Patriotism: Pride, Race and Reckoning
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Navigating love, critique and national identity: a retired Navy commander explores the paradox of patriotism.
Memorial Day honors the men and women who sacrificed their lives in service to our country. In our next podcast episode, we discuss different ways to look at patriotism. Our guest, retired US naval officer and Washington Post newspaper columnist Theodore Johnson ponders the question, “How can we take pride in a nation with a history of injustice and inequality?”
At a high school football game, Johnson, who is African American, stood at attention when the national anthem was played. His teenage son, who was about to play in the game, took a knee in a protest against how he saw police treating African Americans. Johnson argues that both acts were expressions of patriotism and is proud of his son’s decision.
“For me, being a patriot is not about uncritical celebration and talking only about how exceptional we are and how great the country is,” Johnson tells us. “Being a true patriot requires that you both love the nation and critique it.” On this insightful episode of “Let’s Find Common Ground“, Theodore Johnson also discusses his thoughts for how America can have more productive and uplifting discussions about race.
Theodore (Ted) R. Johnson
Ted Johnson is a senior advisor, leading New America’s flagship US@250 initiative. Johnson’s research explores the role that race plays in electoral politics and its influence on the national narrative and the American identity.
A former New America National Fellow, Johnson is a retired U.S. Navy commander following a two-decade career that included service as a White House Fellow and speechwriter to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Prior to New America, Johnson was a senior fellow and senior director of the Fellows Program at the Brennan Center for Justice as well as a research manager at Deloitte.
Johnson’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, National Review, and Atlantic, among other publications. Johnson is a columnist for The Washington Post and author of When the Stars Begin to Fall: Overcoming Racism and Renewing the Promise of America (Grove Atlantic, 2021). Johnson’s currently working on a book about race and American democracy’s first principles.
Johnson is a proud HBCU graduate, holding a BS in mathematics from Hampton University as well as an ALM with a concentration in international relations from Harvard University and a doctorate of law and policy from Northeastern University.
Want to hear more? Check out our podcast page to see all the discussions!
The Abortion Talks: They Found Respect, But Not Common Ground
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One is pro-life, the other pro-choice: how two leaders found friendship after a deadly clinic attack.
We speak with two women from opposing sides of the bitter and often toxic debate over abortion. Frances Hogan and The Rev. Anne Fowler were involved in a series of years-long intensive, secret talks. Their candid conversations began after a gunman opened fire at two Massachusetts abortion clinics nearly thirty years ago. The attack left two women dead and five people injured.
In this episode, we learn the extraordinary story of how Anne and Frances gained a much deeper understanding and respect for one another. They even became friends, but did not find common ground on the issue that divides them. Neither changed their views about access to abortion.
Both Frances and Anne were among those profiled in the new documentary, The Abortion Talks, about what happened after the deadly attacks. On this episode of Let’s Find Common Ground, both of them explain how difficult it was to be part of many hours of grueling conversations. We hear how they learned to overcome fear, stereotyping and anger. Our podcast includes moments of warmth, humor and surprise.
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Ep 84 – The Abortion Talks: They Found Respect, But Not Common Ground
Frances Hogan
Frances Hogan is an accomplished legal professional who has served in leadership roles for numerous pro-life and Catholic organizations, including Women Affirming Life and the Pro-Life Committee of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Advisory Council to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. She has also served as a member of the Steering Committee of the Eighth Synod of the Archdiocese of Boston, as Chair of its Pro-Life Committee, on the Board of the Pro-Life Legal Defense Fund, on the Board of the Value of Life Committee, on the Board and as President of Massachusetts Citizens for Life. In 1996, Ms. Hogan was named by the Vatican as a Corresponding Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life and she served in that capacity for twenty years.
Reverend Anne Fowler
The Reverend Anne C. Fowler is an Episcopal priest semi-retired from parish ministry.
She has lived out her commitment to women’s reproductive health and choice by serving on the boards of Planned Parenthood, MA, the board of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, and by serving on and chairing the board of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts.
Want to hear more? Check out our podcast page to see all the discussions!
Divided We Stand? What Americans Really Think About Politics
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What is the true state of American political opinion? New research challenges assumptions.
It’s often said that America is as politically divided as it has ever been. In this week’s show, we dive into the data from two different groups that study American attitudes. What they discovered challenges many assumptions about the current state of US politics, and offers us a sense of context missing from noisy ‘us versus them’ type arguments.
John Geer of Vanderbilt University discusses the latest findings from Vanderbilt’s Unity Index, which tracks Americans’ trust in institutions and democracy. Kate Carney, chief of staff at More in Common in Washington DC, talks about the group’s ‘Speaking to the Exhausted Majority’ report. Both reports are examples of deep research into the state of American public opinion and where common ground may lie.
We discuss the extent to which US democracy is under threat, who really makes up the ‘exhausted majority’ of American voters, and what liberals and conservatives get wrong about the other side.
Tune in to hear more on this episode of Let’s Find Common Ground.
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Ep 83 – Divided We Stand? What Americans Really Think About Politics
John Geer
John G. Geer is the Ginny and Conner Searcy Dean of the College of Arts and Science at Vanderbilt University and a professor of political science. Geer helped to launch and currently manages the Vanderbilt Project on Unity & Democracy, a trans-institutional initiative that aims to overcome political polarization through sound research and evidence-based discourse. Geer is a founder of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions and now co-directs the influential Vanderbilt Poll, which launched in January 2011. Geer has published five books and more than 20 articles on presidential politics and elections, and previously served as editor of The Journal of Politics. Geer joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 1995. He earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1986 and his bachelor’s degree from Franklin and Marshall College in 1980. Prior to coming to Vanderbilt, he was on the faculty at Arizona State University.
