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Toby sits down with Tim Redmond, a PhD in political science, an award-winning educator, and author of over one hundred articles on critical thinking and politics. Toby and Tim sit down to discuss Tim's new book “Political Tribalism in America, How Hyper Partisanship Dumbs Down Democracy and How to Fix It”. Learn about Tim's origin story including something he has in common with our host, hear about Tim's solutions for our Democracy, and how our media diet has so much to do with partisanship. Connect with Tim: https://twitter.com/tjredmo https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B09PZ9GMXY/about?ingress=0&visitId=ea16362c-86d0-4eac-9c43-3a1b69bcfdf7&store_ref=ap_rdr&ref_=ap_rdr To learn more about the Podcast, visit: https://www.unitynowpodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnityNowPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnityNowPodcastInstagram: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unitynowpodcast

Toby sits down with Chris Forman, PhD, an Author, and Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. Toby and Chris discuss Chris' advocacy for Deliberative Democracy and how it relates to his work in physics, if at all. As Chris describes it, the way science has been used and abused in politics fuels his mission for a better democracy. Chris discusses how he inadvertantly created a deliberation process, how this process can be adopted in the West, and how we can protect it from power-hungry individuals. Chris also forgot to mention and wanted us to mention the Hannah Arendt Center who are running a workshop for professionals/elected people or institutions who have an interest in designing a citizen assembly> https://hac.bard.edu/democracy-innovation-workshop Connect with Chris https://chrisjforman.com https://www.thersa.org/united-states/get-involved/deliberation-gateway-network https://deliberationgateway.home.blog/about Related Projects: http://participedia.net/ http://www.democracywithoutelections.org/ https://www.demnext.org https://healthydemocracy.org https://www.cndp.us https://deliberative-democracy.net https://www.ofbyforall.org/our-story Related Books: John Gastil And Olin Wright - Legislature by LotOpen Democracy - Reinventing popular rule for the 21st Century - Helene LandemoreAgainst Elections - David Van ReybrouckThe end of politicians https://www.bretthennig.com/Tao of Democracy Tom AtleeEmpowering public wisdom - Tom AtleeChristina Lafont - Democracy Without Shortcuts To learn more about the Podcast, visit: https://www.unitynowpodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnityNowPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnityNowPodcastInstagram: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unitynowpodcast

Toby sits down with Spike Cohen, 2020 Libertarian VP candidate and Founder of You Are the Power. Toby and Spike cover a broad range of topic from Spike's entrepreneurial spirit and the need to help others to his 2020 VP Candidicy to You Are the Power, and the 2024 Election. Spike tells us why Third Parties haven't won any major elections and how the system is rigged to keep it that way. What is the path to victory for third parties? What will happen in 2024? And listen to the end for possible breaking news! Connect with Spike https://twitter.com/RealSpikeCohen https://twitter.com/YATPOfficial https://www.spikecohen.com To learn more about the Podcast, visit: https://www.unitynowpodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnityNowPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnityNowPodcastInstagram: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unitynowpodcast *You Are the Power is not affliated with the LIbertarian Party - for Spike

Toby Davis, host of UnityNow! podcast, sat down with Zachary Elwood, an unlikely, yet compelling podcaster on the challenge of political polarization. Zach is a world-leading expert on poker tells. In this wide-ranging conversation, Zach gave expert tips on understanding political differences and building productive conversations. His book Defusing American Anger is newly-released and can be found at American-anger.com. Connect with Zach https://twitter.com/apokerplayer https://www.american-anger.com/ https://behavior-podcast.com To learn more about the Podcast, visit: https://www.unitynowpodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnityNowPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnityNowPodcastInstagram: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unitynowpodcast

