The Great Purple State

In this brief episode, Conall and Emerson discuss broader political trends in the state of Wisconsin and ask ourselves what the future holds for our podcast's titular state. Op-ed Conall cites about rural American political trends: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/opinion/rural-voters-republican-realignment.html

In this episode, Conall and Emerson discuss the upcoming high stakes supreme court election that will determine the fate of things like Wisconsin's abortion ban, voting rights, and fair maps in the state. We explain our endorsement of Janet Protasiewicz and encourage others to vote for her!

In this final episode of our episode on Derrick Van Orden, the Republican congressional candidate for Wisconsin's Third District , Conall and Emerson make our case for why he represents a threat to Wisconsin's democracy. From his embrace of Trump's election lies to his attendance at the January 6th rally, these render him unfit to serve the people of Wisconsin's Third. We also analyze the state of Wisconsin's democracy and how other Republicans like Tim Michels and Ron Johnson also represent a threat to it - and why it's important for us to vote on November 8th to uphold Wisconsin's democracy, protect abortion rights, and more.

In this episode, Emerson and Conall dive into the culture wars the right has been waging against LGBTQ content, and how Derrick Van Orden's harassment of a teenage library page in Prairie du Chien proves his unfitness for office. We also discuss the extensive issues facing a district like WI-03, including agricultural monopolies, soil depletion, underfunding for rural hospitals, lack of access to healthcare and population loss - and why the Wisconsin GOP's policies have made these problems worse. We hope you enjoy the masterful intro by Emerson. And yes, we soon learned after we made this that Brad Pfaff's name is pronounced "Paff" - not "Faff".

In this first episode of a mini-series on Wisconsin's 3rd House district, Conall and Emerson dive into the political dynamics of Wisconsin's 3rd district, a mostly rural district in western and central Wisconsin, and how the political winds in the district have shifted as of late. We also spend time recapping some highlights from Derrick Van Orden, the 2020 Republican candidate for the district running again in 2022, for all to know within Wisconsin and without it. Including his attendance at the January 6th conspiracy theorist rally that led to an attack on the Capitol! We will be letting our listeners know about his track record and latest antics over the next few weeks, and why we both believe he's dangerously unfit to be a congressman. Expect more on this to come as election season heats up, we're just getting started.

In this emergency pod, Conall and Emerson discuss recent negative events in the world - such as the highly likely overturning of Roe v Wade, the Russian attack on Ukraine, or recent shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York. We discuss peoples' feelings of hopelessness and helplessness in times like these, and how we can work through these feelings while also orienting ourselves toward action for a better future. We also look back at the Sandy Hook shooting and what did - and didn't - change after it. Persistence is difficult in these circumstances, but both necessary and possible. In addition, Conall and Emerson discuss the recent successes the labor movement has had in the organizing drive at Starbucks' stores all over the country. LINKS TO DONATE: Sandy Hook Promise (https://takeaction.sandyhookpromise.org/a/foundation?source=salsa-redirect) National Network of Abortion Funds (https://abortionfunds.org/)

Conall's note: The reverend I quote from at the end of the podcast about trauma is Roy Peeples, pastor of Turning Point Life Church. In this 3rd installment of a 4 part series about the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin, Conall and Emerson dive into the tumult experienced by Kenosha after Jacob Blake was shot by a Kenosha police officer. Centering the accounts of those most impacted, we discuss the broader political fallout from the the killings of 2 protesters by an armed vigilante and the rioting that roiled the city for several days. Among other things, we analyze why Trump was able to outperform his 2016 numbers in the Kenosha area despite losing the state. We close with a meditation on the nature of community trauma and how events like those that roiled Kenosha linger long after they have faded from broader public consciousness.

In this second part of a 4 part mini series on the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin, we discuss the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis and how that rippled through the country - and how it changed the presidential race. And how Wisconsin - a state with stark racial disparities between Black and white residents - would soon be forced to once again confront racism in its own backyard in Kenosha, all amid the backdrop of racist rhetoric and incitement by President Trump.

In this first episode of a 4 part series, Emerson and Conall recount the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin. Remembering our experiences on that fateful election night back in November, we segue into a broader discussion of the dynamics of the election as they played out in Wisconsin (hopefully you like the general silliness in Emerson's masterful introduction). We go over the contentious 2020 Democratic primary leading up to Wisconsin's Democratic primary and the anxieties felt by many opponents of Trump over winning back the Midwest, including the pivotal tipping point state of Wisconsin - and with it the path back to the White House. In a lengthy discussion, Conall analyzes how the GOP tried to weaponize the upsurge of BLM protests that were sparked by the murder of George Floyd not only in Minneapolis, but also in places like Kenosha after Jacob Blake was shot by a police officer. We also discuss the spring of 2020 Wisconsin Supreme Court race, and how that framed the many, many larger battles over voting access and voting rights in the months to come. FACTUAL CORRECTION: Biden spoke on the night of the election in Wilmington, Delaware from the Chase Center, not from his campaign's Pennsylvania-based headquarters.

