At the time of our recording, Trump had just received his third indictment for his role in the January 6th insurrection. To give us some greater perspective on the state of politics in our fragile democracy, we turned to Stanford political science professor Bruce Cain who is one of our nation's great political analysts. Cain reflected on Trump’s many self-made challenges, the options before the Republican and Democratic parties, the relevance of polling, the vulnerabilities of our democratic system, and ideas to help us get our system of governance back on track. On top of all that impedes our politics, reacting to changes in the climate heightens our need for timely action. We are in a perfect storm. And yet, there is hope. Cain’s latest book reflects on how we will likely find ways to decarbonize in the long run, even if we don’t move fast enough to avoid the inevitable disruption that climate change will bring in the short run. Cain argues that deniers change their tune when they experience extreme weather effects first hand. He adds that, “...ultimately it is a cultural thing.” Our education, our religions and our journalism will be where we find ways to combat the forces that manipulate us. We’ll have to find our way back to political compromise, for that is how James Madison envisioned our system must function. Join us.

We met with former White House Climate Advisor to President Obama, Molly Kawahata, to hear her innovative perspectives on how to make a real difference in society and for the planet. She is principally focused on how we mobilize productive human psychology to motivate broad systemic change. Her insights are fascinating, born of her own personal struggles, that society writ large has been brainwashed into paralysis with propaganda from the fossil fuel industry that is designed to rob us of hope. It seems an impossible premise, but she effectively argues her case of how this happened, and what those concerned about the future of the planet can do differently to make concrete progress toward the “zero carbon promised land.” While applauding those who make personal choices and sacrifices to help the environment in their own lives, Kawahata eschews climate shaming of all kinds, and sees no averting climate catastrophe without public policy that decarbonizes our industrial, transportation and energy sectors. It is not our fault that we use these sectors. They are the only ones that those without privilege have available to access. Most importantly, she implores us to change the debate away from “saving the polar bears” that those with “boots on their neck” can’t afford to care about, to a practical discussion about pollution and equitable access to clean air and water. We can all see the impact from reducing pollution, and we can have hope in our personal ability to make a meaningful impact. What can you do? Deploy hope and get out the vote. Join us for an exhilarating discussion.