Bipodisan

Jean and Cicely share their personal memories of 9/11 and of life in Washington, DC since that day before taking a balanced look at the more recent past, including the United States’ disastrous exit from Afghanistan and President Biden’s announcement on vaccine mandates. 

After a summer hiatus, Bipodisan is back! Jean Card introduces new co-host Cicely Simpson and gets us ready for more political debate that's "red & blue, not black & blue".

Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales joins Robert and Jean in their last episode before going on summer hiatus. Their discussion about the current fight over elections covers issues ranging from voter ID to the results of the 2020 presidential election, culminating in agreement around the need for Americans to find a “shared truth.” As always, there is hope at the end of this episode.Note: This will be our last episode of summer 2021 -- enjoy and we'll see you in the fall.

Bipodisan welcomes long-time friend Elizabeth Pinkerton to the show to discuss a week of national conversation and her experience running the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships — work which has informed Elizabeth’s writings on strategies that could bring Americans closer together. This episode ends on a particularly strong and meaningful moment of hope.

The Atlantic's Edward-Isaac Dovere joins the pod to discuss his new book, "Battle for the Soul," a newsy, inside account of how the Democrats went from 2016 defeat to 2020 victory. He tells Jean and Robert about Kamala Harris's favorite epithet, Bernie Sanders' travel tastes, why Obama is aloof to political reporters, and, more seriously, they discuss what President Biden is like in private, what Harris's political future may hold and what the GOP can learn from the Democrats' battle. Warning: This episode contains strong language.

U.S. News & World Report Senior Political Writer Susan Milligan joins Jean and Robert for an insightful discussion about legislation to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6th storming of the U.S. Capitol. Susan also shares new data on independent voter trends, and the three find hope in new additions to the pandemic lexicon, including “exponential-decay phase."

Freelance technology columnist Rob Pegoraro joins Jean and Robert to break down the Facebook v. Trump decision, including the big news most people are overlooking. The trio looks more broadly about the power of both big tech and The Donald.

Jean and Robert agree that Derek Chauvin’s murder conviction was justice and discuss the pros and cons of bipartisan, federally mandated policing reform before finding common ground on the issue of D.C. statehood.

Jean and Robert dig in on infrastructure, speculate about where the parties might be able to build some bridges and then have a broader(band) discussion of the parties' philosophy about the size of government. Later, Jean discloses her secret lust.

This week, Robert and Jean discuss one issue on which the partisan divide is as wide as possible (mass shootings and gun control) and another on which there is significant consensus and hope for bipartisan action (infrastructure investment). The hosts round out this episode by finding hope in history and hugs. 

Jean and Robert welcome back Diana Berrant, founder of Survivor Corps, for an update on the massive volunteer effort by COVID survivors to engage in citizen science. The second half of this episode is a thoughtful, appreciative and bipartisan analysis of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 anniversary speech.

Jean and Robert wonder whether to fret a squelch of Seuss.And why Democrats have not cut Andrew Cuomo loose.Tune in right now so you can seeWhere they align and where (respectfully) disagree.

One year in to the COVID-19 pandemic and one month into a new presidency, Robert and Jean discuss their own COVID experiences (including the depth of nasal testing), changes in politics and news, the importance of a balanced information diet and the refreshingly normal push-and-pull in Congress over the size and specifics of the Biden COVID relief package. The co-hosts find hope in commissions and candles.

David Murray, author of the forthcoming book “An Effort to Understand," is Bipodisan’s special guest this week. Robert, Jean and David apply their public speaking expertise to the matter of the speech that happens (or doesn’t happen) among our friends, neighbors and family members with whom we disagree. This episode ends on high hopeful notes of baseball and Yardi Gras.

Jean and Robert have a fascinating discussion with legal scholar Bruce Fein about the constitutional issues surrounding the second Trump impeachment trial. Then Robert shares why extraterrestrials are making him hopeful.

Jean and Robert politely wrestle with the question of what should be done with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Is she simply the GOP’s problem? Should Congressional majorities tell Congressional minorities how to manage members of their own party? The hosts share concerns and manage to find hope on their respective sides of the aisle this week.

Robert and Jean take a look at two tracks of policy and politics in Washington during the first week of Joe Biden’s presidency, as the remains of the Trump era are hashed out on Capitol Hill and the new president leans heavily on his pen to keep campaign promises. Will the two ends of Pennsylvania Avenue eventually work together to make the sausage of public policy, and will that sausage be palatable?

Jean and Robert discuss President Joe Biden's inaugural address from the point of view of professional communicators (as well as from the point of view of Americans and partisans) and the prospects of bipartisan cooperation going forward.

Jean and Robert are joined by U.S. News & World Report Senior Political Writer Susan Milligan to analyze the ongoing politics around Trump’s second impeachment and the aftermath of the January 6th mob-attack on the U.S. Capitol. Their conversation explores the possible strategy of Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as speculation about how deep the GOP fractures may go, before ending on a shared, bipartisan note of hope.

Robert and Jean reflect on the previous day, when rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, including the moment when Robert’s son asked if the country was going into civil war. The co-hosts agree that we are not, and share their observations, perspectives, shared sorrows and hopes.