WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.320 --> 00:00:08.039 It's Nightside with Dan Ray on WBS Boston's news radio Madison. 2 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:10.119 Thank you very much. My name is Dan Ray. 3 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:15.119 I'm the host of Nightside, back after a three nights off. 4 00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:17.399 Actually want to thank Gary Tangway, who is kind of 5 00:00:17.480 --> 00:00:20.120 enough to sit in for me this week Monday, Tuesday 6 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:23.239 and Wednesday, which allowed me to spend a little family 7 00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:28.920 time away from the microphone, which is always a little bittersweet. 8 00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:31.239 I like the microphone, but I like the family too. 9 00:00:31.320 --> 00:00:35.039 So we'll well, I'm back and I will tell you 10 00:00:35.079 --> 00:00:38.119 that you are listening to somewhat of a historic program tonight. 11 00:00:38.679 --> 00:00:44.840 This is my four thousandth edition of Nightside since I 12 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:48.000 was sure well, thank you very much, Digital studio audience 13 00:00:48.520 --> 00:00:51.399 appreciate that very much. So we have a very special 14 00:00:51.479 --> 00:00:55.000 guest coming up at nine o'clock tonight, Josh Kraft, who 15 00:00:55.079 --> 00:00:58.280 has just announced his campaign for mayor here in Boston. 16 00:00:58.320 --> 00:01:01.280 He'll be challenging the incumbent mayor. 17 00:01:01.039 --> 00:01:03.520 Wu and a little bit later on tonight aty ten o'clock, 18 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:06.920 going to talk about this trial balloon that President Trump 19 00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:10.920 has floated, question about whether or not, in my opinion, 20 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:12.040 he's a little bit out. 21 00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:12.560 Over his ski. 22 00:01:12.599 --> 00:01:15.239 He's talking about the US going in and basic taking 23 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:18.239 possession of the guys a strip. We'll get to all 24 00:01:18.280 --> 00:01:21.319 of that, but first we have four really interesting guests, 25 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:23.640 and two of whom are going to deal with the 26 00:01:23.959 --> 00:01:27.799 Super Bowl, which is this well about seventy two hours 27 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:28.280 from now. 28 00:01:28.519 --> 00:01:30.400 They'll be playing Friday, Saturday, Sunday. 29 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:32.519 It's coming at us like a freight train with us. 30 00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:38.640 As Jack wicktor Jack is USA Today's resident consumer travel reporter. 31 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:45.000 A little bit of a oxymoronic comment, Resident consumer travel reporter, 32 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:47.400 you shouldn't be a resident. You should be traveling all 33 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:47.680 the time. 34 00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:51.480 Hi, Zach Hoyer, Hey, I'm good. Thanks and congrats on 35 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:53.879 four thousand episodes. That's a big milestone. 36 00:01:54.280 --> 00:01:58.439 It's a lot. It's about eighteen years. We're in the 37 00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:01.760 middle of eighteen years. I did thirty one years in 38 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:05.879 TV here in Boston at WBCTV, and now have tacked 39 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:08.560 on about eighteen years and who knows, maybe another couple 40 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:10.800 of years as well. But we want to talk about 41 00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:14.840 the Super Bowl. So, first of all, Consumer Travel Reporter, 42 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:19.039 that's great. Give us a little bit of information about 43 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:21.560 your beat, because once we have folks on the program, 44 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:23.919 I know many of our listeners like to follow them. 45 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:26.879 What is the beat like, you do more than just 46 00:02:26.919 --> 00:02:29.240 the Super Bowl, I'm sure, because that is only a 47 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:30.159 once a year event. 48 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:35.560 Oh yeah. So, as my title suggests, I cover travel 49 00:02:35.719 --> 00:02:38.199 pretty broadly, and I'm actually really lucky. We have a 50 00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:40.960 great travel team at USA today. I'm one of four 51 00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:45.159 travel reporters, and we really look at all kinds of 52 00:02:45.240 --> 00:02:48.960 things about the industry and how they affect the regular traveler. 