Finding Common Battle Grounds

In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds, we discuss whether it makes sense to have a race or gender quota for supreme court justices. In a weird twist, Josh adopts a strawman pseudo-progressive persona for the entire episode and argues that the only criteria we should use for selecting supreme court justices is whether they are racial minorities or women and that we should completely disr...

In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds, we discuss whether the federal government, which began delaying payments for student loans early in the pandemic, should again delay payments for student loans which are scheduled to resume in May 2022. Josh and Ryan agree that, in hindsight, a lot of what the government did for COVID-19 was problematic, though whether delaying the repayment of stu...

In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds, we discuss whether the US should send soldiers to Ukraine. We agree that what is happening in Ukraine is awful and that this is Putin's doing. Josh tried to put some of the responsibility for Russia invading Ukraine on the policies of left-leaning administrations in the US but did not get agreement from Ryan. We all agreed that the US should do as...

In this episode, we discuss the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. We largely agree. Josh initially disagrees with Ryan's claim that it was an attack, instead preferring the term "riot" instead. However, Josh recognizes that there was a small minority that planned to attack the Capitol. Josh also agrees with the intent behind the attack and that it may have succeeded in making legislators f...

In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds, we discuss whether Joe Rogan's podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, should be censored because of COVID-19 misinformation. We actually struggled to find common ground in this episode, which surprised us. To begin with, Josh argued that the attempts to censor Joe Rogan were rooted more in what was perceived to be vaccine hesitancy rather than misinfor...

In this final episode of Season 1, we start off 2022 with our predictions for what we think will happen during the coming year. We generally agree that Republicans will gain ground in the Senate and probably the House. We also agree that pandemic fatigue will spread and an increasing number of people will return to pre-pandemic behaviors. We also agree that our current political situation is likel...

In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds we discuss whether prostitution should be legalized. As a baseline, both agree that forced prostitution, sex trafficking, and underage sex work should be illegal and is morally wrong. That then leaves the question of whether individuals who choose to sell sex should be allowed to. Josh wants to allow his inner Libertarian to come out and agree that...

In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds, we discuss the exoneration of Kyle Rittenhouse in Wisconsin over the killing of two individuals and the shooting of a third. In what may seem like a surprise to some listeners, Josh and Ryan (and Tom) agree that Rittenhouse should have been exonerated given the details of the case and the statutes involved. Josh sees this as more black and white th...

In this episode of Finding Common Battlegrounds, we discuss Critical Race Theory (CRT). Josh argues that CRT is being taught. Ryan agrees that it is being taught in college, but not really in K-12. Josh also argues that CRT is influencing society and can lead some people to adopt a victim mindset. Ryan equivocates on the degree to which it is influencing society and also dislikes victim mindsets....

In this episode of Finding Common Battlegrounds, we tackle the question of whether Trump was (or was going to become) a dictator. We agree on  some basic definitions - dictator, authoritarianism, totalitarianism, and fascism. We then agree that Trump was not a dictator despite many dictator-like tendencies, but primarily because of the checks and balances that exist in the US government. We a...

In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds, Josh, Ryan, and Tom discuss the often-repeated finding that women are paid less money than men, which is commonly referred to as the "gender pay gap." There is general agreement that the gender pay gap exists, but disagreement about how big it is and what the cause is. We agree that other differences between men and women - like hours worked or yea...

In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds, Josh, Ryan, and Tom explore whether there is a liberal bias in the mainstream media. We begin by detailing what we understand the mainstream media to be - major television networks ABC, NBC, and CBS, major newspapers and reporting agencies like Reuters, Associated Press, Newsweek, the New York times, and certain cable and radio stations. We note th...

In this episode of the Finding Common Battle Grounds podcast, we examine  the question of whether conservatives are anti-science. We agree on what science is (a method for investigating the natural world), on the roles of conservatives and progressives, and that there are some scientific findings that are erroneous. But we also agree that science  is self-correcting. Finally, we agree th...

In this issue of Finding Common Battle Grounds we discuss abortion. We chose this topic because of the recently passed law in Texas (Senate Bill 8) restricting abortions to within the first 6 weeks. We find agreement that there should be access to abortions for women who have been raped or when a mother's life is in danger. We even agree that there should be abortions available for others, though...

In our first addendum episode, Josh and Ryan revisit their discussion about Afghanistan and whether the US should be leaving. Both admit to being very conflicted about the whole situation. There is clearly a lack of information about what is happening and what has happened in Afghanistan. Josh raises some important questions: Was the Afghan military capable of fighting? And, if the US has hundreds...

In this episode, Josh, Ryan, and Tom discuss whether the US should have  left Afghanistan. In a strange role reversal, Josh makes a plea to  consider the atrocities that are going to result from the disastrous  exit while Ryan insists that the Afghan people didn't stand up to the  Taliban and it is not the US's responsibility to stay forever and  protect the Afghan people...

In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds, Josh and Ryan discuss whether there should be vaccine mandates. Both agree that COVID-19 is real and serious and both are strong advocates for vaccines. While there is general agreement that giving up freedoms is never a good idea, there is subtle disagreement about actual mandates. The issue revolves around the harm that results from individuals w...

In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds, Josh, Ryan, and Tom  discuss whether transwomen should be allowed to compete in sports. There  is agreement that there are biological differences between men and  women (and even agreement that variation is a continuum and not a  dichotomy). There is also agreement that there is a greater risk of  physical harm to transgend...

Josh and Ryan, with Tom as moderator, discuss whether we should build a  border wall with Mexico. The discussion is wide-ranging, covering  immigration, global inequality, and political incompetence. There are some twists and turns in this one - Josh takes a meta approach while  Ryan gets into the weeds. In the end, there is general agreement that a  border wall isn't a solutio...

In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds, Josh, Jake, and Ryan  discuss first past the post or winner take all elections, why they tend  to lead to a two-party system, and how two-party systems are ultimately  bad for democracy and the United States. They discuss alternatives, like  proportional representation and ranked-choice voting. And, they agree  on practical...

In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds, Ryan and Josh with Jake Cragun as moderator, consider whether there should be more restrictions on guns. There is a substantial amount of agreement on issues like: universal background checks (including on private sales), restricting gun access to specific people, more training for gun owners, that guns can serve as a form of protection and an equa...

In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds, Josh and Ryan discuss capitalism and socialism. Both agree that laissez-faire capitalism  (i.e., completely unregulated capitalism) and Soviet-style communism are not the answer. There is agreement that something in between those two economic systems is ideal. There is just minor disagreement about how much regulation and socialism should exis...

In the latest episode of the Finding Common Battle Grounds podcast, we  discuss the push by Republicans across the US to enact stricter voter  laws and voting regulations. While the focus is on voting laws  generally, we also discuss some of the specifics, including requiring  IDs and the laws enacted in Georgia. We ultimately agree that these laws  are openly intended to...

In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds, Josh and Ryan discuss whether Twitter bans are good. Both agree that Twitter, as a private company, has the right to restrict speech on its platform. Both also agree that it seems as though conservatives have been more likely to be banned from Twitter. However, there is also general agreement that conservatives have long been the promulgaters of ce...

In episode 2 of season 1 of the Finding Common Battle Grounds podcast,  we tackle the question: Did the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests/riots  help black people and communities in the US? On the major question, Josh  and Ryan disagree. However, on a lot of other points, there is a lot of  agreement - most of the protests were not violent, the media  exaggerated the violen...