Pothole Problem Podcast

20/11/2023

As we enter another week of the Portland public school teachers' strike, the latest episode of the Pothole Problem Podcast offers some reflections on outrage and a bit of advice about navigating it. I discuss how humor, active listening, and a healthy media diet can help power down strong emotions and enable us to face complex, confusing, highly charged issues without melting down.

28/10/2023

Happy 18th birthday to the best daughter a man could ever hope to have—it would take me 100,000 words just to start talking about how amazing you are…

26/10/2023

The latest battle to choose a Speaker of the House is finally over, but there's no reason to expect that Congress will suddenly become a smooth and effectively functioning institution. In the newest episode of the Pothole Problem Podcast, Jack takes seriously the idea that Washington is broken. He discusses the rise of performative politics and examines the ways the other two branches respond to Congressional power vacuums. (Link in bio)

12/10/2023

Youthful outrage and disappointment and the controversial ideas of a 19th century philosopher… check out the latest episode of The Pothole Problem Podcast (link in bio).

03/10/2023

The Pothole Problem Podcast is back. (Link in bio) In this return episode, I reveal the set of alter egos I’ve developed over the past 2 years and reflect 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. New episodes twice monthly on Thursdays.

12/11/2022

If you’re in Astoria next Thursday or Saturday, come see me at the Astoria Public Library as part of the 100-year commemoration of the Great Fire of 1922–author reading and history talk, a good time for all…

08/02/2022

Do you think this is why states are rushing to ban the teaching of divisive subjects in school?

10/11/2021

Republican state senator Kim Thatcher on this week's Pothole Problem Podcast - https://mailchi.mp/fb03344705e8/republican-state-senator-kim-thatcher-on-this-weeks-pothole-problem-podcast

On this week's new episode, 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 pa...

03/11/2021

Portland City Commissioner Mingus Mapps appears this week on the Pothole Problem Podcast. Commissioner Mapps describes the unsustainable nature of his position in city government and the structural reasons why Portland faces extra challenges addressing the city’s problems and simply doing its job. He and Jack also discuss the need for reforming the city charter and the current effort to propose changes to that charter.
Listen here: https://www.potholeproblempodcast.com/episode-list/035

20/10/2021

The Pothole Problem Live Q&A Returns Tonight - https://mailchi.mp/ad55b7f02f0c/the-pothole-problem-live-qa-returns-tonight

27/09/2021

The Pothole Problem Podcast is BACK!! - https://mailchi.mp/55b39666add6/the-pothole-problem-podcast-is-back

03/11/2020

Today is a good day to believe there’s an inextinguishable light shining in the heart of America’s soul.

01/06/2020

Your perspective on the current manifestation of political outrage - https://mailchi.mp/8492d6bda3b8/your-perspective-on-the-current-manifestation-of-political-outrage

25/05/2020

Penultimate Pothole Problem Podcast of Year 1 - https://mailchi.mp/f15e294ae775/penultimate-pothole-problem-podcast-of-year-1

20/05/2020

Every election is a peaceful revolution.

11/05/2020

This week’s guest is Sonia Montalbano, a lawyer and political activist running against several other candidates for Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge in the kind of judicial election that is rarely contested. Sonia discusses her lifelong political commitments and talks about the issues of judicial reform that have inspired her to enter electoral politics in this way. She also looks at the challenges that she and other judicial candidates face under normal circumstances, as well as in the unique coronovirus lockdown campaigning environment.
https://www.potholeproblempodcast.com/episode-list/episode-28

04/05/2020

This week’s guest is Alison McCaffree, author of Politics of the Possible, a book about her grandmother, Mary Ellen McCaffree, a pioneering female legislator in Washington State. She is also the founder and executive director of Politics of the Possible in Action, a non-profit organization inspiring community engagement and enhancing civic education. Alison discusses the challenges of doing civic engagement work in today's world and explores the lessons she learned from her grandmother's stories about a life in elected office and her own work spreading the civic engagement message.

