Episodes

  • All Big Tents Have Clowns

    All Big Tents Have Clowns
    Nov 10 2023

    Photo by Sachin Bharti on Pexels.com

    The Libertarian Party is a big tent. Someone told me last week he thinks everyone’s a libertarian, they just don’t know it. The Party appealed to me (Kasie) because it’s a place to be socially liberal (marry who you want, wear what you want, etc) and government-conservative (we don’t need laws for every damn thing, ya’ll). But here’s the thing: all big tents got clowns and ours like to show their asses.

    Twitter controversy, LPNH is ridiculous. Explain the basics.

    Our biggest problem in elections, cycle after cycle, is voters not knowing enough about Libertarian principles to support our candidates. When social media messaging like LPNH’s bullshit hits like it did this week, it’s the rest of us that have to sweep up the shrapnel.

    At a time when we need real leadership, what we have is memes and hot takes. Is social media really a place for leadership? For discovering new ideas and exploring potential political fixes?

    Every party has fringe members – the extra-woke left, the racist-as-hell right, and our big tent isn’t any different. But shouldn’t we be?

    Shouldn’t our principles about granting liberty to others as well as ourselves mean we’re tolerant of the worst of us? Or should those principles mean we don’t accept people who reject others on racist, homophobic, or sexist reasons?

    How do we get the right message out when so many wrong messages are louder? More obnoxious? More inflammatory?

    Read more on our blog
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    33 mins
  • What we learned from campaigning

    What we learned from campaigning
    Nov 10 2023

    Earned media is more valuable than paid media. But both are hard to get.

    Branding matters for consistency and professionalism. BUT great branding can’t cover up bad positions. And no by needs that many palm cards, handouts, banners, and other suchness. We need metrics for realistic purchases of these kinds of materials.

    What are the relevant milestones? Do we now know what to expect in engagement on social media, event attendance, etc? What are unrealistic expectations for engagement or attention?

    What do voters care about? How do you earn their trust enough to be able to ask them?

    What did we learn crafting positions on all these topics?

    How much support (money, volunteers, media coverage) do we need?

    If someone is thinking about running for office, why would you tell them NOT to? Why would you tell them they should?

    Read more on our blog
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    42 mins
  • Don't Tread on my Uterus

    Don't Tread on my Uterus
    Nov 10 2023

    South Carolina is one of the States that has been in the news in recent months. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade there were several states who decided that they should legislatively place controls on the providing of abortion services. Many implemented bans after certain gestational benchmarks, but some states (ahem, South Carolina) took it to the extreme with attempts to completely ban abortions altogether. 

    Sadly, a chamber full of old white men were able to draft and pass legislation that is a gross violation of womens’ rights to make medical decisions about their bodies. Thankfully, the South Carolina Supreme Court recently ruled that such a ban violates the right to privacy for women, and they nixed the whole thing. Now, these statements are always ones that get folks worked up, so before we spiral into an abyss of hostility, let’s talk about this like reasonable people. 

    One of the things people often say is that the “purpose” of these bans is to “protect the sanctity of life” or the “rights of the unborn”. While it is certainly true that life is sacred, and we can have all sorts of conversations about when life begins, it is not the place of the government to be an enforcer of morality. There are instances when women are not given a choice in getting pregnant, and forcing them to carry a pregnancy to term is cruel. 

    For example, if a woman (teenaged or otherwise) becomes pregnant as a result of being raped would you stand face to face with her and tell her that she must carry to term a pregnancy that is the result of one of the most violent acts a human can take on another? Where do her rights begin in this situation? 

    OR- what if a woman finds out mid-pregnancy that the child she carries will almost certainly claim her life if she carries to term? Where do her rights begin in this situation? 

    Another reason many support these bans is because they are concerned with late-term abortions or partial birth abortions.The fact of the matter is that this is not the norm. Women are not just getting pregnant for fun, carrying a baby for 7-8 months, then having an abortion. I have been pregnant twice, and I can tell you that the idea of this happening with regularity is absolutely absurd. 