Toby Davis is joined by Julie Mastrine; Writer and Director of Marketing and Media Bias Ratings at AllSides. AllSides™ is a media solutions company that strengthens our democratic society with balanced news, media bias ratings, diverse perspectives, and real conversation. The two discuss Julie's background and what lead her to creating media bias ratings as well as what it means to be biased and how to recognize the issue. Can bias ever be explained truthfully from media organizations themselves? Listen in and hear from an expert. Follow Julie and All Sides: https://twitter.com/juliewrites https://twitter.com/allsidesnow https://www.allsides.com/unbiased-balanced-news To learn more about the Podcast, visit: https://www.unitynowpodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnityNowPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnityNowPodcastInstagram: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unitynowpodcast

Toby Davis is joined by Eugene Volokh to discuss his blog the Volokh Conspiracy and, along with Rumble and Locals, a challenge to New York's Law that requires Social Media Networks to publish a plan for for responding to alleged hate speech by users. Eugene wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal titled “NEW YORK STATE WANTS TO CONSCRIPT ME TO VIOLATE THE CONSTITUTION”. We discuss this article and the implications of a law that Volokh says "violates the First Amendment" by opening the door to define hate speech at the State government level. Eugene Volokh is a Ukrainian-American legal scholar known for his scholarship in American constitutional law and libertarianism as well as his prominent legal blog The Volokh Conspiracy. Volokh is regarded as an expert on the First Amendment. He is the Gary T. Schwartz Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law and is an academic affiliate at the law firm Mayor Brown. Ready the WSJ Article here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-state... Read the Volokh Conspiracy here: https://reason.com/volokh/ To learn more about the Podcast, visit: https://www.unitynowpodcast.com Make sure to like and subscribe to UnityNow! to get weekly content about the Unity movement! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnityNowPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnityNowPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/unitynowpodcast

This week, UnityNow's Toby Davis sits down with Michelle Dickson of Citizen Connect, a Bridge Alliance initiative. Michelle is a Service Coordinator with Citizen Connect helping to coordinate over 500 bridge-building organizations in America. Citizen Connect is a non-partisan platform dedicated to one thing only – helping Americans find ways to heal our political divides and strengthen our democracy. Listen in as Michelle describes her own professional journey at very partisan jobs to her role now. From the National Repbulican Sentate War Room that focused on ambition and tense political strategy to her world now it's been quite a ride so far. Follow along and find out how you can participate in this great mission. This is one conversation you won’t want to miss! Connect with Michelle and Citizen Connect below: Email: [email protected] https://citizenconnect.us https://twitter.com/citizenconnect3 To learn more about the Podcast, visit: https://www.unitynowpodcast.com Make sure to like and subscribe to UnityNow! to get weekly content about the Unity movement! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnityNowPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnityNowPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/unitynowpodcast

This week, UnityNow's Toby Davis sits down with Eric Bronner, founder of Veterans for Political Innovation. Eric graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1997 where he served eight years as a Naval Flight Officer. Eric describes how his time as board president for “Show Me Integrity”, a political reform organization became a springboard to form Veterans for Political Innovation or VPI. Listen in as Eric describes our political system as a football season where the Champion is determined by pre-season results. From ranked-choice voting, to open primaries VPI is harnessing the determination and will power of our country’s veterans to foster political change one state at a time. You might not be surprised to hear the 116th Congress had a near record-low 15% approval rating. But why would 95% of them win re-election? This is one conversation you won’t want to miss! Connect with Eric and VPI below: https://www.veteransforpoliticalinnovation.org/ https://twitter.com/OperationVPI https://www.linkedin.com/company/veterans-for-political-innovation/ To learn more about the Podcast, visit: https://www.unitynowpodcast.com Make sure to like and subscribe to UnityNow! to get weekly content about the Unity movement! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnityNowPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/UnityNowPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/unitynowpodcast

