The Optimistic American

Paul Johnson analyzes the recent Republican debate from the view point of an independent voter, that featured former Vice President Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie, Ron Desantis and Nikki Haley.

Paul’s observations touch upon the status quo of U.S. politics, the influence of a small minority population on partisan primaries, the importance of states like Iowa and New Hampshire, the present state of America, as well as upon conversations about abortion and foreign policy.

• Today’s episode is a commentary on what Paul refers to as the “exceptional” recent Republican debate.
• There are key commonalities among independents: they register as unaffiliated because they don’t want to be identified as a group, and they like candidates that aren’t afraid to buck their own party. Regardless of their vast differences they personify individualism.
• Paul played the answer given by the candidates about whether they would support Donald Trump as U.S. President even if he was convicted of a crime. Paul spoke about why a majority of candidates had to say yes.
• Paul reviewed how 44% of Americans registered as an independent, leaving about 60% split 30-30 between Democrats and Republicans. He illustrated how with less than 35% turnouts in the primary, it generally leaves about 8% of all Amercians who will vote in either primary. This gives a disproportional voice on both sides to voters who are more extreme. Candidates have no choice but to abide by this reality.
• Paul illustrates in congressional and legislative races, 70% of the districts have been gerrymandered to the point that there is no competition in the general election. This means that 70% of our congress is elected by less than 8% of the American voters.
• In the Presidential race it is still less than 8% of the voters who select the nominee of each party. After they have made the case to these more extreme voters in the primary, it can be hard to pivot. This leaves candidates and the parties to convince you that they are not as bad as the guy in the other party instead of creating an inspirational message of where we should go.
• Paul pointed out in this debate how some of the candidates bucked this trend.
• Paul discussed how from his experience working in Presidential campaigns, one of these candidates could upset the front runner Trump through winning Iowa, a caucus state or New Hampshire.
• Paul reviewed why Vivek Ramaswamy originally was attractive to independents. He wrote in his book Nation of Victims, how Trump represented a victim state, but did a 180-degree reverse on his position during the Republican debate.
• Sycophancy in this election is a valid strategy. If a candidate believes Trump may lose his criminal trials and was somehow not able to finish the primary, being his defender could cause his voters to shift to the defender – Paul explains why.
• Vice President Mike Pence is seen as a “coward” by both the left and the right. Paul points to the role he played by maintaining the constitution and not overturning the election, and will be seen by many independents as someone who actually did something heroic.
• Paul touches upon the role and approach Iowa and New Hampshire tend to have and how they will impact the upcoming presidential elections.
• The foreign policy part of the Republican debate is something that really caught Paul’s attention. Paul plays several comments by candidates laying out dramatic views of America's role in the world.
• Paul unpacks the post-World War II ramifications that led the U.S. to become a superpower with plenty of allies worldwide. How this leadership role we played is being challenged by China, Russia, and here at home.
• Paul reviewed how different candidates approached describing problems: some using fear, others using inspiration.
• Paul countered some of the candidates' dark views of America. He believes that there isn’t any better place to be today than the U.S.
• He notes that despite making up less than 5% of the world’s population, the U.S. makes up over 31% of the world’s global wealth and 35% of the world’s innovation.

Mentioned in This Episode:

optamerican.com

Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You by Dr Emily Bashah and Hon Paul Johnson

The Optimistic American on YouTube - @optamerican

Become a premium supporter of the show: OptAmerican.com/premium

Previous episode - Does America Need a 3rd Party Candidate for President in 2024? With No Labels Founder, Sen. Joe Lieberman

Previous episode - No Left, No Right but Forward with Forward Party Founder Andrew Yang

Previous episode - Why America Needs a New Political Party with Forward Party Founder, Governor, and Madam Secretary Christine Todd Whitman

Donald Trump

Thomas Jefferson

John McCain

Chris Christie

Vivek Ramaswamy

Gallup.com

The Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence by Vivek Ramaswamy

Mike Pence

Kamala Harris

Nikki Haley

Ron DeSantis

Hunter Biden

Paul Johnson is joined by Dr. Emily Bashah to talk about extremist ideologies, violent groups, and what parents can do to protect their children from them.

