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