Civil Discourse

Nia and Aughie explore the skill set required to be President of the United States. In this first part, they explore presidential organizational skills, the means by which a president processes information, and presidential vision.

Aughie and Nia explore the personality types of the Presidents of the United States as defined by James David Barber's typologies. These Presidential typologies include active versus passive and positive versus negative approaches to the position.

Nia welcomes Dr. Patricia Sobczak back to the podcast to discuss the way voters assess leaders. They also discuss voting as hiring as well as outside influencers on public opinions of leadership.

Nia and Aughie explore those densely worded referenda, initiatives, and recalls on the bottom of state ballots. Aughie explains the differences between them, and the purposes and pitfalls of direct democracy. 

Aughie and Nia discuss the five reasons a member of Congress might need to be replaced, and the mechanisms for doing so. They also touch upon the power of special elections to steer politics in a variety of directions.

Nia and Aughie discuss the line of succession as stated in the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. They also debunk some internet rumors surrounding the President's health and its affect on the 2020 Presidential election. 

Aughie and Nia discuss the election certification process. They also discuss possible problems with the process at each stage, and potential solutions.

Nia and Aughie discuss the concept of wagging the dog, a reference to creating a distraction in order to draw attention away from a candidate's behavior. They discuss several examples from events that could be legitimate to events designed deliberately to distract, and the potential these events have to backfire.

Aughie and Nia celebrate the life and legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg upon her passing on September 18, 2020. The discussion includes her early work with the ACLU, her jurisprudence, and her friendship with Justice Antonin Scalia.   

Nia and Aughie begin to explore the election season with an episode on campaign rhetoric. This discussion of lines crossed and regretted utterances circles back to the concept of civilized political speech and the potential negatives of mudslinging.