53 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:53.680 My primary focus is aviation, which obviously for a number 54 00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:55.719 of reasons, has been kind of top of the news 55 00:02:55.719 --> 00:03:02.960 cycle recently. Sadly, but yeah, yeah, sadly, definitely. But we're 56 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:05.840 here to talk about the Super Bowl, and we also 57 00:03:06.120 --> 00:03:08.840 all myself and all of my colleagues cover you know, 58 00:03:08.919 --> 00:03:12.240 vacations and trends in the industry and kind of everything 59 00:03:12.319 --> 00:03:14.919 the traveler needs to know. So I'm happy to talk 60 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:17.520 about the Super Bowl and in the future about other 61 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:18.280 travel topics. 62 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:19.159 Is absolutely well. 63 00:03:19.159 --> 00:03:22.560 You know, we used to think of it as the 64 00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:25.599 the the annual postseason appearance of the Patriots, but for 65 00:03:25.639 --> 00:03:28.120 the last few years it hasn't quite worked out that way. 66 00:03:29.319 --> 00:03:32.840 I've had the privilege of attending two Super Bowls as 67 00:03:32.879 --> 00:03:35.520 a fan. Didn't didn't work them it didn't work them. 68 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:41.560 But there First of all, there's still some cheap flights 69 00:03:41.599 --> 00:03:46.439 in hotels. There may be people who listening tonight anywhere 70 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:48.840 in the thirty or so states thirty eight states that 71 00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:51.319 hear our voice, some of which are a lot closer 72 00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:55.599 to New Orleans than perhaps people would realize. If someone 73 00:03:55.680 --> 00:03:59.840 happens to come into possession of a couple of tickets out, 74 00:04:00.039 --> 00:04:01.360 it's going to be an arm of the lake to 75 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:03.879 get to. You know, it's obviously at seventy two hours 76 00:04:03.879 --> 00:04:05.719 before the game. But what what advice would you have 77 00:04:05.800 --> 00:04:08.479 someone The people who are already booked and on their way, 78 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:09.639 they don't need your advice. 79 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:10.199 But if all of a. 80 00:04:10.199 --> 00:04:14.240 Sudden someone called one of my listeners and said, hey, 81 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:16.399 I got two tickets to the Super Bowl. I can't 82 00:04:16.439 --> 00:04:19.560 get there for whatever reason. They're yours if you want them. 83 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:23.639 What what's the advice you give? Last minute flights and 84 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:27.879 hotel arrangements. How you got the ticket, someone's got the tickets. 85 00:04:28.439 --> 00:04:28.920 How do you think? 86 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:31.040 First you got a panic for a little while. Then 87 00:04:31.079 --> 00:04:32.959 once you calm down, what do you do? 88 00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:37.879 Yeah, you know, I guess, like say or prayer over 89 00:04:37.959 --> 00:04:41.279 your credit card or something. Because to be perfectly honest 90 00:04:41.279 --> 00:04:45.480 with you and your listeners. This close into departure for flights, 91 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:48.639 and this close into booking around a major event for hotels, 92 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:51.360 you're going to be pretty hard pressed to find a deal. 93 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:55.000 That said, there are ways that you can at least 94 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:57.800 be sure that you're getting the best deal possible. If 95 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:01.720 you use a tool like Google Flights or Expedia, which 96 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:06.160 has some price prediction tools built in, it'll at least 97 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:10.639 show you how fares compare in terms of the flights 98 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:14.079 available and kind of in terms of historical trends. Again, 99 00:05:14.120 --> 00:05:16.759 when you're booking just a couple of days before departure, 100 00:05:17.079 --> 00:05:20.639 that is typically when flights are the most expensive. But 101 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:23.279 if you can be a little flexible about your itinerary, 102 00:05:23.399 --> 00:05:26.560 you know, if you're willing to take that early morning 103 00:05:26.600 --> 00:05:28.839 flight to New Orleans, or you're willing to have a 104 00:05:28.920 --> 00:05:32.240 layover somewhere that may be a little inconvenient, you may 105 00:05:32.279 --> 00:05:34.839 be able to find a better deal that way. And 106 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:38.759 similar with hotels, the hotels that are closest to the 107 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:41.519 stadium are probably going to be the ones that are 108 00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:45.160 most expensive or the least likely to have availability. So 109 00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:47.680 if you're looking for a deal on your lodging. You're 110 00:05:47.720 --> 00:05:50.319 going to want to look in the surrounding area, kind 111 00:05:50.399 --> 00:05:53.399 of the suburbs and the exurbs of New Orleans, and. 112 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:57.879 Zach, I'm thinking Mississippi. 