Shows
Talk of the Bay KSQD - Latest NewsSpencer Critchley on Morality and DemocracySpencer Critchley is an award-winning communication strategist and national media commentator with experience in journalism, digital media, public relations, advertising, and music. He’s the author of Patriots of Two Nations and host of the podcast Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good, and founder of Boots Road Group. He talks with me about the moment […]
2026-01-3100 minTalk of the Bay from KSQDSpencer Critchley on Morality and DemocracySpencer Critchley is an award-winning communication strategist and national media commentator with experience in journalism, digital media, public relations, advertising, and music. He’s the author of Patriots of Two Nations and host of the podcast Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good, and founder of Boots Road Group.
He talks with me about the moment we are in and how to view it in light of history and philosophy.
2026-01-3100 min
Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodThe Shooting of Renee GoodIn a democracy, law enforcement exists to protect people: their safety and their Constitutional rights. Under authoritarianism, law enforcement protects power. Under autocracy, it protects the power of one man. Which way we're going to live is still up to us. The shooting of Renee Nicole Good shows us what's at stake. — Spencer
2026-01-1118 min
Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodThe True Crisis: The Liberal Backbone Chapter 15About a year ago, I started publishing draft chapters of my book in progress, The Liberal Backbone. It hit me lately that the draft is done – I realized that with the latest chapters I'd started writing a second book. That one will be on alienation, which I think deserves a book of its own. So I'm calling it. I'm going to switch to editing The Liberal Backbone — and, no doubt, editing some more, and then, more. To make time for it, I'll be cutting back on the frequency of podcast episodes for a while. F...
2025-12-2204 min
The Lean to the Left PodcastThe Liberal Challenge: How Liberals Can Finally Connect Effectively with Voters | Spencer CritchleyWhy do liberals continue to struggle with political persuasion—even when the facts and policies are on their side?In this episode of Lean to the Left, host Bob Gatty sits down with author, strategist, and political thinker Spencer Critchley to explore why liberals often fail to connect emotionally with voters, and how they can turn that around.Drawing on his new Substack project, The Liberal Backbone, soon to become a published book, and his book Patriots of Two Nations, Spencer discusses:• The “Liberal Parado...
2025-11-1729 min
The Lean to the Left PodcastThe Liberal Challenge: How Liberals Can Finally Connect Effectively with Voters | Spencer CritchleyWhy do liberals continue to struggle with political persuasion—even when the facts and policies are on their side?In this episode of Lean to the Left, host Bob Gatty sits down with author, strategist, and political thinker Spencer Critchley to explore why liberals often fail to connect emotionally with voters, and how they can turn that around.Drawing on his new Substack project, The Liberal Backbone, soon to become a published book, and his book Patriots of Two Nations, Spencer discusses:• The “Liberal Paradox” — how rational thinking blinds progressives to emotional reality• Why politics operates in the other 99...
2025-11-1729 min
The OShow with Laura BabcockDOUBLE HEADER: Senator Charles Adler and Spencer Fernando on US Trade War, Poilievre and UkraineWith an unstable Trump regime escalating its authoritarian tendencies domestically and posing a direct threat to Canada's economy and sovereignty, Prime Minister Mark Carney's commitment to finding solutions for Canadian workers in this trade war has never been more crucial. Moreover, Pierre Poilievre's return as Leader of the Opposition is clouded by controversy after his campaign against Bonnie Critchley in Battle-River Crowfoot, underscoring the urgent need for accountability and responsible leadership in our political discourse. As the world watches and waits regarding Putin's aggressive actions in Ukraine, it's clear that Canada must be...
2025-08-2242 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodHow We Became Aliens: The Liberal Backbone, Chapter 9Last time, I argued that if liberals still believe in an open society — free, equal, and pluralistic — we must defend reason. It's the shared "meeting space" that makes the open society possible. But we must also understand that reason alone isn't enough. If we filter all our experience through rationality, we become separated from it, as if we're not living life, but observing it with scientific instruments. We become alienated. It's a condition familiar to anyone who's had a modern, reason-based education, especially in the humanities. It has come to define life...
2025-04-2208 min
The Lean to the Left Podcastliberalism's Path ForwardSpencer Critchley: What's a Liberal?Our guest is Spencer Critchley, a writer, political analyst, and author known for his insightful takes on American politics, who explores the question, "What's a Liberal?" If you enjoy this episode, please share it on social media, comment, and subscribe to our channel.In the episode, Critchley and host Bob Gatty discuss the alienation of Democrats and liberals, who Critchley argues have become overly rationalistic and out of touch with the emotional aspects that drive politics. Critchley shares his views on the...
2025-03-0245 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodMeet the New Boss: Chapter 7 of The Liberal BackboneWoke theory aims to liberate our minds, but imposes limits on how we think: Many ideas are judged oppressive, and therefore "problematic." Liberal tolerance is seen as potentially oppressive too, for the same reason. Will liberals stand up for what they believe in? Should they? This episode: We begin to see if liberals can take their own side in a quarrel.
2025-02-1806 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodWhat Liberals DON'T Stand For — Chapter 6 of The Liberal BackboneLiberals and the woke left see many of the same problems in society, from structural oppression to alienation. And yet the ideology of the woke left is incompatible with liberalism. For liberals, it starts with the very idea of wokeness, as an awakening from illusions, or false consciousness. The goal is supposed to be liberation. But it can look more like tyranny. It boils down to this: If I'm woke and you're not, I see everything more clearly than you do. I have escaped from the prison of oppressive illusions in which you...
2025-01-1511 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodWhat (and Where) Is the Liberal Backbone? Spencer on WCPT Chicago with Joan EspositoAs you know if you've been following my posts and podcast episodes lately, I'm writing and releasing the chapters of my new book The Liberal Backbone in real time. When Joan Esposito of WCPT Chicago heard about it, she had an idea: a "radio book club," with me coming on her show to talk about the book as it comes together, chapter by chapter, with her and her listeners. On December 13, we had the first episode, and I thought it went great — Joan is one of my favorite interviewers. We explored the book's big themes: what liberals act...
