Don't take the bait

Don't take the bait

As the midterm campaigns move into high gear, one thing is already clear: the culture wars are back. This week, we explore why so much political rhetoric focuses on topics designed to provoke outrage, fear, or endless debate—and why that often pulls attention away from the issues that affect people’s daily lives. We discuss recent examples of political figures using culture-war attacks as a distraction, and examine how communicators like Pete Buttigieg, James Talarico, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Zohran Mamdani have found effective ways to redirect those conversations toward affordability, healthcare, housing, and other kitchen-table concerns. The conversation looks at: * Why culture-war topics can be such effective political distractions * The difference between defending a position and reframing the conversation * How Democrats are beginning to develop more effective responses * Lessons from recent campaigns and social media strategies * Why joy, authenticity, and humor may be more powerful than outrage Aaron introduces his “Novel Presidential Virus” theory, comparing the political challenges of the past decade to learning how to respond to a new disease: nobody knew the right treatment at first, but we’re starting to identify what works. As always, the episode closes with practical actions listeners can take, along with a few joyful moments from the week—including front porch progress, family visits, and exciting travel plans for our daughter. If you’ve ever felt exhausted by political distractions and wondered how to keep the focus on the issues that matter most, this episode is for you. 🎧 Listen now and join the conversation. We always love hearing from listeners at hello@acouplethinks.com. Get full access to A Couple Thinks at acouplethinks.substack.com/subscribe [https://acouplethinks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

How we voted.

This week’s episode is a shorter one for Memorial Day weekend. We start with a reflection on Memorial Day itself — not just the sales and barbecues many of us grew up with, but the original purpose of honoring those who lost their lives in military service, and what it means to think about sacrifice, citizenship, and the state of the country today. From there, we pivot to the topic on many Californian’s minds: next week’s upcoming primary! It’s here, it’s here! And after several weeks (okay, months) of thinking, reading endorsements, comparing candidates, changing our minds, and generally doing what political nerds do… we finally filled in our ballots and will likely have dropped them in the ballot box by the time this airs. In this episode, Lisa walks through the process she used to evaluate candidates, including resources like Blue Voter Guide, local endorsements, newspaper analysis, and some personal decision-making criteria around experience, coalition-building, and electability. We also talk through a handful of races where there wasn’t a clear consensus and explain where we landed and why. This isn’t meant to be the guide. It’s simply an example of one way to approach voting thoughtfully and intentionally. We also talk about: * Why California’s open primary system continues to create strategic dilemmas * Why primaries deserve more attention than they often get * Bringing ballots to drop boxes early (and the oddly satisfying feeling of getting the texts from the county registrar saying they’ve been received and counted) * Postcards, calls, and small ways to stay engaged locally And because no episode is complete without it, we close with Joyful Moments: porch renovation progress, winding down long-running projects, and the strange possibility that we may need to retrain ourselves to walk up newly even stairs. As promised, here are the resources: * Blue Voter Guide [http://bluevoterguide.org/] * Alameda County Dems [https://acdems.org/june-2-2026-primary-endorsements/] * California Dems [https://cadem.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Final-RATIFIED-2026-Primary-Election-Consent-Calendar.pdf] * LA Times Analysis [https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-05-01/2026-california-election-voter-guide-primary] (may be paywalled) * SF Chronicle Endorsements [https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2026/california-primary-sf-election-endorsements/?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2ZjaHJvbmljbGUuY29tL3Byb2plY3RzLzIwMjYvY2FsaWZvcm5pYS1wcmltYXJ5LXNmLWVsZWN0aW9uLWVuZG9yc2VtZW50cy8=&time=MTc3OTcyMzk5NzEyOA==&rid=OTU4NGYwMDYtMGI4NS00OGQ5LTgyNzMtMjkwODk4NmJmYTIx&sharecount=Mg==] (gift link) * Wellstone Endorsements [https://www.wellstoneclub.org/endorsements.html] * Working Families Party [https://workingfamilies.org/candidates/] And our list of California ballot selections: Governor: Xavier Becerra Lt. Governor: Michael Tubbs Secretary of State: Shirley Weber Controller: Malia Cohen Treasurer: Eleni Kounalakis Attorney General: Rob Bonta Insurance Commissioner: Jane Kim State Board of Equalization, 2nd District: Sally Lieber US Representative, 12th Congressional District: Lateefah Simon 14th Assembly District: Buffy Wicks Superior Court Judge Office #13: Michael P. Johnson Superior Court Judge Office #19: Selia Warren State Superintendent of Public Instruction: Nichelle Henderson County Superintendent of Schools: Alysse Castro Alameda County District Attorney: Ursula Jones Dickson Measure A; Peralta Colleges Measure: YES 🎧 Listen wherever you get podcasts, or subscribe at acouplethinks.com to get new episodes and companion posts delivered to your inbox. Questions, ideas, or thoughts? Reach us at hello@acouplethinks.com. Get full access to A Couple Thinks at acouplethinks.substack.com/subscribe [https://acouplethinks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Coping Mechanisms

