Unmuted's Political Pulse
Hi there! If you have suggestions for next year event types and topics, reply to let us know!
Ed Manzi here - I run Unmuted, an offline hub for intelligent people to discuss the issues of our time without judgment. In our newsletter, I highlight one upcoming Unmuted event a week, and we also highlight a number of other organization events that I find interesting across the political spectrum. In addition, every month we will publish one piece of thoughtful, Founding Member content. We’re open to feedback, so let us know what you like and want to improve! LASTLY
So what DO Americans think of H1Bs?
We’ve had a busy month at Unmuted - H1Bs, AI regs, and our first holiday party featuring Tanzanian gin. So over the next few weeks as things slow down for the holidays, we’ll be giving you some recaps of our last events, an article from one of our founding members, and some updates on Unmuted’s plans in the new year.
So let’s start with our recent H1B debate at Civic Hall - two left leaning experts going head to head on whether or not H1Bs in tech sector are necessary for innovation - or a way to pay less for labor.
What went well
1) Speaker spiciness: Both Hal Salzman from Rutgers and Jeremy Robbins from the AIC were not afraid to butt heads. We don’t always have speakers who are willing to push each other like this - and so I love seeing it when we do. More entertaining!
2) Audience engagement: We’ve been running a model of training skilled facilitators to elicit convo between audience members. This has really been a highlight of events so far and we expect will continue to be so in the new year.
3) Moderator depth: We brought in our first non-Ed moderator for the event - Amanda Hoover of Business Insider. She did her research and really understood the topic and the speakers’ overall positions. This was incredibly helpful (and something I myself would not have been as rigorous with).
What needs work
1) Venue lighting: Too much like a sterile classroom vibe. Next time we use this space we’ll be turning the lights off and bringing in battery power dim lights for the table (like a comedy club)
2) Speaker type mismatch: The sparring was good - but the two speakers came from entirely different argumentation styles. Hal was very data heavy while Jeremy was much more broad, appeal to emotions. Led to some awkward moments where it felt the speakers were arguing past each other vs on the same basis.
3) Topic primer: Especially with highly technical, wonky topics like H1Bs, we realized it’s critical to provide a base understanding of what the issue is and where the key trade-offs are BEFORE beginning the main event. Our audience is not default wonk, and are often interested in learning as much as hearing their side defended.
Overall - good event, good turnout and some great learnings for next year.
Our speakers!
Upcoming Unmuted Events
Wednesday, 1/14: LAWYERS ONLY - Who is the Law For? An intimate dinner on whether too many lawyers are in fact, the problem. (link)
Thursday, 1/15 Unmuted Comedy Hour - A bipartisan comedy hour (stay tuned for link)
This Week
It’s holiday season - some parties…
The events I’ve got my eye on this week across the spectrum. We have no more Unmuted events this year! These are mostly holiday parties!
🗓 Monday, December 15
None of interest.
🗓 Tuesday, December 16
•6:00 PM – 2025 Manhattan Republican Women Holiday Party (link)
Subject: Republican, Women, Holiday
Where: TBD
Who: Manhattan Republican Women
What: Are you a woman? Are you Republican? Are you free December 16? Do you have $33.85 in discretionary income to spend on a holiday party? Then this is for you!
🗓 Wednesday, December 17
• 6:30 PM - Red Christmas - No Office Holiday Party (link)
Subject: Communist, Holiday Party
Where: Littlefield, 635 Sackett Street, Brooklyn
Who: NY Groove
What: A communist themed holiday party -$20 tickets (that’s NOT VERY COMMUNIST) with live music!
• 7:30 PM - Maximum New York Holiday Party (link)
Subject: NYC, Holiday Party
Where: Location on Approval
Who: Maximum New York
What: A graduation party of Maximum New York’s last cohort. Maximum New York is Daniel Golliher’s org that teaches NYers how New York government actually works. Scary smart guy, and really knows his stuff. Worth a shot seeing if you can attend!
🗓 Thursday, December 18
• 6:30 PM – Asia Society Happy Hour (link)
Subject: Foreign Policy, Happy Hour, Asia
Where: Leo Bar, 725 Park Ave
Who: Asia Society
What: Pretty affordable happy hour for those interested in foreign policy and Asia. Tickets with free access to the Asia Society Museum.
🗓 Friday, December 19
None of interest
🗓 Saturday, December 20
• 1 PM – Camp Congress for New Yorkers (link)
Subject: Education, Children, Civics
Where: 1717 Broadway
Who: Girls in Politics Initiatives
What: For those of us with children (not me, as far as I know), this is a civic engagement event for kids led by women who’ve held elected or government positions. The main topic is basically the “I’m Just a Bill” music video but in depth and 4 hours long lol.
🗓 Sunday, December 21
None of interest
That’s it for this week. Let us know if there are events to highlight in upcoming weeks!
Show up, think deeper, and as always, stay Unmuted!
The Unmuted Team