We Made This Political Podcast

Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

Lauren Hall and Lura Forcum talk together and with guests about what political science, psychology, and parenting has taught them about making politics better for everyone. wemadethispolitical.substack.com

  1. 1d ago

    Ep. 69: Liz Joyner on Civics That Doesn’t Feel Like HR Training

    Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall welcome Liz Joyner, founder and president of The Village Square, to discuss rebuilding civic trust and healthier public dialogue across political divides. Joyner describes launching the organization in the early digital era after seeing politics become “two angry tribes” and noticing a lack of physical spaces for citizens to discuss contentious local issues beyond op-eds or brief public comment. She explains how The Village Square shifted from fact-driven, HR-training-style civic engagement to hosting lively, food-centered events that build relational “glue,” drawing on ideas like Henrich’s WEIRD “spreadsheet brain,” Haidt’s moral foundations and “hive switch,” and Dunbar’s number. The conversation emphasizes working “upstream” from conflict through groupish, in-person connection, resisting ostracism, and creating proximate, participatory civic spaces that make people feel needed and included. 00:00 Welcome Liz Joiner 01:11 Why Politics Felt Broken 02:44 Building Civic Space 03:41 Beyond HR Training 05:19 Spreadsheet Brain Trap 07:25 Relationships Before Facts 09:57 Process Versus Trust 13:07 Groupish Human Nature 18:22 Upstream From Conflict 21:20 Cross Partisan Blind Spots 25:26 Human Nature 101 27:40 Ostracism Makes It Worse 29:15 Ostracism Fuels Extremes 30:04 Staying Close in Disagreement 31:22 Trust Builds Group Wisdom 34:05 Play Restores Civic Bonds 35:41 Carom Shots and Fun 36:46 Hive Switch in Action 40:22 Beyond Spreadsheet Politics 42:34 Inviting Everyone to the Table 47:04 Local Spaces Are Mandatory 49:01 Weak Ties and Modern Life 51:48 Feeling Needed Again 54:46 Optimism and Where to Find Liz Resources: How to Find Liz and Other Cool Things The Village Square New Civic Future This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com

    Ep. 69: Liz Joyner on Civics That Doesn’t Feel Like HR Training

  2. Sep 28

    Ep. 68 Gabe Fleisher on Saving Political News

    Lauren Hall and Lura Forcum of “We Made This Political” interview Gabe Fleisher, founder and editor of the daily newsletter Wake Up To Politics, which he started in 2011 and now reaches tens of thousands. Fleisher explains how his interest evolved from campaigns to a focus on governmental institutions, process, and undercovered congressional work, and why independent newsletters and Substack enable niche, less conflict-driven coverage that mainstream outlets often won’t prioritize. They discuss how conflict-centered political news obscures bipartisan legislation and broad public agreement on many issues, while party elites can diverge sharply from party voters. Fleisher describes using skepticism, careful poll methodology, and cross-checking data, and addresses reporting on false claims without “both-sidesing.” He shares cautious optimism about rising bipartisan work, populist overlap, and tools like discharge petitions, and directs listeners to wakeuptopolitics.com.00:00 Welcome and Introductions00:58 Gabe’s Origin Story02:50 Mainstream vs Independent Paths03:54 Covering Nuance on Substack07:31 What Drives His Reporting09:17 Journalism Not Advocacy11:17 Working With Data and Polls14:56 Bias and Staying Nonpartisan19:09 What Conflict Coverage Misses23:34 Hidden Consensus and Elite Gaps27:34 Moderates Misread28:18 Polling Forces Boxes29:25 Voters Aren't Unsophisticated31:46 Myth of Left Right33:04 Stop Dismissing Voters35:08 Calling Out Lies Fairly39:23 Outrage Distractions41:40 What Voters Prioritize44:40 Congress Gets Things Done48:10 Bipartisan Work Blocked51:08 Discharge Petitions Rise52:59 Optimism And Where To Find This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com

    Ep. 68 Gabe Fleisher on Saving Political News

  3. Sep 14

    Ep. 67: Brendan Polk on the Lindsey Clancy Case, Institutional Failure, and Local Hope

    In this episode of We Made This Political, hosts Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall talk with licensed social worker and faith leader Branden Polk about how algorithms, media, and politics encourage subjective “realities” that justify dehumanizing opponents, and how cross-ideological collaboration and virtue development can help people discern the objective. Using the Lindsey Clancy case—ending in a mistrial reportedly split 11–1—as a lens, they discuss failures in the legal process (including not sequestering the jury), gaps in postpartum and mental health care, and perverse incentives in criminal justice that prioritize winning over healing, accountability, and human flourishing. They argue that meaningful reform and nuanced problem-solving are more likely at local levels through community experimentation, while national polarization erodes institutional legitimacy and social trust.00:00 Dehumanization Online00:51 Podcast Introductions02:37 Brandon Work And Hygiene06:03 Beyond Intellectualism07:49 Clancy Case Setup09:18 Jury Mistrial Meaning13:54 System Incentives Broken17:39 Mental Health Court Gaps20:45 Justice Healing Accountability23:43 Local Solutions Hope27:50 Scaling Community Innovation30:07 Polarization Kills Collaboration31:20 Trust Collapse and Incentives32:37 Local Reality and Problem Solving34:29 Virtue and Human Dignity37:32 False Binaries and Complexity39:10 Projection to Purposeful Action43:26 Mattering and Social Media48:48 Presence Over Legacy53:11 Lindsay Clancy and Institutional Nuance57:54 Beloved Community and Closing This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com