The couple touches upon what happens at a neurological level in children’s brains, what predators do to find “reclutes,” the Theory of Mind, and the T.R.I.P.L.E.D. parenting acronym.

• Paul and Dr. Bashah discuss when ideology can become a problem that leads to the recruiting of vulnerable people by extremist groups.
• Dr. Bashah explains that extreme ideologies tend to be driven by a victim-oppressor group-think mentality.
• In the context of addictive ideologies, there seems to be a psychological need to be right – Dr. Bashah and Paul touch upon what happens at a neurological level.
• In her work with predators, Dr. Bashah has learned a lot about the search and recruitment of youngsters. She shares some things parents should be mindful of and do to protect their children.
• Dr. Bashah lists the developmental periods a child’s brain goes through and how that fits the context of relationship-building and radicalization.
• Dr. Bashah and Paul talk about the Theory of Mind and how the term bullying is being redefined.
• Did you know that, as an adult, you can be polarizing and can contribute to the creation of an environment of polarization?
• Paul and Dr. Bashah created the T.R.I.P.L.E.D. acronym to help parents think about how to triple the chance of their child growing into a successful adult and avoiding detrimental influences.
• Paul shares what he considers steps parents should take to nurture their relationship with their children and to keep them away from extremism.

Mentioned in This Episode:

optamerican.com

Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You by Dr Emily Bashah and Hon Paul Johnson

The Optimistic American on YouTube - @optamerican

Become a premium supporter of the show: OptAmerican.com/premium

Optimistic American Worksheet Downloads - OptAmerican.com/worksheets

Dr. Emily Bashah

Paul Johnson unpacks the concept of addictive ideologies and the role they play in regards to the ongoing divisions in American society.

He points out the addictive ideologies, of the far right and radical left, and the commonalities with all 21st century genocides – from Germany and China to Rwanda and Yugoslavia. And how the U.S. and other Western democracies can avoid similar catastrophes.

• Paul unpacks the question, “What is evil? Is evil an external force or is it actually something that’s inside of each one of us?”
• The list of genocides that took place in the 21st century – from Nazi Germany to China and Cambodia, all the way to Rwanda, and Yugoslavia – is long and has plenty of similarities.
• According to Paul and Dr. Emily Bashah’s research work and analysis, all genocides are tied to an ideology and to tribalism.
• The ideologies that end up becoming violent all start with the idea of an oppressor vs. an oppressed.
• Paul explains how violent ideologies begin with a loss of self-esteem and the loss of something either economical or social.
• Paul illustrates the addictive qualities of ideology, as well as what happens neurologically during an argument and one’s desire to be right.
• There are common traits shared by the far right and the radical left – Paul touches upon them.
• Paul goes over key terms such as tribalism, moral relativism, cognitive dissonance, and amygdala hijacking, and their role in the context of addictive ideologies.
• Paul touches upon the current state of the American political system and shares potential reform ideas.
• The foundations of the American government empowered the individual over itself. Those nations who recognize the individual as the priority though civil rights, equal rights, human rights, property rights and free markets are all more prosperous than their authoritarian counterparts, says Paul.
• Paul shares his prediction of what’s going to happen in the U.S. in the next few years and why understanding our own accountability is key.

Mentioned in This Episode:

optamerican.com

Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You by Dr Emily Bashah and Hon Paul Johnson

The Optimistic American on YouTube - @optamerican

Become a premium supporter of the show: OptAmerican.com/premium

SaveDemocracyAZ.com

Dr. Emily Bashah

Pol Pot 

Josip Tito

Proud Boys

Oath Keepers

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haith

American Psycho

Gallup.com

Thomas Jefferson

Martin Luther

Paul Kennedy

The Gulag Archipelago: An Experiment in Literary Investigation by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Ann Coulter

Bill Maher

Viktor Frankl

Martin Luther King Jr.

