Podcast: Does the Senate still work? (with Marty Gold)

As a college student, I used to think that I could not talk openly about American politics with my peers. Polling indicates that many others on campus feel the same way. Discussing my political beliefs often felt either too divisive or too exhausting. Even when free speech rights are guaranteed to some extent, the idea of publicly expressing opinions can be intimidating due to the harsh scrutiny it can attract. A simple cost-benefit analysis suggested that it was not worth it to engage with my peers about politics.

I learned, however, that it is still possible to have productive conversations about politics when I joined a reading group on Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. The group of students around the seminar table each came from different majors, backgrounds, and viewpoints to read and discuss this timeless book — and it helped me realize that, despite our political divisions, Americans can still come together in conversation about politics.