Pothole Problem Podcast

In this episode, Jack interviews one of his colleagues at Portland State University, Dr. Melody Valdini , professor of political science and co-editor of the  Journal of Women, Politics & Policy . Their conversation begins with Dr. Valdini’s experiences in graduate school that focused her thinking on the power of the patriarchy and ends with the message: don’t disengage. In between, they...

In this short episode, Jack editorializes on the question of voting or not voting for the candidate that’s less bad. Inspired by recent news stories about strong anti-Trump voices now saying they will vote for Trump because they think a second Biden term would be disastrous, combined with polls showing that a lack of enthusiasm among young and minority voters for President Biden is potentially goi...

The mid-term election of 1994, dubbed "The Republican Revolution," ushered in a new era of national politics characterized by combativeness, polarization, and a divisive style of campaigning. Thirty years later, we're still living with the consequences of that transformative election and witnessing heightened levels of the political ugliness that resulted from it. This episode includes a recording...

In this special episode, one of Jack’s students at Portland State University, Jorielle Livingston, interviews her former high school civics teacher, Amy Galloway, an educator in Fairbanks, Alaska, with over 25 years of teaching experience. They discuss, among other things, the importance of civic education, what civic education means beyond just knowing the facts of the U.S. system of government,...

Jack interviews former Portland city commissioner JoAnn Hardesty. They talk about the human experience of being a city commissioner, the early experiences that led her into public service, and some of the lessons she's learned along the way and advice she has for young people looking to make the world a better place.   This episode is sponsored by White Tiger Press, publisher of Jack's 2019 p...

In the newest episode of the Pothole Problem Podcast, Jack talks with Wendy Willis, founding director of Oregon’s Kitchen Table, a statewide engagement program working to give every Oregonian an opportunity to participate in the political decisions that affect their lives and communities. They discuss a wide range of topics, from Wendy's early experiences with community, how going to law scho...

In this episode, Jack talks about discomfort, inclusion and exclusion, tolerance and acceptance, power dynamics, and various other things with Jessica Heilman, executive director of the Center for Women's Leadership . Jessica mentions Adam Grant's book Think Again .  Here's the glossary of terms Jessica mentions: https://www.pdx.edu/center-womens-leadership/defining-our-work To learn about th...

In this episode, Jack examines the many sources of outrage surrounding the teachers strike in Portland, and strikes in general, and schools in general, and he discusses how we can navigate these hard feelings and the powerful and often conflicting feelings of others. He describes how humor, active listening, and a healthy media diet can help power down strong emotions and enable us to face complex...

Jack takes seriously the idea that Washington is broken by looking at performative politics and the ways the other two branches respond to Congressional power vacuums. This episode was recorded when the U.S. House of Representatives had been 22 days without a Speaker, with no end to the impasse in sight at close of the news day. S egments include “Performative Politics” and “Legislative Outsourcin...

The guest this episode is Karen Pan, a young political activist and former student of mine who's currently taking a break from politics to see if she can recover from her outrages and disappointments. She talks about a few things that used to outrage her but no longer do and what still bothers her about politics. This episode also includes a segment on philosopher John Stuart Mill and his views ab...

The return of the show after a long hiatus has Jack revealing the set of alter egos he's developed over the past 2 years, showing his work, and reflecting 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. Segments include “Multiple Personality Disorder,” “H...

This week's episode is a solo recording by Jack describing his experience with mediation and its relationship to his state of mind, his emotions, and his participation in the tumultuous world of politics. Recorded the night before he leaves for a five-day silent meditation retreat, Jack attempts to explain why and how his meditation practice has been important for sustaining his participation in a...

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 party members contribute to the widening political divide.

Portland City Commissioner Mingus Mapps describes the unsustainable nature of his job in city government and the structural reasons why the City of 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. You can find out more about the charter...

Jack talks to Jesse Cornett, a longtime political activist in Oregon and national politics and Bernie Sanders’ body man in the 2020 campaign, about his commitment to a life in politics and the motivations and practices it takes to sustain that commitment.

Jack answers a listener question about the current direction of the Supreme Court by asking us to cast our minds back half a century to try imagining what it felt like to conservatives as the Warren Court got going with its liberal revolution. He also examines the impact of anti-intellectualism on our current political discourse.

Jack interviews Oregon state representative Tawna Sanchez (Democrat, district 43).

Zane and Jack discuss the STAR voting system, an Oregon-grown electoral reform that asks voters to rate candidates from 0 to 5 stars and awards victory to the winner of an automatic runoff between the two top-rated candidates. You can find out more on the Internet at starvoting.us , and you can learn about the new feature of the Pothole Problem Podcast, a weekly Politics Q&A with Dr. Jack Mill...

In this kickoff to Year 3, co-hosts Zane and Jack reboot the Pothole Problem Podcast after a pandemic hiatus by revisiting the meaning of the pothole problem after all that's gone down in the past two years.

Zane interviews Jack about democratic theory and some of the reasons why people so often feel like political outcomes aren't fair. This episode also features a rap battle between Pat and Kyle, recorded in the White Tiger Studio on February 16th, 2019.

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 chall...

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 civi...

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...

Zane interviews Jack about how COVID-19 is impacting perceptions of politics in the present and how it might change the future. Jack discusses how the pandemic response has the potential to push back against the standard negativity bias that underlies the pothole problem and bring greater balance to people's perceptions of politicians and the government, and he speculates about how broadly and per...

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. Peter also recently “appeared” (via phone interview) as a guest-lecturer for my PSU course in campai...