Politics with Paul

By Paul Rader

Approachable, nonpartisan, and nonideological analysis of various political topics by nonpartisan political analyst, writer, researcher, and speaker Paul Rader.... more

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FAQs about Politics with Paul:

How many episodes does Politics with Paul have?

The podcast currently has 87 episodes available.

Politics with Paul episodes:

March 31, 2026What Political Civility Really is and Combatting Toxicity w/ Michael Lee | Politics with Paul #86
Do we know what civility in conversation actually looks like?
Healthy and grounded discussion is in short supply, especially in politics. Political discussions are often filled with toxic rhetoric and behavior, leading to many instances of verbal and physical violence. But while we know what toxicity looks like, there are some misunderstandings and mistaken beliefs about what civility looks like.
So how do we become more civil? Today's guest, Dr. Michael Lee, dives into this question and more. Dr. Lee is the executive director of the Civility Initiative at the College of Charleston and the host of the "When We Disagree" Podcast. Check out his insights, spanning over multiple decades, on what we get wrong about civility, how to better engage in healthy discussion, and how to make civil dialogue more engaging and fun.
Dr. Lee's links:
Civility Initiative: https://charleston.edu/school-humanities-social-sciences/student-opportuntities/civility-initiative.php
When We Disagree Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/5k6uECwIXjBLV05zkr9iOH?si=l5CMgHTnQZSOM1uErIC3hQ&nd=1&dlsi=bd9fd424fb444d81
When We Disagree Podcast (Buzzsprout): https://whenwedisagree.buzzsprout.com/
Book "Creating Conservatism: Postwar Words that Made an American Movement": https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Conservatism-American-Movement-Rhetoric-ebook/dp/B00LEUO808/
Book "We Are Not One People: Secession and Separatism in American Politics Since 1776": https://www.amazon.com/Are-Not-One-People-Separatism/dp/0190876514/
Paul's links:
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
(0:00) Introduction to Civility and Toxicity, Dr. Michael Lee
(1:41) Dr. Lee's Start in Promoting Civility and Healthy Debate
(5:18) How the Civility Initiative Started and What it Does
(9:06) Distinction Between Fight or Flight Responses to Toxicity
(14:00) Misconceptions About the Meaning of Civility
(18:21) Things We Think are Civil but are Actually Contributors to Toxicity
(23:00) Dr. Lee's Personal Experiences of Using Civility
(27:12) Factors that Particularly Amplify Toxicity
(32:35) Dr. Lee's "When We Disagree" Podcast and What it's About
(39:37) Practical Ways You Can Apply Civility Right Now
(42:32) Random Question: The Proper Pronunciation of ".GIF"
(44:30) Closing, Dr. Lee's Links, My Links
...more
46min
March 24, 2026What Do Democrats and Republicans Agree On? More Than You Think | Politics with Paul #85
Republicans and Democrats just can't get along…or can they?
Almost all the talk about interparty relations is about how much they bicker, fight, and attack each other. And it's true, there is a lot that divides us. However, there is a surprising amount that both parties actually agree on - they just don't realize it.
But it's easy to say that we actually have a lot of common ground - how about some examples? Today's episode will show you why we focus so much on differences between the parties, why we underestimate the level of similarities, some of the contexts through which we can study and showcase commonalities, and why acknowledging these commonalities is key for making progress on our country's most pressing problems.
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
(0:00) Intro: DEMs and REPs Agree On More Than You Think
(1:33) Why We Perceive More Difference Than There Actually is
(5:58) 4 Ways We Can Study Differences/Similarities Between the Parties
(8:13) Method #1: Party in Government vs. Organization vs. Electorate
(10:50) Method #2: Federal vs. State vs. Local Government
(13:27) Method #3: Specific Political Issues and Policies
(16:30) Method #4: Core Values
(17:59) Similarities Between Parties: Elected Officials in Government