    Read more on our blog
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    35 mins
  • There is No More Normal, New or Otherwise

    There is No More Normal, New or Otherwise
    Nov 10 2023

    COVID is still a thing and yet I’m always a little startled when someone says they’ve tested positive or that they’ve been exposed. Sometime back in 2021 someone said we would learn to live with it and I guess we have. But I don’t want to forget and it feels like I am, and like people have. We’ve forgotten the powerful lessons we learned during COVID. And while there is some lingering momentum for some groups, on the whole we’ve gone back to business-as-usual and it’s scary.

    While all demographics were affected by the pandemic, the lockdowns, and the raging debates over vaccines and mandates, we represent a very specific group: working moms. We are (mostly) on the millennial-side of GenX – in our 40s – and have kids in elementary and middle school – two high schoolers now. Melissa works part-time from home, Jess full-time from home, and Kasie full-time outside of home (but it’s academia and there’s lot of flexibility). We were fortunate to stay employed during COVID, but our experiences are not unique: overwhelmed, confused, angry, frustrated, sad, scared, and fed-up. 

    If you hadn’t had the “I’m the only grown up in the room,” realization before COVID, no way you came out the other side of it without at least once saying, “Why are all the so-called adults idiots?”

    So tonight we’re talking about the impacts of the COVID crisis – and make no mistake it was the perfect storm of crises – on working moms.

    Let’s break it into categories of crisis.

    • Your family. Your kid’s schooling.
    • Your employer. Your job.
    • Your mental health. Your coping mechanisms.
    • The aftermath: what has irrevocably changed and what has (frustratingly or thankfully) gone back to “normal.”

    Your Family: what did you learn about the people you live with? Do you like them? Are they fun? My sister accused my family of having a “covid bubble” wherein we got really close, established inside jokes, and actually like one another. It’s alienating, she said, to anyone who’s not us. What about school? What did you learn about your kid’s school? This created a surge in school board candidates and elections. The near-total incompetence of the government-run school system was on display. Our superintendent resigned this year under pressure that began during COVID.

    Your employer: how did your business handle the lockdowns? What was the effect on your job? On company culture? On your industry? Has it been easier or harder since then to get back to pre-pandemic levels of productivity? We know a lot of industries are still recovering from the pandemic-caused supply-chain disruptions. Our legislators are quick to make laws forcing industry to recover, but these things have to work themselves out. Who should solve the problems the pandemic caused?

    Your mental health: What did you learn about your own ability to cope during COVID? I’m a social person, so not seeing people nearly crushed me. We started having socially-distanced driveway happy hours. Every day, not just Fridays. It really helped us to see our neighbors and friends during COVID. Our family was a spectrum of caution. Some didn’t care one bit, or at least thought the risk was worth it to be together. Others were very cautious. I need exercise, too. It keeps me sane. So my daily walking habit with my friend and neighbor helped a lot. We played a lot of golf, Charlie and me. 

    Read more on our blog
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    35 mins
  • Murdaugh, Murdaugh, Murdaugh