2024-12-2150 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodFrom Marx to Theory to Wokeness: The Liberal Backbone Chapter 5The first draft of Chapter 5 of my next book, The Liberal Backbone. It's a brief summary of the roots of woke thinking, which should make the woke left more understandable, especially for liberals trying to sort out what they do and don't stand for. More at Dastardly Cleverness.com/liberal-backbone-chapter-5 and at Substack.com/@spencercritchley. — Spencer
2024-12-1016 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodWe Need to Talk About Marx: The Liberal Backbone, Chapter 4Are the woke just a bunch of Marxists? No, but that claim isn't based on nothing. The Theory behind wokeness is complicated, but some of its key concepts are inherited from Marx, in modified form. And it becomes much easier to understand Theory if you understand something about Marx — which few people do, because Marx doesn't make it easy. In this fourth chapter of The Liberal Backbone, I explain two key Marxist concepts I plain language: structural oppression, and how a structure of ideas can make oppression seem normal. Marx was sure he'd di...
2024-12-0308 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodWhat DOES It Mean to Be Woke? The Liberal Backbone, Chapter 3The word "woke" has at least two meanings — and they're so different, they contradict each other. By one of them, any liberal can be proud to be called woke, because to be woke in this sense is to recognize bigotry and oppose it. But by the other meaning, liberals can't be woke, even if they want to. That's because if you're this kind of woke, you reject liberalism. Spencer explains in this chapter of The Liberal Backbone. Find the full text and links at DastardlyCleverness.com.
2024-11-2608 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodThe Liberal Backbone, Chapter 2: Why Nothing Makes SenseIt's hard to stand for something if you're not even sure what that something is. And many liberals have become unsure what liberalism is. For a long time, few of us had to think much about it. Liberalism was just default political reality. It was like water is for the young fish in David Foster Wallace's famous parable: They can't see the water, because it's everywhere. Let's remember that the word "liberalism" doesn't only refer to beliefs on the left. It's also the name of the philosophy of freedom on which the United...
2024-11-1908 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodThe Liberal BackboneWith American democracy facing its greatest crisis since the Civil War as a corrupt autocrat returns to the presidency, I want to do my part, however small, to help right now. So I'm going to try an experiment: writing a shorter, more tightly focused book, and releasing chapters as I write them. They'll appear as posts and podcast episodes, like this one. There are many reasons why we are where we are, and in this little book I'm not going to try to address all of them. Instead, I'm going to try to answer what...
2024-11-1207 min
CPT SnippetsSpencer Critchley talks about lowering expectations about human natureFollowing the re-election of Donald Trump, author and podcaster Spencer Critchley talks to Joan Esposito about lowering expectations about human nature. Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive).
2024-11-1102 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodSlowly and then all at onceErnest Hemingway is famous for the terse economy of his writing. And in one of the most resonant examples of that quality, he captured the essence of catastrophic failure in just a few words, in his novel The Sun Also Rises. The alcoholic veteran Mike Campbell is asked how he went bankrupt. "Two ways," he says. "Gradually and then quickly." As it is with one person going broke, so it is with an entire economy crashing, or countless other catastrophes. There isn't only a single failure, but a first, and then more — and the...
2024-11-0504 min
Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodTo a Friend Voting for TrumpIf we believe in democracy, I believe we have a responsibility not only to vote for it but to speak up for it, including to family and friends, despite how hard that might be. That doesn't mean berating or insulting them. It can be done quietly and respectfully. In my own view it's a mark of respect and even love to give people the whole truth about what we believe. So I've written an appeal to a friend who's planning to vote for Donald Trumo, imploring them, before it's too late, not to make a mistake I...
2024-10-0711 min
The Lean to the Left Podcastliberalism's Path ForwardSpencer Critchley: What's a Liberal?Our guest is Spencer Critchley, a writer, political analyst, and author known for his insightful takes on American politics, who explores the question, "What's a Liberal?" If you enjoy this episode, please share it on social media, comment, and subscribe to our channel.In the episode, Critchley and host Bob Gatty discuss the alienation of Democrats and liberals, who Critchley argues have become overly rationalistic and out of touch with the emotional aspects that drive politics. Critchley shares his views on the failures of the Democratic Party, their disconnect with everyday voters, and...
2024-10-0248 min
Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodMike Madrid on Why Latinos May Save DemocracyAccording to my guest this time, the United States is entering a Latino century, and that might be what saves our democracy. Mike Madrid is a top expert on Latino voting, and in recent years he's become a national leader in the bipartisan fight to save democracy. He's been the political director for the California Republican Party, a senior adviser to both Republicans and Democrats, and a co-founder of the never-Trump Lincoln Project. Now Mike has a new book, called The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority Is Transforming Democracy. One o...
2024-07-071h 02
Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodConfused About the Gaza Protests? This May Be Why.Many liberals are deeply confused about how to respond to the campus protests over Gaza. And I think it's an example of the confusion liberals are feeling generally over a lot of issues. I believe much of the confusion can be traced to the assumption that all political opinions can fit on a single line, from left to right. For this one-dimensional, one-line model to work, there can only be one left and one right — but there are at least two lefts and two rights. And they're not different as in further left or further rig...
2024-05-0613 min
Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good"The President of Forgetting"As we risk obliviously repeating catastrophic mistakes others have already made, Spencer Critchley has some thoughts about memory and freedom, from people who know the precious value of both. Excerpt: "Most of us in the U.S. have been spared the necessity of knowing history, and instead have been able to live as if the world was created at our birth. But people in Central and Eastern Europe have already been trammeled by the history that has just now caught up with us. They've been trying to warn us for decades."
2024-03-1304 min
Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodWhat's the Real News About Election '24? With Mike Madrid & Zach FriendIf you wanted to, you could consume nothing but presidential campaign coverage all day every day. But how much of it would leave you feeling better informed about casting what may be the most important vote of your life? Not better informed about the campaign as a sporting event, with all the expert play-by-play, color commentary, and stats. But better informed about questions that may not have easy, satisfying, or entertaining answers? Better prepared to think, and not just react? On this episode of Dastardly Cleverness, we go hunting for that kind of election coverage, find a...
2024-02-131h 04
Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodLuke Freeman on the promise & challenges of Effective Altruism: how to make giving countBy some measures, well over half of charities do little or no good. When similar charities are compared, the most effective ones can be up to 100 times more effective than the least. And there's often a big mismatch between where donors direct their support and where the need and potential benefits are greatest. A movement called effective altruism aims to make giving work better by identifying the most effective charities in the world and encouraging donors to support them generously and strategically. There's been a lot of excitement about it, but lately it's also drawn c...