113 00:05:58.600 --> 00:06:02.000 I mean, yeah, it's possible. Yeah, out in fly Dell 114 00:06:02.160 --> 00:06:02.959 or something like that. 115 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:05.279 Yeah, yeah, I mean if you got if you got 116 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:07.079 the tickets, that's that. 117 00:06:07.079 --> 00:06:07.879 That is for sure. 118 00:06:08.600 --> 00:06:11.639 Obviously security is going to be heightened there as a 119 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:15.319 result of what happened the morning of New Year's when 120 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:19.800 you know, fifteen people died in that horrific attack for 121 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:24.120 which we have no understanding why or reasons, a terrorist 122 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:25.680 attack on Bourbon Street. 123 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:30.800 But New Orleans is a fun city. Uh, it's you know, 124 00:06:30.839 --> 00:06:32.279 they say it never sleeps. 125 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:34.199 In New York City never sleeps. 126 00:06:34.279 --> 00:06:35.600 Neither does No Orleans fall. 127 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:38.040 So, uh, that's absolutely right. 128 00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:41.000 Have you been to a Super Bowl before, Zach. 129 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:44.800 Or No, I have not. But actually, the nice thing 130 00:06:44.800 --> 00:06:47.319 about USA today specifically, and I have to do a 131 00:06:47.319 --> 00:06:49.600 little plug here, is even if you can't make it 132 00:06:49.639 --> 00:06:52.000 to the big Game, which I can't make it this year, 133 00:06:53.199 --> 00:06:55.040 we have a way that you can still sort of 134 00:06:55.079 --> 00:06:57.680 participate and feel like you're part of the community and 135 00:06:57.759 --> 00:06:59.680 part of the action. You know, one of the biggest 136 00:06:59.720 --> 00:07:02.519 to try options to watching the Super Bowl from home, 137 00:07:02.600 --> 00:07:05.879 obviously beyond the game itself, is the commercials, And so 138 00:07:05.959 --> 00:07:07.959 if you want to take part in that and feel 139 00:07:07.959 --> 00:07:11.079 like you're part of the community, you can register at 140 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:14.879 admeter dot USA today dot com and voting is open 141 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:18.279 And this is one of the biggest polls to register 142 00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:21.439 which commercials people like to see the most during the 143 00:07:21.480 --> 00:07:24.240 Super Bowl and the winner of our Super Bowl the 144 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:27.199 ad super Bowl is going to be posted Monday after 145 00:07:27.240 --> 00:07:29.959 the game, and registration is open if you want to 146 00:07:29.959 --> 00:07:31.800 be a voter, So if you can't make it down 147 00:07:31.839 --> 00:07:34.639 to New Orleans, you can still participate and feel like 148 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:36.399 you're part of the community around the game. 149 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:40.360 Now, do you folks have previews at USA Today on 150 00:07:40.399 --> 00:07:43.360 that website of the ads or do people have to 151 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:46.959 watch and sit there and take notes eagleide during the 152 00:07:47.040 --> 00:07:48.720 run up to the game and during the game? 153 00:07:50.360 --> 00:07:52.439 Yeah, I think you know, it's going to be best 154 00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:56.160 to like watch the commercials during the game. That's when 155 00:07:56.160 --> 00:07:57.839 you're going to kind of get the best part of 156 00:07:57.879 --> 00:07:59.959 the experience by watching it during the game. 157 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:03.839 That yeah, all right, Well again, I love the well, 158 00:08:03.879 --> 00:08:05.959 you know what I love about not going to Super 159 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:08.759 Bowl having gone to two is when I watch you 160 00:08:08.839 --> 00:08:12.560 go home, I can get a beer. I don't have 161 00:08:12.600 --> 00:08:16.759 to wear a wine and I figured out that the 162 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:22.079 beers cost about a buck. Okay, the Super Bowl they're 163 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:24.519 like twenty bucks of beer, you know, and for some 164 00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:27.439 reason they don't taste this question anyway. 165 00:08:27.639 --> 00:08:29.720 Hey, look, that's true, and you know, I do want 166 00:08:29.720 --> 00:08:31.920 to just make one quick correction to what I just said. 167 00:08:31.920 --> 00:08:35.519 You can actually definitely watch the ads on our website 168 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:37.679 at ad meter dot USA today dot com. But I 169 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:40.320 think for the better experience to really feel like you're 170 00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:44.679 getting that communal spirit is to watch it during the game. 171 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:48.279 Ad Meter at USA Today. Is that the deal is. 172 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:51.919 That admeter dot USA Today. 