Paul Johnson’s guest in this episode is Forward Party Co-Chair Christine Todd Whitman. They discuss the current U.S. political landscape, what’s not working, and how ranked-choice voting could change the current status quo.

Additionally, they go over Whitman’s journey from Republican New Jersey Governor and cabinet-level official to becoming involved with the Forward Party, the challenge of being unaffiliated with either major party, and how the Forward Party is trying to bring about change in American politics.

• Forward Party Co-Chair, Governor Christine Todd Whitman shares her story of going from governor of New Jersey and a cabinet-level official to getting involved with the Forward Party.
• There are a few things those interested in joining the Forward Party need to agree to. Upholding the rule of the law, respecting the Constitution, and being willing to solve problems working with others across the aisle. Additionally, willing to work to change the way the American people choose their candidates.
• One of the main goals of the Forward Party is to break the hold of the two parties so that people have more choices.
• Gov. Whitman shares that there are 500,000 elective offices across the country in any given year, and 70% of those are uncontested. Of those, 5-10% are never filled.
• Paul Johnson and Gov. Whitman talk about how the voting system has gotten to where it is today, as well as the consequences of not being affiliated with either the Republican or Democratic party.
• Gov. Whitman opens up about what made her choose the Republican Party, before getting involved with the Forward Party.
• For Paul, the greatest thing the American government has ever done has been to empower the individual over itself.
• Gov. Whitman shares what could be done to have a dialogue between different sides, and what to focus on to get people to buy into bringing about change.
• In Gov. Whitman’s opinion, with ranked-choice voting, there wouldn’t be a need for primaries. Moreover, it would prevent people from voting for “the lesser of evils.”
• Gov. Whitman hopes that ranked-choice voting and primaries aren’t just going to change the voting system but parties, too.
• Gov. Whitman lists the steps people can take to join the Forward Party in its effort to bring about change.

Mentioned in This Episode:

optamerican.com

Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You by Dr Emily Bashah and Hon Paul Johnson

The Optimistic American on YouTube - @optamerican

Become a premium supporter of the show: OptAmerican.com/premium

Gov. Christine Todd Whitman

ForwardParty.com

Michael Willner

Andrew Yang

Benjamin Franklin

Mary Peltola

Sarah Palin

Lisa Murkowski

Donald Trump

Martin Luther King Jr.

Fox News

MSNBC

CNN

Joe Biden

James Carville

Paul Begala

Joe Manchin

Thomas Jefferson

Alexander Hamilton

Paul Johnson sits down with presidential candidate and Forward Party Founder Andrew Yang. They discuss the status quo of the American political system and why the partisan system is dividing Americans and not providing them with a functional government.

Additionally, the two talk about how the Forward Party was born and what it’s all about, the biggest threats to American democracy, and some mind-blowing statistics about the current political landscape.

• Andrew Yang and Paul Johnson kick off the conversation talking about the Forward Party and why Yang decided to focus on reform as opposed to simply sticking with the Democratic Party and potentially run in another primary for President.
• In Yang’s opinion, the current two-party system is not designed for good policy, but rather for putting people against each other.
• Yang discusses the aftermath and repercussions of going from being a longtime Democrat to an Independent.
• Yang believes that there are a lot of issues, such as climate change, education and immigration, that aren’t going to be solved unless the political system itself evolves.
• Yang and Paul touch upon what’s not working with the current political system and how people are getting dragged to the extremes by the tribalism of the Party.
• The Forward Party is focused on being a gathering ground for folks who want common sense solutions and good policy, while also advocating for structural reforms.
• Paul and Yang touch upon the financial ramifications of the current political system and what the Forward Party aims at achieving from that standpoint.
• Andrew Yang explains why you can be successful with an effort such as the Forward Party without actually having to win in every state.
• Many people think that 51% is needed for the Forward Party to change politics for the better – however, that number is way lower, closer to 10%, says Andrew Yang.
• The Forward Party’s platform is really designed to change the existing system and empower independents and unaffiliated voters through promoting open primaries and rank choice voting. The effort is designed to push these reforms as well as eliminating dark money in politics, and it allows its members to make up their own minds on divisive issues.
• You can join the Forward Party and remain a registered Democrat, Republican, or Independent. Yang explains what people can do to try and make a change.
• A little dirty secret of American democracy: up to 70% of local races are uncontested or uncompetitive.
• Yang explains that getting a number of committed people together to boost a local candidate can make an enormous difference.
• Paul and Andrew Yang share what they consider the biggest threats to democracy right now. Both are very optimistic about America, but our biggest threat is politics and the two political parties.

