In this episode, Jack interviews one of his colleagues at Portland State University, Dr. Melody Valdini, professor of political science and co-editor of the Journal of Women, Politics & Policy. Their conversation begins with Dr. Valdini’s experiences in graduate school that focused her thinking on the power of the patriarchy and ends with the message: don’t disengage. In between, they discuss ways to attempt to reduce inequalities in the world, the need for political zen, and some more of the experiences that formed Dr. Valdini’s thinking, teaching, and advocacy.

In this short episode, Jack editorializes on the question of voting or not voting for the candidate that’s less bad. Inspired by recent news stories about strong anti-Trump voices now saying they will vote for Trump because they think a second Biden term would be disastrous, combined with polls showing that a lack of enthusiasm among young and minority voters for President Biden is potentially going to result in many traditionally Democratic voters not voting for anyone, Jack reflects on this asymmetry in American politics: that Republicans are much more likely to vote for the lesser of two evils and Democrat more likely not to vote for anyone if they’re disappointed in their candidate.

The mid-term election of 1994, dubbed "The Republican Revolution," ushered in a new era of national politics characterized by combativeness, polarization, and a divisive style of campaigning. Thirty years later, we're still living with the consequences of that transformative election and witnessing heightened levels of the political ugliness that resulted from it. This episode includes a recording of a lecture Jack gave on the era-defining nature of the 1994 midterm election, delivered live on the Portland State University campus on Thursday, February 29th, 2024.

In this special episode, one of Jack’s students at Portland State University, Jorielle Livingston, interviews her former high school civics teacher, Amy Galloway, an educator in Fairbanks, Alaska, with over 25 years of teaching experience. They discuss, among other things, the importance of civic education, what civic education means beyond just knowing the facts of the U.S. system of government, how regular people can make a difference, and why it’s important not just to vote but to participate more broadly in the life of your community, state, nation, and world.

Jack interviews former Portland city commissioner JoAnn Hardesty. They talk about the human experience of being a city commissioner, the early experiences that led her into public service, and some of the lessons she's learned along the way and advice she has for young people looking to make the world a better place.

In this episode, Jack talks with Wendy Willis, founding director of Oregon’s Kitchen Table, a statewide engagement program working to give every Oregonian an opportunity to participate in the political decisions that affect their lives and communities.

In this episode, Jack talks about discomfort, inclusion and exclusion, tolerance and acceptance, power dynamics, and various other things with Jessica Heilman, executive director of the Center for Women's Leadership.

In this episode, Jack examines the many sources of outrage surrounding the teachers strike in Portland, and strikes in general, and schools in general, and he discusses how we can navigate these hard feelings and the powerful and often conflicting feelings of others.

Jack takes seriously the idea that Washington is broken by looking at performative politics and the ways the other two branches respond to the Congressional power vacuum.

The guest this episode is Karen Pan, a young political activist and former student of mine who's currently taking a break from politics to see if she can recover from her outrages and disappointments.

The return of the show after a long hiatus has Jack revealing the set of alter egos he's developed over the past 2 years, showing his work, and reflecting on the need to get back to exploring political outrage and trying to help people navigate the powerful emotions ramping up as the 2024 presidential election looms in the not-so-distant future.

This week's episode is a solo recording by Jack describing his experience with mediation and its relationship to his state of mind, his emotions, and his participation in the tumultuous world of politics.

Jack interviews Oregon State Senator Kim Thatcher (R-District 13) about her nearly two decades of experience in the state legislature. They discuss the changes the senator has seen in state politics during this time and how social media and cultural differences between party members contribute to the widening political divide.

Portland City Commissioner Mingus Mapps describes the unsustainable nature of his job in city government and the structural reasons why the City of Portland faces extra challenges addressing the city’s problems and simply doing its job.

Jack talks to Jesse Cornett, a longtime political activist in Oregon and national politics and Bernie Sanders’ body man in the 2020 campaign, about his commitment to a life in politics and the motivations and practices it takes to sustain that commitment.

Jack answers a listener question about the current direction of the Supreme Court by asking us to cast our minds back half a century to try imagining what it felt like to conservatives as the Warren Court got going with its liberal revolution.

Jack interviews Oregon state representative Tawna Sanchez (Democrat, district 43).

Zane and Jack discuss the STAR voting system, an Oregon-grown electoral reform that asks voters to rate candidates from 0 to 5 stars and awards victory to the winner of an automatic runoff between the two top-rated candidates.

In this kickoff to Year 3, co-hosts Zane and Jack reboot the Pothole Problem Podcast after a pandemic hiatus by revisiting the meaning of the pothole problem after all that’s gone down in the past two years.

Zane interviews Jack about democratic theory and some of the reasons why people so often feel like political outcomes aren't fair.