The Many Contrasts Of Arizona History. Steve Williamson and Karen McClelland welcome Prescott activist Glenn Miller to explore the evolution of Arizona political history.
They begin by discussing some of the contradictions of Arizona, which saw the state go from the Wild West to a very progressive territory then to conservatism. Miller says, “A big part of why Arizona was so progressive was the labor movement, which was not that powerful. Because it wasn’t until 1935 [when] we had the Wagner Act that the federal government got on the side of labor rights.”
That was apparently a reaction to some of the territory’s early corporations.
Miller explains, “To understand Arizona history during the territorial period, you’ve got to understand the mining industry and these rapacious mining corporations who were just brutal in how they treated the environment, the natural environment, and how they treated the workers.” He continues, “The convention that formed the Arizona Constitution was overwhelmingly Democrat. And they were fighting for progressive things like the recall of judges, the referendum, the initiative…these were core things in the progressive movement in the early twentieth century. And it was really about the 1950s down in Maricopa, Barry Goldwater became a force. Republicans have mostly been dominant until today, except Arizona has been shifting to a purple state.”
Cole Interview – Podcast March 8, 2026
Trying To Understand The Iran War. Steve Williamson, Karen McClelland and Gary LaMaster welcome Juan Cole for our final radio broadcast to discuss the Trump regime’s attack on Iran. (After nearly 15 years on KAZM-AM in Sedona, we will be moving to podcast only in the near future.) Cole is the Richard P. Mitchell Distinguished University Professor of History at the University of Michigan, author of numerous books, and author of Informed Comment weblog.
When asked for his thoughts on the Iran War, Cole explains, “Well, there’s a lot of destruction going on, but it’s not clear where it’s going because the Trump administration never has laid out its rationale for the war. We don’t know what the goal is – what they’re trying to achieve. There was some talk about regime change, but that doesn’t seem to be very likely. Bombing people from the air doesn’t usually change their government by itself.” On the other hand, he adds, “The Israelis are clear on what they want.”
As for the future of the war, Cole says, “I think the calculus has to be from the point of view of the American public. Is this what you want to spend more billions of dollars on? We already are deeply in debt. Our debt exceeds now our GDP by several trillion dollars. It’s a danger to our economy, to the status of the dollar as a reserve currency.”