Mentioned in This Episode:

optamerican.com

Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You by Dr Emily Bashah and Hon Paul Johnson

The Optimistic American on YouTube - @optamerican

Become a premium supporter of the show: OptAmerican.com/premium

Andrew Yang

ForwardParty.com

Voter Choice Arizona

Liz Cheney

Adam Kinzinger 

Lisa Murkowski

Previous episode - How Political Reform Created Cooperation and Collaboration in Alaska, with Alaska Senator Cathy Giessel

Glenn Youngkin

Mary Paltola 

Sarah Palin

Christine Todd Whitman

Krist Novoselic 

Donald Trump

Paul Johnson sits down with Pastor Anthony Cox of the Mercy Hill Church. They talk about the Mercy Hill Church, its role within the Phoenix community, and whether America is worth saving.

Moreover, they touch upon the connection between God, individualism, finding meaning, and what can be done to address divisions and change the status quo of American society.

• Pastor Cox discusses the idea that some religious leaders question whether America, as it is today, is worth saving. This creates a robust discussion of America.
• Paul praises the diversity of Pastor Cox’s inner city church, and the two unpack the concept of a diverse community further.
• Pastor Cox and Paul discuss the connection between individualism, which is what America was founded on, and religion.
• Paul discusses how the Reformation was inspired by Martin Luther’s ideas that every person deserves dignity in the eyes of God. Later, philosophers argued that if God granted every individual dignity, the government should do no less. Thus the connection between the Reformation and the bier of individualism. This helps create an understanding of why western society sees individualism as a governing ideal.
• Paul brings up Viktor Frankl’s idea that we find meaning in any of three things: in our ability to love the people and things we love, we find it in the things we create, and we find meaning in our ability to deal with struggle.
• Paul also believes that we find meaning in the service we give to other people.
• Paul and Pastor Cox touch upon Martin Luther King Jr.’s three words to describe love and Plato’s idea of logos.
• The discussions focus on loving people you don’t know and the importance of forgiveness.
• Pastor Cox opens up about how he, as a pastor, tries to address the divisions and cure the harm that’s generated from the divisions inside his church.
• Pastor Cox and Paul talk about the current state of the American society and political system, and what could be done to try to improve the status quo.
• Pastor Cox talks about how any reform should focus on providing incentive to lower partisanship, and lower the discord between the parties.

Mentioned in This Episode:

optamerican.com

Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You by Dr Emily Bashah and Hon Paul Johnson

The Optimistic American on YouTube - @optamerican

Become a premium supporter of the show: OptAmerican.com/premium

Pastor Anthony Cox

Thomas Jefferson

John Locke

The Disappearance of God: A Divine Mystery by Richard Elliott Friedman

Martin Luther

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Martin Luther King Jr.

Plato

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Paul Johnson welcomes the president of Thomas R. Brown Foundations, Sarah Smallhouse, and Rodel Foundation Chairman & Founding Director, Don Budinger, to talk about how political reform is key to improving education.

The three go over why their foundations, that were set up to improve education, have made leadership a high priority. They establish a real connection between a country’s leadership role and the quality of its public education system. They believe the partisan system has harmed our ability to improve education, and they talk about the reform approach they believe should be followed to achieve a high quality educational system.