This week, UnityNow's Toby Davis sits down with Connor Boyack, founder and president of the Utah-based Libertas Institute. Throughout this free-flowing conversation, Boyack shares his experience and perspective on working towards consensus-based, common ground solutions at his think tank, and how he's been able to make real political change. From small businesses' battles against regulation, to the fight for education reform, to challenging the death penalty, you'll learn about the issues Libertas deals with, and how the institute works to frame real solutions both sides can agree on. You'll learn about their innovative regulation sandbox, and why lawyers love it, and about the history of homeschooling. And speaking of learning, you'll also get to hear about how Connor got the idea for the Tuttle Twins, an educational children's book series on how society and government works, that has since been adapted into a cartoon. As Connor tells it, the impacts are far reaching, leading youngsters towards key understandings about economy and society, and leaving their parents stunned! Finally, Connor shares his thoughts about the current state of our politics. What does he think lies in store for the future of the Republican and Democratic parties? And is our division really as bad as it seems? This is one conversation you won’t want to miss!

UnityNow's Toby Davis sits down with Bruce Bond, CEO and Co-founder of Common Ground Committee, a nonpartisan, citizen-led nonprofit dedicated to reducing polarization. Throughout their conversation, the two explore the founding and mission of the Committee. Bruce and his Team began hosting events that bring individuals from different ends of an issue. The two discuss the issue in an attempt to find Common Ground in a civilized public discussion. Toby asks Bruce how often the events have failed to find common ground. You might be surprised at the answer. Finally, Bond shares the new Common Ground Scorecard which assigns politicians a score based on their efforts to find common ground across the aisle. Follow the CGC: Twitter: https://twitter.com/commongroundcom Web: https://commongroundcommittee.org/ Use the Common Ground Scorecard: https://commongroundscorecard.org/start-here Follow UnityNow! https://twitter.com/UnityNowPodcast https://www.unitynowpodcast.com Become a Member: Get full access: https://www.patreon.com/unitynow Get UnityNow! Gear: https://shop.unitynowpodcast.com #UnityNow #CommonGroundCommittee #BruceBond

With so many great writers featured on previous interviews, UnityNow's Kimberly Kolb Eakin decided to get to the bottom of how they got so good at formulating and articulating their ideas. So this week, she sat down with Brittany King - now a teacher of writing at Indiana University, in addition to being a prolific writer herself - to do just that. Throughout their conversation, the two explore what it means to express oneself through the written word. King talks about her journey as a writer, and the lessons she's learned from her own favorites in the field. She also shares her insight on teaching the next generation, wondering if reinvigorating the art of long-form expression, and the patience needed to practice it, can make a difference in Gen Z's struggles with mental health. Finally, King talks about her upcoming projects, including some exciting work with the Nuance Forum, and how she plans to put her skills and talent to use in fostering better discourse and communication in a society that direly needs it. Follow Brittany King: Twitter: https://twitter.com/KingTalissa Web: https://www.brittanyking.com Follow UnityNow! https://twitter.com/UnityNowPodcast https://www.unitynowpodcast.com Become a Member: Get full access: https://www.patreon.com/unitynow Get UnityNow! Gear: https://shop.unitynowpodcast.com #UnityNow #BrittanyKing

UnityNow's Kimberly Kolb Eakin sits down with Jessica Carpenter, RCMO at BridgeUSA. Jessica, a 2021 graduate of Arizona State University, shares the story of her and BridgeUSA's journey to try to bring open and civil discourse to Generation Z, fighting against both the political apathy and the apprehension towards sharing views that has become all too prevalent across college campuses. Throughout their discussion, these two explore the successes and challenges experienced by BridgeUSA in its first six years, working to understand what they mean about the state of our nation. The organization's journey has not always been an easy one, from being branded both a right- and a left- wing group, to dealing with red tape from administrators, to struggling to reconcile maintaining a civil and positive atmosphere with making sure everyone feels free to share their thoughts (even if those thoughts might come across as offensive to some) - a delicate balance which the two debate. Throughout all that, though, BridgeUSA has bloomed into an organization that runs multi-hundred-student events across many of its campus chapters, capable of bringing College Democrats and College Republicans into open discussions and forums that many thought extinct. Now at the forefront of bridge-building in American politics, theirs is an encouraging and inspiring example - making this one episode you won't want to miss.