Reimagining the US political system with Sharon McMahon
ReThinking
TED
4.7 • 626 Ratings
🗓️ 28 January 2025
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Sharon McMahon is a government expert, but that doesn’t mean she wants to run for office. As an author, podcaster and civics teacher, Sharon finds that her time is best spent kindly correcting people on the internet and leading her millions of Instagram followers — who call themselves the Governerds — in conversations about how to improve democracy. She joins Adam live at the Authors@Wharton series for an energetic discussion about American democracy, from the pitfalls of party loyalty to the benefits of changing voting systems. The two also chat about how to have better conversations online, reflect on one of Sharon’s favorite characters from her bestselling book The Small and Mighty and share a mantra to help you stay centered in uncertain times.
Available transcripts for ReThinking can be found at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts
ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Sean has had some good ideas over the years. |
| 0:05.0 | But using Canva was a really good one. |
| 0:08.0 | Sean designed some social posts to promote his friend's car boot sale. |
| 0:13.0 | They looked good. |
| 0:15.0 | Really, really good. |
| 0:17.0 | Next thing he knows, someone came and bought the lot, including the car. |
| 0:24.5 | Now Sean doesn't know how he's going to get home. |
| 0:28.0 | Thanks, Canva. |
| 0:30.2 | Gina's a muncher. |
| 0:32.4 | Jackson Nibbler. |
| 0:34.8 | Lucy likes to linger. |
| 0:39.7 | But not for too long And Harry |
| 0:40.8 | Thank you Harry |
| 0:43.1 | Macardo is the crunchy biscuit stick |
| 0:45.5 | dipped in smooth milk chocolate |
| 0:47.3 | And makes other biscuits look so |
| 0:48.8 | Ordinary |
| 0:49.7 | Macado is deliciously Moorish |
| 0:52.3 | However you enjoy it |
| 0:53.5 | Make every day more Macardo. |
| 0:56.5 | Grab a pack in your local store today. |
| 0:58.5 | Find Macardo in the Biscuit Isle. |
... |
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