Hour 1: The Grammys Flashpoint | Patrick Payton on the Quiet Majority
Podcasts > Shake It Off with Mert & Lucas
Tune in each week, as an established lawyer, and a self- proclaimed “man of the people,” debate some of the hottest issues impacting our city, state and nation.
Monday, February 9, 2026
Episode 83 tracks how the Grammys became a flashpoint for debates over representation and cultural power. As the country confronts intensifying scrutiny of ICE and its enforcement practices, the hour situates the awards show within a broader national reckoning over who is protected, who is marginalized, and who gets a platform to speak. The hour concludes with an interview featuring Patrick Payton, a civic leader who argues that America’s “quiet majority” still holds the power to mend a fractured nation. In The Middle: How the Quiet Majority Can Mend a Divided Nation, he lays out a grounded, practical roadmap for restoring trust, rebuilding civic unity, and reclaiming common purpose.