We’re coping with a strange balancing act right now. On one hand, the news cycle continues to deliver a steady stream of anxiety, frustration, and outrage. On the other hand, life keeps happening. Summer arrives. Festivals pop up. Families gather. Dessert appears. The sun finally comes out in Berkeley around 1:30 PM. This week on A Couple Thinks, we talk about how we’re trying to navigate that tension without either becoming numb to what’s happening in the country or completely consumed by it. We discuss: * the idea of “hedonic adaptation” and how humans return to emotional baseline * the challenge of staying informed without staying traumatized * guilt, helplessness, and figuring out what we actually can control * why joy and rest are not the same thing as disengagement * summer bucket lists, local adventures, and food festivals as battery recharging strategies * postcards, voter registration, and preparing for the midterms without burning ourselves out Plus:Greek festival recap, loukoumades discourse, weather complaints, Monster Truck Jam memories, and an alarming number of festival recommendations. Sometimes surviving difficult times means protesting.Sometimes it means organizing.And sometimes it means eating fried dough with Nutella while listening to live music in Oakland. We think all three can coexist. Resources we mention: If you’re looking for ways to stay engaged without burning yourself out, here are a few of the organizations and tools we mentioned during the episode: * Postcards to Voters [https://postcardstovoters.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]Write handwritten postcards to encourage voter participation in key races and districts. * Oath.vote [https://app.oath.vote/](founded by Brian Derrick [https://substack.com/profile/9213244-brian-derrick])Helps identify strategic races and opportunities for donations, volunteering, and organizing. * 5 Calls [https://5calls.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]Makes it easy to contact your elected officials about current issues with scripts and phone numbers. * A Couple Thinks Survey [http://survey.acouplethinks.com]Share topic ideas, feedback, and questions for future episodes. * We always love hearing your ideas, thoughts, and local recommendations. And as always: shop small and local when you can, support community organizations, and remember to recharge your batteries along the way. Get full access to A Couple Thinks at acouplethinks.substack.com/subscribe [https://acouplethinks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Gerrymander Games