• Sarah Smallhouse talks about the Brown Foundations and why they have made leadership a high priority. The Brown Foundations have worked to help leaders on both sides better understand state issues through educational programs designed to help leaders understand the complexity. However, Sarah points out that Brown Foundations went into leadership because the real focus was education. However, with so many leaders applying simple partisan approaches to education, they felt it necessary to help educate leaders and the public on issues.
• Don Budinger touches upon the origin story and the purpose of the Rodel Foundation, as well as how things have been on the educational front. Don Budinger had been a tech leader. He and others saw how our educational system in America was dramatically underperforming.
• When building the Rodel company, Bundinger and his partners noticed an educational difference between the high school graduates they hired in Europe and Asia to run their factories and companies in the U.S.
• Don points out there is a strong correlation between a country’s leadership role and the quality of its public education system.
• As countries rise to becoming major superpowers, and those that provide for a high quality of life for its citizens, one of the determining factors is the quality of the educational system. And this is true for the United States too, says Don Budinger.
• Budinger discusses one thing that, if properly addressed during the learning process, can help every kid and improve the whole system.
• According to Budinger, what’s currently missing in Arizona is the leaders’ commitment to do what it takes for the whole system to improve.
• Sarah Smallhouse points out one thing that philanthropy cannot do: replace the public sector funding of public education. Philanthropy and foundations, with all their wealth, are significantly under financed to replace the role the government plays in funding.
• Don Budinger shares the findings of an experiment he ran years ago regarding education for children living in poor environments, and the approach that should be taken. This includes making sure that the children who can be high performers are given the tools to succeed just like those children who will need additional help. Unfortunately in poor environments both are in short supply.
• Paul, Smallhouse, and Budinger talk about the problems with the existing system.
• Paul points out that one party wants more money, but they reject reforms that demand more out of the system. The other party wants to increase demands, but they consistently underfund education. This is because the narrow interests that elect them in their primaries fundamentally are not concerned with improving outcomes, only serving the special interests within the party.
• Don Bundinger highlights the fact that compromise, which used to be the nugget of progress for most of American history, is now perceived as a weakness. The existing system promotes a zero sum game. Education requires the best from both sides.
• Paul and his guests unpack what they consider reform ideas that could help improve both primary and general elections. This would include eliminating the discrimination against unaffiliated voters and candidates that today represent the largest political group. This would empower less partisanship and focus more on the ideas necessary to make improvements.
• Paul pointed out how he had other guests from other states that have implemented reform including the Republican Majority Leader in Alaska. These representatives have said on prior shows that the reforms stopped leaders from focusing on divisive issues like who can use what bathroom and instead focus on big issues like education, quality of life and jobs.

Mentioned in This Episode:

optamerican.com

Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You by Dr Emily Bashah and Hon Paul Johnson

The Optimistic American on YouTube - @optamerican

Become a premium supporter of the show: OptAmerican.com/premium

Sarah Smallhouse 

Thomas R. Brown Foundations

Don Budinger

Rodel Foundation

Jack Jewett 

Arizona Grantmakers Forum

University of Arizona

Flinn Foundation

Craig Barrett

Rusty Bowers

Jeff Flake

Kyrsten Sinema

Hugo Chávez

Sarah Palin

Previous episode - How Political Reform Created Cooperation and Collaboration in Alaska, with Alaska Senator Cathy Giessel

Paul Johnson welcomes U.S. Senator and No Labels Founding Chairman Joe Lieberman to discuss how No Labels plans to revolutionize American politics by empowering the actual majority.

The two discuss how Lieberman almost became Vice President for candidate John McCain, their opinion on how many of today’s leaders operate, how U.S. politics and the public seem to be going in different directions, and what No Labels should do to get the amount of delegates that are necessary to actually become president.