(23:09) Similarities Between Parties on Specific Issues and Policies
(30:10) Similarities Between Parties in Local Government
(33:47) Similarities Between Parties on Core Values
(35:20) Core Values Case Study #1: AP-NORC Poll in 2024
(37:04) Core Values Case Study #2: Views on Civic Responsibilities
(39:27) Closing: How Showing People Their Commonalities Leads to Progress
(40:53) Links
...more
42min
March 17, 2026Blame, "Both Sides-ing," and Whataboutism: When Are These Appropriate? | Politics with Paul #84
In political discussions, blame often gets thrown around. People get accused of "both sides-ing" an issue when they don't take a strong stance. Or accusations of wrongdoing are responded to with, "Yeah, but what about you?!" The vast majority of disputes in politics involve at least one of these rhetorical devices.
Oftentimes, these tactics are destructive and unhelpful, making discourse worse. But are there times where blaming, accusing someone of "both sides-ing," or whataboutism are justified? Today's episode explores our penchant for engaging in these tactics, why they regularly happen, why the line for when these are acceptable is hard to draw, and what we should ask ourselves before we use these tactics.
Quality discussions, and finding solutions to our most pressing problems, greatly depend on properly addressing these things.
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
(0:00) Intro: Blame, "Both Sides-ing," and Whataboutism in Politics
(3:26) Blame Game: The Propensity for Pointing Fingers
(9:48) When (If Ever) Should We Engage in Blaming Somebody?
(16:08) Questions to Ask Yourself When it Comes to Blaming
(21:25) What is "Both Sides-ing" and How Often Does it Happen?
(28:09) When is an Accusation of "Both Sides-ing" Warranted?
(35:35) Questions to Ask Yourself When it Comes to "Both Sides-ing"
(39:47) Whataboutism: Responding to Accusations with Counter-Accusations
(44:57) When (if Ever) Should We Engage in Whataboutism?
(52:26) Questions to Ask Yourself When it Comes to Whataboutism
(59:53) Closing and Links
...more
1h 2min
March 10, 2026A Project to Revolutionize Holding Government Accountable? w/ Ramon Perez | Politics with Paul #83
Government often feels unaccountable and non-transparent - but it doesn't have to be that way.
Imagine an app and platform that not only significantly cuts down on the difficulty and time-consumption of researching bills and how legislators vote on them. It also allows you, the voter, to tell legislators in real-time how you want them to vote, and therefore makes them more accountable to the people. Sound too good to be true?
Well, that's what the Digital Democracy Project does, helmed by today's Politics with Paul guest, Ramon Perez. A military veteran, AI consultant, and political reformer, Ramon discusses how DDP, artificial intelligence, regular citizens, and other key projects can make government officials more accountable and transparent than ever before.
Ramon's Links
Digital Democracy Project: https://digitaldemocracyproject.org/
Paul's Links
Sayfie Review: https://www.sayfiereview.com/
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
(0:00) Intro: Ramon Perez, Digital Democracy Project, Government Accountability
(2:11) Why and How Ramon Got Involved in Government Accountability Efforts
(5:58) How Ramon Joined Digital Democracy Project, What DDP Does
(12:31) How DDP Makes it Easy to Research Data on Bills, Legislator Votes
(16:04) Stats on DDP Usage, Key Political Figures Endorsing it
(20:54) Other Examples of How DDP has Made Government More Accountable
(25:50) How Digital Democracy Project Addresses Voter Apathy
(30:09) How Artificial Intelligence Helps Make Government More Accountable
(33:51) A Potential Renaissance for Local Journalists?
(38:47) Ranked Choice Voting and Potential Impacts on Accountability, Transparency
(43:43) The Future and Ambitions of Digital Democracy Project
(48:07) How Citizens Can Practically Make Government More Accountable
(51:55) Random Question: What Documentary Would You Make?
(59:29) Links and Closing
...more
1h 1min
March 03, 2026It's Election Polling Season - Here's What You Should Know About it | Politics with Paul #82