    Ep. 67: Brendan Polk on the Lindsey Clancy Case, Institutional Failure, and Local Hope

  4. Sep 8

    Ep. 66: Nancy von Meyer on Parcels, Permission Systems, and the Future of Land

    Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall host We Made This Political live on Substack with Nancy von Meyer, a land records, GIS, and property data systems expert and Pendleton Town Council member, discussing her forthcoming book Parcels: How Property Shapes Geography (co-authored with Jerry Poppendorff). Von Meyer explains parcels as the managed geometry of land and, more importantly, a “permission system” tied to zoning and rights, reflecting how societies govern and define community. The conversation covers historical land division from colonization and Revolutionary War land grants to ribbon farms, Levittowns, railroad checkerboards, and how parcels preserve history even as economies shift, using Detroit, Akron, and Rochester as examples. They address tensions between private property and public impacts, redlining, property taxes funding local services, growth-driven density and infill, data centers and “geocollaboration,” infrastructure feedback loops, and climate-change-driven coastal land loss and relocation, ending with optimism about the next generation and where to find the book at regrid.com/book.00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro01:21 What Are Parcels03:31 Parcels as Permissions06:34 Property Rights Tensions11:35 Land as Commerce Taxes14:12 Why Parcel Shapes Persist21:00 Updating Zoning and Density22:55 Detroit Redlining and Decline27:46 Railroad Checkerboard Legacy29:06 Land as Memory29:48 Parcels and Modern Crises30:59 Sea Level Losses32:30 Regressive Adaptation Costs34:22 Housing and Community Ties36:09 Relocating Towns Inland37:04 Road Shift Horror Story41:47 Who Pays for Safety42:50 Geocollaboration Framework44:44 Urbanization Strains Old Laws46:04 Property Rights vs Externalities48:39 Everything Is Up for Grabs50:08 Common Law Flexibility51:18 Redefining Progress54:42 Optimism and Where to Find This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com

    Ep. 66: Nancy von Meyer on Parcels, Permission Systems, and the Future of Land

  5. Aug 31

    Ep. 65: Cliff Kayser on Polarity Thinking and Interdependence

    In this episode of We Made This Political, hosts Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall talk with Cliff Kayser of Polarity Partnerships about “polarity thinking” as an alternative to false either/or binaries in politics and organizational life. Kayser explains polarities as interdependent pairs (like inhale/exhale or activity/rest) that can’t be solved by choosing one side, but can be leveraged over time by maximizing upsides and minimizing predictable downsides using a five-step process: seeing, mapping, assessing, learning, and leveraging. They discuss common polarities in democracy (freedom/authority, justice/due process, diversity/equality, human rights/communal obligations) and leadership (confidence/humility, task/relationship), plus pendulum swings such as centralization versus decentralization. The conversation connects low trust to either/or thinking and explores how AI and social media reinforce binary thinking, arguing humans must ask better questions and develop adaptive, coaching-oriented skills. 00:00 False Binaries Explained 00:32 Meet the Hosts and Guest 02:06 Polarity Thinking Basics 06:50 Democracy and Leadership Polarities 11:23 The Five Step Polarity Process 16:05 Pendulum Swings in Organizations 23:31 Part Whole in Politics 29:08 Why Politics Goes Either Or 38:05 Trust as the Hidden Ingredient 43:56 AI Bias Toward Either Or 53:20 Optimism and Where to Follow 56:36 Closing and Credits Find Cliff’s Work Read his Substack Cliff’s Notes. Connect with him at Polarity Partnerships here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com