173 00:08:51.639 --> 00:08:55.639 Dot com, dot USA Today dot com. Okay, great, we'll 174 00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:57.960 get it right. No one will ever be able to 175 00:08:57.960 --> 00:09:04.720 beat the Clydesdale ad. So I mean, I have a 176 00:09:04.759 --> 00:09:08.360 friend of mine who worked on that ad, just a 177 00:09:08.440 --> 00:09:11.919 fellow named Brian Sweeney. It's in a brilliant, brilliant ad. 178 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:14.519 Zach enjoyed it very much. Hope to have you back. 179 00:09:14.600 --> 00:09:18.159 Okay, yeah, thank you so much again. Really appreciate you 180 00:09:18.200 --> 00:09:20.440 having me on and congrast some more time on four 181 00:09:20.440 --> 00:09:21.399 thousand shows. 182 00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:23.120 Yeah, thank you very much. And by the way, I 183 00:09:23.159 --> 00:09:25.480 do love USA Today whenever I am on the road 184 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:27.360 and also when i'm home. But when I'm on the road, 185 00:09:27.399 --> 00:09:30.440 particularly when there's a USA Today in the hotel, it 186 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:31.720 makes you feel like you're at home. 187 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:34.279 So keep on keeping on, Okay, appreciate it. 188 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:36.559 Yeah, definitely, thank you. 189 00:09:36.679 --> 00:09:37.039 Welcome. 190 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:39.039 We get back on to talk about a mere more 191 00:09:39.039 --> 00:09:43.480 philosophical subject. Is American democracy working for all Americans? A 192 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:47.159 new national survey will evaluate how Americans perceive an experienced 193 00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:49.000 democracy for the next hundred years. 194 00:09:49.080 --> 00:09:51.320 If I'm reading this properly, I believe i am. 195 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:54.720 We talk with Brad Rourke, who's the chief external affairs 196 00:09:54.759 --> 00:09:57.919 officer of a group called the Kettering Foundation. Back on 197 00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:01.000 night's side. This is a Monday night. This is not 198 00:10:01.039 --> 00:10:03.279 a Monday night for me, but a Thursday night for you. 199 00:10:03.720 --> 00:10:08.120 February sixth, the anniversary, the forty seventh anniversary of the 200 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:10.759 Blizzard of seventy eight. We should probably talk about that 201 00:10:10.840 --> 00:10:13.840 maybe a little bit tonight as well. I remember that 202 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:16.679 storm really well, and probably some of you do as well. 203 00:10:16.679 --> 00:10:19.519 We'll get back to a more conversation here and again 204 00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:22.720 Josh Kraft candidate for mayor coming up at nine oh 205 00:10:22.919 --> 00:10:25.519 five tonight on Nightside. Back right after this. 206 00:10:26.480 --> 00:10:29.679 Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World 207 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:32.919 Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio. 208 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:35.440 All right, welcome back. 209 00:10:35.720 --> 00:10:42.200 We are talking this segment with Brad Rourke, and the 210 00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:46.799 big question is is America is American democracy working? 211 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:48.559 Brad? Welcome to night Said, how. 212 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:50.279 Are you, Dan? 213 00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:51.399 Thanks for having me here. 214 00:10:52.039 --> 00:10:55.639 So tell us about your foundations called the Kettering Foundation. 215 00:10:57.320 --> 00:11:01.440 Tell us a little bit Thereah, yeah, absolutely where the 216 00:11:02.879 --> 00:11:06.679 I work for the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. Where a nonprofit, 217 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:10.440 nonpartisan operating foundation. We're based in Dayton, Ohio, but we 218 00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:13.960 also have offices in Washington, d C. We're partnering with 219 00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:18.639 Gallup to do a new survey that we're calling the 220 00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:21.879 Democracy for All Projects. And I'm really happy to be 221 00:11:21.919 --> 00:11:22.759 talking about that with you. 222 00:11:23.919 --> 00:11:29.360 So it sounds somewhat amorphous to me. Can you make 223 00:11:29.399 --> 00:11:30.200 it a little bit? 224 00:11:30.240 --> 00:11:33.639 You know, when I Richard Charles Keering Foundation, I was 225 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:37.240 wondering if it was related to the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 226 00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:38.120 but obviously not. 227 00:11:38.919 --> 00:11:41.080 Is it the same family by any chance at all? 228 00:11:42.159 --> 00:11:46.600 It is where we were founded by Charles F. Kettering, 229 00:11:46.679 --> 00:11:52.399 who was an inventor in Dayton in the early nineteen hundreds, invented, 230 00:11:52.399 --> 00:11:55.559 among other things, the electric car starter, which went on 231 00:11:55.639 --> 00:11:58.399 to power the entire automobile industry. So if you drove 232 00:11:58.440 --> 00:11:59.919 to work, you have Charles F. 233 00:12:00.039 --> 00:12:03.000 Kettering to think, Okay, so that's what you I just 234 00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:04.080 wanted to make that connection. 