In this episode, we discuss the insurrection and attempted coup at Capitol Hill by neofascist Trump supporters witnessed on January 6, 2021. It's a date which will live in infamy, but it was not at all unforeseeable - we discuss why antifascist warnings of this type of thing were not taken seriously and what sort of consequences there needs to be for Trump and his enablers in the GOP. Factual correction: If the President is convicted in the Senate, he is not barred from holding public office ever again - the Senate would need to pass a separate resolution for that, although that only requires a majority of Senators. Sources: How the Pro-Trump Mob was Able to Take Over the Capitol https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/06/us/trump-mob-capitol-building.html?referrer=masthead An Account With Many Sources Who Experienced the Attack https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/07/capitol-hill-riots-doj-456178 Once again citing the "I Lived Through a Stupid Coup, America is Having One Right Now" that we did in a previous pod about the election https://medium.com/indica/i-lived-through-a-coup-america-is-having-one-now-437934b1dac3

In this episode, Conall and Emerson conclude (for now) their discussion of the 2020 presidential election and the lasting damage that President Trump has done to constitutional government in the United States by lying about the election's integrity. We also examine the broader role that the Republican Party has played in facilitating these conspiracy theories, and discuss more generally the importance in a democracy of losing parties seeing their losses as fundamentally fair and legitimate. We end the episode on a more hopeful note, reaffirming that the anti-Trump forces in this country are formidable when organized, and that the power of ordinary people organizing and fighting back is what got us through the Trump era. Sources: Medium article, "I Lived Through a Stupid Coup, America is Having One Right Now" https://indica.medium.com/i-lived-through-a-coup-america-is-having-one-now-437934b1dac3 Snippet from Trump campaign lawsuit in 3rd Circuit Court, where Rudy Giuliani is quoting telling a federal judge under oath *in court* "this is not a fraud cause...". Judge Bibas goes on at length to dismantle the Trump campaign's arguments. https://twitter.com/bradheath/status/1332376432559984641?s=20 Full opinion of federal Judge Bibas dismantling Trump campaign legal arguments here https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20417624-document-1 Music rights: Hit the Lights by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://www.twinmusicom.org/

In this episode, Conall and Emerson discuss the recent 2020 presidential election and the fallout from it. We discuss why former Vice President Biden was able to defeat incumbent President Trump and why Trump has been lying about the election's integrity and launching scores of groundless lawsuits instead of accepting his electoral loss and conceding. We also discuss the greater implications of this for the long term health and integrity for any sort of democratic government in America going forward. Sources cited and other useful sources: 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals decision, conservative judge categorically rejecting Trump campaign's lies about Pennsylvania's election - https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20417624-document-1 Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's op-ed in USA Today affirming Georgia's election's integrity - https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2020/11/25/georgia-secretary-of-state-election-integrity-2020-column/6407586002/ Wisconsin Election Commission resource - affirms the integrity of Wisconsin's election - https://elections.wi.gov/node/7241 538 article on social isolation and how it's found to correlate with stronger support for Trump - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/could-social-alienation-among-some-trump-supporters-help-explain-why-polls-underestimated-trump-again/

In this episode (originally meant to be a shorter blurb, ended up being more of a standard podcast), we make the case as to why Bernie Sanders is a better choice than Joe Biden to not only defeat Donald Trump, but address the structural issues in American society that helped him rise to power. From healthcare to climate, we make the case as to why Bernie best fits the precarious moment we find ourselves in.

In this blurb (a shorter podcast on a topic of interest), Conall and Emerson discuss the presidential candidacy of mega billionaire and former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg. We explain how we think he's trying to buy an election by saturating the airwaves and internet with hundreds of millions in ad buys, alongside doing things like *literally* paying social media influencers to post pro-Bloomberg content. We also note many of his policy positions like his support of the racial profiling of stop-and-frisk while he was Mayor of NYC, along with his opposition to a minimum wage increase and his derision of trans rights, among other things... In short, we make the case for why you shouldn't vote for Bloomberg. NOTE: this podcast was recorded February 21, the day before Bernie's big win in Nevada.