• Today’s episode revolves around one of the most controversial topics of today: No Labels’ attempt to put their party on the ballot and potentially nominate an independent candidate for president.
• Senator Joe Lieberman shares the story of how he, as an independent candidate, was both a Democratic nominee for vice president and almost became vice president under a Republican nominee, Senator John McCain.
• Paul and Senator Lieberman discuss their belief that U.S. politics is a lot more divisive than the public is, and why they believe that’s the case.
• Both Paul and Sen. Lieberman believe that promoting the divisions is a very profitable model for the political parties and the nightly news. Politicians respond to that by being even more divisive.
• Senator Lieberman shares an interesting stat: “49% of the American people describe themselves politically as Independents." He sees that as a reaction to the Republican and the Democratic parties.
• Paul points out that less than 10% of the public vote in partisan primaries and, because of gerrymandering, out of 500,000 elected offices, 70% are decided with no real opposition in the general election, leaving most voters cut out of the process of electing their officials.
• As a result, Senator Joe Lieberman says that too many leaders are playing to the narrow base of people who vote in the primary and using fear to exploit the insecurity around various problems. Everything is existential, and we use alarmism on every issue.This exploitation is dividing the country.
• Paul touches upon what led him to become an Independent, and how, as an Independent, it became much easier to see the excesses of both parties. He points out that both parties see themselves as entitled to being only one of two choices to the American people, and they see No Labels as a spoiler, meaning they don’t believe other choices should be available.
• Senator Lieberman illustrates some of the challenges of the current dual-opposing-parties political system, that No Labels aims to not only give people choices, but to try and allow for a more optimistic view of America than exists within the two parties today.
• Fun fact: the last successful third ticket at the presidential level was none other than Abraham Lincoln in 1860.
• According to Lieberman, even though a third party candidate for president has not been elected since Lincoln, third party candidates, if they've been credible, can really make a difference on policy. Teddy Roosevelt made both parties focus on conservation and rights for workers. Ross Perot campaigned around a balanced budget that resulted in Bill Clinton focusing on the first balanced budget in decades.
• Paul and No Labels Founding Chairman Joe Lieberman talk about what would be necessary for No Labels to be able to get the amount of delegates that are necessary to actually become president.

Mentioned in This Episode:

optamerican.com

Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You by Dr Emily Bashah and Hon Paul Johnson

The Optimistic American on YouTube - @optamerican

Become a premium supporter of the show: OptAmerican.com/premium

Senator Joe Lieberman

NoLabels.org

Ronald Reagan

Tip O’Neill

Donald Trump

John McCain

Abraham Lincoln

George Washington

Gallup.com 

Barack Obama

Hillary Clinton

Bill Clinton 

Joe Biden

Paul Johnson welcomes Arizona business leader Beau Lane and The Value Equation author Christopher Volk.

The three touch upon the role that businesses have inside the U.S. political system, discuss the incredible benefits Americans will have from the growing American economy, and the threat that the current partisan model poses to America. They talk about reforms to the partisan system that business leaders see as a way to help ensure that our political system benefits the economy as opposed to threatening it.

