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At the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, we bring together top Republicans and Democrats to transcend partisan divisions and explore solutions to our most pressing national and global challenges. Join veteran strategists Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy along with other Center staff and major voices in the Bully Pulpit for fun conversations that advance civil dialogue and practical politics. When President Theodore Roosevelt coined the phrase bully pulpit, bully meant “wonderful”; and Roosevelt, according to the Oxford Dictionary, was envisioning “an outstanding opportunity to speak out on any issue.” Hear from famous people who’ve known success and setbacks, whether they worked for Donald Trump or Barack Obama, G.W. Bush or Bill Clinton, the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. The conversations go behind the curtain with elected officials, campaign staff, journalists, academics, pundits, and political operatives. Every exchange is guided by standards central to the Center’s mission: Respect each other and respect the truth. Opponents are adversaries, not enemies. And if you lose, don’t burn down the stadium. The Bully Pulpit was formerly called Election R&D.

  1. All Episodes
  2. 2023

Year-End Show: Conflict, Patriotism and Creative Ways to Find Common Ground

Dec 21, 2023

Our final podcast for 2023 is the one-hundredth episode of “Let’s Find Common Ground”. We look back and include special moments from six shows during the year.

Americans disagree on many things, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Journalist and author Amanda Ripley explains why, all too often, we see conflicts...

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Disagree Better: Politics Across Divides. Utah Governor Spencer Cox

Dec 7, 2023

Recently, during a public event at Utah's State Capitol, Governor Spencer Cox issued a stark warning: "Either we, the people, collectively decide we're going to stop hating our fellow Americans, or we'll start shooting each other." 

 In our podcast, we hear why Governor Cox passionately believes that the country is...

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The Soul of Civility

Nov 21, 2023

The state of public discourse is often dire and includes insults and threats. We assume the worst of the other side and are not afraid to call them out publicly, especially online. Our guest on today’s show says this behavior isn’t just rude. It’s uncivil. And that civility - not politeness - makes a real...

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Book Talk with Adam Nagourney

Nov 13, 2023

CPF Director Bob Shrum joins New York Times reporter Adam Nagourney for a conversation on his new book, “The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn, and the Transformation of Journalism,”  and the role journalism plays in politics. In partnership with USC Annenberg Center on Communication...

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Finding Common Ground In-person— Not Over Zoom: State Reps. Mark Klicker and Alex Ramel

Nov 9, 2023

When conservative Republican Mark Klicker and liberal Democrat Alex Ramel met in person for the first time, their opinions about each other rapidly changed. A frosty online exchange of policy differences over Zoom quickly turned into a constructive example of close bipartisan cooperation. 

After Washington State eased...

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