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Where do you stand on today's foreign policy debates? American Choices puts you in the driver's seat by asking you to set American policy priorities, starting with a 12-question survey of what you believe.
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The success or shortcomings of democracy is the focus of an innovative, locally-produced, live TV and radio special. “How Far Will You Go? A Conversation About Democracy on Main Street”. Airing Thursday, November 6, 9pm on WVIZ/PBS and 90.3 WCPN ideastream, the simulcast will bring average citizens together with a panel of government, faith, and business leaders in a special live-to-air, town hall-like conversation. Going beyond traditional talking head and talk show formats, the November 6 ideastream simulcast “How Far Will You Go?” will be an in-depth, insightful look at what is happening on Main Street America. With emphasis on Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, the special will attempt to provoke debate on local participants’ civic imagination, and, as importantly, elicit deeper understanding of democracy and positive feelings of political and social engagement. The discussion will be moderated by one of America’s foremost authorities on public life, Richard C. Harwood. Harwood is president and founder of the non-profit, non-partisan Harwood Institute. Harwood has more than 15 years of experience researching and exploring community challenges. He has traveled widely engaging citizens, civic leaders and the news media in conversations that illuminate their hopes and fears, and helps them re-engage with their communities. “How Far Will You Go?” is a joint production of The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, 90.3 WCPN/ WVIZ/PBS ideastream, and the Public Radio Collaboration. The live broadcasts will illuminate the fundamentals of democracy and democratic process when issues and attitudes toward public life are brought into the open for review and analysis. Values, tradeoffs and compromises will all be considered, together with more ephemeral concepts like patriotism, pride, trust and faith. The participants will be asked probing questions about their concerns and aspirations for local and regional communities, the nation and democracy more widely.

The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation The Harwood Institute, 4915 St. Elmo Avenue, Suite 402 Bethesda, MD 20814 Ph: (301) 656-3669; Fx: (301) 656-0533 THI@TheHarwoodInstitute.org More Information (PDF): Richard C. Harwood ~ The Harwood Institute ~ Initiatives of the Institute

American RadioWorks: Whose Vote Counts?
Monday, November 3 @ 8:00 PM
Millions of Americans are routinely stymied when they attempt the most basic right of our democracy -- casting a vote. Consider these cases: An elderly woman in California is confronted with a ballot that is too small to read. A man in Florida can't get his wheelchair across the ditch in front of the polling place. A New Yorker who wrote some bad checks as a young man and is barred from voting. “Whose Vote Counts?” explores how these barriers might affect the 2004 elections. The program also poses hard questions about which Americans get to vote and why. Should people with felony convictions be allowed to vote? Why are African-Americans shut out of the process more often than whites? Will new voter ID laws make it harder for poor people to vote? In the wake of the contested 2000 Florida presidential race, are high-tech voting machines being installed across the country any better than the machines they replaced? “Whose Vote Counts?” is produced by investigative reporter Rebecca Perl. The special is a co-production with the Center for Investigative Reporting.

California Recalled
Tuesday, November 4 @ 8:00 PM
Arnold Schwarzenegger, a porn star and Gary Coleman aside, what did the recall campaign mean? “California Recalled” analyzes the recall campaign with a “making of the president” approach. Airing after the California election “California Recalled” attempts to investigate what really happened during the campaign and what the recall says about the health of American democracy.

Humankind: Granny D
Wednesday, November 5 @ 8:00 PM
As part of the Public Radio Collaboration WHOSE DEMOCRACY IS IT? , “Humankind” presents a lively, hour-long profile of 93-year-old “Granny D,” (Mrs. Doris Haddock of Dublin, New Hampshire). Famous for her 14-month walk across the United States to promote campaign finance reform, she is a fascinating American original. Speaking in a classic Yankee accent, Granny tells stories about the country she loves—and is passionately trying to improve. Columnist Molly Ivins, Dennis Burke (Granny’s sometimes companion-on-the-road), and others are also part of the program.

American RadioWorks: White House Tapes - The President Calling
Thursday, November 6 @ 8:00 PM
Three American presidents -- John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon -- worked the phones to cajole, command and, sometimes, conceal. Their taped phone conversations provide a fascinating wiretap on the inner workings of the presidency. Producer Stephen Smith selects key conversations that reveal the most powerful men in the world anguishing over war, the struggle for civil rights and fighting dirty politics. “White House Tapes: The President Calling” centers on these rarely heard recordings, accompanied by the insights of historians such as Taylor Branch and Robert Dallek, along with presidential confidants Theodore Sorenson and John Dean. The program is part of the 2003 Public Radio Collaboration and released as part of a book and CD set published by The New Press.

How Far Will You Go? A Conversation About Democracy on Main Street
Thursday, November 6 @ 9:00 PM
Simulcast on 90.3 WCPN & WVIZ/PBS
See program description above.

What Can I Say: Culture of Patriotism and Dissent
Friday, November 7 @ 8:00 PM
“You want to send a message? Call Western Union,” said Sam Goldwyn. Right now, as “loyalty” and “treason” are being redefined by world events, so are cultural expressions of patriotism and dissent. From “message” pictures in the old Hollywood, to morale-building songs, to satirists’ comic visions, politics and mass culture have been inexorably linked. Through stories from people like comedian Mort Sahl, entertainer Tom Smothers, The Daily Show’s Mo Rocca, critic Molly Haskell, writer/producer Larry Gelbart, The New York Times’ Frank Rich and many others, “What Can I Say: Culture of Patriotism and Dissent” examines the connections between culture and country, and how the establishment has responded to the pushes against it. History was heard, as Frank Sinatra, preached “tolerance” on radio at the end of World War II, and current events, as Aaron McGruder’s comic strip risked being pulled from tomorrow’s newspaper. “What Can I Say: Culture of Patriotism and Dissent” examines how the messages have been sent, and how they have been received by a nation often hungry for reassurance.

Exporting Democracy - The World Speaks
Saturday, November 8 @ 1:00 PM
The U.S. has worked to export its brand of democracy to Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin America – with mixed results. It is trying anew in Iraq. Major colonial powers equally worked to implant their systems abroad. Is western democracy good for the world... or just another example of cultural imperialism? Through this collaboration between U.S. public radio stations and the BBC World Service’s Talking Point program, people around the world will be able to speak their minds and hear other views on “Exporting Democracy”. The live two-hour program will invite its global audience to call-in to discuss related topics and issues, or to have their questions addressed by studio guests situated in various international locations.
>BBC News: Is Western Democracy Good For the World?