You Might Be Right

Steve Vladeck, law professor at Georgetown and CNN Supreme Court analyst, and John McGinnis, law professor at Northwestern, join Governors Bredesen and Haslam to discuss the impact of polarization and declining public trust on the Supreme Court. Is the Supreme Court as partisan as Americans think it is? Are reforms needed to help rebuild trust? 

While constitutional issues are at the heart of many of our disagreements, it may also be the solution to our increasing political polarization. Yuval Levin, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of a new book “American Covenant”, join Governors Bredesen and Haslam to explore how the Constitution can guide us to disagree constructively and resolve problems. 

Anthony Foxx, Secretary of Transportation in the Obama Administration and Margaret Spellings, Secretary of Education in the Bush Administration, join Governors Bredesen and Haslam for a wide-ranging conversation, reflecting on experiences navigating divisions then and the changes they see today. They also share lessons learned while in office, from navigating relationships with the White House and Congress to memorable encounters with Dick Cheney and Grover Norquist. This episode was recorded live at Davidson College in September 2024.

Brothers, professors, and authors Hyrum Lewis and Verlan Lewis join Governors Bredesen and Haslam to discuss their new book “The Myth of Left and Right”, and its premise that the “left” and “right” are social groups united by tribal loyalty rather than consistent philosophies.  Could a more multidimensional view of politics improve our civic discourse? This episode was recorded live at the Chattanooga Rotary Club in August 2024. 

Are Americans as divided as we think we are? To kick off Season Five, Rachel Kleinfeld, Rachel Kleinfeld, an international relations scholar and senior fellow in the Democracy, Conflict and Governance program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, joins Governors Bredesen and Haslam to discuss what the research says about the roots and repercussions of polarization in American politics.

Two years and over 200,000 downloads later, "You Might Be Righ"t has inspired listeners nationwide. To mark this milestone, we invited our most avid listeners to ask Governors Bredesen and Haslam questions about the podcast, their time in office, and current hot topics. 

Nearly a year after the first You Might Be Right episode on AI, Michael Kratsios, former U.S. Chief Technology Officer, joins Governors Bredesen and Haslam to revisit this rapidly evolving topic. They discuss recent AI developments, its societal impact, and America's role in global tech leadership. 

Two Governors from adjacent states and opposing parties, Utah’s Spencer Cox (R) and Colorado’s Jared Polis (D), join Governors Bredesen and Haslam to share their “Disagree Better” initiative. They affirm the need to "disagree without hating each other" and explore practical ways to disagree better in everyday life. 

Natalie Allison, national political reporter for Politico, and Dan Balz, Chief Correspondent for The Washington Post, join Governors Bredesen and Haslam to examine the evolving role of traditional media in a modern presidential campaign. 

Dan DiSalvo, a political scientist and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and Bill Galston, a senior fellow at Brookings and Wall Street Journal columnist, join Governors Bredesen and Haslam to discuss our two-party system and if a third-party candidate for president can be successful.