Dan Richardson

Today's Meet in the Middle show is Dan's last and is titled 'A Discussion with John Donvan: What's the Path Back to Healthy Debate?'. John is the moderator for 'Open to Debate' and he and Dan unpack the importance of healthy debate and respectful dialogue, and the challenges of polarization. John shares his insights as a moderator, author, and ABC News correspondent, as well as ideas on how to increase discourse and decrease polarization.

This month's episode of Meet in the Middle show is titled 'What's Behind the Recent Rise in AntiSemitism', with guest rabbi mendel Mintz. Rabbi Mintz will share his perspective on Judaism, antisemitism, the recent university protests, and the conflict in Gaza. Dan will attempt to distinguish between the hatred at the root of antisemitism, and the criticism of Israel because of its stance and actions against Palestinians.

This month's episode of Meet in the Middle is titled ‘Unpacking Military Conflict – Both the Personal and the Political.’ Host Dan Richardson welcomes RFHS social studies teacher and retired Marine, Isaac Moore to explore the drivers, the conflicts, the rewards, and the realities of military action and military service.

This month’s show of Meet in the Middle is titled: 'Garfield County Dems and Republicans - Searching for Middle Ground Between its Local Leaders.' As the saying goes, "all politics are local." There is no question that Democrats and Republicans disagree on many issues, but is there any common ground? Guests Greg Rippy and Debbie Bruell, Chairs of the Garfield County Republicans and Democrats respectively, will share thoughts on local issues, party extremism, and why common ground even matters.

This month's episode of the Meet in the Middle show is titled ‘Abortion – the If, Who, Where, When, and Why’ with guest Sandi Kister. What are the primary arguments for and against abortion? Should it be legal and if so, should it be up to the states, Congress, or the Supreme Court to decide? Or is the right already embedded in the constitution? What’s the data say on who, where, and when? Come prepared with an open mind.

This month's episode of Meet in the Middle is titled ‘Immigration Policy v. Reality – Where does the Rubber Meet the Road?’ Immigration has been an especially hot topic for a few years, and recently it’s made headlines in Carbondale with the arrival of more than 80 Venezuelan migrants. On the show, Dan and Alex Sanchez, founder and CEO of Voces Unidas, discuss the drivers, the impacts, and the benefits of immigration nationally and locally.

On this episode of Meet in the Middle, Dan and Bente will reflect on the shows of 2023, what nuggets of wisdom can be extracted from those conversations, and how the topics relate to state-wide issues and trends. They’ll pull on the common threads of shows including political discourse, freedom of speech, leadership, and the other components of being good stewards of democracy.

This month's Meet in the Middle show is titled “Israeli – Palestinian Conflict – What is it Teaching Us?” Host Dan Richardson and guest Stew Tabin will discuss why this war has been referred to as 19th century idealism, driving a 20th century conflict, in a 21st century world. They’ll explore how other global players fit into the conflict, and if and how holding two separate but equal narratives about the conflict is possible.

This episode of the Meet in the Middle show is titled “Freedom, sustainability, identity, and civility through the eyes of a thoughtful high school student.” Host Dan Richardson and Roaring Fork High School Junior Gus Richardson (no relation) will challenge each other on these topics, and perhaps what it takes to achieve and sustain these lofty ideals.

This month's Meet in the Middle show is titled ‘What Does It Mean to “Reach Across the Aisle”?’ Dan and his guest Russ Andrews, 3rd Congressional District candidate, engineer, financial advisor, veteran, and community volunteer, will discuss some thorny topics, the challenges of balancing strong opinions with finding common agreement, and what it means to compromise in today’s world.