Deconstructed

About Deconstructed

"Deconstructed" with IVN Principal Political Analyst TJ O'Hara breaks down important political issues with outstanding guests from across the political spectrum so you can form your own more informed opinion.

Publisher

Deconstructed

Category

news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Feb 2021

Latest episode

5 Oct 2022

Latest episodes

33 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   5 Oct 2022

   Bill Shireman Believes We're All 'In This Together'

   Bill Shireman, founder of In This Together (https://inthistogetheramerica.org/), joins host T.J. O’Hara on Deconstructed to discuss the divisive political environment within which we find ourselves... and what can be done about it. Mr. Shireman is an author, social entrepreneur, environmental policy innovator, and serial political activist. He is the President and Founder of Future 500 (https://www.future500.org/), a non-profit that strives to build trust between companies, advocates, investors, and philanthropists to advance business for the common good... as well as the surrogate founder of BridgeUSA (https://www.bridgeusa.org/), a youth-led nonprofit organization that creates spaces on high school and college campuses for students to have an open discussion about political issues. He also ran in San Francisco’s most recent primary for District 17’s State Assembly seat... as a Republican... which means he is an eternal optimist.

2. 

   21 Sept 2022

   Senator Brian Jones: Against the Odds but for the People

   State Senator Brian Jones joins host T.J. O’Hara on Deconstructed to discuss California politics. Senator Jones represents the 38th District that covers the vast majority of San Diego County. He previously served six years in the State Assembly before being term-limited under California law and also served as a member of the Santee City Council both before and after his term in the State Assembly. He currently is the Vice Chair of three Senate committees and sits on four other committees as well as five Select committees. Senator Jones is also in the minority in California as a registered Republican. In the California Senate, there is a supermajority of 31 Democratic Senators and only 9 Republicans. Perhaps he is used to fighting the odds as there was a supermajority of 60 Democrats versus 19 Republicans and 1 independent in the State Assembly. Yet, he continues to make progress. Senator Jones talks about the camaraderie in the Senate. While the Parties often disagree on bills that are before them, he speculates that 70-85 percent of Democratic bills that pass do so with some level of Republican support. Of course, he notes that 100 percent of Republican bills that pass do so with Democratic support because, otherwise, the supermajority could quash anything tendered by his Party. Last year six of Senator Jones’ bills passed and five were signed into law by Governor Newsom. Interestingly enough, the one that was vetoed by the Governor had the most union support and was sponsored by the SEIU. This year has been even better with nine bills being passed by the State Senate to make it to the Governor’s desk; two of which have been signed. T.J. asks what tends to slow down or kill bills. Senator Jones explains that special interest groups are most frequently the cause. If a bill doesn’t fit their agenda, they try to suppress the legislation. T.J. then brings up the Senator’s short videos called, Are You Kidding Me. The Senator explains the humorous origin of the videos and his commitment to not only exposing some of the dysfunctionality of what is happening at the State level but also potential solutions. The two then engage in a discussion of the hidden taxes that often arise because of bills that make it through the process. Senator Jones raises the recently passed minimum wage law that requires food service workers to receive $22 per hour in wages as an example. He notes that the cost will undoubtedly be passed on to consumers. He also cites the surcharges that are included in every utility bill that go unnoticed by taxpayers as well as the $1 per gallon gasoline tax that the State collects. Coincidently, with regard to the latter, a rebate check will be sent to California motor vehicle owners just before the November election... except in the case of some active-duty military personnel. Senator Jones is a strong environmentalist, but a realist as well. He talks about the ongoing movement to ban gas stoves in all new construction and the highly publicized mandate to only allow the sale of EV cars by 2035. He speculates that there will soon be a legislative attempt to move the EV mandate to an even earlier year. The Senator cites that one of the problems is how California determines who is an “effective” legislator. He suggests that the parameters make little sense. T.J. queries the Senator about crime (including the $950 theft allowance), homelessness, and California’s public education system... all of which are spiraling out of control. Senator Jones addresses each issue describing their cause and the possible solutions. Listen to hear his assessments and determine if they align with yours. If so, Senator Jones (https://www.electbrianjones.com/) is up for re-election this year.

3. 

   24 Aug 2022

   Are You Politically Ignorant, Rationally Ignorant, or Actually Informed?

   Ilya Somin, Professor of Law at George Mason University and the author of Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government Is Smarter, joins host T.J. O’Hara on Deconstructed to examine the reality, scope, and impact of political ignorance. Professor Somin is a broadly published author and political commentator whose work has been featured by virtually every major media outlet both in print and on the air. His book provides a deep dive into the sad state of voting in the United States and what, if anything, can be done about it. For those of you who have worked hard to “Get Out the Vote,” this is an eye-opening interview that puts things in a proper perspective. T.J. opens the conversation by joking that, while his guest has done extensive research on the subject of political ignorance, he could have saved time by simply “reading a few conflicting posts on social media.” Professor Somin describes social media as “just the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to political ignorance. In fact, he points out that many people who engage in political discussions on social media may have a deeper awareness of what is transpiring politically than the average voter. However, they may also be far more biased. Professor Somin defines “political knowledge” and contrasts it with “political ignorance” to provide a clear line of demarcation. He then shares some frightening examples of just how politically ignorant the majority of voters may be. To add a little “icing to the cake,” he also shares what type of non-related events often dictate who wins a local or state election. There are characteristics that increase the probability of someone casting a vote, but they have little to do with whether that vote will be even remotely “informed.” However, do not despair. Professor Somin explains why there is an argument to be made for “rational ignorance” (i.e., the potential to influence the outcome is not worth the investment in time). He also shares a theory that suggests that political ignorance is okay because voters can leverage shortcuts to gather a superficial level of understanding of the candidates and issues (a theory in which he does not believe). T.J. thinks the second segment of this interview is one of the most important that has ever aired on Deconstructed. In it, Professor Somin makes a series of extremely important analogies that compare partisan voters to sports fans. From a love for their candidates and commitment to their Party’s positions to a dislike and, in some cases, an absolute hatred of anyone and everything related to the opposing Party. T.J. thinks every partisan voter should listen to this segment and do some soul searching to determine how well the fan analogy describes the way they feel and behave when it comes to political issues. Professor Somin also examines the impact of opinion leaders in the media. He describes why they are held in high regard by their audiences but probably shouldn’t be. In effect, they are a source that satiates the confirmation bias of a particular Party’s “fans” but offer less in the way of legitimate insight. Then, T.J. asks what can be done to overcome the impact of political ignorance. Professor Somin describes the power of “foot voting” (moving to a different local, state, or even national jurisdiction). He also cites the advantage of curbing the size of the federal government to heighten the value of foot voting. In the closing moments, Professor Somin reviews the flawed “restriction of the franchise” method that some theorists support as well as an innovative approach involving paying voters to increase their knowledge that he finds to be worth considering. If you’re smart, you will take the time to listen to this interesting conversation. If you’re not, feel free to just cast your vote... like the vast majority.

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