Madison's Scott Klug shares Five Things He's Learned about America.
View the next in our new series of messages, ideas, and inspiration – shared directly from Americans we admire.
Five Things I’ve Learned began with the aim of learning directly from people we long admired. Find out what they think most important to share, we believed, and we’d learn and be inspired by their example.
Now, just days away from our national election, we continue to solicit and share written pieces, short videos, and other bursts of ideas and inspiration from people whose ideas and experiences give shape to the issues that continue to shape America.
Today, former Wisconsin Congressman, reporter, and author
shares Five Things He’s Learned About America.
Scott also is the creator of the popular the popular podcast “Lost in the Middle: America’s Political Orphans,” which is available wherever you get your podcasts. He’s also on Substack!
We’re also pleased to share that Scott join us live, this coming Monday, October 21st for a live, 90-minute conversation with Megan Matson.
“Beginning about a year ago, we got really intrigued by the politics of what is going on in this country, and we think there’s one group that really doesn’t get that much attention: It’s the lost political middle.”
Five Things I’ve Learned about America
If you’ve ever lost faith in the American dream, spend some time with a foreign-born cabdriver. They are wide-eyed optimists.
“If you stick around long enough with them in the cab, they’ll literally pull over and show you pictures of their kids, It will give you a lot of faith about what’s right in America. And for those people, it was just a short cab ride to freedom and prosperity.”
If you're feeling estranged you're not alone. There are a lot of political orphans out there.
“I got stopped in the grocery line of a cereal store picking a bag of granola up when someone tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Scott, I don’t understand: Today Republicans are running around the country taking middle-school books off the shelves. And the democrats, they’re trying to take the stove out of my kitchen.”
Somewhere along the line, we lost civility.
“I don’t want to sound like I grew up at a prep school. But, at the end of the day, you’re supposed to acknowledge other people’s opinions…”
Travel around the U.S by yourself. It makes you talk to strangers.
“That’s my secret: Ask people. Listen.”
The media does not subscribe to ideological diversity.
“Only 7% of American journalists self-describe as republicans. To my friends who are newspaper and television editors out there: why don’t you hire a few republicans.”
- Scott Klug
MORE ABOUT SCOTT
Former Congressman Scott Klug is a Milwaukee native who represented Madison in the US House of Representatives. After a 14-year career as an Emmy award winning reporter he upset a 32-year Democratic Congressman. Despite winning four elections by an average margin of 62% he stayed true to his term limit pledge and retired. The moderate Republican had the third-most independent voting record of any Wisconsin Member of Congress in the last 50 years. He is the creator of the popular podcast “Lost in the Middle: America’s Political Orphans” wherever you get your podcasts, and his writing on Substack.
MORE ABOUT FIVE THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT AMERICA
Five Things I’ve Learned about America presents live, personal conversations with leading thinkers, organizers, and advocates for our democracy. In tandem, we’re soliciting and sharing written pieces, short videos, and other bursts of ideas and inspiration from people whose ideas and experiences are equally inspiring and instructive.
If you’ve just recently discovered us, please check out recent reflections about America from people we admire including including Tony Alcaraz, Yvette Benavides, Matthew Chamberlin, David Martin Davies, Alex Dobrenko, Sarah Fay, Lilly Gonzalez, Francisco Guajardo, Hal Harper, Tina Hedin, Marya Hornbacher, Megan Matson, Jeannine Ouellette, Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, Greg Sandow, Brooke Warner, Oliver Wasow, and Jamie Whalen.
And check out our free conversation series presented in partnership with Resolute Square, featuring 90-minute sessions with Americans we admire including Alan Light, Jennifer Mercieca, Beto O'Rourke, Trygve Olson, and Stuart Stevens.
Boy do i hate this comment: "And the democrats, they’re trying to take the stove out of my kitchen.” This is total and complete rubbish. There are people that understand and appreciate that climate change is real and poses an existential threat to us. We stopped burning coal in cities because of the toxic nature of the fumes (see London in the 1th and 19th century), we removed lead from gasoline due to the toxic nature of the exhaust, we stopped dumping DDT on fields due to the horrifying impact on the natural world, etc., etc, etc. As we learn about the impact of our actions, we adjust and change. Some people seem to think these sorts of change are un-American and chant things like "drill baby drill." We really need to continue waking up to how we are fouling our one and only precious home.