2023-12-221h 00
Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodWhat Cynics Get Wrong About PoliticsThere are lots of reasons to be cynical about the crisis in our politics. The trouble is, one of the biggest causes of that crisis is cynicism itself. We should always be skeptical about politics. People aren't angels, as James Madison reminded us. But skepticism involves checking to find out what's really going on, good or bad. Cynicism is just assuming that it's all bad. This is often mistaken for savviness, which lends cool-kids credibility to claims like "all politicians are crooks," or "there's no difference between the parties," or "government never works."...
2023-10-251h 02
Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodA Hollow Man Vacates the Chair & Other Leadership Lessons, Cautionary & Otherwise, with Kevin Lewis & Zach FriendA three-way conversation featuring host Spencer Critchley, Kevin Lewis, and Zach Friend on leadership lessons from the ouster of Kevin McCarthy, as compared with far better examples set by Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi, and others. It turns out, to the shock of cynics everywhere, that character matters! Kevin was the post-presidency spokesman for former President Barack Obama. During the Obama administration he served at the White House and at the Department of Justice, where he advised Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch. He's also worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and both Obama campaigns.
2023-10-0549 min
Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodKevin Lewis on AI: Lessons from Working with Meta, Obama, and the DOJIf you want to know more about the risks and rewards of artificial intelligence, you could hardly do better than to consult with someone who's been a senior communications advisor for Facebook, lately known as Meta, the US Department of Justice, and a President of the United States. And that's what Spencer did for this episode. Kevin Lewis was the post-presidency spokesman for former President Barack Obama. During the Obama administration he served at the White House and at the DOJ, where he advised Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch. He's also worked for the Democratic...
2023-09-191h 12
Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodKatie Davis: What We Really Know About Kids & TechIf you have children in your family, you're probably worried about what technology might be doing to them. And maybe there's some hope about what tech might do for them. In this episode, you can get guidance from one of the world's top experts on the subject. Dr. Katie Davis is a researcher and associate professor at the University of Washington, and the director of the university's Digital Youth lab. She's been studying technology and children for nearly two decades, starting with her time at Harvard University, where she studied under, and worked closely with, the renowned p...
2023-07-1156 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodJoan Esposito: Talk radio for people who want better politicsThe episode before last, Spencer was the guest for a change, interviewed by Joan Esposito, who hosts a liberal talk radio show originating at WCPT-AM in Chicago. This time, Spencer interviews Joan about how she manages to conduct smart, in-depth, live political conversations three hours a day, five days a week — sometimes devoting a full hour to a topic when the standard is a few minutes. We hear what Joan has learned as a radio host, as a TV news anchor, and in other roles, helping people understand what's going on in their lives and in the world. ...
2023-02-011h 09
SSONextGBS Careers Corner: Gary Critchley on taking a leadership position and dealing with the unexpectedIn this episode of GBS Careers Corner we talk to Gary Critchley, Senior Vice President for Global Business Services at Qatar Airways which was recently named one of SSONs Top 20 Most-Admired GBS. During his career Gary has worked for a number of well-known brands, both in the UK and Middle-East, including Marks and Spencer, National Grid, Pepsi Co and BOC Group helping them to transform their finance functions and implement shared services. He has a wealth of experience in leading through change, integrating digital strategies and building strong, diverse teams. We talk about, how to ma...
2023-01-2433 minSSONextGBS Careers Corner: Gary Critchley on taking a leadership position and dealing with the unexpectedIn this episode of GBS Careers Corner we talk to Gary Critchley, Senior Vice President for Global Business Services at Qatar Airways which was recently named one of SSONs Top 20 Most-Admired GBS. During his career Gary has worked for a number of well-known brands, both in the UK and Middle-East, including Marks and Spencer, National Grid, Pepsi Co and BOC Group helping them to transform their finance functions and implement shared services. He has a wealth of experience in leading through change, integrating digital strategies and building strong, diverse teams. We talk about, how to ma...
2023-01-2433 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodSam Farr: How Democracy Can WorkSam Farr devoted 44 years of his life to elected office at the local, state, and federal level. That included 24 years as the Congressman for the Central Coast of California, where he grew up in the seaside village of Carmel. Among his inspirations were his father, longtime state legislator Fred Farr; President John F. Kennedy; and the Peace Corps, which he joined as a young man. If that makes him sound like an idealist, that's accurate, but it's only half the picture. The other half is very pragmatic, with an obsessive focus on the nuts and b...
2022-12-211h 29Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodWhy do so many choose tyranny over democracy? Joan Esposito interviews Spencer Critchley Spencer often talks with Joan Esposito, who interviews him about politics for her show on Chicago's WCPT-AM. This episode of Dastardly Cleverness replays one of those conversations that's especially relevant now. Joan and Spencer focus on why democracy, after all its successes, is now in so much danger from authoritarianism. They talk about: Why so many people are choosing authoritarianism over democracy, mostly on the right but on the left too How the sources of America's division go back to the Founding The breakdown of the moral consensus that used...
2022-11-2943 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodLes Francis & Lora Lee Martin: Can Democrats Save Democracy?Even with democracy in grave danger, Democrats are in a close race against the people who are trying to finish it off. How can that be, and what should they do about it? Questions like that have been dominating discussions among a group of some of the country's most senior Democratic Party veterans, including former House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt, one-time presidential favorite Gary Hart, and until her recent death, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. And our two guests this time: Les Francis and Lora Lee Martin.
2022-10-271h 04Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodSam Quinones: America and hope in the time of fentanyl and meth In many ways, addiction has become a defining feature of life in America. More and more of us have become addicted to drugs like alcohol, heroin, cocaine, and opioids, and to other things increasingly recognized as addictive, like sugar, junk food, and social media. The problem has been growing for decades, but in recent years it has exploded. A record for deaths by overdose was set in 2020, at a level six and a half times higher than just 10 years before. The 2020 record was smashed last year, with the overdose death rate still rising...
2022-10-1159 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodSheri Berman: Is the Game of Democracy Over? One way of thinking about democracy is as a game — a game in which freedom, equality, and even lives are at stake. And one way of thinking about the state of our democracy is that one of the two main competitors is no longer playing the game, but trying to destroy it. As with any game, the rules of democracy only matter if we agree they do. Ultimately, we can't prove that things like civil debate, fair elections, and following the law are good things, we...
