The Context

Alex Lovit, Charles F. Kettering Foundation
  • 5.0 (24)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY
The Context

"The Context" is a podcast about democracy—its past, present and future—brought to you by the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. History ripples and changes. From decisions at the dinner table to declarations from the Rose Garden; moments build upon one another informing our past, illuminating our present, inventing our future. History makes meaning, especially when it comes to the state of our democracy, and context is everything. The Context is a new podcast about the history, trends, and ideas shaping democracy in the United States and around the world. In each episode, host Alex Lovit will interview someone who has seen it all—scholars, politicians, journalists and public servants—to get their take on how we got to where we are and what they’ve seen through their experience not only watching the news unfold but sometimes even being the news itself. Reckoning with racism, a crisis of democracy, the right role of government in our daily lives—every question has its reason; every answer has its context. Tune in every other week wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe to The Context to get the latest episodes. The Charles F. Kettering Foundation works to inspire and connect individuals and organizations to advance thriving and inclusive democracies around the globe. We believe all people belong and have the right to engage in and shape a democracy that serves them.

  1. Madiba Dennie: The Constitutional Crisis You’re Not Hearing About

    FEB 25

    Madiba Dennie: The Constitutional Crisis You’re Not Hearing About

    The Constitution is under attack—and not just by Trump and the executive branch. For a long time, the conservative justices on the Supreme Court have been inconsistently interpreting the Constitution. But our guest, Madiba Dennie, says focusing on their decision-making processes is a trap. She says there’s a better way for concerned citizens to take action against the backsliding of social progress fueled by the Supreme Court. Madiba K. Dennie is an attorney, columnist, and professor whose work focuses on fostering an equitable multiracial democracy. She is the deputy editor and senior contributor at the critical legal commentary website Balls and Strikes and the author of The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We the People Can Take It Back. Dennie previously served as counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, and her legal and political commentary has been featured in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, the BBC, and MSNBC. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735353/the-originalism-trap-by-madiba-k-dennie/

    41 min
  2. William J. Barber II: How an Anti-Poverty Movement Makes Extremists Tremble

    FEB 11

    William J. Barber II: How an Anti-Poverty Movement Makes Extremists Tremble

    The United States is the wealthiest nation in the world, but millions of its citizens live in poverty. What prevents poor, low-wage, and low-wealth Americans from using democratic government to fight for a fairer distribution of resources? And how can they overcome the structures set against them? The answer is counterintuitive, but it's worked on other social issues in the past.  Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II is president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, cochair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, and a Charles F. Kettering Foundation senior fellow. He is a bishop with the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries and an executive board member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He is also a professor in the practice of public theology and public policy and founding director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School.  https://breachrepairers.org/our-work/moral-fusion-organizing/

    43 min
  3. Jeffrey Winters: How to Beat Oligarchs at Their Own Game

    JAN 28

    Jeffrey Winters: How to Beat Oligarchs at Their Own Game

    Why do so many Americans think tax breaks for the uber-wealthy will help the average person? According to Jeffrey Winters, the answer is simple: oligarchy. Today Winters breaks down how massive wealth distorts politics, and what can be done to combat it. Winters is professor of political science and director of the Equality Development and Globalization Studies (EDGS) program at Northwestern University. His research focuses on oligarchy in the US and around the world, historically and today. His forthcoming book, Domination through Democracy: Why Oligarchs Win, will be published by Penguin Random House later this year. Winters is also an expert on the politics of Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia. He is an award-winning teacher, and his book Oligarchy (Cambridge, 2011) won the Luebbert Prize in 2012 for the best book in comparative politics from the American Political Science Association.

    50 min
  4. Anthea Butler: What’s Gone Wrong with Evangelical Christianity?

    JAN 14

    Anthea Butler: What’s Gone Wrong with Evangelical Christianity?

    The separation of church and state is a foundational principle of American democracy, but that doesn’t mean that religion hasn’t played an important role in American politics. Throughout American history, varied political movements have claimed religious motivations and scriptural justifications, sometimes in contradictory ways (e.g. both to support and oppose systems of racial hierarchy). Today, evangelical Christian institutions are powerful political organizers, often promoting a nationalist and White-exclusive vision of American identity. These ideas have deep historical roots and continue to undermine principles of inclusive democracy today. Anthea Butler is the Geraldine R. Segal Professor in American Social Thought at the University of Pennsylvania. A historian of African American and American religion, Butler’s research and writing spans African American religion and history, race, politics, Evangelicalism, gender and sexuality, media, and popular culture. Butler is the winner of the 2022 Martin Marty Award from the American Academy of Religion. She was a contributor to the book, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, and her most recent book is White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America. https://uncpress.org/book/9781469661179/white-evangelical-racism/ https://www.msnbc.com/author/anthea-butler-ncpn840911

