Categories: Politics, government, election, community

ABOUT:

Government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from this earth. Those words, uttered by Abraham Lincoln during a time when the United States of America was more bitterly divided than at any other point in our history, expressed the promise of American democracy that we have been reaching toward for nearly 250 years. So… How’s everyone feeling about American politics right now?

Welcome to Of, By, and For The People, a podcast hosted by Mat Myslinski. This show is an honest effort to explore for ourselves as Americans how we feel about our government, our politics, and our future, and what we can do to keep Abe honest and make sure that our government is truly of, by, and for us, the people. The big question, the one that we will try to answer together in this show, is how can we reach for everything we are capable of while also facing down hyper-partisanship, a media ecosystem that is losing trust, and all of the issues that confront us on a day-to-day basis, whether that’s our economy, our healthcare system, our safety and security, whatever they may be.

Every week we are going to have on a different ordinary American citizen as a guest, folks who understand that sharp sense of frustration with the tone and effectiveness of our politics and our government right now. These citizens may be unsure of which way they will vote, or whether they will decide to vote at all, so these everyday Americans will be coming in to ask honest questions from our other guests: two policy experts, representing different perspectives on the political spectrum, and we will be looking to get answers on how each side genuinely proposes to make life better for all of us. For these experts, it will be their goal to persuasively answer these questions to explain how policy, the real and concrete ways that government is affecting our lives, can be what brings us together so that we’re able to find our way past this toxic environment of attacks, accusations, and anger that dominates our politics. It will be my job to make sure that these conversations stay on track, ensure that partisan attacks and narratives do not make their way into these discussions, and press the guests past surface level talking points into the actual policy details that affect all of us.

But this isn’t a podcast just for political junkies and policy wonks. This show will be a space for any and every American who wishes that getting involved, using our voices and our votes to shape our country’s future, could just feel good, could feel optimistic and unifying instead of the divisiveness we’re used to.

It’s for anyone who believes that our government is supposed to work for us, for our benefit, for our common good. It’s for anyone who believes that your voice matters just as much as the person’s next to you, just as much as the voices dominating our politics right now, and that all of our voices demanding better can overcome the noise and chaos if we stay focused on one simple idea: there are policies we can pursue and conversations we can have that bring our government closer to that ideal of being of, by, and for us. We are the people, this is our home, and we can do better.

About Mat:

Mat Myslinski was born and raised in Worcester, MA, where he attended the College of the Holy Cross

and received a degree in Political Science, Religious Studies, and Africana Studies. He has taken on a

variety of roles ranging from volunteer to campaign manager in a multitude of political campaigns,

building experience at the local, state, and national levels, and most recently served as campaign

manager in a State Representative race. In addition to his work in electoral politics, he spent time at the

Massachusetts State House focusing on policy research, as well as working in his Congressman’s office

facilitating constituent services. Mat continues to live in Worcester with his two cats, Elsie and Leo.