• Christopher Volk starts the conversation off by sharing his story and by mentioning his book The Value Equation.
• The Value Equation is a guide to creating wealth for entrepreneurs, investors and average individuals wanting to improve their financial position.
• Paul Johnson noted the book explains how business really works in layman's language. The book provides a formula that converts complex subjects into manageable problems with easy math everyone can understand.
• The Value Equation is the foundation upon which most large fortunes were built.
• What interests Chirstopher Volk about reform is the excesses of the extremes in the existing system that threaten everybody’s ability to build wealth or even a comfortable retirement.
• Beau Lane shares his story and touches upon how he got involved in politics, as well as why he believes the business community is starting to be engaged with politics.
• Volk points out that in Arizona, only 100,000 of the 1.4 million independents voted in the last primary election This is by design as the parties don't want unaffiliated voters to participate!
• Paul Johnson points out that in America and Arizona, unaffiliated voters now make up the largest group of registered voters. Yet, they are intentionally being discriminated against.
• These unaffiliated voters are much more interested in elected officials working across the aisle than partisan voters.
• Volk believes that 24-hour news has found it profitable to exacerbate the divisions. Yet polling says the level of disagreements across the U.S. isn’t as high as we are led to believe, nor as high as the partisan political system promotes.
• Beau Lane advocates that a solution that businesses, education and unaffiliated voters support is eliminating partisan primaries and have all party, affiliated and unaffiliated, candidates run in an open primary.
• Every candidate on one ballot, with the same amount of signatures, and everyone has the right to vote in the election.
• Lane sees the current political system as an artificial market where there are two very bad products and people just have to pick between two evils.
• Paul and his guests go over what they consider an alternative to the current bipartisan political system and elections. This would be an open primary system which means stopping the discrimination against unaffiliated voters and candidates, and allowing a voice for the greatest amount of people.
• Christopher Volk and Beau Lane discuss what they see as the “features” and the “customer benefits” of the reformed political system. At the top of that list is preserving the ability for Americans to innovate, create and prosper. The existing partisan system has become an existential threat to free markets, free enterprise and the great prosperity of the American system. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

optamerican.com

Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You by Dr Emily Bashah and Hon Paul Johnson

The Optimistic American on YouTube - @optamerican

Become a premium supporter of the show: OptAmerican.com/premium

SaveDemocracyAZ.com

The Value Equation by Christopher Volk

Beau Lane

Ronald Reagan

Donald Trump

John McCain

J. D. Hayworth

Rusty Bowers

The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy by Katherine Gehl

Karrin Taylor Robson

Thomas Jefferson

Alexander Hamilton

Tip O’Neill

In this episode of The Optimistic American, Paul Johnson is joined by Eric Bronner and Chris Sylvester from Veterans for Political Innovation.

The three talk about the issues with the American political system, why political reform matters to veterans, the issues with the bi-partisan political scene, and what a real patriot is actually all about.

• Eric kicks off the conversation by sharing what Veterans for Political Innovation is all about.
• The initiative was launched about two years ago with the goal of mobilizing America’s most trusted messengers to help repair some of the least trusted institutions – our partisan political system, through state-based campaigns for better elections, better politics, and more choices.
• Chris and Eric open up about their service for the country and the role they played in the United States military.
• According to Eric, political reform matters to veterans for the fact that independents are tired of the two-party doom loop the U.S. are stuck in.
• Reformers like Eric and Chris believe that reforms are the best path to changing the system itself, and to making American politics – and the country – better.
• Eric and Chris believe the existing partisan system is a threat to American national security.
• Chris talks about his run into politics as a Republican and the lesson he learned about trying to unseat an incumbent of the same party.
• Eric touches upon what he considers two key aspects that could improve the political system: a fully-open unified primary where every voter could vote for any candidate, and real competition for November’s elections.
• Chris believes that the political system is riddled with apathy and ignorance.
• For Eric, if someone is more loyal to a political party or a political leader than to the Constitution, they are not a patriot.
• Eric brings the concept of Final Five Voting into the conversation.
• Chris and Eric go through their definitions of leadership.
• One of the major challenges for existing politicians is that out of 500,000 elected officials, 70% are determined in the primary and never face opposition in the general election. This gives an inordinate amount of leverage to the 10% of special interests who actually show up in the primary.
• Both learned in the Military the importance of putting Country before Party. They swore their oath to the Constitution. Today’s politicians because of the broken partisan system put their party above their oath to the Constitution.

Mentioned in This Episode:

optamerican.com

Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You by Dr Emily Bashah and Hon Paul Johnson

The Optimistic American on YouTube - @optamerican

Become a premium supporter of the show: OptAmerican.com/premium

Veterans for Political Innovation

Michael Porter 

Harvard Business School

George Washington

Martin Luther

Jean-Jacques Rosseau

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t by Jim Collins

SaveDemocracyAZ.com