    Murdaugh, Murdaugh, Murdaugh
    Nov 10 2023
    Photo by NEOSiAM 2021 on Pexels.comIn Season 4, Ep 3, we talked about the death of Mallory Beach, and how we use the story as a cautionary tale to talk to our kids about being careful of the company one keeps. For those unfamiliar with the story you can go back and watch that episode, or better yet go check out Mandy Matney’s “Murdaugh Murders Podcast”. Mandy has done an incredible job of covering this unbelievable story from start to now. In a VERY broad overview- In February 2019 Alex Murdaugh’s son, Paul, was intoxicated and involved in a boat accident that claimed the life of a young woman named Mallory Beach. This accident set off an incredible series of events and revelations that shone light on decades and generations of corrupt power in the LowCountry of South Carolina. Shortly thereafter, Mallory’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Murdaughs, among others. It has been revealed that Alex Murdaugh tried to influence the other parties involved in the accident as well as the investigation into the accident.  Two years later, in June 2021, Alex Murdaugh found his wife and son, Maggie and Paul, murdered on the grounds of their hunting lodge, Moselle, in Colleton County, South Carolina. In September that same year Alex called 911 claiming that he had a flat tire on a back country road, and someone stopped and shot him. It was later revealed, by admission from Alex himself, that it was coordinated so that Alex could appear murdered in order for his older/surviving son to collect an insurance policy. In November of the same year Alex was indicted on 19 financial crimes, with 99 charges,  including fraud and embezzlement. It was discovered that he had stolen millions of dollars from his clients, his law firm, financial institutions, and those closest to him. Others are going down with him, but we won’t go down the rabbit hole. In the summer of 2022 Alex Murdaugh was charged with the murder of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh after high velocity blood splatter was found on his clothing from the night of the slayings. Now we are sitting through “the trial of the century” in South Carolina.This doesn’t even account for the death of Stephen Smith, or the mysterious death of housekeeper Gloria Satterfied (in which Alex committed more insurance fraud to collect money from his homeowners insurance for his housekeeper’s family, then kept it all for himself). There is so much more in between those lines, but that should get you pretty much caught up- at least enough to keep track.  In our episode last year we talked mostly about the boat crash that claimed the life of Mallory Beach, the impact it had on the other people on the boat that night, and how we use it as a cautionary tale for our kids about choosing friends wisely, and how to remove yourself from dangerous or potentially dangerous situations. Now we have a trial where a man who was once one of the more powerful men in our state, and one of the most powerful in the LowCountry, is finally being held accountable for years of corruption and abuse of the system, and defrauding those who trusted him. He is being represented by two high-powered attorneys, one of whom is an elected Senator in SC with a lot of powerful contacts nationally. Alex’s attempts to drive the case and establish stories are clear throughout every witness statement that has been provided related to any of the events in this saga. Throughout all the incidents outlined above Alex tried to write his own narrative. At the hospital after the boat crash he tried to create a story with the witnesses to lessen the likelihood that his son would be the focus of any investigation. He did the same with investigators the night of Maggie’s and Paul’s murders. He did it with his mother’s caretaker to make sure she was clear on his alibi. National media handling of the case and coverage has been either biased or entirely founded on ignorance. Is there a lesson in this? A damning piece of evidence in this case is a Snapchat video Paul Murdaugh posted moments before the murders. Alex had said he was at his mother’s at the time Maggie and Paul were murdered, but his voice is heard (and has been confirmed by multiple sources close to him) on the video. Other videos Paul took show Alex in different clothing earlier in the day, and which has yet to be found. Why Harpootlian? Circuit Court Judges are chosen by legislature, so having a high-powered senator as your representation would certainly guarantee your judge is friendly to you, right? Is it fair that power and privilege would allow you to manipulate the system in such a way? How has Judge Cliffton Newman handled the case, and what does it teach our children? Innocent until proven guilty- how do we explain to our kids that even someone like Alex Murdaugh deserves representation and a fair trial when he has done so many horrible things to so many good people, and when his lies are stacked on lies and ...
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    35 mins
  • "R" is for Revolution

    "R" is for Revolution
    Nov 10 2023

    People are protesting in France and we have a different take on this. Let’s talk about the Supreme Court decisions and checks and balances and where we stand in terms of the need for revolution. If our branches of government were checking each other, would we even need revolution? 

    1. Are we the beneficiaries of our ancestors’ disdain for authoritarianism, or are we just looking for authority of a different kind?

    Photo by Vincent M.A. Janssen on Pexels.com

    Living in the US we are taught from very early in our education about the revolution and the freedom our founding fathers wanted. It is human nature to question and challenge authority, but we are freer to do that than in other places in the world. 

    1. When is violent uprising warranted, and when do we settle for peaceful protest?

    Peaceful: Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks

    Violent: Jan 6? Black Lives Matter? Ruby Ridge?

    Note- The Peaceful are celebrated while the violent are not. Why?

    1. How old should we be before we’re expected to revolt and/or enact change?

    Our founding fathers were in their late teens and early twenties when they began their mission to stand against the King in an effort to establish a society founded in liberty. 