Kate Carney
Kate is Chief of Staff at More in Common US, a non-partisan research and civic organization that studies the forces pulling America apart, seeking to disrupt polarization and forge a stronger sense of what Americans have in common. She has over a decade of multisector experience that includes policy advising on Capitol Hill, founding a nonprofit in Haiti, and leading corporate social responsibility programs at a Fortune 100 company. She also is a proud Gold Looper, having circumnavigated 8,000 miles of U.S. eastern waterways on a 31-foot trawler around the Great Loop. She has a MPP from University of Maryland and a BA from Ohio Wesleyan University, where she also serves on the Board of Trustees. Kate lives with her husband, Tim, in Washington, DC.
Want to hear more? Check out our podcast page to see all the discussions!
High Conflict vs. Good Conflict: The Vital Difference
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How can Americans break free from the cycle of destructive conflict and find common ground?
Every day we are bombarded with negative news and polarizing opinions from politicians, pundits, and others who seek attention, power, and money by escalating division. Our guest, Amanda Ripley, calls them “conflict entrepreneurs.”
In this episode of Let’s Find Common Ground, Amanda explains why she believes the problem we face in America isn’t too much conflict. Instead, it’s the type of disagreements we are having. We hear about the crucial differences between constructive conflict, where different sides seek to find common ground, and destructive conflict where discord distills into a good-versus-evil kind of feud, with an “us” and a “them”.
Amanda Ripley is a journalist and columnist for The Washington Post. Her recent book, High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out covers many of the topics we discuss in this episode. We hear how people escape high conflict and what willing communities can do to short-circuit the feedback loops of outrage and blame.
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Ep 82 – High Conflict vs. Good Conflict: The Vital Difference
Amanda Ripley
Amanda Ripley is a New York Times bestselling author and an investigative journalist who writes about human behavior and 
change for the Atlantic, the Washington Post and other outlets. She is the author of High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out, The Smartest Kids in the World–and How They Got That Way and The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes, and Why, and she is the host of the Slate podcast How To!
Want to hear more? Check out our podcast page to see all the discussions!
Break Out of Your Bubble to Build Friendship and Empathy
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How can we build stronger relationships? Hear the unique perspective of two religious leaders.
Our last show focused on finding common ground when talking to strangers. In this show, we explore friendship and empathy with two guests who are friends themselves, a Catholic priest and a Protestant pastor.
Father Tim Holeda leads Saint Thomas More Co-Cathedral, and Latricia Scriven is pastor of Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church, both in Tallahassee, Florida.
As religious leaders, our guests offer a perspective many people don’t have these days. They grapple with moral questions in their work that we often don’t consider, and draw on the wisdom of ancient texts to help them navigate our complicated modern world.
Tune in to hear more on this latest episode of Let’s Find Common Ground. Thank you to The Village Square and The Village Square’s God Squad, a politically diverse group of faith leaders, for making this show possible.
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Ep 81 – Break Out of Your Bubble to Build Friendship and Empathy
Rev. Dr. Latricia Edwards Scriven
Rev. Dr. Latricia Edwards Scriven is the senior pastor of Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church in Tallahassee, Florida. She previously served at the church as Executive Director and Pastor of the IMPACT@FAMU Wesley Foundation at Florida A&M University, and as Pastor of New Life United Methodist Church.
She strives to create spaces that are authentic, energetic, interactive, thoughtful, and engaging. Pastor Latricia is the author of the children’s books, “When Jesus Laughs“, “When Jesus Rests“, “When Jesus Weeps“, “When She Speaks“, and “Laughter Is My Superpower.”
Father Tim Holeda
Father Tim Holeda currently serves as Rector of the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Tallahassee, Florida, and is the Director of Vocations and Seminarians for the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. He has been an ordained priest in the Catholic Church since 2011. Father Tim attended seminary at St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, FL. He became a Catholic while an undergrad student at Florida State University. He served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve throughout college.
Want to hear more? Check out our podcast page to see all the discussions!
Break Out of Your Bubble: Talk to a Stranger
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How can we foster a more tolerant society? Here’s why one researcher recommends talking to strangers.
Most of us live comfortably in our bubbles, interacting with people who think and often look like us. We may sift out others who don’t fit our mold.
A long pandemic hasn’t helped: Covid has made many people wary of being around strangers, let alone talking to them. If you live in an urban area you operate by invisible rules where you pay just enough attention to a stranger, allowing each of you the space to carry on politely…and distantly. But our guest says taking the time to talk to people you don’t know can bring unexpected pleasures, and lead to more openness and tolerance.
Kio Stark is a qualitative researcher and the author of the book When Strangers Meet. She says when you engage with another person in a store, on a park bench, in line at the DMV, you are getting a peek into someone else’s world and entering into a shared humanity. You’re forging a connection that may help you see the world from another person’s perspective, even if only for a few minutes.
There are times when you may need to disengage quickly, and we talk about those too. Still, more often that not, Kio says, “a conversation with a stranger can open up your idea of who you think of as part of the society in which you live.”
Hear more on the latest episode of Let’s Find Common Ground.
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Ep 80 – Break Out of Your Bubble: Talk to a Stranger
Kio Stark
Kio Stark is the author of When Strangers Meet, the novel Follow Me Down and the independent learning handbook Don’t
Go Back to School. She is a qualitative researcher, and writes, consults, teaches, and speaks around the world about stranger interactions, independent learning, and how people relate to technology. In other lives, Kio has worked in journalism, interactive advertising, community research, and game design. She has taught about stranger interactions and intimacy and technology and how we mistake technology for people at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program.
On any given day you might find her traipsing around with a camera that holds film and if you run into her on the street, she will likely talk to you.
Want to hear more? Check out our podcast page to see all the discussions!
