Common Grounds | Brooksiders Dissect Campaign Advertisements Bella Napoli Hosts the Latest Episode

What happens when a regular coffee group gathers at a Brookside restaurant? Check out the latest episode of “Common Grounds” to find out.

The hangout of choice for our coffee conversationalists is Bella Napoli Italian Restaurant, Deli, and Coffee Bar at 6229 Brookside Blvd.

Sharon Grosshart, Fred Newman, Bob Miller, Nelson Maurice, and Jackie Allen invited our production crew to join them over a cup of joe.

Talk of the upcoming elections turned to a discussion about campaign ads.

“If they’re using incredible scare tactics, or they’re using fuzzy math, or they’re using slander,” Grosshart said, “I have a tendency to put that person down as someone I would never vote for. Never.”

Allen was unimpressed with the TV pitches of Missouri’s gubernatorial candidates.

“When you see the lady who wants to become a governor shooting, she does not need that to be heard,” she said. “[If] she proposes something great, maybe people will listen. And the men are always [the] same. They have to show that the gun is always behind [them].”

“Common Grounds” is a regular video series produced by KCPT in association with Consensus, a nonprofit focused on community engagement. Its purpose is to capture the pulse of our community over coffee. The segments run as part of “Week in Review,” which airs on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and again on Sundays at 11 a.m. Flatland is also publishing the segments.

If you’d like the Common Grounds team to head to your coffee shop or listen in to your group, contact us at commongrounds@kcpt.org.

— Brett Baker is the Scripps Howard Foundation Fellow at the Hale Center for Journalism. He is also the coordinator for “Common Grounds.” To reach Baker, email intern_hale1@kcpt.org.