Another week, another reminder that democracy is not a “set it and forget it” system. This week on the podcast, we talk about the escalating redistricting battles happening across the country, the continued weakening of the Voting Rights Act, and what we can do to help Democrats take back the House (and maybe the Senate). We also dig into: * Why mid-decade gerrymandering feels like a race to the bottom * Whether voters may be less predictable than political strategists assume * What ordinary people can actually do right now * Why local races and state courts matter more than many people realize * How optimism and pragmatism can coexist, even during exhausting political moments Lisa shares practical ways listeners can prepare for the months ahead — from voter registration and postcards to strategic donations and canvassing opportunities — while Aaron makes the case that even heavily manipulated political maps don’t guarantee voter behavior. Here are some of the resources we mention: Oath.vote [https://app.oath.vote/] Mobilize.us [https://mobilize.us/] (click on Get out the Vote or Voting Rights for election-focused events) Postcards to Voters [https://postcardstovoters.org/] And because we still believe in balancing civic engagement with joy, we wrap up with joyful moments featuring: * solo quiet-house time with Tucci the cat, * a visit to Berkeley’s Magnes Museum, * New York adventures, including Broadway musicals and family weddings, * and a renewed appreciation for Berkeley weather. If you’ve been feeling discouraged, overwhelmed, or unsure where to focus your energy, this episode is ultimately about finding productive ways forward without surrendering hope. Give it a listen, and as always, thanks for thinking alongside us. You can also email us at hello@acouplethinks.com or take our listener survey at survey.acouplethinks.com. Get full access to A Couple Thinks at acouplethinks.substack.com/subscribe [https://acouplethinks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Reprise: Be a Helper, Find the Good

Aaron was out of town for most of the past week so we didn’t record a new episode. So, this is a reprise our most downloaded episode; it is from June 2025 called “Be A Helper; Find the Good”. We hope you enjoy it. We will have a new episode in your feed next week so you can hear about Aaron’s travels, amongst other things! In this episode of A Couple Thinks, we’re doing two things: breaking down how to take meaningful local action, even if politics feels like too much, and finding the good news that helps balance out the doom-scroll. Aaron kicks things off with a challenge: If you’re someone with the privilege and comfort to be politically visible, get out there. Join a protest. Write to your representatives. But if politics feels too risky or heavy right now … there are still so many ways to “do something.” We talk about volunteering at food banks, helping out at local events, supporting small businesses, and even joining community organizations like Rotary or your local Chamber of Commerce. These non-political acts of service build community resilience and personal connection. Lisa shares a few ways to dig deeper into community support systems, from Mutual Aid networks to city-led volunteer opportunities. In the second half of the episode, we talk about finding balance. Lisa shares some of her favorite places for positive news—from “Under the Desk News” to the Good News Network—and her commitment to a media diet that includes plenty to celebrate, not just outrage. In our Joyful Moments segment, we celebrate last June’s small wins—from window screen repairs to backyard s’mores. We both rhapsodize about the power of the s’more to bring joy (even the extra-gooey, messy kind). Aaron shares the power of crossword puzzles and finding satisfaction in something as tactile as a sharp pencil and a clever clue. Links mentioned in this episode: * Under the Desk News on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/underthedesknews/] Under the Desk News [https://open.substack.com/users/277419410-under-the-desk-news?utm_source=mentions] (on Substack) * Good News Network [https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/] * Heather Cox Richardson [https://open.substack.com/users/4875576-heather-cox-richardson?utm_source=mentions] Letters from an American (on Substack) * Joyce Vance [https://open.substack.com/users/263210-joyce-vance?utm_source=mentions] Civil Discourse (on Substack) * Preet Bharara: Stay Tuned Podcast [https://cafe.com/stay-tuned-podcast/] and Stay Tuned with Preet [https://open.substack.com/users/287059165-stay-tuned-with-preet?utm_source=mentions] (on Substack) * Tim Miller: The Bulwark Podcast [https://www.thebulwark.com/s/bulwarkpodcast] and Tim Miller [https://open.substack.com/users/597921-tim-miller?utm_source=mentions] (on Substack) * Democracy Docket [https://www.democracydocket.com/] Democracy Docket [https://open.substack.com/users/110910061-democracy-docket?utm_source=mentions] (on Substack) * Mobilize for No Kings Day - June 14 [https://www.mobilize.us/] * Postcards to Voters [https://postcardstovoters.org/] * Five Calls App [https://5calls.org/] Get full access to A Couple Thinks at acouplethinks.substack.com/subscribe [https://acouplethinks.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]