2022-09-0849 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodWalter Shapiro: Finding the Democrats' Missing MessageIt's not just Democrats who need the Democratic Party to remember how to win elections. Democracy does. Spencer's guest this time has some great ideas on where to start, based on his unique, decades-long experience studying politics from the inside and out. Walter Shapiro has reported on 11 presidential campaigns, going back to Ronald Reagan's landslide defeat of Jimmy Carter in 1980. He's written for the Washington Post, Newsweek, Time, USA Today, Roll Call, and The New Republic among others, worked for President Carter, and teaches at Yale.
2022-06-1659 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodRussia Expert Jade McGlynn: Putin's Memory WarSpencer's guest this time has fascinating, important insights about Vladimir Putin's "memory war:" a campaign to rewrite history with Russia at the center of the world stage. That campaign is being enacted with horrific violence in Ukraine, but is pursued in different ways around the world, including in the United States. Dr. Jade McGlynn is a senior researcher in Russian Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, a former lecturer in Russian at Oxford University, and a contributor to Foreign Policy, The Telegraph, The Spectator, and others. She's the author of The Kremlin's Memory Makers, coming soon from Bloomsbury...
2022-05-0459 min
Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodLincoln Project Co-Founder Mike Madrid: Latino Voters Have an Urgent Warning for DemocratsMike Madrid is a co-founder of the Lincoln Project, a longtime political consultant for candidates of both parties, and a leading expert on Latino voting. Mike says Latino voters are sounding an urgent alarm for the Democratic Party about how it may lose the presidency and more, by losing its working class base. And Mike believes that's not just a problem for Democrats: At this time in our history, democracy needs Democrats to win. Mike says the problem is that Democrats have increasingly become the party of a well-educated, well-intentioned, but disconnected elite, as recently wrote an op-ed for the...
2022-03-281h 39
Partnering Leadership118 [BEST OF] Leadership lessons from billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein | Greater Washington DC DMV ChangemakerIn this episode of Partnering Leadership, David Rubenstein, co-founder & co-chairman of Carlyle Group & President of the Economic Club of Washington DC, shares his journey from working at the White House to starting one of the largest private equity investment firms globally. He also talks about his leadership lessons, philanthropy, Peer-to-Peer interviewing for the Economic Club of Washington DC and Bloomberg TV, and the legacy he plans to leave behind. Some highlights:- David Rubenstein’s childhood and how he became an avid reader- David’s experience at the White House working for forme...
2021-12-2341 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodTreating People as People, Not Machines: Dr. Rose Kumar on How to Heal HealthcareThe way we live is also the way we get sick and die: "Lifestyle diseases" are the leading causes of death for Americans, six out of ten of whom have a chronic condition. And yet we treat the symptoms, with expensive drugs and procedures, instead of addressing the causes. After training at top medical schools, our guest Dr. Rose Kumar walked away from a promising career in what she calls our industrialized healthcare system. She says it was killing her to have to treat patients like machines instead of people, and she knew there was a better...
2021-12-091h 13Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodMichele Gelfand: What Tight & Loose Cultures Tell Us About the World & OurselvesIn Singapore, you can face a heavy fine or even jail for offenses like spitting on the sidewalk and importing chewing gum. Meanwhile in New Zealand, a man who hatched himself from a giant egg was appointed the country's "official wizard." These are examples of tight and loose cultures. Much of what's going on in America and the world right now can be understood better through knowing more about tightness and looseness: for example, the appeal of authoritarian leaders, or refusals to follow COVID safety guidelines. Spencer's guest this time is Michele Gelfand, an expert...
2021-11-041h 04Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodA Guide for the Confused: Just What Is Critical Race Theory?Even if you see through the phony panic being spun up by Trumpists, some of what you hear from critical race theorists can sound extreme, especially if you don't know much about the context. In this episode, host Spencer Critchley offers a guide for people who feel confused about Critical Race Theory but aren't sure why.
2021-10-1835 min
Partnering Leadership91 Leadership lessons from billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein | Greater Washington DC DMV ChangemakerIn this episode of Partnering Leadership, David Rubenstein, co-founder & co-chairman of Carlyle Group & President of the Economic Club of Washington DC, shares his journey from working at the White House to starting one of the largest private equity investment firms globally. He also talks about his leadership lessons, philanthropy, Peer-to-Peer interviewing for the Economic Club of Washington DC and Bloomberg TV, and the legacy he plans to leave behind. Some highlights:- David Rubenstein’s childhood and how he became an avid reader- David’s experience at the White House working for forme...
2021-09-2141 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodTo Go Forward, We Must Also Look Back: Colleen Murphy on Transitional Justice Sometimes we can't "just move on." Sometimes we must first confront the truth about the past. According to our guest this time, we can do that through transitional justice. It addresses situations where doing wrong is not the exception, but has been made normal, as has happened in places like South Africa under apartheid, Northern Ireland during the Troubles—and the United States during our long history of racism, and more recent history of democracy under attack. Colleen Murphy is a professor of Law, Philosophy, and Political Science at the University of Illinois at...
2021-08-061h 00Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodGeorgina Mendoza McDowell: What We Know About How to Reform PolicingWe already know a lot about how to reform policing: not just to make it more fair, but to make it more effective. It turns out that when police work in partnership with the communities they protect, crime goes down, often way down. Spencer's guest this time is an expert on what works. Georgina Mendoza McDowell is an attorney and public safety expert who has worked with the Obama Justice Department, a White House initiative to reduce youth violence, a Washington DC-based international development consultancy, and now with Evident Change, a data-driven policy consulting nonprofit.
2021-07-1554 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodSusan Neiman: What America Can Learn From Germany About Facing Its PastIt may be hard for many Americans to imagine, but there are striking parallels between post-Civil-War America and post-World-War-2 Germany. Our guest this time is an expert on those parallels, and wrote a deeply-researched, insightful, and important book about them. Philosopher Susan Neiman is the author of Learning From the Germans: Race and the Memory of Evil. She describes how Germans finally began what a process of vergangenheitsaufarbeitung, or "working off the past." It has helped Germany both to make atonement, and to build a better society. As America begins facing its own forgotten, buried, or rewritten...
2021-06-0857 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodAbené Clayton: Guns and LiesCompared to other high-income countries, our rate of gun deaths per capita is 25 times higher. But much of what Americans think they know about the costs and causes of gun violence is wrong. And few are aware of solutions that have already been shown to work. To help fix that, The Guardian has been running a series of in-depth stories called "Guns and Lies." Its lead reporter is Spencer Critchley's guest this time, Abené Clayton. Abené Clayton started covering community gun violence in her hometown of Richmond, California and continued during her time at...
