Blind spots. In his book, EXCLUDED: How Snob Zoning, NIMBYism, and Class Bias Build the Walls We Don’t See, RICHARD KAHLENBERG points out not only how restrictive zoning laws negatively influence all sorts of things in this country, but also that such laws are more likely or more restrictive in communities that are otherwise more liberal and progressive. KAHLENBERG also testified on the side of doing away with race-based affirmative action in higher education. It’s a provocative conversation. You can learn more at richardkahlenberg.org 

This episode, archived conversations with two wise elders recently in the news. First, my 2007 conversation with PHIL DONAHUE who died August 18th at the age of 88. Donahue always seemed to be as focused on the common good as he was on ratings – while delivering well on both. We talked about his decades of work as well as Body of War, the documentary he co-directed about Tomas Young, a severely disabled Iraq War veteran. Second, my 2008 conversation with Nobel Peace Prize-winner Muhammad Yunus, pioneer of micro-credit, about his work and his book, CREATING A WORLD WITHOUT POVERTY. Since August 8th, Yunus has been serving as Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Learn more at grameenfoundation.org and muhammadyunus.org

RANDY OLSON earned a Harvard Ph.D. in Biology and was a tenured professor when he quit and moved to LA to attend USC film school. His goal: help scientists learn to communicate better. We receive so much input that we can no longer deal with separate bits of information, so we look for narratives. He’s the author of DON’T BE SUCH A SCIENTIST and HOUSTON, WE HAVE A NARRATIVE. and he’s developed tools. His Narrative Index predicted Trump’s 2016 victory and his ABT framework – and, but, therefore – helps folks create compelling stories. Learn more at abtframework.com

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80-some days till the polls close. The Harris-Walz campaign is riding a wave of momentum in the country to move past Trump that feels sustainable to me. I assume Trump/the Right/the GOP will get very dirty. That’s a reality, but so is my 2019 conversation with JOSHUA DOUGLAS, about his book – VOTE FOR US: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting: Americans working to take back their democracy, one community at a time – expanding voter eligibility, easing voter registration rules, making voting more convenient, giving redistricting back to the voters, improving civics education.  You can learn more at joshuaadouglas.com 

BILLY WIMSATT is founder and executive director of Movement Voter Project and Movement Voter PAC. MVP helps progressive donors invest in the election efforts of local community-based organizations in battleground states. In that role, during the Biden-Harris-Walz relaunch, Wimsatt and MVP listened to and at times spoke for both grassroots organizers and donors. Billy shares what he calls a “roller coaster” of events, in which he and MVP stuck their necks out and made three big bets that paid off. He also fleshes out MVP’s model and let’s you know how you can get involved.

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