Pragmatism is Patriotism

Pragmatism

is Patriotism.

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Meet Your Hosts

Dave Spencer

Dave’s journey towards practical politics was shaped by his background and a critical turning point in his life. Born in New York as a member of the Rockefeller family, he grew up around a culture of political interest and involvement and being part of a family that is one of the pillars of philanthropy in America.

But a devastating car accident at age 19 cost Dave a leg and the use of an arm. This life-changing injury required a physical, mental and emotional adjustment to deal with the realities of his disability, while also leading him to pursue a positive, pragmatic approach to seeing the world.

As part of his healing journey, Dave began sharing his experiences with others as a volunteer motivational speaker for amputees and trauma victims at medical facilities throughout the Bay Area. He broadened that outreach during six years of work for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants, with a focus on children and community service.

After earning an MBA, Dave created a wellness center in San Francisco, located in The Presidio National Park. And working with young people inspired him to found BayKids, a nonprofit organization that serves children through self-empowerment programs. Dave currently resides in Hillsborough, CA.

Carrie Sheffield

Carrie Sheffield is a columnist and broadcaster in Washington, D.C. A senior fellow at Independent Women’s Forum, she earned a master’s in public policy from Harvard University, concentrating in business policy. She earned a B.A. in communications at Brigham Young University and completed a Fulbright fellowship in Berlin. She managed municipal credit risk at Goldman Sachs and rated healthcare bonds at Moody’s Investors Service. Carrie later researched for American Enterprise Institute scholar Edward Conard and served as Warren Brookes Journalism Fellow at Competitive Enterprise Institute. While serving as executive director for Generation Opportunity, a project of Americans For Prosperity, she spoke at the U.S. Senate alongside key senators in favor of landmark tax reforms passed by Congress in 2017.

Carrie analyzed the 2014 Election Day results on MSNBC and interviewed House Speaker Paul Ryan on the mainstage of the 2016 Conservative Political Action Conference airing live on CSPAN. She provided analysis for Fox News’ first 2016 GOP presidential primary debate, co-moderated a U.S. House congressional debate in Harlem and debated healthcare policy with Tom Brokaw on MSNBC under host Chuck Todd the night of the 2016 Vice Presidential debate. She analyzed the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner as a CNN on-air guest, encouraged 2018 midterm voter turnout for ABC’s “Good Morning America,” and live-tweeted for CNN Opinion on Election Day 2018. On the lighter side, she sparred on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” got a ribbing from John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight,” and responded to a bantering from Trevor Noah of “The Daily Show.”