    1. Are we willing to engage in a complete overthrow of the system for the possibility of something better?

    Read more on our blog
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    50 mins
  • "C" is for Criminal Justice Reform

    "C" is for Criminal Justice Reform
    Nov 10 2023
    (Jess) If you read my campaign interviews or met me on the campaign trail you most likely heard mention of my father. From a very early age (probably 5 or 6 years old) he began including me in discussions about all things politics. It wasn’t indoctrinating, but rather done in a way that challenged me to consider all factual information, and that encouraged critical thinking. I grew up in, what was, a very small southern town. It was not unknown that there were some power-seeking police officers patrolling the streets, so when it came time for me to start hanging out with friends independently he gave me a “pocket constitution” and made sure I understood my rights. While he instilled in us (my brother and me) a deep respect for law enforcement and the part they play in our “civilized society”, he was also sure that we knew our constitutional rights and how to demand respect for them from “authorities”.  I once had the occasion to use this knowledge, which was pretty shocking to the officer who pulled my friend and I over because “there were bumper stickers on the back window”, and who insisted he search the vehicle based on this “probable cause”. He wasn’t keen on being educated by a 16-year old girl who quickly told her friend not to comply and to demand he obtain a warrant should he wish to search the vehicle. Not because we had done anything wrong or had anything to hide, but because the cop was an overzealous powerdrunk asshat who just wanted to bully some kids, and I didn’t intend to aid him with any ease. That was where it all started for me, and why today every time there is a news story about someone being killed by use of excessive force at the hands of police officers I get angry. Education and Training ReformThere is something very unsettling in the lack of substantive requirement for education and training for Law Enforcement Officers (hereinafter “LEOs”). The Greenville, SC website outlines clearly the requirements for becoming a police officer in South Carolina. “Once employed as a Police Officer in Training, you will attend the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia for 12 weeks. Certified Officers from other states and Military Police may qualify for a 6-week legal portion or a challenge test. The Field Training Program (FTO) is 600 hours. This may be shortened to compensate for prior experience. The probationary period is typically 1 year.”In contrast, attorneys complete at least 4 years of college to earn a bachelor’s/undergraduate degree, then roughly three years of law school, and oftentimes clerkship. Upon completion they must take an exhaustive Bar Examination in order to earn a license to act in defense of the rights of individuals under the laws. These are the same laws that our LEOs are authorized to use force to uphold should they feel force is necessary, and in some cases such force being lethal. Attorneys go through 7 years of education to understand and argue the laws that LEOs are allowed to enforce, with a badge and a gun, after 12 weeks of academy and 600 hours of field training. “One study found that of the 833 hours the average police officer receives in training, 73 of those hours cover firearms skills but only 18 (just 2%) are spent on conflict deescalation (link).” Mental Health Resources and Deescalation TrainingIn January, in the Huntington Park area of Los Angeles, a man named Anthony Lowe was shot and killed by police officers. Anthony was a double amputee who was wheelchair bound. In Deleware, 28 year-old Jeremy McDole was shot by police who approached him, guns drawn, demanding he relinquish his own weapon.End pretextual stops, overcriminalization, and the war on drugsEnd no-knock warrantsEnd Civil Asset ForfeitureEnd Cash BailEnd Qualified ImmunityLegislationIn May 2022, Governor McMaster signed into law some police reform efforts (story) (bill) (editorial):Bans putting an untrained officer on duty aloneExpands on what qualifies as police misconductBans chokeholds across the state (outside of circumstances in which the use of deadly force would be allowed)Requires standards be written for law enforcement agencies and penalizes agencies that break those standardsExpands the definition of “police misconduct” to include failing to intervene or report when a fellow officer engaged in abuse of authorityRequires law enforcement agencies to quickly document and report misconductThen, in June 2023, HB 3532, the so-called “catch-and-release” bill that makes it harder for violent offenders to be released on bail and/or bond, became law. It requires judges to take into account the accused’s prior record before setting bail.Read more on our blog
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    40 mins
  • The Rage Cycle

