Dig Deep explores ‘White Knight’ ideas to fix problems

PHOTO: Les Haines, Flickr CC

The Northern Community Radio podcast “Dig Deep” took on a new series of topics last week. The ideas came from our live event at Itasca Community College on March 21.

During the Q&A after our live podcast event, one gentleman asked a question. “Is it time for a ‘White Knight” to come in and take over?” In other words, what if partisanship has gotten so bad that the only solution is some kind of dramatic end to constitutional norms?

Chuck Marohn is the conservative commentator and I am the liberal. Nevertheless, this question spooked both of us. Since we both oppose tyrants, we decided to use the notion of a “White Knight” or quick fix as inspiration for our most recent collection of episodes.

First, we took on a local issue that seems to come up often in any discussion of economic diversification of the Iron Range. What if there was a four-year college in your town? Everyone seems to like this idea. Nevertheless, this liberal and conservative agreed making it happen won’t be easy. Instead, we focus on a new approach that would create demand before supply.

Our second episode took on the notion of the “Magic Bullet.” What if “our side” had complete control of government? This fantasy sits at the heart of most political strategy, but we point out that it’s highly unusual, short lived when it happens, and often not all it’s cracked up to be.

Finally, our third episode took on the notion that the United States would benefit from a parliamentary system of government. We found some merits in the idea, but also some pitfalls in our Constitutional system.

We tagged on a podcast only episode. This one gives a behind-the-scenes look at how producer Heidi Holtan, Chuck and I are preparing to be panelists at the Aug. 21 Northern Community Radio gubernatorial debate. That debate will occur a week after the Aug. 14 primary and will feature a focus on Northern Minnesota and rural issues.

Dig Deep is a production of Northern Community Radio. Our goal is civil conversation surrounding tough-to-solve political issues. I’m told that the “Dig Deep” podcast has been gaining in popularity recently, so climb on the bandwagon now before anyone notices.


Speak Your Mind

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.