To support Alison's organization, click here. Learn more about the play Many Maps, One Voice: http://www.politicsofthepossible.com/many-maps/

Find out about the League of Women Voters of Washington's Redistricting work: https://lwvwa.org/redistricting

27/04/2020

This week’s guest is Esperanza Tervalon-Garrett, campaign manager for We Count Oregon and the founder and CEO of Dancing Hearts Consulting, a progressive political consulting firm committed to challenging the status quo. Esperanza describes her earliest experiences as an organizer and activist, and she discusses some of the lessons she's learned along the way about establishing a sustainable life in movement work.
https://www.potholeproblempodcast.com/episode-list/episode-26

20/04/2020

Coronavirus comes to the Pothole Problem Podcast (as a topic not an infection) - https://mailchi.mp/35bd21930762/coronavirus-comes-to-the-pothole-problem-podcast-as-a-topic-not-an-infection

13/04/2020

This week’s guest is Peter Toll, campaign coordinator for the Clackamas County Democratic Party and a long-time political organizer and party activist. Peter discusses what it takes to energize people in local- and state-level politics and the new and old barriers to success in Democratic politics.
https://www.potholeproblempodcast.com/episode-list/episode-24

06/04/2020

This week’s guest is Liz Darby, a former government researcher, policymaker, and lobbyist working in the field of healthcare. Liz discusses how her own view of politics changed from her conservative upbringing to her embrace of liberalism in the 1970s, what her professional life was like, and the ways national politics seemed to change during her time in Washington, DC, from the late-1970s to the early-21st century.
https://www.potholeproblempodcast.com/episode-list/episode-23

30/03/2020

This week’s guest is Amy Rathfelder, policy advisor to Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and campaign manager for his 2020 re-election campaign. Amy examines her youthful outrage at the idea of compromising on her principles and shares what she’s learned about compromise from working in politics for nearly a decade. She discusses the importance of listening to people you disagree with, the difficulties of finding common ground, and the important differences between local, state, and national representatives and their staff in terms of how they connect with the communities they represent and how they relate to power and influence.

This episode features “Jesus Gonna Be Here Soon,” performed live in the White Tiger Studio on June 7th, 2019 by Chuck Masi and Dan Blaker.

30/03/2020

A New Season of the Pothole Problem Podcast - https://mailchi.mp/5ce12563cdee/a-new-season-of-the-pothole-problem-podcast

27/03/2020

Using the dining room chalkboard to make videos for remote teaching. If your home-schooling plan has room for some PoliSci, there’s a link in my bio to a growing playlist of lectures on political reform, political theory, and campaign politics—5-6 new videos each week all Spring term...

19/03/2020

The Pothole Problem Podcast Takes Responsible Spring Break - https://mailchi.mp/653e96765ffc/the-pothole-problem-podcast-takes-responsible-spring-break

17/03/2020

The Pothole Problem Podcast is on a scheduled break right now, but we'll be back on March 30th with more interviews from people living inside the emotionally tumultuous world of politics. Our producer White Tiger Productions is ready to transition into phone interviews for the foreseeable future, so we can practice social distancing and still discuss political outrage with our guests.
https://www.youcandowhatyouthink.com/

09/03/2020

This week’s episode features a talk that Jack gave at the Lake Oswego Public Library as part of the Lake Oswego Reads program, an annual month-long event with speakers discussing the issues connected to a single piece of writing. This year’s book was Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore by Elizabeth Rush, a work about the impact of climate change on coastal communities and habitats. Jack’s talk was "The Politics of Climate Change." He first discusses the human condition and examines the deep-seated reasons why climate change poses a uniquely difficult problem for human beings, then he looks specifically at the American political system to analyze why it’s been so difficult for the United States to adopt a proactive climate change agenda.
https://www.potholeproblempodcast.com/episode-list/episode-21

02/03/2020

This Week’s Guest is John Horvich, a pollster at DHM Research and a former president of the City Club of Portland. After discussing his own journey through political outrage, John takes us behind the scenes to provide an insider’s perspective on polling – how the data he gathers is used, why it’s gathered in the first place, and why the public doesn’t usually see what the public opinion research industry is really doing.

This episode features excerpts from “Moon Boots,” an original song by Everyday Junior. You can listen to full tracks from this band on their YouTube page.

https://www.potholeproblempodcast.com/episode-list/episode-20

24/02/2020

This week’s guest is Candalynn Johnson, Campaign Coordinator for the League of Women Voters of Oregon and Deputy Campaign Manager for People Not Politicians, a campaign to being an independent redistricting commission to Oregon. Candalynn discusses how her outrage over identity politics led her to confront her biases and engage in a process of deepening self-awareness. She confronts the issue of burnout and cynicism and explains why self-awareness and self-care are so important for a sustained commitment to politics.

17/02/2020

To commemorate President’s Day, this week’s guest is Tom Hughes, former President of the Metro Council (2011-2019). Tom discusses his forty-plus years of experience in public office, from the virtually powerless but high-visibility position of Mayor of Hillsboro, Oregon (2001-2009) to the almost-unknown but extremely important position of Metro President. He reflects on the races he ran and the experiences he had dealing with constituent reactions, and he draws some important lessons for people serving in office and those thinking about seeking office in the future.
https://www.potholeproblempodcast.com/episode-list/episode-18