CMoney talks to Kentucky Congressional Candidate, Progressive Democrat Connor Halbleib about his run in the whitest and second poorest district in the US. Halbleib outlines the ways in which a Progressive platform can appeal to working-class voters, even in a red district. The GOP incumbent in the district, Hal Rogers, has been in office since 1981 and is nicknamed the "Prince of Pork" for his ability to bring money to the district (despite the fact that this money mostly benefits the super-rich and corporations.)  Connor explains that Medicare for All, while it would be transformative, i ..read more

Pat talks to Joe Thomspon about the push to form a Union at a Santa Cruz, CA, Starbucks shop. Joe discussed how the Union-busting efforts undertaken at the direction of CEO Howard Schultz have backfired. Starbucks brought in help from high priced anti-union law firms, but it hasn't slowed the effort to form unions across the country. This episode focuses on the working conditions that led to a union push from Starbucks workers, the steps taken to register with the National Labor Relations Board, and the resolve of workers to stay with the fight despite countless efforts to bust the Union effor ..read more

In this episode, Pat talks to Jason Call, candidate for Congress in Washington's 2nd District, about the need for Single-Payer Healthcare, the outsized influence of money in our political system, and what Call has been working for through Progressive Activism in the last 30 years. Jason Call started as a public school teacher and has been active in trying to get the Washington State Democratic Party to focus on Grassroots sources of funding instead of taking money from corporate lobbyists. Also discussed is the push for Single Payer healthcare in Washington State, which Jason has been doing th ..read more

Pat, Dan, and C$ Burns open the episode, which features Travis Smith (@Extermin8) a Communist Party Activist, by discussing some of our own inherited anti-Communist Bias, we discussed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's grace and the dog-whistle racism she faced when being interviewed by GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee like Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) and we discussed some of the important background listeners might need to stay engaged in the interview.  Pat and Travis talk about Travis' ideological journey from Evangelical, Conservative family in East Texas, always un ..read more

Pat talks to California resident, father, immigrant and indigenous advocate, Shervin Aazami who is running for US Congress in CA's 32nd district. Aazami brings a committed voice for fighting poverty: Housing First, public health advocacy for the unhoused, financial reform, the Green New Deal, and the public's overwhelming support for these bold programs was among topics discussed. As the child of Iranian immigrants by way of Italy, Aazami knows first-hand about both the opportunities in the US and the pitfalls of the predatory system of extraction that is our free-market, Capitalist system.&nb ..read more

Pat talked to Megha Agarwal, the Executive Director of the Bridge Project about Guaranteed Income. The Bridge Project is New York City’s first guaranteed income program. Launched in June 2021 by The Monarch Foundation, the Bridge Project is designed to support low-income mothers in New York City during the first 1,000 days of their children’s lives by providing them with consistent, unconditional cash on a biweekly basis.  Early studies, some of which are discussed on this episode, are showing a plethora of benefits to providing no strings attached, unconditional income to young mothers ..read more

Pat talks to Shawn Lawler, a leftist podcaster from Ontario, about the "Freedom Convoy" or "Trucker Convoy," protests that have grown into blockades of various roadways. Shawn and Pat examined the influence of Right Wing media and Facebook on the anti-vaccine mandate demands from the participating individuals as well as the role US billionaires have played in funding the blockades. Shawn explains that police have been sympathetic, at times even helping protestors who have shown little regard for the people of Ottawa. Also discussed was the contradiction inherent in the protests: while the prot ..read more

Food Insecurity and Hunger have grown immensely during the COVID Pandemic. Dan talks to Dana Siles, MA and RI branch manager of Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, a non-profit that picks up excess food and delivers it to families in need, reducing food waste and hunger at the same time. The delivery model keeps families safe during the pandemic by limiting exposures that might occur at supermarkets and restaurants. Nearly 1 in 4 households in the US experienced food insecurity in 2021. RLC stepped up when COVID hit, launching a prepared meal program in addition to their delivery of excess fo ..read more

Journalist, Novelist, Author Ross Barkan talks to Pat about the overwhelming influence wasted by Senator Manchin, Biden's first year in office and how Biden should get some important work done with Executive Actions, the NYC Mayoral race of 2021, and the future of Progressivism after a likely defeat for Democrats in the 2022 Midterms.  Ross Barkan is a freelance journalist whose work is featured in Jacobin, the Guardian, and many other important publications. He writes novels and non-fiction - his latest novel, "The Night Burns Bright" is due out in February of this year. His perspective ..read more

To kick off Season 4, Dan, Pat, and C$ tried something a little different: no guest interview, just the three co-hosts cutting it up, updating listeners on some previous guests like Dr. Asatar Bair, Lourin Hubbard, Dan Wilson, Robb Smith, and more.  Topics discussed:  Unions making in-roads at Starbucks, Successful strikes like St. Vincent Nurses' strike in Worcester, MA, "The Big Quit" Gary Chambers announces run for Senate with a video of him smoking a blunt, explaining how marijuana prohibition has disrupted countless lives, especially black and brown lives.  How Cryptocurren ..read more