It's an election year - and that means a lot of fodder about election polls and the "horse race" aspect of polls. It's easy to get caught up in who is "winning" a race, but a lot of the discussion about polls is immersed in misunderstandings about how it works, vested interests in what polls get promoted, and surface-level analysis of public opinion. For as much as people obsess over polls, many of them also love to trash polls as unreliable and even deceptive.
Today's episode of Politics in Paul cuts through a lot of that noise, seeking to make polling more accessible and understandable. Listen in to get the real story masked by some of polling's biggest misconceptions, the key ingredients to look for in polling, and why a healthy dose of skepticism (but not distrust) is warranted. Equip yourself to know what is useful polling info and fodder - and what isn't - in the leadup to the 2026 election.
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
(0:00) Understanding Election Polling Season
(1:40) Clearing Up Misconceptions About Polling
(3:40) Misconception #1: Polls are Lying When They are Inaccurate
(9:20) Misconception #2: Polls are Exact Measures of What the Public Feels
(11:03) Misconception #3: Misunderstanding What Margin of Error is
(16:22) Misconception #4: Pollsters Use the Same Exact Polling Methods
(17:05) Misconception #5: That There is Such a Thing as a "Dead Heat"
(19:14) What Polls Actually Matter?
(27:08) What are the Most Important Parts of Polls to Know?
(28:45) Need to Know: Who Made the Poll?
(30:52) Need to Know: Margin of Error, Sample Size, Randomness or Not
(32:21) Need to Know: If the Sample is Demographically Representative, Weighted
(36:17) Need to Know: Unexpected Opinions of a Demographic
(38:15) Why the Timing of Polls Matters
(45:09) What is a "Likely Voter" and Why Does it Matter?
(54:38) Closing and Links
...more
56min
February 24, 2026Why Our Ideas for Fixing Politics Aren’t as Easy and Obvious as We Think | Politics with Paul #81
We often think we or like-minded people have all the answers for how to fix politics. Yet we think the solutions are far easier, more obvious, and more foolproof than they actually are. It's a trap that any of us (some people more than others) can fall into. You should be skeptical if someone says, "It's simple, we need to do X."
Still, we should encourage people to share their ideas for democracy. We just need to get people to think more critically about their ideas and others they agree with. Today's episode of Politics with Paul dives into this topic, showing the pitfalls of believing our proposed ideas for fixing democracy or policy issues are obvious and foolproof, how to avoid these mistakes in overconfidence, and how to better evaluate ideas to solve our political problems.
Stephanie Houghton's SubStack post that prompted this idea: https://womanoffield.substack.com/p/whats-your-quick-fix-for-democracy
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
(0:00) Intro: The Solutions to Political Problems are Never Easy or Obvious
(1:57) The Prevalence of Political Overconfidence and the Problems it Causes
(6:24) Know the Difference Between Vague and Specific Ideas
(14:16) What are the Relevant Political, Legal Rules for Implementing Your Idea?
(20:07) Every Policy Idea Has Flaws, Tradeoffs, and Blind Spots
(23:41) Example of Policy Comparisons From a Grad School Class
(30:12) Working With Other People (Whether They Support Your Idea or Not)
(37:46) Does Your Idea Actually Achieve the Benefits You Think it Will?
(45:01) The Importance of Self-Assessment, Critiquing Ideas We Support
(50:13) Closing and My Links
...more
52min
February 17, 2026How to Mobilize and Motivate Supporters for Your Cause w/ Bert Ralston | Politics with Paul #80
Perhaps the most important component to any campaign is mobilizing and motivating supporters and like-minded people to support your cause. Yet just because you have broad agreement doesn't mean it's simple and easy to galvanize these voters. You need to find out who these people are, craft the right message, the resources to reach them, and the right amount of nudging to come out to vote, among other things. What are the best ways to do that?