2021-05-151h 27Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodVinz Koller: How to Repair Democracy NowAmerican democracy is more fragile than many of us ever imagined. But we've been neglecting and abusing it so much that maybe the bigger surprise is that it's lasted as long as it has. A lot of that damage can still be fixed, though—as long as we don't let the whole thing fall apart first. Spencer's guest Vinz Koller has great insights on what's gone wrong and how we can repair it. Vinz is a political scientist who advises governments on effective policy. He's long been active in politics, working on multiple national and lo...
2021-04-031h 01Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodLiving With Big LiesEven with Trump out of office, the Republican Party's leaders and media enablers appear determined to keep on living in a world of lies — a place where democracy can't live. As host Spencer Critchley says, it's like life under Soviet domination as described by writers such as Vaclav Havel and Czeslaw Milsoz: "Everything is a lie, everyone knows it's a lie, and everyone goes along with the lie anyway." It consists of the continuing Big Lie of a "stolen election," plus endless others, such as the daily right-wing media "scamdal:" what you get when you build a sc...
2021-03-2714 min
The Bruce Cook ShowSpencer Critchley, 2-28-21Democratic Political strategist, journalist and author of the book, “Patriots of Two Nations”, Spencer Critchley, joins Bruce to discuss President Joe Biden’s first month in office; the positives and negatives. The hopes and challenges.
2021-03-011h 00Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodThe State of Democracy: An Ask Anything Discussion Spencer Critchley hosts a Zoom-based "Ask Anything" discussion covering the chaos in the Republican Party, how we can both believe in tolerance and make clear moral judgments about something like the Capitol riot, whether better education would be enough to save democracy, what we can learn from other countries that have had to deal with shameful periods in their histories, and what reconciliation might look like. You can find the video version of the conversation at: spencercritchley.com/2021/state-of-democracy-online-discussion
2021-02-091h 24Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodThe Psychology of TrumpismThis time, host Spencer Critchley talks about the psychology of sedition, Trumpism as Freudian dream logic, and the apparent belief of Capitol rioters that they were in a movie. Excerpt: In dream logic, the Capitol riot was the start of a patriotic revolution led by Trump. And it was an anti-American plot led by Antifa and BLM. Dream logic not only doesn't have to make sense, it destroys sense — and thereby destroys all constraints. If you want to live in a world of dream logic, the more flagrant the lie, the better. A li...
2021-01-2618 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodWhat History Can Teach Us About the Attack on Our Democracy Spencer Critchley talks about: Why we can't "just move on" after the Capitol riot - or everything else that's happened over the past four years. The circle of shared moral values that must encompass democracy and how each of us can and must defend it — starting by simply speaking up. Lessons from other countries, especially about the consequences of silence: Germany, South Africa, Northern Ireland, and France.
2021-01-1813 min
KDKA Radio Flash BriefingsSpencer Critchley with ManginoSpencer served as a Democratic campaign adviser for both of Obama's presidential campaigns, often working alongside president elect Joe Biden. He is the author of Patriots of Two Nations: Why Trump was Inevitable and what happens next.
2021-01-1517 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodThe Attack on DemocracyJust about the only thing many of us are thinking about these days is the endangered state of American democracy, especially since the attempted coup on Jan. 6. In this episode, Spencer Critchley offers some of his thoughts, and invites you to share yours. You can do that at these links: Twitter: @scritchley Facebook: spencer.critchley.page dastardlycleverness.com spencercritchley.com Photo: Tyler Merbler, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
2021-01-1112 min
Coronavirus: Expert ConversationsEvening Edition: American Political Division And The New AdministrationThe 2020 Election has again highlighted how divided the United States can be politically as a majority of voters believe long lasting harm will be done to the country if their candidate doesn't win. Outside of the pandemic, trying to heal our political differences may be President-elect Biden's number one priority. FOX’s Trey Yingst speaks with Spencer Critchley, author and Democrat adviser, who says both sides need to look at what divides us and come together.
2020-12-0818 min
HODINKEE PodcastsThe Slowdown's Spencer Bailey & Andrew ZuckermanWhether you're looking for practical advice or a philosophical conversation, you're in the right place.Show Notes(4:00) The Slowdown - Culture, Nature, and the Future(4:15) In Memory Of: Designing Contemporary Memorials (7:00) Simon Critchley(13:00) "Human | Nature" Curated by Andrew Zuckerman(20:00) At a Distance(20:15) Time Sensitive(37:00) Oris Watches(46:30) The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli Review(47:45) Handmarking Time from The Slowdown(1:09:20) The Slowdown Newsletter
2020-10-261h 15Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodZach & Spencer on Election 2020 Zach Friend is an author and a public policy and communications expert who has worked for Barack Obama and John Kerry's presidential campaigns, the White House Council of Economic Advisers, the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Democratic National Committee. He's been featured on and quoted by CNN, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, Fox News, and many others. In this episode, Zach and host Spencer Critchley talk about not just what's happening now, but what it all means for where politics is going.
2020-10-211h 00Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodMike Madrid of the Lincoln Project (Season 3, Episode36)The Lincoln Project is made up of top Republican political consultants who are aiming attack ads at a Republican president. We find out why and how from the Lincoln Project's Mike Madrid. Mike is an expert on Latino voting trends, based on work starting with his master's thesis at Georgetown University. He's the former press secretary for the California Assembly Republican leader and the former political director for the California Republican Party. He's been named as one of America's Most Influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business Magazine. And Mike Madrid is a co-founder of...
2020-10-0140 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodRyan Coonerty: Facing Historic Wildfires and a Pandemic—at the Same TimeAs a county supervisor in Santa Cruz County, California, Ryan Coonerty is having to cope with two historic challenges: the national coronavirus pandemic and the catastrophic western wildfires. Both disasters have hit his community hard. In this episode, host Spencer Critchley talks with him about leadership in a time of crisis — or crises.