235 00:12:04.159 --> 00:12:05.759 I wasn't sure and they didn't want to ask it. 236 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:07.799 But I'm glad we made it. 237 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:10.240 Okay, So I guess Sloan is now going to do 238 00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:14.600 for the next hundred years an annual survey is that? 239 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:15.000 Is that? 240 00:12:15.240 --> 00:12:15.440 Yeah? 241 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:18.759 Gallup is we were We were parted with Gallup, which 242 00:12:18.840 --> 00:12:21.879 is you know, no no one, no one does surveys better. 243 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:27.559 And what we're focusing on is, you know, as as 244 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:33.840 you and everybody knows, Americans trust and uh feeling about 245 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:37.120 institutions right now, it's at an all time low. It's 246 00:12:37.159 --> 00:12:40.559 been going down, down, down for for decades and decades 247 00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:45.000 and decades, and so so America's Americans feel that like 248 00:12:45.080 --> 00:12:49.480 democracy is not working for them, but there's disagreement about 249 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:51.799 why they feel that way and and what that means 250 00:12:51.840 --> 00:12:55.399 to them. And so this Democracy for All project is 251 00:12:55.799 --> 00:13:00.519 trying to get at understanding with more detail and more 252 00:13:00.600 --> 00:13:05.120 nuanced how it is that Americans are experiencing the democracy 253 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:09.120 that we all share and what goes into these feelings 254 00:13:09.159 --> 00:13:12.799 that they have. And we'll do it on a yearly 255 00:13:12.879 --> 00:13:16.559 basis so that we can have an ongoing understanding of 256 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:21.799 how people feel and more importantly, why they feel that way. 257 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:24.559 As someone who has been around for a while, just 258 00:13:24.600 --> 00:13:27.759 to qualify myself, I worked for many years as a 259 00:13:27.799 --> 00:13:31.440 television reporter here in Boston at the CBS affiliate, and 260 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:34.200 I've been doing a talk show for eighteen years. I 261 00:13:34.279 --> 00:13:38.480 first got excited about government when I had a really 262 00:13:38.519 --> 00:13:42.399 good Civics teacher in the ninth grade named mister Daugherty 263 00:13:42.799 --> 00:13:45.960 at Boston Latin School in the nineteen sixties. Okay, now 264 00:13:45.960 --> 00:13:49.320 I've aged myself dated myself for you, but I don't 265 00:13:49.399 --> 00:13:54.360 think the average American understands because Civics is no longer 266 00:13:54.440 --> 00:13:58.200 taught in high schools most high schools across America. They 267 00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:02.399 don't even understand what democracy means or how this government 268 00:14:02.519 --> 00:14:05.679 is supposed to work. The concept of checks and balances 269 00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:11.720 and things like that. I've looked at this graph that 270 00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:14.200 I believe Gallup has, which was in one of your 271 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:17.559 stories that talked about how they from nineteen eighty four 272 00:14:17.720 --> 00:14:22.720 to I guess nineteen ninety one, but sixty percent of 273 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:26.200 the people in the country were satisfied with democracy. It 274 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:30.320 plummeted in nineteen ninety two around the time of the 275 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:33.600 Bill Clinton election when George Bush was turned out of office, 276 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:36.720 came back a little bit under Clinton, stayed pretty well 277 00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:40.480 under Clinton, and since two thousand has been on a 278 00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:45.000 downward trajectory to where it hit rock bottom in twenty 279 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:45.679 twenty four. 280 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:47.200 You're familiar with. 281 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:48.919 The graph, and I'm just trying to say, yes, I am. 282 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:53.240 I could put a graph over that which would be 283 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:55.039 the arrival. 284 00:14:54.840 --> 00:14:58.080 Of social media in this country. And I think that 285 00:14:58.360 --> 00:15:01.840 most young people have no concept. And I know I'm 286 00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:03.720 going to sound like a you know, get off my 287 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:06.960 law on Clint Eastwood type guy here, but I think 288 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:11.399 there's no coincidence that the dissatisfaction with democracy results from 289 00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:13.360 the fact that people don't understand it, and the reason 290 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:16.320 they don't understand that it's not taught in schools, and 291 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:21.840 people find themselves in these silos, these philosophical silos liberal conservative, 292 00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:25.759 right wing, left wing, Democrat, Republican on social media. So 293 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:28.399 I'm thrilled that big theory at you tell me why 294 00:15:28.399 --> 00:15:28.840 I'm wrong. 