The Soul of America

The American Dream: A Dying Myth

The American dream, rooted in the belief that hard work leads to success, is the very soul of the nation, and perhaps the most widely shared expression of what the country represents. In recent decades, however, progress for many has stagnated while income and wealth inequality have surged. The data is irrefutable: With a backsliding labor movement, a growing housing crisis, flatlining wages, uneven wealth distribution, and stalled social mobility, the once-bright promise of the American Dream is fading. This episode of Common Ground with Jane Whitney explores the far-reaching consequences of these recent trends, examines the values guiding economic policy, uncovers the intricate ties between our political and economic crises, and charts a course toward making the seemingly impossible American Dream attainable for all who aspire to achieve it.

Saving the Shining City On the Hill

When the Soviet Union dissolved, the triumph of liberal democracy seemed so assured that some political scientists famously dubbed it "the end of history." Yet, three decades later, history marches on while many of our political institutions have remained moored in place, creating a disjuncture that threatens the future of democracy. In this episode of Common Ground with Jane Whitney, we feature a panel of preeminent thinkers who discuss the battle between autocracy and democracy, analyze the evolving landscape, and offer strategies for Americans to safeguard our Republic.

Game Over: Politics and Sports

The long-time voice of sports, ABC's iconic commentator Howard Cosell, dubbed it the first rule of "jockocracy" – sports and politics don't mix. The last thing a nation of couch potatoes wanted to see was a political hot potato on their fields of dreams. Sports, for most Americans, were the sacrosanct refuge where we went to get away from it all, to escape the tension and drama and conflict that colors daily life. But now many of our most divisive debates about class, race, religion, sex and the raw quest for political power are played out on the field. From the Pee Wee League to the Olympics and the Pros, sports mirror our polarizing divisions with athletes becoming icons of the polarizing debates razing the country's cultural touchstones. In "Common Ground with Jane Whitney's second show of the season, a bevy of headline grabbing athletes and sports authorities will examine Americans' perception of the appropriate social role of sports and why we increasingly demand that athletes become warrior avatars for our cultural civil wars.

Fury: America's Uncivil War

The legendary anchorman of the classic film "Network," Howard Beale, became a cultural icon for the axiom "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore." We're all Howard Beales now, to paraphrase John F. Kennedy. If the country has a national mood, it's mad. The fury has become so intense that it has fractured our national psyche and has provoked daily speculation from even the most blasé pundits about whether America is on the verge of another civil war. But what are the roots of the intemperate disunion that pervades almost every aspect of daily life? Where did all this anger come from, why can't we just get along and how can we stitch our splintered country together again? Those are the questions an all-star panel of nationally known headliners will explore as part of "Common Ground with Jane Whitney's" first program of the 2022 season.

The Soul of America

Often referred to as "the conscience of America," Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and historian Jon Meacham joins Jane Whitney to talk about how America's history of overcoming crises makes him confident and hopeful that the country once again will prevail over these tumultuous times.