Washington Isn’t Broken...It’s Fixed!

image
Published: 16 Feb, 2018
1 min read

Welcome to The Pickle podcast. My ambitions are high. I want to interview political, reform, independent, business, creative, nonprofit, entrepreneurial, and cultural movers and shakers about the pickle we are in as a country and as a world.

For me, the pickle is found in our huge capacity to innovate running smack dab against systemic community underdevelopment and the obsolescence of the partisan model. But that's me. I spend my days working to end closed partisan primaries and shake up our calcified and partisan electoral system. I want to talk with other people about how and what they see.

My first episode is a recording of a recent public interview I conducted with Katherine Gehl. Katherine is the co-author (with Harvard Professor Michael Porter) of a recent Harvard Business School report titled, “Why Competition in the Politics Industry is Failing America.”

It's a great report.  We were able to discuss in depth how the political duopoly stays afloat and what to do about it.

We had a fascinating conversation, myself, Katherine, and 164 open primaries activists from around the country. A highlight for me was Katherine describing her journey from supporting candidates, to supporting issues, to supporting bi-partisan cooperation, to now supporting wholesale structural reform.

Over the next many months, I plan on interviewing lots of interesting people. If you have guest ideas, show ideas, topic ideas, please shoot me a note at jopdycke@openprimaries.org.  I'd like to hear from the IVN community about this new podcast as I get going.

You Might Also Like

Caution tape with US Capitol building in the background.
Did the Republicans or Democrats Start the Gerrymandering Fight?
The 2026 midterm election cycle is quickly approaching. However, there is a lingering question mark over what congressional maps will look like when voters start to cast their ballots, especially as Republicans and Democrats fight to obtain any electoral advantage possible. ...
11 Nov, 2025
-
8 min read
Utah state capitol.
Utah Judge Delivers a Major Blow to Gerrymandering
A Utah state judge has struck down the congressional map drawn by Republican lawmakers, ruling that it violates the state’s voter-approved ban on partisan gerrymandering and ordering new district lines for the 2026 elections....
11 Nov, 2025
-
2 min read
bucking party on gerrymandering
5 Politicians Bucking Their Party on Gerrymandering
Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties....
31 Oct, 2025
-
4 min read