Pothole Problem Podcast

The return of the show after a long hiatus has Jack revealing the set of alter egos he's developed over the past 2 years, showing his work, and reflecting on the need to get back to exploring political outrage and trying to help people navigate the powerful emotions ramping up as the 2024 presidential election looms in the not-so-distant future.

Segments include “Multiple Personality Disorder,” “Hating on Congress,” and “William U’Ren, Father of the Oregon System.”

Podcasts mentioned: Two Ring Circus and Applied Political Philosophy

Link to our new sponsor: Center for Public Service

Length: 20:36

This week's episode is a solo recording by Jack describing his experience with mediation and its relationship to his state of mind, his emotions, and his participation in the tumultuous world of politics. Recorded the night before he leaves for a five-day silent meditation retreat, Jack attempts to explain why and how his meditation practice has been important for sustaining his participation in and observation of the political system.

Jack interviews Oregon State Senator Kim Thatcher (R-District 13) about her nearly two decades of experience in the state legislature. They discuss the changes the senator has seen in state politics during this time and how social media and cultural differences between party members contribute to the widening political divide.

Portland City Commissioner Mingus Mapps describes the unsustainable nature of his job in city government and the structural reasons why the City of Portland faces extra challenges addressing the city’s problems and simply doing its job. He and Jack also discuss the need for reforming the city charter and the current effort to propose changes to that charter. You can find out more about the charter review process currently going on—and participate in it—by going here: https://www.portland.gov/omf/charter-review-commission

Jack talks to Jesse Cornett, a longtime political activist in Oregon and national politics and Bernie Sanders’ body man in the 2020 campaign, about his commitment to a life in politics and the motivations and practices it takes to sustain that commitment.

Jack answers a listener question about the current direction of the Supreme Court by asking us to cast our minds back half a century to try imagining what it felt like to conservatives as the Warren Court got going with its liberal revolution. He also examines the impact of anti-intellectualism on our current political discourse.

Jack interviews Oregon state representative Tawna Sanchez (Democrat, district 43).

Zane and Jack discuss the STAR voting system, an Oregon-grown electoral reform that asks voters to rate candidates from 0 to 5 stars and awards victory to the winner of an automatic runoff between the two top-rated candidates.

You can find out more on the Internet at starvoting.us, and you can learn about the new feature of the Pothole Problem Podcast, a weekly Politics Q&A with Dr. Jack Miller, by going to the podcast website.

In this kickoff to Year 3, co-hosts Zane and Jack reboot the Pothole Problem Podcast after a pandemic hiatus by revisiting the meaning of the pothole problem after all that's gone down in the past two years.

Zane interviews Jack about democratic theory and some of the reasons why people so often feel like political outcomes aren't fair. This episode also features a rap battle between Pat and Kyle, recorded in the White Tiger Studio on February 16th, 2019.