Future Hindsight

Thursday, July 6th, 2023

We're sharing an episode from fellow Democracy Group podcast, Democracy Decoded, a show that examines our government and discusses innovative ideas that could lead to a stronger, more transparent, accountable, and inclusive democracy.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many states took steps to make voting safer and more accessible, but afterward, we saw a backlash with some states erecting barriers to voting access. Democracy Decoded host Simone Leeper speaks with Trevor Potter about the 2020 and 2022 elections and what kinds of changes could help expand the freedom to vote and make our elections more accessible in the future. She also speaks with Aseem Mulji and Gilda Daniels about some of these changes, like state Voting Rights Acts, and how everyday citizens can get involved in the process.

Listen to Democracy Decoded:

https://www.democracygroup.org/shows/democracy-decoded

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https://twitter.com/CampaignLegal

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Thursday, June 29th, 2023

Dr. Richard Haass is the President of the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of The Bill of Obligations: Ten Habits of Good Citizens. We discuss how we, as citizens, can fulfill our role in the social contract.

The United States is a country founded on an idea about equality, about opportunity, and about freedom. Rights alone will not guarantee the smooth functioning of a society, but must be coupled with obligations. These include being informed, getting involved, civic education, and rejecting violence. If 1 or 2% more Americans were to get informed and involved in American politics, we could have very different outcomes.

Follow Dr. Haass on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RichardHaass

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https://twitter.com/milaatmos

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https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/

Sponsor

Thanks, HelloFresh! Go to HelloFresh.com/HOPEFUL16 and use code HOPEFUL16 for 16 free meals plus free shipping!

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Check out the Future Hindsight website!

www.futurehindsight.com

Read the transcript here:

https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/citizens-and-their-obligations-richard-haass

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Richard Haass

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

Thursday, June 22nd, 2023

Anna Chu is the executive director of We The Action, an organization that connects volunteer lawyers with nonprofits that require legal assistance. We discuss how lawyers play a unique and critical role in strengthening American democracy.

A strong democracy relies on everyone having the ability to have their voices heard at every level of the government, but in the US there is a huge gap between who is actually eligible to vote and who actually votes. In addition, there are lots of different rights currently being challenged at the federal level and at the state level. Lawyers can and do advance access to justice, as well as ensure that democracy can be accessible for everyone.

Follow Anna on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/chuster

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https://twitter.com/milaatmos

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Read the transcript here:

https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/lawyers-for-democracy-anna-chu

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Anna Chu

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

Thursday, June 15th, 2023

Frank Guridy is the Executive Director of the Eric H. Holder Initiative for Civil and Political Rights at Columbia University and the Dr. Kenneth and Kareitha Forde Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies. We discuss social movements in the past, present, and future.

Social movements consist of mass participation from outside of established political structures to address grievances or to pursue larger social goals. They are often long term endeavors that might not fully achieve their goals but nonetheless move the needle in social attitudes. Sometimes they achieve the unthinkable, like freedom from slavery or marriage equality.

Follow Frank on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/fguridy

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https://twitter.com/milaatmos

Sponsor:

Thanks to Shopify for supporting the show! Sign up for a $1/month trial period at shopify.com/hopeful.

Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/

Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!

http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard

Take the Democracy Group's Listener Survey!

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Want to support the show and get it early?

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Check out the Future Hindsight website!

www.futurehindsight.com

Read the transcript here:

https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/the-power-of-solidarity-frank-guridy

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Frank Guridy

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

Thursday, June 8th, 2023

David Priess is the Director of Intelligence at Bedrock Learning and has served at the CIA as an intelligence officer, a manager, and a daily intelligence briefer during the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. We discuss how the issues of waging war and negotiating peace affect our everyday lives.

The intelligence function is about discovering the truth in order to reduce uncertainty for decision-makers on issues of national security. Intelligence cannot predict the future, especially when it comes to human choices. Although some information is necessarily secret for our own security, we should all be engaged on national security issues. That means asking questions of our elected representatives instead of being passive recipients of information, and to vary where we get our news.

Follow David on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/DavidPriess

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https://twitter.com/milaatmos

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Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!

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Take the Democracy Group's Listener Survey!

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Want to support the show and get it early?

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Check out the Future Hindsight website!

www.futurehindsight.com

Read the transcript here:

https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/national-security-truth-david-priess

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: David Priess

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis and Sara Burningham

Thursday, June 1st, 2023

Beto O'Rourke is a fourth-generation Texan, the former US Representative of Texas's 16th Congressional district, the Democratic Party's nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2018, and the Democratic nominee for the 2022 Texas gubernatorial election. He is also the author of We've Got to Try: How the Fight for Voting Rights Makes Everything Else Possible.

We discuss the outsized importance of Texas politics for the nation. Republicans have relied on winning Texas's electoral college votes to clinch presidential races. However, even without investment from the Democratic party, the trend over the last three presidential elections is improving for Democratic candidates. Texas is currently the hardest state in which to vote and to register to vote. Broad and consistent participation from citizens is vital to changing the status quo. The fight for democracy goes on forever and no victory is ever final.