2020-09-1644 minThe Bruce Cook ShowSpencer Critchley & Mike Learakos, 8-30-20Spencer Critchley, author, activist, award winning producer-composer and consultant to former President Obama, talks with Bruce about the Democratic and Republican primaries, and the road to the White House. Then, Executive Director of Waste Not OC, Mike Learakos talks to Bruce about Waste Not OC and Impact The Change's 40 foot cold storage unit, which was converted from a refrigerated cargo container. 'The Beast' is a fully self-contained, off the grid, solar powered cold storage unit, able to store up to 25,000 vacuum sealed, ready to heat-&-eat meals, and donated food.
2020-08-311h 02Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodHow to Do Social Impact Marketing That Works Social marketing uses the persuasion techniques normally used to sell potato chips, fashion, detergent, cars, and endless other consumer products, but for social good campaigns. Knowing how to do social marketing right is important to nonprofits, socially responsible corporations, and all other purpose-driven organizations — but all too often, it's done wrong. You hear a lot about "sharing information," "educating the public," and "conducting outreach." None of these is likely to have much effect on people's beliefs and behaviors, which are what count in creating social change. In this episode, Spencer Critchley teaches you a...
2020-06-2442 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodPatriots of Two Nations: Why Trump Was Inevitable & What Happens Next The election of Donald Trump shocked America and the world — and that included Dastardly Cleverness host Spencer Critchley. But Spencer believes now that we should have seen him coming, like we should have seen the approach of this hyper-partisan crisis of democracy we're going through. He's written a book about it, called Patriots of Two Nations: Why Trump Was Inevitable & What Happens Next, available now at Amazon.com. We hear an excerpt from it in this episode. In the book, Spencer explains why Trump or someone like him has been on his way si...
2020-04-2816 min
At a DistanceSimon Critchley on Looking at the Contemporary World Through the Lens of Punk, Greek Tragedy, and HumorPhilosopher and New School professor Simon Critchley talks about the ways in which the Covid-19 virus may be rewiring our very being, the need to better understand our anxiety, and how the pandemic is revealing how much we don’t know.
2020-04-0638 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodHow to Communicate in a Crisis, With Brent ColburnBrent Colburn's experience goes back to the Al Gore presidential campaign in 2000, through Howard Dean's campaign in 2004, both Obama campaigns, FEMA, Homeland Security, HUD, and to the Pentagon, where he was in charge of communications for the Defense Department. After that, he led communications for Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan's Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and he is now the Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs at Princeton University. Along the way he was a fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. In this episode, we hear Brent's insights on how we should deal with the coronavirus crisis...
2020-03-3052 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodHow Republicans Are Beating Democrats Online, With Mark Barker & Jordan Ruden A big reason why Donald Trump won in 2016 — and why he may win again in 2020 — is that Republicans now seem to get social media, email, and the rest of the online world better than Democrats do, even though Democrats like Howard Dean and Barack Obama were online pioneers. In this episode, Mark Barker and Jordan Ruden of Craft & Commerce give fascinating insights into how Democrats lost their lead, how Republicans took it over, and what it means for how we all communicate, whether we're in politics or not.
2020-02-0452 min
Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodTracy Palandjian: Changing How Change Happens, With Pay for SuccessHost Spencer Critchley talks with Tracy Palandjian, the co-founder and CEO of Social Finance, a nonprofit dedicated to using capital to drive social progress. So far, it has helped direct more than $100 million toward challenges in criminal justice, early childhood education, workforce development, health and homelessness. Social Finance uses the Pay for Success model. At its most basic, that means funding promising social good projects with money from investors, who only get paid pack if the project succeeds. But it also involves a lot more than money: clearly defined outcomes, data-driven decisions, cross-sector partnerships, and strong governance...
2019-12-1137 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodJake Harriman: Fight Terrorism By Ending Extreme Poverty For more than seven years, Jake Harriman was a US Marine, serving as a platoon commander in the Infantry and in a Special Operations unit. He was deployed in Southwest and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and served two combat tours in Iraq. During the second tour, he earned the Bronze Star. Jake believed whole-heartedly in the mission of fighting terrorism. But in Iraq he started to question how that should be done. He came to see the greater enemy as extreme poverty: while terrorist leaders may be evil or insane, their foot...
2019-11-1246 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodJenn Park: What If Government Just Did What Works?We hear so many stories about government spending big money without getting results — to the point that many Americans agree with Ronald Reagan's famous assertion that government isn't the solution, it's the problem. That claim was never accurate, as government successes like the Internet, highways, or vaccinations make clear. All the same, though, a lot of government effort does end up wasted, as even people who work in government will readily acknowledge. So, many of them have embraced a new approach that's driven by the smart use of data. It has a lot in common wi...
2019-10-0731 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodElin Kelsey: Using Optimism to Save the Oceans"We recognise and respect the many challenges facing our oceans, yet too often 'doom and gloom' stories are the only kind of ocean news we hear. "The evidence suggests that if we do not balance the bad news with good, and the problems with solutions, we will not motivate people to act." That's a quote from the website of Ocean Optimism, a movement to inspire action to save the oceans not by highlighting what's going wrong, but by sharing stories of what's going right. Our guest this time is Ocean Optimism's founder, Elin Kelsey.
2019-08-1454 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodJacob Martinez: How Digital NEST Helps Youth Take FlightJacob Martinez is the founder of Digital NEST, an incubator for young tech talent in the farming towns of Watsonville and Salinas, California. Its graduates make an average starting salary of more than $46,000. The average Watsonville resident makes about $17,000. NEST graduates have been hired not just by local companies but by multi-nationals like software maker Adobe, and the NEST has attracted donations from major venture capitalists. As we hear in this interview with host Spencer Critchley, Jacob Martinez thinks the success of Digital NEST can be replicated in small towns up and down California, and...
2019-07-1642 min
Talk of ConnecticutSpencer Critchley on Brad Davis Show 6 - 26 - 19
SPENCER CRITCHLEY, Democratic Strategist; Communication Advisor, Obama for America '08 and '12; Host, “Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good” podcast, willtalka bout: CONGRESS SCRAMBLES TO AGREE ON EMERGENCY BORDER BILL AS WHITE HOUSE, LIBERAL DEMS CLASH
A bill to provide $4.5 billion in emergency funding for the escalating humanitarian crisis at the border was on the rocks Tuesday as the White House threatened to veto over restrictions that would "hamstring" immigration enforcement -- and liberal Democrats complained the bill did not go far enough to rein in the administration's efforts on that front. Both the House and the Sena...