In this second episode to a two part mini series, Conall and Emerson discuss the role played by Customs and Border Protection and the Border Patrol in enforcing President Trump's immigration policies, and the squalid conditions in the CBP detention centers at the border that made such large headlines back in the summer. Among other things, we explore why conditions had deteriorated to such an extent at these facilities, and whether or not the phrase "concentration camp" can be said to apply. We use extensive accounts of Border Patrol agents and the Department of Homeland Security itself to corroborate the awful conditions at these facilities. Later in the episode, we go into an in-depth exploration of Stephen Miller's influence on Trump's immigration policies, and how he's been able to last so long in a White House filled with chaos and turnover. CORRECTIONS: At around the 1 hour mark, Conall got the refugee intake number set by the president for 2020 wrong. It's 18,000 refugees, down from 30,000 in 2019 and down even more from a record high of 110,000 under President Obama in 2016. At around the 55 minute mark, Conall implies that Honduras borders Mexico - it's close to Mexico, but does not actually border it. MAIN SOURCES CONSULTED (not a comprehensive list): https://www.propublica.org/article/a-border-patrol-agent-reveals-what-its-really-like-to-guard-migrant-children - Anonymous Border Patrol agent account https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/28/world/americas/rio-grande-drowning-father-daughter.html - Article explores the impact left by the deaths of Oscar and Valeria Martinez on their family in El Salvador https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/07/06/us/migrants-border-patrol-clint.html - Deep dive into the conditions at the Clint, Texas CBP facility https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/02/us/politics/border-center-migrant-detention.html - Article on the DHS's own report documenting CBP detention center conditions https://www.vox.com/2018/6/20/17484546/executive-order-family-separation-flores-settlement-agreement-immigration - Good explanation of Flores Agreement https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/06/26/photo-drowned-migrant-child-recalls-an-image-that-shocked-world/ - Discusses parallels between Oscar and Valeria Martinez' deaths and the death of the young Syrian child, Alan Kurdi in 2015. https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/cbp-security-agency/ - Explores Trump administration's designation of CBP as a "security agency", making it immune to FOIA requests

In the Great Purple State's first ever blurb - a shorter and punchier podcast on a topic of interest - Conall and Emerson discuss the power to wage and declare war and how this power is divided between Congress and the President. We analyze some notable moments in the history of the struggle for war power between the legislature and the executive, such as President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and the War Powers Act of 1973. We also examine the prospect of war between the US and Iran in the aftermath of Qasem Soliemani's assassination, and the serious life or death consequences that such a war could have. (The clip that plays at around the 10 minute mark is from the movie Lincoln (2012).

(Note: At one point Conall refers to CBP as Customs and Border Patrol. I misspoke - it's Customs and Border Protection, of which Border Patrol is a subagency) In this episode, Conall and Emerson analyze the Trump administration's embrace of hard line, xenophobic immigration policies and the controversial agency (ICE) tasked with enforcing many of them. We also note the intellectual architect of these policies, Stephen Miller, and the role he's played in pushing for all of Trump's signature immigration policies, including family separation. This is the first episode in a two part series discussing Trump's immigration policies and the agencies who enforce them. Next episode, we discuss Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

In this episode, Conall and Emerson do a deep dive into Trump’s 2020 re-election bid, while also analyzing the state of the 2020 Democratic primary. Conall explains the electoral strategy of Trump's 2020 campaign, and we also discuss the shifting demographics that we so often hear of - and what their political implications are. We emphasize that because of that wonderfully undemocratic institution known as the Electoral College, the election will center on 6 states in particular - Florida, North Carolina, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and of course... Wisconsin. Conall also articulates his view that anti-Trump sentiment is an underrated force, which is a big reason why he thinks any of the top contenders has a good shot at beating him. Finally, Conall and Emerson discuss ways to get involved such as working with a local union or canvassing in your neighborhood. Oh, and we have a fantastic outro, if you feel so inclined to stay for that...

(Factual correction from Conall: I misspoke and said the census is taken every year. I meant to say every decade!) In this episode, Emerson and Conall discuss the history and function of that much-discussed institution, the Electoral College. We analyze why it was adopted as a compromise measure by the Constitutional Convention of 1787 (and how the most important author of the Constitution, James Madison, favored a popular vote for electing the president). We also note that the Electoral College does not, in fact, protect small states and that it incentivizes presidential campaigns to narrowly focus on a dozen or fewer states in general election campaigns - in a country of 50 states, most states get ignored by campaigns in the general election owing to them not being competitive. In the last month before the 2016 election, for example, Hillary and Trump spent the vast majority of their time in just a few states: FL, OH, MI, PA, NC - all with populations of 10 million or more. Florida, the perennial swing state, is the 3rd most populated state in the country! Finally, we discuss the prospect of abolishing the Electoral College, remedies for accomplishing this, and what that would change about conducting presidential campaigns.

CORRECTION: Conall misspeaks and says the Nazi T4 program targeting disabled people ended in 1949. He meant to say 1941. However, the program did continue in less centralized fashion until the end of the war until 1945. In this final episode of a 3 part series on the history of concentration camps and the Holocaust (also known as the Shoah in Hebrew, meaning “catastrophe”), Conall and Emerson analyze why the Nazis adopted a policy of total genocide against Europe’s Jews. From the cruel methods used to the conference that led to the finalization of the Holocaust, we explore why the Holocaust happened and the series of policy decisions made by various Nazi officials that led to it. We tell the stories of those victimized - those who survived, and those who didn’t - from a small, anonymous Jewish boy in the Warsaw Ghetto to the resistance fighter Samuel Willenberg to the young writer Anne Frank. We also look at the supreme moral example set by the likes of Chiune Sugihara and Oskar Schindler in saving Jews from the Holocaust. Finally, we reflect on humanity - and the responsibility the legacy of the Holocaust leaves to us to create a better world.