Today's Politics with Paul guest, Bert Ralston, joined the podcast to share his decades-long insights into that question. Bert has had a long career in voter turnout programs, creating communications strategy, influencing public policy and opinion, authored works, and university lecturing to draw on and imparts much of that wisdom in today's episode. If you're looking to campaign for anything or anyone, check out his insights to level up your political communications game.
Bert's Links
RealClearPolitics: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/
EyesOver: https://www.eyesover.com/
RepublicanAds digital targeting: https://www.republicanads.com/
Paul's Links
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
(0:00) Intro to Mobilization Strategies, Bert Ralston
(2:12) How Bert Got Started in Campaign Consulting, Communications
(4:28) Common Mistakes New Campaigners Make in Their Mobilization Strategies
(9:41) How Much Can More Money Make Up for Flaws in Your Messaging?
(15:47) What Information Tells Campaigns a Voter is a Likely Supporter, Likely to Vote
(26:13) Fundamental Differences in Mobilization Between Republicans, Democrats, Independents?
(30:52) Do the Different Coalition Natures of the Parties Affect Their Ability to Recruit Paid Activists?
(33:31) Does Mobilizing for Candidates Differ From Mobilizing for Ballot Measures?
(35:51) Why it's Easier to Mobilize for "No" Than "Yes" on a Ballot Measure
(38:34) Unique Aspects to Mobilizing Voters to Influence Legislators' Votes on Bills
(44:57) What Motivates Voters Differently in High Turnout vs. Low Turnout Midterm Elections?
(49:30) Advice for Anyone Trying to Craft Mobilization Strategies for Campaigns
(53:18) Random Question: Which Winter Olympic Sport Would You Want a Gold Medal in?
(57:06) Closing and Our Links
...more
1h 1min
February 10, 2026Is Potentialism the Key to American Civic Renewal? w/ Daniel Yudkin | Politics with Paul #79
Our civic culture is in precarious state, and toxicity and hyperpolarization threaten to make it even more unhealthy. It's now more critical than ever to renew our commitment to our civic ideals and to each other as Americans. But that's considerably easier said than done. How do we do that?
Today's guest, Daniel Yudkin, joins the podcast to showcase what may be the key to revitalizing our civic culture and getting back to more healthy engagement with our political system. As head of the Beacon Project, he and his organization have been developing the concept of "potentialism," which states that everyone has a gift to offer our civic culture, and a right and responsibility to develop and share that gift.
Is potentialism the antidote to the poison of hyperpolarization?
Daniel's Links:
The Beacon Project: https://beaconproject.us/
"What is Potentialism?" on the Beacon Project website: https://beaconproject.us/potentialism/
How we think about what we owe each other as Americans: https://civicprofile.us/
Paul's Links:
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
(0:00) Introduction to Civic Renewal and Potentialism
(1:52) Why Daniel is Invested in Civic Renewal, Political Bridge-Building
(3:56) What the Beacon Project is and How Daniel Became Part of it
(9:00) What is Potentialism and Why is it a Right and Responsibility?
(15:05) What Does it Mean to Call Potentialism a "Gift"?
(19:22) Tackling the Problem of Distrust in Political Institutions
(23:14) How Ready is the Public for Potentialism?
(28:34) Responding to Arguments that Potentialism is Impractical or Too "Touchy-Feely"
(33:34) Demonstrating Potentialism to Citizens Who Feel They Have Nothing to Offer
(37:52) Demonstrating Potentialism to People Who are Afraid of Politics
(41:23) Demonstrating Potentialism to People Who Don't Care About Politics
(43:17) How Can People Get Involved With Potentialism, the Beacon Project?
(46:10) Final Thoughts on Potentialism, Civic Renewal, Depolarization
(47:59) Random Question: A Hobby You'd Like to Develop That You May Not Have Time For
(50:41) Closing and Our Links
...more
53min
February 03, 2026How Do We Improve Youth Voter Turnout? w/ Stephanie Houghton | Politics with Paul #78
