logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2023
24m 21s

Two Friends— a Democrat and a Republican...

USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future
About this episode

Are Americans really as divided as we think we are? One liberal and one conservative jumped in an old Volvo and drove along nearly 20,000 miles of roads and highways in a series of journeys to find the answer. They went through 44 states and met an extraordinary range of people along the way.

At a time of political gridlock and hyper-partisanship, Republican Jordan Blashek and Democrat Chris Haugh formed an unlikely friendship that blossomed, not in spite of, but because of their political differences.

The result of their remarkable road trips is their book Union: A Democrat, A Republican and a Search for Common Ground." In this podcast episode, we hear a mixture of wisdom and humor and discover what Chris and Jordan learned about American politics, culture, civics, and our potential to find common ground.

Up next
Sep 22
Education Reform: What's Working and What's Not?
CPF Director Bob Shrum joins education experts Amy McIntosh, Pedro Noguera, and Marshall Tuck for a discussion on the state of American education. They discuss which education reforms are working, and which ones are not, the state of our K-12 education, charter schools, and publi ... Show More
1h 20m
Sep 12
Midterm Tsunami? A Conversation with Fall 2026 CPF Fellows
CPF Co-Directors Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy join Fall 2026 CPF Fellows, Michael Donilon, Julianna Goldman, Mike Madrid, Amy McIntosh, Claudine Schneider, and Jeffrey Toobin, for a discussion on the current state of politics today. They discuss the 2026 midterms, the Trump Administ ... Show More
56m 9s
May 2026
Climate Forward 2026: "Is There A Republican Way Forward?"
CPF Director Bob Shrum talks with former U.S. Representative Claudine Schneider (R-RI) about climate policy under the Trump administration and how Democrats and Republicans can cooperate on climate change issues. This conversation is part of CPF's "Climate Forward 2026" conferenc ... Show More
49m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2025
Dialogue Is Possible J.D. Vance and Bernie Sanders Supporters Talk
<p>With political polarization at an all-time high, what does it look like for two well-informed people with opposing views to have dialog across different ideas?</p><p><strong>On Today's Show:</strong><br /><strong>Ryan Grim</strong>, co-founder of Drop Site News, co-host of the ... Show More
21m 9s
Aug 2024
How American politics is tearing families apart
We’ve been on the road in Indiana, which isn’t far from the DNC in Chicago and yet feels so distant. Has Kamala Harris’ introduction to the nation reached heartland America? We find a state full of friendly people who have just stopped talking to each other, of not just competing ... Show More
43m 14s
Mar 2021
Great Minds Don’t Always Think Alike - Bipodisan Shows How Media Can Help Us Heal with Jean Card and Robert Schlesinger
<p>Dan interviews two guests who personify what we’re trying to achieve on this podcast.<a href="https://www.bipodisan.com/about/" target="_blank"> Jean Card</a> worked as a top Republican communicator, including cabinet-level speechwriting in the George W. Bush administration, ... Show More
1h 19m
Sep 2022
'The Run-Up': The Republic
<p>In kicking off the midterms, Joe Biden talked about American democracy as a shared value, enshrined in the country’s founding — a value that both Democrats and Republicans should join together in defending. But there is another possible view of this moment. One that is shared ... Show More
46m 42s
Nov 2021
Americast Reunited
<p>As Virginia elects a new governor, Emily, Jon and Anthony get back together to ask why things went so wrong for the Democrats and so right for the Republicans.</p><p>They’re joined by J. Miles Coleman of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, and former Republican con ... Show More
40 m
Mar 2024
How to bridge political divides — from two friends on opposing sides | Samar Ali and Clint Brewer
On paper, law professor Samar Ali and public affairs strategist Clint Brewer seem to come from very different — and perhaps opposing — backgrounds. But their friendship shows why political polarization in the US isn't as intractable as we might think. In an enlightening conversat ... Show More
17m 24s
Jul 2021
Why Is it So Hard to Tell the Truth?
America is divided in a thousand ways. Could taking mental health seriously bring us together? Chris and Don talk about recent testimony from Capitol Police officers about January 6th, right-wing messaging on vaccines, and Olympians as well as the rest of us putting our mental he ... Show More
21m 51s