Politics with Paul

Approachable, nonpartisan, and nonideological analysis of various political topics by nonpartisan political analyst, writer, researcher, and speaker Paul Rader.

Are a Majority of Americans Politically in the Middle? w/ Shannon Watson | Politics with Paul #63

E64 • Oct 21, 2025 • 81 mins

How big is the political middle of America? What traits make somebody part of this political middle? How can this political middle overcome the toxic political division of today? Shannon Watson, executive director of Majority in the Middle, gives her insights into these questions and more. She also discusses the biggest roadblocks to overcoming division, recent encouraging signs in building bridges across division, and practical ways anybody can overcome political division in their lives.

Key Points

Many Americans identify as politically independent, reflecting a dissatisfaction with both major parties and a desire for less extreme options.
Encouraging positive interpersonal relationships and avoiding constant political labeling can help reduce political polarization and foster a more collaborative environment.
Structural changes, such as mixing seating in legislative bodies and removing campaign signs outside of election season, can improve political discourse and engagement.

Shannon's links:

Majority in the Middle website: https://www.majoritymiddle.org/
State of Bipartisanship report 2025: https://www.majoritymiddle.org/stateofbipartisanship2025

My links:

Download my FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]

Speakers

Paul Rader

Host • 31%

Shannon Watson

Guest • 69%

Chapters

0:00	Intro to Americans in the Middle, Shannon Watson
1:49	Shannon's Political Upbringing, What Sparked Her Work
6:37	Human Nature is to Divide, How it is Ramping Up in US Politics
9:17	Divisiveness that Shannon Witnessed in Campaigns
16:55	Positive Campaigns Shannon Witnessed
20:28	Do Candidates Make Campaigns Negative...or is it Interest Groups?
23:07	What are the Goals of Majority in the Middle?
32:28	On Parties' Increasing Ideological Uniformity, One-Party States
35:35	How Many Americans are Politically in the Middle?
41:36	The Prevalence of Political Apathy and Its Problems
46:07	What is a "Moderate"? And the Concerning Power of Labels
56:47	The Biggest Obstacles to Overcoming Division
1:05:09	Encouraging Signs in Overcoming Political Division
1:08:34	Actionable Ways Anybody Can Overcome Division in Their Lives
1:14:43	Random Question: Little-Known Facts About Your State?
1:20:10	Closing and Our Links

Transcript

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