While voter turnout overall is notoriously low in most American elections, youth voter turnout especially lags noticeably behind older voters, even when there is an uptick in participation. Sometimes, that has led to criticisms of youth citizens as "lazy," "uninformed," "unengaged," or "selfish." But is it really that simple? And do we have to just accept low voter turnout as an unchangeable fact?
In today's episode of the Politics with Paul Podcast, election reformer and seasoned political campaigner Stephanie Houghton sits down to discuss the issues facing youth voter turnout and how we can go about solving them. She shares many of her insights including why youth voters seem so disengaged, how we can go about fixing those problems, how youth voters can also help themselves, and the simple yet powerful act of genuine engagement with them.
Stephanie's Links:
Substack: https://womanoffield.substack.com/ (redirect from https://democracytodolist.com/)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cirrus-strategies-stephanie-houghton/
My Links:
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
(0:00) Intro: Fixing Youth Voter Turnout, Stephanie Houghton
(1:45) Why Stephanie is Invested in Youth Voter Turnout
(5:45) Standout Experiences with Youth Voters, What Makes a "Youth Voter"
(13:20) Biggest Reasons for Low Youth Turnout, How We Can Reverse Those Issues
(19:10) Similar Reasons for Youth and Non-Youth Voters Not Turning Out?
(21:06) Does How We Teach Civics vs. Government Lead to Lower Youth Turnout?
(26:08) Is There an Existential Dread About Politics Unique to Younger Voters?
(30:22) The Importance of Optimism and Small Actions in Politics
(32:46) How Election Systems Can Be Reformed to Improve Youth Voter Turnout
(38:37) Potential Lessons from Ireland's Ranked-Choice Proportional Representation System
(41:19) Convincing Politicians to Support Policies They Don't Think Benefit Them
(43:35) What Youth Voters Can Do to Improve Their Own Civic Engagement
(48:18) Proven Strategies That Have Led to Higher Youth Voter Turnout
(53:00) Advice for Any Political Campaign on Reaching Out to Youth Voters
(57:50) Random Question: Which State Has the Best-Looking County Boundaries?
(1:02:27) Closing and Our Links
...more
1h 4min
January 27, 2026 How to Encourage and Incentivize People to Depolarize w/ Phelosha Collaros (DepolarWise) | Politics with Paul #77
In the discussions about how to depolarize American politics, one critical element often gets lost: How do we convince people that they need to depolarize and to become part of the political bridge-building movement? The need for these things may seem self-evident to those of us working to depolarize the nation, but we have to truly WANT to come together. And that requires not only showing polarized people why they should depolarize but also some self-awareness from bridge-builders in their approach.
Today's guest, Phelosha Collaros shares a wealth of insights into how to encourage more effective depolarization efforts, drawing on plenty of research towards more effective depolarization techniques and her own heritage. Her mother and grandparents experienced the Colombian Civil War, "La Violencia," and the conflict holds many valuable lessons for how to address the increasing toxicity in America. If you're trying to level up your game on healing divisions in this country, you don't want to miss this episode.
(0:00) Intro: Encouraging Depolarization, Phelosha Collaros
(1:52) Why Depolarization is So Important to Phelosha
(8:06) What is DepolarWise and Why is it Necessary?
(14:27) How Many People Can Be Persuaded to Be Depolarized?
(19:28) 2–3 Biggest Reasons Why Some People WANT to Be Polarized
(25:52) How Can We Reverse the Reasons for Wanting to be Polarized?
(32:51) What Makes People Step Over the Line Into Political Violence?
(42:30) How Depolarizers Can Also Be More Self-Aware, Introspective
(50:42) Showing Polarized People That Toxicity Doesn't Benefit Them, Either
(56:15) Encouraging More People to Be Civically Involved to Reverse Polarization
(1:01:05) 2–3 Tips for Building Up a Habit of Civic Bridge-Building
(1:04:10) Random Question: Planet You'd Visit if Safety Was Guaranteed
(1:09:13) Closing and Our Links
...more
1h 12min

FAQs about Politics with Paul:

How many episodes does Politics with Paul have?

The podcast currently has 87 episodes available.