Unity, Free Speech, and Our Braver Angels
There is an inherent contradiction at the heart of Braver Angels that we need to resolve. Braver Angels is sometimes a mediator: through our workshops, we provide space for two […]
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Political Violence and Bullying on the Left: We’re Better Than This
In The Coddling of the American Mind, Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff argue that we’ve been fostering a sense of fragility within an entire generation of Americans. I think they
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Electoral College: Good, Bad, or Ugly?
There has been much controversy incited by the role of the Electoral College in our presidential elections, especially in recent years as results have diverged from national popular vote totals.
Rusty Reno on Politics and Religion in the Age of Donald Trump
Ciaran rides solo for a stimulating conversation with Rusty Reno of First Things. Rusty talks about the homogenization of the political elite, and how he sees the electoral college as a bulwark against the power of those with social and economic advantages.
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Dispatch: One Year After the Kavanaugh Hearings
A year ago today, Christine Blasey Ford went public with a sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. I can’t recall in my lifetime a controversy steeped in
To Depolarize or Not to Depolarize with Julie Kohler
Julie Kohler, author of the Washington Post article “How Calls to ‘Love Your Enemies’ Enforce the Status-Quo,” joins Ciaran and John for a back and forth about her own past
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Ten Better Angels Skills
Five Basic Skills Listen to understand rather than to prepare your rebuttal. If you couldn’t accurately summarize what the other person just said, you haven’t listened. Be curious (“Why you
What is a Braver Angels Debate?
You probably haven’t experienced anything like a Braver Angels Debate. It’s not a political debate, where competing candidates attempt to win votes. Nor is it a high school or college
The Superbowl of Politics
The stadium is packed amid the early November chill for the Super Bowl of the New National Football League. Despite initial criticism, the new format seems to have revitalized the
‘Better Angels’ hold workshop
by Elisabeth Robbins, Better Angels Moderator Daily Democrat Can seven progressives and six conservatives get together for a day of talking about their political beliefs without anger and explosiveness? When
Slowly Bridging Our Partisan Divide
RealClearPolitics // It’s a rainy, muggy day in Leesburg, Va. Although the town is 30 or so miles from the interminable partisan wrangling in Washington, D.C., it’s infected with some of the same bitter polarization—as is so much of the country.
Why is it that US polarization is actually a worldwide phenomenon?
A great deal of prime-time TV shows dominating popular culture today are, in fact, international television formats. Competitive shows like The Four, Got Talent, Idol, American Ninja, Master Chef (the
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Better Angels Principles and Program
Take a look at Braver Angels principles or how we act to depolarize both ourselves, our institutions and the country.
Shifting Perspective to Heal America
By Monte F. Bourjaily Once upon a time, an op-ed or interview by the former Director of the CIA or head of NSA (much less both of them) warning of
“We are all Americans”
A statement by DC Better Angels (McLean, VA Nov. 4, 2017 Red/Blue Workshop Attendees) At the end of our Better Angels workshop, with an equal number of blues (Democrats) and
‘Bridging the Red/Blue Chasm’
Sun This Week// The “Bridging the Red/Blue Chasm” meeting on June 19 at the Wescott Library put on by the Better Angels Project pleasantly surprised me. To the editor: The
11 ways to talk politics with someone who disagrees
MPR News// Political tensions are sky-high in the United States. Is it possible for people on both ends of a highly polarized political spectrum to give up their differences and
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Everyone Knows They’re Being Judged with David Lapp
Better Angels’ lead organizer David Lapp talks about depolarization in action as seen through his experiences with the organization he is with, Better Angels, which facilitates candid conversations between voters
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It’s Time for Rochester to Lead from the Bottom Up
Rochester Business Journal // David Blankenhorn of the Institute for American Values asserts, “We Americans didn’t necessarily think our way into political polarization, but we’ll likely have to think our
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Partisan Deadlock and the Value of Listening
The American Interest Podcast by Richard Aldous David Blankenhorn discusses his recent efforts to speak — and more importantly listen to — Trump supporters. He examines their motivations, speaks about
He dramatically changed his views on gay marriage.
The Washington Post// Here’s how he says the nation can come together by Colby Itkowitz Blankenhorn, an advocate for the institution of marriage, testified in 2010 against legalizing same-sex marriage.
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The War on Partisanship How Fighting Polarization Became its Own Cause
The Atlantic// by Rebecca Nelson ON A RECENT Sunday evening in Manchester, New Hampshire, 170 people convened for dinner at the Currier Museum of Art. Among the attendees were Washington
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