    Ep. 65: Cliff Kayser on Polarity Thinking and Interdependence

  6. Aug 24

    Ep. 64: Grace Pouch on Slowing Down, Adding Friction, and Forming Better People

    In this episode of We Made This Political, hosts Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall interview Grace Pate Pouch, author of Savoring Childhood: Practical Wisdom for Slowing Down and co-founder of Upstate Unplugged, about why childhood is “for being a child” and how modern life rushes kids (and adults) through it. They discuss instant gratification, fragmented attention, and disembodiment driven by phones, on-demand purchasing, and ed tech, arguing for intentionally “adding friction” through small, incremental choices that build patience, self-control, agency, and purpose. Grace connects slowing down to spiritual formation and civic life, emphasizing practices that develop the capacity to love, contribute, and respond well rather than merely knowing the right answers. She ends with optimism about Greenville County Schools’ new classroom tech limits and leaders publicly acknowledging overreliance on technology.00:00 Meet the Hosts01:12 Introducing Grace Pouch01:57 What Childhood Is For03:52 Why Life Feels Too Fast08:25 Adding Friction Back11:04 Attention and Presence15:15 Embodiment and Phones18:36 Analog Comeback22:47 Ed Tech Skepticism26:22 Institutional Pressures28:25 Culture and Agency30:27 Local Screen Advocacy31:46 Small Wins Mindset33:26 Spiritual Formation Focus37:11 Discipline Builds Freedom40:23 Slow Consuming Culture43:05 Participation Over Consumption48:16 Savoring Faith Through Play49:37 Struggle Grows Agency51:47 Counterpoints For Balance53:19 Where To Find Grace55:15 Optimism And Policy Wins56:24 Closing And Farewell Additional Resources “Mothers Are Not Machines” by writer Lindsey DeLoach Jones Renovare Institute for Spiritual Formation “Greenville County Schools Working to Reduce Screentime in Classrooms” — newspaper article on Rule 1A that Upstate Unplugged advocated to adopt This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com

    Ep. 64: Grace Pouch on Slowing Down, Adding Friction, and Forming Better People

  7. Aug 17

    Ep. 63: Jess Lee on Race, Identity and the Trouble with Categories

    On We Made This Political, hosts Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall talk with sociologist Jess Lee (Cal Poly) about how the umbrella category “Asian American” was created as a post–Civil Rights political instrument to gain visibility and protection, yet can distort reality by centering East Asians, masking vast subgroup diversity, and limiting personal possibilities through stereotypes like the “model minority.” Lee explains how broad categories affect representation, resource allocation, and quantitative research, obscuring poverty, first-generation college needs, and shifting census definitions (including Middle Easterners being counted as white and many Asians reduced to write-ins). The conversation also covers interracial and interethnic dating as largely shaped by access and homogamy (especially socioeconomic), sex ratios in immigration flows, and how assimilation is increasingly seen as hybridization that reshapes what “American” means at the local level.00:00 Breaking Asian Stereotypes00:34 Meet the Hosts and Jess Lee02:19 Why Asian American Feels Messy07:04 Origins of the Asian American Umbrella14:25 Model Minority Myth Costs17:27 Who Counts as Asian22:20 Selection Effects and Stereotype Promise30:26 Measurement Problems in Research36:55 Interracial Dating and Homogamy49:20 Race Boxes and Census Confusion52:11 Assimilation and Hybrid America58:34 Local Hope and Closing This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com

    Ep. 63: Jess Lee on Race, Identity and the Trouble with Categories

  8. Aug 3

    Ep. 61: Abi Olvera on Abundance and Positive Sum Thinking

    Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall interview Abi Olvera, writer of the Substack Positive Sum, about the “abundance” movement. Olvera frames abundance as “YIMBY for everything,” emphasizing prioritizing policies that materially affect people’s lives and improving state capacity by removing bottlenecks in housing, daycare, healthcare, workforce licensing, fire codes, and science funding. The conversation highlights examples like certificate-of-need laws and competitor’s vetoes that block new clinics and birth centers, occupational licensing that prevents mobility and locks out people with felonies, and regulatory regimes designed for large corporations that exclude small entrepreneurs. They discuss how debates over regulation often ignore counterfactuals (e.g., AI or safety vs no service), how scarcity thinking fuels partisan “bogeymen,” and how rebuilding public trust through responsive, outcome-focused governance could enable positive-sum progress. 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 03:13 Defining the Abundance Movement 06:00 Certificate of Need Problems 08:52 Expanding the Abundance Agenda 10:34 Occupational Licensing Barriers 12:28 Fire Codes and Safety 13:50 Regulation Debates and Frameworks 16:55 The Counterfactual Problem 18:48 Scarcity vs Abundance Politics 21:11 Government Trust and Efficiency 23:11 Positive Sum Thinking 25:59 Making Abundance Motivating 27:56 Working Class Perspectives 30:50 Funding the Abundance Agenda 31:36 Distinguishing Protections from Obstacles 33:38 Improving Laws and Regulations 36:02 Learning from Missing Data 37:09 Fire Safety Paradox 38:32 Corporate Bias in Regulations 41:57 Gaming the System 43:19 Human Flexibility in Government 44:46 Building Trust in Systems 46:32 Responsive Government and Trust 48:56 Government Success Stories 51:10 Local vs Federal Incentives 53:22 State Department Resilience 55:36 Optimism and Closing Thoughts This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com

    Ep. 61: Abi Olvera on Abundance and Positive Sum Thinking
See All (71)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Lauren Hall and Lura Forcum talk together and with guests about what political science, psychology, and parenting has taught them about making politics better for everyone. wemadethispolitical.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    71
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall
  • Show Website
    We Made This Political Podcast

You Might Also Like