2019-06-2605 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodAlex Gershenson: The Huge Potential of Making Corporate Buying More SustainableBig corporations buy what they need from all over the world because they're looking for the best prices. But increasingly, they're also looking for environmental and social sustainability. For example, McDonald's has committed to serving only sustainably-sourced coffee at all of its locations by next year. To achieve that it's buying its coffee from thousands of often small coffee growers. A company in Santa Cruz, California called SupplyShift makes software that helps companies manage their supply chains to make sure they're sustainable. On this episode: an eye-opening conversation with SupplyShift's CEO, Alex Gershenson.
2019-05-2137 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodPatrice Maginnis: How Tech—High & Low—Is Changing the World of the Blind & Visually ImpairedPatrice Maginnis has experienced life as someone who can see, and as someone who can't. She was born with retinitis pigmentosa and gradually went blind, losing all usable sight at age 60. Patrice has learned to adapt and to thrive. And she helps others do the same, through her work with the Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, a nonprofit with locations in Santa Cruz, Palo Alto, and San Jose, California. Vista Center's mission is to empower people who are blind or visually impaired "to embrace life to the fullest." Often that...
2019-04-2349 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodSaving Democracy: The Way ForwardOur episode this time is a live recording of a terrific panel discussion featuring some very smart people from across the ideological spectrum who have national experience in politics and media. Amanda Renteria, Mike Madrid, Debbie Mesloh, Dan Schnur, Kristin Olsen, and Zach Friend joined host Spencer Critchley at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California to go way beyond the usual talking points and offer deep insights into where we are — and how we go forward. More at dastardlycleverness.com.
2019-03-262h 07Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodBud Colligan: Social EntrepreneurBusiness drives our economy — but our guest this episode thinks it can also make society better. Bud Colligan has been part of some of the most successful businesses of our time, including Apple. He's also a social entrepreneur: he invests in ventures that promise to achieve social good, such as through education, or environmental protection, or inclusive economic development. One example is Pacific Community Ventures, which he co-founded and where he helped raise $100 million for community-focused investments. Another is the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, a coalition that's helping to build sustainable economic growth in his part of Ca...
2019-02-0449 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodThe New Congress: Be Right or Do Right? Can we look at the top priorities for the new Congress without talking about likability, who curses more, or a dancing video? Yes we can. On Dastardly Cleverness: Politics Edition it's not about the horse race, or the latest outrage, but how to make politics do what it's supposed to do: make our lives better, not just more entertaining — or depressing. In this episode host Spencer Critchley brings brings back a previous guest and introduces a new one. Dastardly Cleverness veteran Zach Friend is an alumnus of the John Kerry and Barack Obama ca...
2019-01-1031 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodLenny Mendonca: Why Progressive Federalism May Be the Answer to America's ProblemsLenny Mendonca, a former senior partner with McKinsey & Company and a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, is the co-founder of New America, a self-described "think and action tank." In this fascinating conversation with host Spencer Critchley, Lenny explains why he believes progressive federalism is the solution to our biggest challenges, including climate change, the rise of artificial intelligence, the future of work, and the health of our democracy. More at the episode page.
2018-12-1641 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodBeyond the Horse Race: What the Election Can Teach Us About Making Change It was called the most important election of our lifetimes, but so much of the coverage has been the same old horse race stuff. Not on Dastardly Cleverness, though: in this episode we dig deep with experts who have worked with Barack Obama, John McCain and the Democratic National Committee, among others. Kevin Lewis was one of the first people to join Barack Obama's presidential campaign back in 2007. He went on to serve as the White House Director of African-American Media, as press secretary to Attorney Generals Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch, and as Obama's...
2018-11-1448 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodHighlights from our First Year: Saving the Oceans, Saving Democracy & MoreWe're celebrating our first season with highlights from the past year! It's an episode full of gifts of insight from leading social innovators, on the future of work, universal basic income, reforming the way we bank and invest, why we vote the way we do, saving the oceans, saving democracy, and much more. Featured: Former California Governor candidate Amanda Renteria USC/UC Berkeley Professor Dan Schnur Purpose-driven marketing pioneer Drew Train Future of work experts Katie Caves, Vinz Koller, and Kristin Wolff Monterey Bay Aquarium communications chief Ken Peterson Santa Fe Institute Researcher Mirta Galesic Universal...
2018-10-0253 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodAmanda Renteria: How to Create Impact in the Public & Private SectorsRaised in a farmworking family, Amanda Renteria has worked for Goldman Sachs, the City of San Jose, and two senators; has been a teacher and coach at her old high school; has run for Congress; held a top position in Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign; directed operations for the California Department of Justice and this year, ran for Governor of California. Through it all, she's been focused on just how you get good things done: trying to bridge the private sector's focus on results with the public sector's commitment to the common good. Along the way, she's learned...
2018-09-0453 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodSaving Democracy: National Perspectives from Left and RightHow did the world's leading democracy get in so much trouble? To talk about that — and what we should do about it — "Saving Democracy" brought together a bipartisan panel with experience in Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns, the federal government, Congress, national media, the California Assembly, and more. Joining host Spencer Critchley were former Democratic Congressman Sam Farr, former Barack Obama and Kamala Harris adviser Debbie Mesloh, USC / UC Berkeley Professor and former top Republican consultant Dan Schnur, former California Assembly GOP Leader Kristin Olsen, and local elected official and national Democratic politics veteran Zach Frie...
2018-07-132h 02Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodJoe Sanberg: We Can — And Must — End Poverty in 30 YearsJoe Sanberg grew up in poverty, raised for much of his childhood by a single mother who worked hard but still struggled to secure food and shelter. With scholarships and financial aid, he was able to get into Harvard, and after he graduated magna cum laude, he sought out the highest paying job he could get, at a major private equity group — so he could provide for his mother. But after accomplishing that mission and succeeding on Wall Street, he decided to devote the rest of his career to the cause of ending poverty, not ju...
2018-06-2850 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodFInd a Purpose or Face the Pitchforks: This Ad Agency Is Betting on Doing What's RightDrew Train was a rising star on Madison Avenue, working at the legendary J Walter Thompson agency for clients like HSBC, one of the biggest banks in the world. But at night, he was going to Occupy Wall Street rallies. That's because he thought something had gone very wrong with business: it was extracting more from the world than it was putting back, and benefiting the rich over everyone else. Eventually, he couldn't stand the tension between his day job and his values, and he ended up leaving J Walter Thompson to co-found...
