Can We Disincentivize Extreme Polarization w Nathan Smolensky | Politics with Paul #106

In this episode of Politics with Paul, Paul Rader chats with Nathan Smolensky about tackling political polarization. Nathan delves into the allure of division and how incentives shape political behavior. They discuss why polarized people often don't recognize their own divisiveness, balancing short-term wins with long-term goals, and crafting unique moral incentives. The media's role in fostering polarization and the potential influence of independent candidates are also explored. The episode wraps up with ways to engage non-polarized voters and a fun debate on pronouncing "coupon."

NATHAN'S LINKS

• "You Have to Burn the Rope": https://substack.com/@unifire/p-207783752
• UniFire Consulting: https://www.unifireconsulting.com/
• Independent Voter News articles: https://ivn.us/author/nate-smolensky/
• Previous articles on The Fulcrum: https://thefulcrum.us/elections/can-independents-succeed-washington-jungle-primaries and https://thefulcrum.us/bridging-common-ground/political-finger-trap-independent-politics

PAUL'S LINKS Other Works

• FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
• Buy my book about political independents: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
• Medium articles on elections and political science: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/

Media

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
• My website: https://paulrader.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
• Email: paulraderwrites@gmail.com

(0:00) Introduction and Guest Background (1:42) Why Nathan is Involved with Disincentivizing Polarization (3:22) Is it Inherently Selfish to Act on Incentive? (6:34) Why it's Tantalizing for Anybody to Be Polarizing (9:01) Are Those Who Think Division is a One-Side Problem Self-Aware? (11:44) Too Much Focus on Short-Term Victories Over Long-Term Sustainability? (17:52) Do We Need a Unique Approach Toward Moral Incentives? (23:45) Disincentivizing the Media From Promoting Polarizing Content (27:40) Does Depolarization Require More Independents Winning Elections? (33:21) Do Bridge-Builders Focus Too Often on Moral Arguments for Depolarization? (36:37) On Convincing Non-Polarized Voters to Participate More in Politics (41:14) Final Thoughts on Disincentivizing Polarization and Toxicity (42:55) Nathan's Article "You Have to Burn the Rope" (45:06) Random Question: Is Coupon Pronounced "Coo-pon" or "Cue-pon"? (48:13) Closing and Our Show Notes