    45 min
  5. Special Episode: How Novels Defend Democracy

    12/31/2024

    Special Episode: How Novels Defend Democracy

    This special episode of The Context includes voices from three previous guests on the show: James Comey, Stacey Abrams, and David Pepper. All three have had significant careers in public service, and all three have also written multiple novels. In these short excerpts, they all also argue that their creative writing is a method to communicate some of their knowledge and insights about democracy and public institutions. James Comey spent many years in public service, culminating in serving as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2013 until 2017. He is also a senior fellow at the Kettering Foundation. He’s written three novels, including one that will be published next year. Stacey Abrams served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 until 2017, including six years as minority leader. She ran two celebrated gubernatorial campaigns in Georgia in 2018 and 2022. She’s written eleven novels. David Pepper is a former elected official and an adjunct law professor who served as chair of the Ohio Democratic Party from 2015 until 2021. He is also a senior fellow at the Kettering Foundation. He’s written six novels. https://jamescomeybooks.com/ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2214766/stacey-abrams/ https://davidpepper.com/ https://davidpepper.substack.com/p/2025-a-novel

    15 min
  6. Donald Moynihan: Friction, Frustrations, and Fear in Government Bureaucracies

    12/17/2024

    Donald Moynihan: Friction, Frustrations, and Fear in Government Bureaucracies

    “Administrative burdens” is a term for the frictions people experience when interacting with government—learning how a program works, taking the time to fill out paperwork, and experiencing the frustrations and shame that can come from the process. Sometimes this is accidental—just the result of a bureaucracy failing to think through how it interacts with citizens. But it can also be purposeful—a way for politicians and policymakers to limit or direct programs without openly admitting to it. In this conversation, Donald Moynihan describes how administrative burdens affect how citizens experience government agencies and how interactions between the three branches of federal government can get in the way of efficient and effective public service. Donald Moynihan is a public policy professor at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and codirects the Better Government Lab at Georgetown University. He previously served as the McCourt Chair for Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and as director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s La Follette School. His work focuses on the administrative burdens citizens encounter during interactions with government. In addition to his research, Moynihan is the president of the Association for Public Policy and Management. https://donmoynihan.substack.com/

    41 min
  7. Hahrie Han: Belonging Comes Before Belief

    12/03/2024

    Hahrie Han: Belonging Comes Before Belief

    In 2015, Crossroads Church, a majority-White evangelical megachurch based in Cincinnati, Ohio, launched a new program to address racial division and racism. In this episode, Hahrie Han discusses her new book Undivided: The Quest for Racial Solidarity in an American Church, which tells the story of this program and its participants, many of whom changed their thinking, behavior, and relationships after taking part. The impact of Crossroads’s Undivided program demonstrates some of the elements of successful antiracist organizing —or organizing in general. These elements include sustained commitment, building relationships across difference, and empowering people to find their own solutions. Hahrie Han is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Professor of Political Science, the inaugural director of the SNF Agora Institute, and the director of the P3 research lab at Johns Hopkins University. An elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she has published four previous books. She was named a 2022 Social Innovation Thought Leader of the Year by the World Economic Forum’s Schwab Foundation. She has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The New Republic, among other national publications. The daughter of Korean immigrants, she lives in Baltimore, Maryland. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/669326/undivided-by-hahrie-han/

    51 min
  8. Chris Matthews: The Election’s Over. Now What?

    11/19/2024

    Chris Matthews: The Election’s Over. Now What?

    Donald Trump has been elected the 47th president of the United States. He will enter the White House with his party in control of both the House and Senate and with a Supreme Court mostly composed of Republican appointments. This election will have real impacts on American policy, which will not only change the lives of Americans, but also reverberate around the world, from Ukraine to Israel to Taiwan. Early signs of what to expect from the incoming Trump administration, and the new Republican-controlled federal government more generally, can be seen in who Trump appoints to high-level positions in the White House and who wins leadership in the Senate. And until the next election, public reaction to these and other actions will be the best way for politicians, the media, and citizens to influence government. Chris Matthews began his career in politics, including serving as a speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter and as administrative assistant to Speaker of the House Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill Jr. But for most of the last 40 years, Matthews has been a journalist. He has been a syndicated columnist for the San Francisco Examiner, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Washington Monthly. Most famously, he was the news anchor of Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC from 1994 until 2020. He’s written ten books and holds 34 honorary degrees. He’s also a senior fellow at the Kettering Foundation.

    30 min
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Trailer

5
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

"The Context" is a podcast about democracy—its past, present and future—brought to you by the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. History ripples and changes. From decisions at the dinner table to declarations from the Rose Garden; moments build upon one another informing our past, illuminating our present, inventing our future. History makes meaning, especially when it comes to the state of our democracy, and context is everything. The Context is a new podcast about the history, trends, and ideas shaping democracy in the United States and around the world. In each episode, host Alex Lovit will interview someone who has seen it all—scholars, politicians, journalists and public servants—to get their take on how we got to where we are and what they’ve seen through their experience not only watching the news unfold but sometimes even being the news itself. Reckoning with racism, a crisis of democracy, the right role of government in our daily lives—every question has its reason; every answer has its context. Tune in every other week wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe to The Context to get the latest episodes. The Charles F. Kettering Foundation works to inspire and connect individuals and organizations to advance thriving and inclusive democracies around the globe. We believe all people belong and have the right to engage in and shape a democracy that serves them.

Information

  • Creator
    Alex Lovit, Charles F. Kettering Foundation
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 The Context a Charles F. Kettering Foundation Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Context

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