295 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:31.879 I don't know if you're wrong when you're right. I mean, 296 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:34.960 you may well have a good point at about a 297 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:40.519 piece of it. But it's also true that you know, 298 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:42.480 you can you can probably lay a lot of different 299 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:46.039 graphs over that one graph and and get a lot 300 00:15:46.039 --> 00:15:50.320 of other similar correlations as well. So it's probably fair 301 00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:54.480 to say that that, yes, the fragmentation of media and 302 00:15:54.519 --> 00:15:57.279 social media may have something to do with that, but 303 00:15:57.559 --> 00:16:00.759 also there might be other factors that work as well. 304 00:16:00.799 --> 00:16:03.919 And what we're really trying to do with this work 305 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:08.159 and by really trying to ask a different set of 306 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:12.039 questions about how it is that people's daily lives affect 307 00:16:12.159 --> 00:16:16.519 the way they see their government and institutions around them, 308 00:16:17.080 --> 00:16:21.000 that we're trying to like recreate that connection that your 309 00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:25.720 old Civics teacher had, which was which was figuring out 310 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:30.480 ways in which people's you know, daily lives and everyday 311 00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:35.240 experience goes into how it is they feel about about 312 00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:38.759 the society and which they live. So we're trying to 313 00:16:38.759 --> 00:16:42.039 get past these sort of textbook definitions which are not incorrect, 314 00:16:42.120 --> 00:16:46.200 but trying to get past the traditional textbook definitions of 315 00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:50.879 democracy which has been evolving on the planet for hundreds 316 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:56.679 of years, and get at today and moving forward, how 317 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:58.960 it is that people are experiencing it, and how it 318 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:03.159 is they're experiencing there, you know, the struggles and opportunities 319 00:17:03.240 --> 00:17:07.039 that they're facing in their community with the people around them. 320 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:09.960 Right in a country of three hundred and thirty million 321 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:14.720 or so people, I'm sure that there's a myriad of viewpoints. 322 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:19.759 You said that, I kin't think of another graph that 323 00:17:19.799 --> 00:17:23.359 I could overlay this because your graph, the company graph, 324 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:27.200 runs from nineteen eighty four when there was very little 325 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:32.240 social media, to today when we're all overwhelmed by it. 326 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:36.759 I just see this. I mean, to me, this graft 327 00:17:36.839 --> 00:17:40.119 is really clear. Do you think that civics? I'll ask 328 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:42.839 you the question, Brad, do you think that there should 329 00:17:42.839 --> 00:17:46.039 be an effort in this country to teach civics. I'm 330 00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:48.799 just talking about, you know, the rules of the road, 331 00:17:49.079 --> 00:17:52.799 what a democracy, Our democracy is about. There are other 332 00:17:52.880 --> 00:17:55.880 democracies in you know, ancient Greek rece which are a 333 00:17:55.920 --> 00:18:00.400 little different than ours. But if you don't understand the 334 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:03.440 democracy in which you live and which you're blessed to live, 335 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:07.480 how can you possibly appreciate it if you don't understand it. 336 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:12.759 I think us as you point out that, you know 337 00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:16.519 what what the experts might call civic knowledge is also 338 00:18:17.480 --> 00:18:20.559 you know, at an all time low, people need to 339 00:18:21.519 --> 00:18:24.160 know how it is the system works, and also they 340 00:18:24.200 --> 00:18:28.079 need to know how it affects them in their daily lives. 