Months and months of anticipation – or maybe dread? – have led to today. Election day. 

Over the coming days and weeks, there will continue to be a lot of talk about candidates, polls, the state of democracy. But we also want to recognize the emotional difficulty of election day... of election season. 

Politics can leave a lot of people bitter and divided. It’s cost treasured relationships and led to feelings of anger, contempt, and fear. Bridging divides and finding common ground aren’t simple or easy. Over the past year, Mónica Guzmán and April Lawson have been thinking a lot about how to do it. 

Mónica Guzmán works with Braver Angels, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to political depolarization. Her podcast – produced in partnership with KUOW – is called "A Braver Way."

Guests:
Mónica Guzmán is a senior fellow at Braver Angels.
April Lawson is the cofounder of Insight Debate and Dialogue.

Related Links: 
Braving the unknown: Your election survival guide - Braver Angels
Consumed by the news? How to stay sane in a polarized election - Braver Angels

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. 

Months and months of anticipation – or maybe dread? – have led to today. Election day. 
Over the coming days and weeks, there will continue to be a lot of talk about candidates, polls, the state of democracy. But we also want to recognize the emotional difficulty of election day... of election season. 
Politics can leave a lot of people bitter and divided. It’s cost treasured relationships and led to feelings of anger, contempt, and fear. Bridging divides and finding common ground aren’t simple or easy. Over the past year, Mónica Guzmán and April Lawson have been thinking a lot about how to do it. 
Mónica Guzmán works with Braver Angels, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to political depolarization. Her podcast – produced in partnership with KUOW – is called "A Braver Way."
Guests:
<ul>
<li>Mónica Guzmán is a senior fellow at Braver Angels.</li>
<li>April Lawson is the cofounder of Insight Debate and Dialogue.</li>
</ul>
Related Links: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://braverangels.org/a-braver-way-episode-19/">Braving the unknown: Your election survival guide - Braver Angels</a></li>
<li><a href="https://braverangels.org/a-braver-way-episode-18/">Consumed by the news? How to stay sane in a polarized election - Braver Angels</a></li>
</ul>
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Soundside

How to destress — and maybe depolarize — after the election

It’s election day … officially. 

But don’t hold your breath, everyone. We’re still possibly days away from knowing the results of many races, both local and national. 

Even so, we wanted to get a sense of how voters in Washington have been feeling and thinking about the choices on the ballot this season. KUOW has been speaking with people across the political spectrum, to get their takes on what’s driving their decisions.

Guest:
Alex Rochester, KUOW digital community outreach producer 

Related links:
What do Democratic, Republican, and Independent Washington state voters think about the 2024 ballot? - KUOW

It’s election day … officially. 
But don’t hold your breath, everyone. We’re still possibly days away from knowing the results of many races, both local and national. 
Even so, we wanted to get a sense of how voters in Washington have been feeling and thinking about the choices on the ballot this season. KUOW has been speaking with people across the political spectrum, to get their takes on what’s driving their decisions.
Guest:
<ul>
<li>Alex Rochester, KUOW digital community outreach producer </li>
</ul>
Related links:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.kuow.org/stories/how-washington-voters-across-the-political-spectrum-plan-to-cast-their-ballot">What do Democratic, Republican, and Independent Washington state voters think about the 2024 ballot?</a> - KUOW</li>
</ul>

Election day has arrived, here's what's on the minds of WA voters

Americans are at the polls right now voting for the next president – among a lot of other important state and local races.

And if you’re highly engaged in the outcome of Donald Trump versus Kamala Harris – you’re not just casting a ballot. You’re reading, watching and listening to tons of content about this presidential race, and in some cases agonizing over public polling in the weeks leading up to election day.

This year, the polls are showing one thing: neither candidate holds a clear edge. 

So how can you avoid getting burned by faulty expectations? 

And how should we prepare for the rush of election night and the cascade of state-by-state returns we’re about to experience?   

Guest:


Armin Thomas is a political analyst at Split Ticket, a non-partisan election analysis firm

Relevant Links:
Our Final Forecast - Split Ticket
Why Washington is a bellwether for the presidential election - KUOW



Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. 

Americans are at the polls right now voting for the next president – among a lot of other important state and local races.
And if you’re highly engaged in the outcome of Donald Trump versus Kamala Harris – you’re not just casting a ballot. You’re reading, watching and listening to tons of content about this presidential race, and in some cases agonizing over public polling in the weeks leading up to election day.
This year, the polls are showing one thing: neither candidate holds a clear edge. 
So how can you avoid getting burned by faulty expectations? And how should we prepare for the rush of election night and the cascade of state-by-state returns we’re about to experience?   
Guest:
<ul>
<li>
Armin Thomas is a political analyst at Split Ticket, a non-partisan election analysis firm
</li>
</ul>
Relevant Links:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://split-ticket.org/2024/11/04/our-final-forecast/">Our Final Forecast - Split Ticket</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.kuow.org/stories/why-washington-is-a-bellwether-for-the-presidentia">Why Washington is a bellwether for the presidential election - KUOW</a></li>
</ul>
 
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

A final forecast for the 2024 presidential election

He was one of the greatest musical minds of the 20th century… and he hailed from Seattle.