Follow Beto on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/BetoORourke

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https://twitter.com/milaatmos

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Check out Beto's organization, PoweredXPeople.org:

https://poweredxpeople.org/

Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!

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Take the Democracy Group's Listener Survey!

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Want to support the show and get it early?

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Check out the Future Hindsight website!

www.futurehindsight.com

Read the transcript here:

https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/democracy-in-texas-beto-orourke

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Beto O'Rourke

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis and Sara Burningham

Thursday, May 25th, 2023

Representative Anna Eskamani serves on behalf of Florida's 42nd district of Orange County in the state House of Representatives. We discuss her victories at the ballot box and her work to represent her constituents. Her campaign slogan is "Working for you. Fighting for us."

When serving in the minority of the Florida state legislature, you only pass legislation by working across the aisle. Anna is a firm believer in calling people in before calling them out, and on finding common ground on issues of good government. Her formula for success is showing up for people by focusing on real life issues, like on tax fairness, versus the manufactured culture war debates.

Follow Anna on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AnnaForFlorida

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https://twitter.com/milaatmos

Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/

Sponsor

Thanks, HelloFresh! Go to HelloFresh.com/HOPEFUL16 and use code HOPEFUL16 for 16 free meals plus free shipping!

Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!

http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard

Take the Democracy Group's Listener Survey!

https://www.democracygroup.org/survey

Want to support the show and get it early?

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Check out the Future Hindsight website!

www.futurehindsight.com

Read the transcript here:

https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/fighting-for-good-governance-anna-eskamani

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Anna Eskamani

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis & Sara Burningham

Thursday, May 18th, 2023

Chris Wiggins and Matthew L. Jones are co-authors of How Data Happened: A History from the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms. Chris is an associate professor of applied mathematics at Columbia University and the New York Times's chief data scientist and Matt is a professor of history at Columbia. Together, they taught a course called "Data: Past, Present, and Future," and their book is an extension thereof. We discuss the history of how data is made; the relationship between data and truth; and the unstable three-player game between corporate, state, and people power.

We are currently in an unstable and unpredictable three-player game between state power, corporate power, and people power. In fact, we have a lot of collective influence via the way we construct norms. Our constant human activity is the grist of the mill for machine learning. Corporations do not have all the power. Still, the mix between advertising and data has created a lot of the most pressing concerns in the world's algorithmically mediated reality.

Follow Chris on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/chrishwiggins

Follow Matt on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/nescioquid

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https://twitter.com/milaatmos

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Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!

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Take the Democracy Group's Listener Survey!

https://www.democracygroup.org/survey

Want to support the show and get it early?

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Check out the Future Hindsight website!

www.futurehindsight.com

Read the transcript here:

https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/people-power-and-ai-chris-wiggins-matt-jones

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Chris Wiggins & Matt Jones

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

Thursday, May 11th, 2023

Judge Victoria Pratt was Chief Judge in Newark Municipal Court in New Jersey and the author of The Power of Dignity. She is currently the Executive Director of Odyssey Impact, an interfaith non-profit driving social change through innovative storytelling and media. We discuss procedural justice, municipal court reform, and increasing the public's trust in the justice system.

Tough-on-crime laws are ineffective. Punishing people for wrongdoing does not change behavior. Judge Pratt asserts her authority when she understands the people who appear in court before her. People obey the law when they are treated with respect and dignity, because then they view the people who impose rules and laws as legitimate authorities. Engaging with the criminal justice system is punishment enough, whether you're innocent or not.

Follow Judge Pratt on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/JudgeVPratt

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https://twitter.com/milaatmos

Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

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Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!

http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard

Take the Democracy Group's Listener Survey!

https://www.democracygroup.org/survey

Want to support the show and get it early?

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Check out the Future Hindsight website!

www.futurehindsight.com

Read the transcript here:

https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/dignity-and-justice-judge-victoria-pratt

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Judge Victoria Pratt

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producers: Zack Travis and Sara Burningham

Thursday, May 4th, 2023

Craig Aaron is the Co-CEO of Free Press and Free Press Action. We discuss the civic information bill in New Jersey and the promise of centering civic information in the media.

A vibrant multiracial democracy requires civic information media, which delivers the information that helps us live better lives in our communities. Journalism or civic media are a public good, and the public needs to invest in media along those lines. In New Jersey, bipartisan legislative support led to the civic information bill and the founding of the Civic Information Consortium. The best thing all of us can do right now is to support our local media. Read it and engage it!

Follow Craig on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/notaaroncraig

Follow Mila on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/milaatmos

Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/

Love Future Hindsight? Take our Listener Survey!

http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=6tI0Zi1e78vq&ver=standard

Want to support the show and get it early?

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Check out the Future Hindsight website!

www.futurehindsight.com

Read the transcript here:

https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/civic-information-media-craig-aaron

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Craig Aaron

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producers: Zack Travis and Sara Burningham