Brad Rourke

Category: democracy

  • Frog, Pot, Bird, Flock

    Frog, Pot, Bird, Flock

    I have been thinking about the old frog-in-the-pot metaphor. We all know it. Put a frog in cool water and turn on the heat. The temperature rises slowly and the frog does not notice until it perishes. It is tempting to say we are in the time of the frog and the pot, as the…

  • Understood the Assignment: Challenge Accepted

    Understood the Assignment: Challenge Accepted

    The New York Times reports that the Trump administration, in its effort to purge the federal government of anything that might be seen as “woke,” has issued a list of problematic terms to avoid. I thought I might try to use them all. The administration may not like this piece. Democracy is Inclusive Democracy is…

  • Interview: Countering Authoritarianism with Maria J. Stephan and V Fixmer-Oraiz

    An interview with Maria J. Stephan, co-director of the Horizons Project, and V Fixmer-Oraiz, county supervisor of Johnson County, Iowa. I interviewed the two after a particularly moving panel today at #NCDD2023 in Atlanta. I have the privilege of serving on the board of NCDD, which is a network of dialogue and civic practitioners. At…

  • Sharon L. Davies at the Emerging Issues Conference: Bending the Moral Arc

    I have the privilege of working closely with the president and CEO of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, Sharon L. Davies. In office since April 2022, she has shown herself to be a force of nature. As moderator of our recent Emerging Issues Conference in Washington, DC, I sat with her to ask her a…