Songwriter, composer, arranger and producer Quincy Jones, died yesterday at the age of 91. 

The 28-time Grammy winner moved to the Pacific Northwest at the age of 10 and eventually graduated from Garfield High School. 
Jones credited Seattle's musical openness with shaping his style. He met Ray Charles here. In a typical night, they would play across the city, from the tony Seattle Tennis Club to hangouts on Jackson Street, which was in the city's red light district, playing classical, jazz, marches, and pop music.  

Jones played jazz trumpet. 

Quincy Jones described his time in Seattle for PBS' “American Masters” in 2021:

"We had to play everything with school. We played Sousa. And you play classical music and Debussy… on the jobs… Ray Charles, we, played Debussey on some of the jobs and we had to play Big Fat Butterfly parody, a parody on a poor butterfly. We had to play absolutely everything."

That musical openness and genre defying attitude was a thread that he carried throughout his life. 

In the 50's, Jones played with some of the jazz greats, including Herbie Mann, Zoot Sims, Hank Jones and Charles Mingus on Evening in Paris from his 1957 LP, “This Is How I Feel About Jazz."

A few years later Jones played with Ray Charles on "One Mint Julep."

But soon, Jones was branching out stylistically.

He left an indelible mark on the music industry through his film scores... And while Soul Bossa Nova wasn't specifically WRITTEN for Austin Powers, it certainly became known as the theme song for the "International Man of Mystery..."

He arranged songs for legends like Frank Sinatra.

And in the 70's, when funk was EVERYWHERE, Jones turned it into gold, including the track "The Streetbeater," which became the theme song to Sanford & Sons...

In the 80's Jones famously produced Michael Jackson's meteoric rise to stardom, with tracks like "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough."

He butted heads with Jackson on the opening to Billie Jean... (He thought it was too long, Jackson disagreed.)

And made the notorious phone call that got Eddie Van Halen in the studio to play guitar on "Beat It..."

Quincy Jones, a giant of American music, is one of few producers to have number one records in three consecutive decades, the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s...

Jones passed Sunday night at his home in Los Angeles. He was 91.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. 

RELATED LINK: 

Quincy Jones’s Legacy in 14 Essential Songs - New York Times

He was one of the greatest musical minds of the 20th century… and he hailed from Seattle.
Songwriter, composer, arranger and producer Quincy Jones, died yesterday at the age of 91. 
The 28-time Grammy winner moved to the Pacific Northwest at the age of 10 and eventually graduated from Garfield High School.  Jones credited Seattle's musical openness with shaping his style. He met Ray Charles here. In a typical night, they would play across the city, from the tony Seattle Tennis Club to hangouts on Jackson Street, which was in the city's red light district, playing classical, jazz, marches, and pop music.  
Jones played jazz trumpet. Quincy Jones described his time in Seattle for PBS' “American Masters” in 2021:
"We had to play everything with school. We played Sousa. And you play classical music and Debussy… on the jobs… Ray Charles, we, played Debussey on some of the jobs and we had to play Big Fat Butterfly parody, a parody on a poor butterfly. We had to play absolutely everything."
That musical openness and genre defying attitude was a thread that he carried throughout his life. 
In the 50's, Jones played with some of the jazz greats, including Herbie Mann, Zoot Sims, Hank Jones and Charles Mingus on Evening in Paris from his 1957 LP, “This Is How I Feel About Jazz."
A few years later Jones played with Ray Charles on "One Mint Julep."
But soon, Jones was branching out stylistically.
He left an indelible mark on the music industry through his film scores... And while Soul Bossa Nova wasn't specifically WRITTEN for Austin Powers, it certainly became known as the theme song for the "International Man of Mystery..."
He arranged songs for legends like Frank Sinatra.
And in the 70's, when funk was EVERYWHERE, Jones turned it into gold, including the track "The Streetbeater," which became the theme song to Sanford &amp; Sons...
In the 80's Jones famously produced Michael Jackson's meteoric rise to stardom, with tracks like "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough."
He butted heads with Jackson on the opening to Billie Jean... (He thought it was too long, Jackson disagreed.)
And made the notorious phone call that got Eddie Van Halen in the studio to play guitar on "Beat It..."
Quincy Jones, a giant of American music, is one of few producers to have number one records in three consecutive decades, the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s...
Jones passed Sunday night at his home in Los Angeles. He was 91.
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. 
RELATED LINK: 
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/04/arts/music/quincy-jones-hit-songs.html?partner=slack&amp;smid=sl-share">Quincy Jones’s Legacy in 14 Essential Songs</a> - New York Times

How to destress — and maybe depolarize — after the election

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