal requires neither money nor fame. It begins with all of us. Locally and often through one-on-one conversations. These personal encounters can change hearts and minds. Our guests are Braver Angels volunteers Maryanne Colter and Chauncey Williams. Both of them embrace civic renewal in their communities. “So much of our politics today is ‘I just want to win’, but we’re not getting anything done because we can’t talk to one another,” says Maryanne, who serves as state coordinator for Braver Angels in Illinois. At workshops and other events, she works to physically bring opposite sides together in the same room. “This is where the magic happens, when we can sit across the table and treat people as human beings.” Chauncey Williams was honored recently at the Braver Angels Convention in Philadelphia for what he’s doing in Colorado. His unique project is called “Chats in the Park”. Chauncey visits parks in the Denver area, where he sets up a poster that says “what’s on your mind” along with two chairs next to him: One for Chauncey and the other for anyone who’d like to have a one-on-one conversation. Chauncey’s chats often change minds, including his own. “It’s been an interesting journey for me,” he says. “I’ve often been fascinated and humbled by realizing my own limitations in knowledge, and having that revealed.” “It’s been both an uncomfortable and also fun part of these conversations.” Both of these interviews were featured in earlier episodes of “How Do We Fix It?” Here are to our longer podcasts with Chauncey and Maryanne. Learn more about Braver Angels workshops and other activities. “How Do We Fix It?” is hosted by Richard Davies, and produced by Miranda Shafer. We get frequent help from Maury Giles, Gabby Kearns, and Wilk Wilkinson. Please review and subscribe to our frequent episodes where you listen to podcasts. Thank you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Braver Angels events always leave me hopeful and energized,” says Yuval Levin of the recent Convention in Philadelphia. “A lot of people from different parts of our politics, from different parts of our country, from different parts of our economy come together and express a a kind of conviction that ultimately our country matters more than our parties, and our country matters more than ideological convictions.” In this wide-ranging conversation with one of America’s most admired public intellectuals, we discuss the resilience of the American constitutional system, the impact of attention politics, and the need for constructive disagreement and courageous citizenship at a time of toxic divides. “The American political tradition speaks in the first person plural in a really beautiful way and speaks in the voice of a people taking a kind of common ownership of their future together,” he says. Yuval Levin is a conservative political thinker and theorist, but unlike most writers and journalists of the right or left, he is a gentle advocate who does not argue for a strictly partisan agenda. His most recent book is "American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation— And Could Again". Levin is The Editor-in-Chief of National Affairs and the director of Social, Cultural and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a leading think tank in Washington D.C. Levin’s has written many articles for The National Review, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and other widely-read publications. He says that he is worried that America’s constitutional system is “under some assault by a president who wants too much power, and by a Congress that wants too little power and therefore is willing to allow the system to be deformed.” However, Levin remains hopeful. In retrospect, “I think our time will seem more stable and less divided than it seems to us,” he tells “How Do We Fix It?” “Our division is real. We need to make sure we don’t allow it to tear us apart. The fact that it has always been like this isn’t a reason not to worry. It’s a reason to take it seriously.” Recommendation: Yuval Levin recommends “The American Revolution”, a recent 12-part PBS documentary by Ken Burns. “It doesn't take partisan sides, and tells the story of the revolution in a very, very engaging way.” Here's a link to one of Yuval Levin's appearences at the 2026 Braver Angels Convention. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.