• Episode 668: THOM HARTMANN-HIDDEN HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN DREAM: The Demise of the Middle Class & the Roots of MAGA
    Nov 22 2024

    In 2024, Republicans won the popular vote for only the second time since 1980. After the worst four years of his life, Trump, running against the best administration for labor in years, won bigger numbers than 2020 among working class voters - including Blacks & Latinos. Hartmann’s new book, THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN DREAM: The Demise of the Middle Class – and How to Rescue Our Future, supplies the backstory to that damaging development. Biden finally dumped neo-liberalsim but voters didn't know.



    Show more Show less
    30 mins
  • Episode 667: ROB JOHNSON & I RESPOND TO ELECTION-Every election now a vote for change. Seeds sown for last 40 years.
    Nov 8 2024

    As we have for the last few elections, ROB JOHNSON - Executive Director of the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) and host of podcast ECONOMICS & BEYOND - and I offer our post-mortems. Biden’s late withdrawal meant the Dems skipped primaries, debates, and a convention that would have tested candidates and messages. 2024 was another “change” election and they didn’t get the memo. Bad time to be an incumbent. Trump’s message: If you’re angry, vote for me. Turns out a lot of voters were angry.



    Show more Show less
    1 hr
  • Episode 666: She got Alito to confess his politics-LAUREN WINDSOR-new doc-GONZO FOR DEMOCRACY
    Oct 25 2024

    LAUREN WINDSOR calls herself an “advocacy journalist”. Her biggest scoops usually come when she goes undercover among right-wing pols and donors to secretly record things they don’t want us to hear. Her accidental truth-tellers include Sam Alito, Rudy Giuliani, Roger Stone, John Eastman, and Ted Cruz. Executive producer of The Undercurrent and executive director of American Family Voices, we talk about her new documentary, GONZO FOR DEMOCRACY. You can learn more at laurenwindsor.com


    Windsor, Lauren 10-24-24 Transcript

    Show more Show less
    42 mins
  • Episode 665: STEVE UJLAKI-Must See Doc-BAD FAITH: Christian Nationalism’s Unholy War on Democracy
    Oct 18 2024

    STEPHEN UJLAKI’s documentary BAD FAITH opens with the following text: “Christian Nationalism is a political movement that believes America was founded as a Christian nation privileging Christianity over all other faiths. Masquerading as religion, this ideology exploits scripture and sacred symbols to achieve extremist objectives.” The film lays out the timeline, connects the dots, and makes clear that 1) Christian Nationalism is a political movement first, not a religious one. 2) Since the 1970s, it has been relentless, well funded, absolutely cynical, and frighteningly successful. 3) Christian Nationalists have achieved much of what they set out to do, and, if Trump wins again, have dark plans for more.



    Show more Show less
    1 hr
  • Episode 664: GREG PALAST-VIGILANTES INC-GOP takes voter suppression & election theft to next level
    Oct 11 2024

    I’ve been talking about voter suppression with GREG PALAST since 2002. Known for his investigative reports for BBC, The Guardian, and Rolling Stone, his new documentary, VIGILANTES INC: America’s New Vote Suppression Hitmen, narrated by Rosario Dawson and produced by Martin Sheen, reveals that in 43 states individual citizens are able to challenge and remove fellow citizens from voter rolls. You can donate to watch it at gregpalast.com where you can also find Greg’s other documentaries, and his articles and books, including The Best Democracy Money Can Buy - or stream it for free at saveyourvote.org.



    Show more Show less
    35 mins
  • Episode 663: WENDELL POTTER-Health Insurance Whistle-Blower-Profits over patients and only getting worse
    Oct 3 2024

    I get the dirt from WENDELL POTTER about our broken healthcare system, especially the role of insurance companies, who consistently put profit above the health and lives of patients. Potter walked away from his job at one of the country's largest health insurers to emerge as a critic of the industry and an advocate of reform. He’s a best-selling author (DEADLY SPIN and NATION ON THE TAKE), leads the Center for Health and Democracyand publishes HealthCareUncovered on Substack. You can learn more at wendellpotter.com

    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Episode 662: KEVIN BOYLE, THE SHATTERING: America in the 60s-Are the Silent Majority today’s undecided MidWest voters?
    Sep 26 2024

    Here’s my 2022 conversation with National Book Award winner, KEVIN BOYLE, about his book, THE SHATTERING: AMERICA IN THE 1960s. He reminds us that, after the Depression and two World Wars, the Silent Majority craved security not change. I suspect this history lesson offers us a window into the minds and the worldviews of many of the crucial undecided MidWest and Sunbelt voters upon whom this election and our future depends. You can learn more at kevinboylehistory.com



    Show more Show less
    58 mins
  • Episode 661: ARLIE HOCHSCHILD-STOLEN PRIDE: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right
    Sep 17 2024

    ARLIE HOCHSCHILD is the author of best-seller, STRANGERS IN THEIR OWN LAND: Anger & Mourning on the American Right. Five years talking with folks in Southern Louisiana revealed a “deep story” that holds their political contradictions together - they’re waiting in line for the American Dream and Democrats help others - Blacks, Latinos, LGBTQ - cut in front of them. In her new book, STOLEN PRIDE: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right, she takes readers to Pike County, Kentucky. In the nation's whitest and second poorest congressional district , she looks again at the intersection of jobs, culture, emotion, and politics.



    Show more Show less
    1 hr