    The Rage Cycle
    Nov 10 2023
    The story begins with all the buzz around Sound of Freedom, a film released by a small(er) studio called Angel Studios, that made use of social media in a uniquely dishonest way. There were two narratives around Sound of Freedom:The film the left doesn’t want you to see; blows the lid off what’s reallyhappening in the child sex trafficking (Hollywood customers, Democratic Party donors and operatives)Q Anon conspiracy-riddled fabrication, distorts a very real issue and exploits the children who are truly victims of the heinous crime of trafficking; glorifies one operative (Tim Ballard) with questionable credentials.The truth is, it’s just a film. Yes, there’s a glorified hero. Yes, there are children depicting the trauma and tragedy of child sex trafficking. Is this the match to light the pyre on the democrats child-trafficking-youth-extension-plot-of-supreme-evil? No. This is clever (?) marketing.Get the right to claim it’s a “real” story, that it reveals truths only whispered about in conspiracy echo chambers; get the left to claim it’s right-wing propaganda. Both sides will shout until they’re hoars and then they’ll all go see the film.Meanwhile, Jess and Melissa didn’t see anything about the film because it wasn’t in their internet neighborhoods. We recently talked about how the internet is a wide enough place with smart enough algorithms that we are all living inside customized echo chambers. These are your internet neighborhoods. Mine (Kasie) are:Heavily GenXLibertarian politicsTaylor SwiftDrinking. Lots of Drinking.The second separate-but-equal internet brew-ha-ha is Barbieheimer. The release of both Oppenheimer and Barbie on the same day (July 21) spawned an internet frenzy around seeing both films to get the film equivalent of sweet-and-savory. Again, this was only part of certain internet neighborhoods. Me and Charlie never saw it, but it was everywhere for Hollie. Who, incidentally, isn’t old enough to see Oppenheimer.So how does it work? It’s a little bit like the Crisis Cycle in a prior episode. Movie promoters (savvy marketers) identify specific internet neighborhoods through influencers and podcasters. They put the movie’s talking points in those influencers’ space (some of them are probably paid) and then let the frenzy begin. And the more likes, shares, and discussions spawned, the more traction the idea of the film gets. This, as it turns out, translates into ticket sales.Not convinced? Sound of Freedom – an indie film – has grossed $155 million since its July 4th release. Barbie is on the cusp of $1 billion globally and Oppenheimer is close with $500 million. Like they say, sooner or later that adds up to real money.Harnessing the echo chambers, it turns out, is a winning marketing strategy. It’s a strategy that will likely shift into high gear as primary season approaches. We’re already seeing Robert Kennedy Jr. make the podcast rounds since mainstream media (MSM) is ignoring him but good. And we’re waiting for the deep bench of Republican primary candidates to get a clue as to how to put themselves in the right echo chambers with Trump sucking up all the air in MSM.So what’s the appeal? Most listeners believe the niche operatives (podcasters and influencers) are more honest and less biased than MSM. You read that right. Even when they know they’re listening to a podcaster with a lean (er… Meghan Kelly) listeners believe the podcaster is more fair. More truthful. And not beholden to big corporate interests. And YET where are the rules and regulations determining who pays Kelly (Joe Rogan, Russell Brand, all of Barstools)? There aren’t any. So our podcasters are beholden to advertisers just like traditional media and yet we still claim they’re honest, direct, and trustworthy. Why?Because we want to believe them. We agree with them. And so we want to believe them.Content creators stoke the rage fire to keep you engaged. They want eyeballs. They want likes, shares, followers, patrons, supporters, and merch buyers.Content creators make money three ways:Streaming itself – YouTube and TikTok both pay creators, Twitch enables in-app tippingMerch – popular creators have t-shirts, coffee mugs, hoodies, plushies, etc.Patrons – behind the scenes, exclusive interviews, etc. Patrons support for extra access to the creators.If you’re not buying merch or paying as a patron, you’re at least contributing to some metric that gets the creator paid.AND until FTX (the digital currency exchange that imploded) we haven’t seen content creators have to pay for saying crazy shit. Read more on our blog
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    43 mins