341 00:18:28.119 --> 00:18:29.680 I keep going back to that, but I think it's 342 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:35.119 important that you know. It's one thing to say, oh, 343 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:37.839 the you know, the how how it is I feel 344 00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:40.359 about the you know, the institution of Congress or the 345 00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:43.119 Supreme Court is you know, and and how that all 346 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:45.039 works and how a bill becomes a lot that is 347 00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:47.839 super important. Don't mean to diminish that in any way. 348 00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:51.119 But it's also important to know that, you know, we 349 00:18:51.200 --> 00:18:54.079 in our neighborhood, on our block or in our town, 350 00:18:54.680 --> 00:18:57.599 are we together make up democracy? And so when we 351 00:18:57.599 --> 00:19:00.799 solve problems together, and and and and you know, I'm 352 00:19:00.839 --> 00:19:03.440 faced with a challenge and my neighbors come to my aid, 353 00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:07.160 that's democracy too. And I've got to we want to 354 00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:09.359 see if there's a way that we can see if 355 00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:13.839 people understand and see how it is that daily life 356 00:19:13.920 --> 00:19:17.920 can add up to democracy. Not to diminish anything about 357 00:19:19.359 --> 00:19:23.400 about the structures that go into it, which are which 358 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:27.880 are critically important, and and the civic knowledge that people have. 359 00:19:27.960 --> 00:19:31.839 But there's another another aspect to it, and it's one 360 00:19:31.880 --> 00:19:32.960 that we think has been. 361 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:35.039 Oh, throw one more rejoinder at you, that I'll let 362 00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:36.839 you go, and that is that. Yeah, I think what 363 00:19:36.960 --> 00:19:40.160 you described as accurate. Many people today live in America. 364 00:19:40.200 --> 00:19:41.839 They don't know who lives next door to them, they 365 00:19:41.839 --> 00:19:43.799 don't know who lives in the in the building with them. 366 00:19:44.039 --> 00:19:45.640 And I think part of that is the amount of 367 00:19:45.640 --> 00:19:48.240 time we're all spending on social media that we don't 368 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:51.640 have time to We do not make time to interact 369 00:19:51.680 --> 00:19:55.119 with our neighbors and find out that the lady that lives. 370 00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:58.119 Up the street lives in a wheelchair and she might. 371 00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:00.160 Need some help to to cut her a long, to 372 00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:04.640 cut her lawn, and to shovel her sidewalk. So anyway, 373 00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:06.319 you and I could do an hour on this, We 374 00:20:06.359 --> 00:20:08.160 could go on the road and could we could have 375 00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:10.440 a pretty good conversation about this, because. 376 00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:12.240 I dan I'd love to. I hope that's an invitation. 377 00:20:13.079 --> 00:20:14.240 Well have you back? 378 00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:18.200 I mean that's seriously, I really mean that the place 379 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:21.319 that I'm coming from is. 380 00:20:21.400 --> 00:20:25.079 Deeply felt, deeply felt. And I look at this and 381 00:20:25.160 --> 00:20:28.119 I think this is a hugely huge. 382 00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:31.559 Project, and I commend you and the Kettering Foundation and 383 00:20:31.640 --> 00:20:35.680 Gallop for partnering in this one. But I just think 384 00:20:35.759 --> 00:20:40.720 that until we bring civics back to every high school student, 385 00:20:40.759 --> 00:20:44.119 every junior high school student across America and make that 386 00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:47.680 an important part of our public education system, which was 387 00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:53.400 founded by Horace Mann here in Massachusetts, we're doomed to 388 00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:58.240 an ignorant populace about the way the way the system 389 00:20:58.359 --> 00:21:03.440 under which you live functions and operates. I just I firmly, 390 00:21:03.640 --> 00:21:06.519 so firmly believe it. I know I've been an antagonistic host, 391 00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:10.480 and for that I apologize, Brad, but you more than 392 00:21:10.519 --> 00:21:11.160 held your own. 393 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:13.680 But I'd love to have you back for a. 394 00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:15.759 Longer, Count Dan, Dan, I'd love to be back. This 395 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:18.319 was a piece of cake. I've really enjoyed talking to you. 396 00:21:19.920 --> 00:21:22.279 Let me tell your viewers we're going to be releasing 397 00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:25.319 the results of the survey in the fall. They can 398 00:21:25.400 --> 00:21:28.480 learn more by going to gallop dot com Flash Democracy. 399 00:21:29.119 --> 00:21:33.519 And I really hope that we'll continue this dialogue. 400 00:21:34.480 --> 00:21:36.519 I will, I'll have my producer get in touch with 401 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:38.960