2018-05-2951 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodWhat If Everyone Were Guaranteed a Paycheck?What if everyone got paid - even if they didn't have a job? That's the idea behind universal basic income, or UBI. Its advocates say we need it to protect humans who are losing their jobs to robots — and as one of the best ways to end poverty. In this episode, Spencer Critchley talks to Natalie Foster, co-chair of the Economic Security Project, which advocates for UBI. More at http://dastardlycleverness.com/ubi.
2018-05-0243 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodHow to Communicate for ImpactWe sometimes think that good communicators are just born talented, like a Jefferson or a Lincoln. And it's probably true that the great ones have a special gift. But it's also true that anyone can learn to communicate better. To explore how, Spencer talks to Sean Smith, who has worked on presidential campaigns for Bill Clinton, John Kerry, and Barack Obama, served at the Department of Homeland Security, and is now at global PR firm Porter Novelli. Find more, and the show links, at dastardlycleverness.com/communicate-with-impact.
2018-04-1140 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodCan We Make Government Work? Dan Schnur is a professor at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Communications and the University of California – Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies. He worked on four presidential and three gubernatorial campaigns as one of California's leading Republican political strategists. Zach Friend is a public policy and communications expert who has worked for Barack Obama and John Kerry's presidential campaigns, the White House Council of Economic Advisers, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and the Democratic National Committee (DNC). He's currently on the Board of Supervisors in Santa Cruz County, California....
2018-03-2146 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodWhy Do We Vote the Way We Do?When Santa Fe Institute Professor Mirta Galesic was a teenager, her country fell apart. She lived in what was then Yugoslavia. But after the death of president for life Josip Broz Tito, that country was riven by ethnic nationalism. Amidst all the competing claims and rumors spawned by the turmoil, young Mirta was struck by a realization: people would believe whatever supported their group. It influenced the course of her life as a scientist. Mirta and several co-authors have just published the results of a study that finds, among other things, that if...
2018-02-2640 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodNorth Korea & WMD: How to Think About the UnthinkableSpencer talks with David Schmerler, a researcher who keeps track of North Korea and its weapons of mass destruction. David says his work can be like a spy novel, or a video game — and in fact he even helped create a Minecraft simulation to help people understand what's at stake. But knowing the difference between fiction and reality is crucial — for him, and for all of us. Find the full details, plus links, at the episode page: http://dastardlycleverness.com/blog/north-korea-and-wmd David SchmerlerJames Martin Center for Nonproliferation StudiesMiddlebury Institu...
2018-01-2436 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodThe Future of Work with Kristin WolffEverything about jobs is now open to question — including whether jobs will even exist. To sort it out, we talk this time about robots, the gig economy, income inequality, the disruption of education — even bitcoin. All that and more from someone whose job is to work on the future of work: social policy consultant Kristin Wolff. Find the show notes and links here.
2018-01-0454 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodMore Than Just Pretty Fish: This Aquarium Is a Force in Ocean PreservationThe Monterey Bay Aquarium is world famous for otters, sharks, a spectacular setting — even appearances in movies such as "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" and "Finding Dory," and TV shows such as "Big Little Lies" and the BBC/PBS series "Big Blue Live." But that's just the most visible part. The Aquarium is also a powerful force for protecting the oceans through education, advocacy, and the development of young leaders. In this episode, Spencer speaks with the Aquarium's senior communications strategist, Ken Peterson, about the dramatic impact the Aquarium is having in ocean conservation — and the prot...
2017-12-1246 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodIf We Got the First 5 Years of Life Right, It Would Change EverythingIf we could get the first five years of life right, it would transform society: less crime, less violence, less poverty, more people having happy, productive lives. Lots of research backs that up. When young children suffer from poor health, neglect, missed learning opportunities, or trauma, they can pay for it for the rest of their lives. So do the rest of us. Many of our biggest social problems originate in troubled childhoods. So if the goal is to make the world better, improving life for the very young is one of the best things...
2017-11-2731 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodWe Know How to Reduce Gang Violence — If We're Willing to ActCities across the United States struggle with gang violence, and the challenge can sometimes seem hopeless. But you may be surprised to learn that we know a lot about how to reduce gang violence — often dramatically. We just have to act on what we know. Our guest this time is an expert on the subject, from a small but innovative California city: Salinas. If you know about Salinas, it may be because your vegetables come from the Salinas Valley, sometimes called the Salad Bowl of the World. Maybe you know that John Steinbeck was born th...
2017-11-1036 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good"Debt-Free College" & Other Ways We Could Transform Careers & the Economy with ApprenticeshipsWhat if we could get millions of young people good jobs, free them from college debt, and give the economy a big boost? This episode's guests say we can do it — if we just follow a proven model from Switzerland, now being tried and tested with promising results here in the United States. It's an update of an ancient concept: apprenticeships. Students attend high school while also working and learning at a real job. Everyone benefits: young people, employers, schools, and the economy overall. We're learn about it from two experts: Dr...
2017-10-2736 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodHope for Democracy, Part 3 of 3The third and final part of "Hope for Democracy:" great questions from the audience. On May 17 at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, we heard the unique perspectives of leaders with national and local experience in government, politics, the law, and media. This is Part Two of a three-part series on this event. Former Congressman Sam Farr represented the Central Coast in the House of Representatives for 24 years, following service in the California Assembly, on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, and in the Peace Corps. His record of accomplishment includes the creation of CSUMB, Pi...
2017-10-1247 minDastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodHope for Democracy, Part 2More from "Hope for Democracy:" the conversation resumes with former Congressman Sam Farr describing the anger and misinformation surrounding health care reform, all the panelists addressing whether public servants really want to serve the public, and more. On May 17 at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, we heard the unique perspectives of leaders with national and local experience in government, politics, the law, and media. This is Part Two of a three-part series on this event. Former Congressman Sam Farr represented the Central Coast in the House of Representatives for 24 years, following service in the C...
2017-09-2530 min
Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of GoodHope for Democracy, Part 1Government institutions, the free press, the judiciary, the integrity of the election itself — all face doubt and even attack, from both foreign and domestic sources. What's the way forward? On May 17 at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, we heard the unique perspectives of leaders with national and local experience in government, politics, the law, and media. Former Congressman Sam Farr represented the Central Coast in the House of Representatives for 24 years, following service in the California Assembly, on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, and in the Peace Corps. His record of ac...
2017-08-3140 min