Category Archives: Political Polarization

Ploog, Chaikin, Ferreira Interview – Podcast May 16, 2022

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Gary LaMaster

An Egregious Invasion Of Privacy. Steve Williamson and Kathy Kinsella welcome Holli Ploog, Peggy Chaikin, Ellen Ferreira to discuss the looming U.S. Supreme Court decision on abortion and the weekend’s women’s marches in protest of Justic Alito’s leaked majority opinion. … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, Civil Society, Community Activism, Conservatives and Reactionaries, Constitutional Issues, Domestic Extremism, Elections, Ethics, Government, Health Care, Health Care Delivery, Health Care Policy, Human Rights, Interviews, Justice System, Legal Issues, LGBT Issues, Marriage Equality, National Politics, Political Polarization, Public Health Policy, Religion, Supreme Court, Women's Issues, Women's Rights | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Podcast May 9, 2022

Posted on May 9, 2022 by Gary LaMaster

Keeping Perspective: Looking To The Past And To The Future. As Democratic Perspective celebrates 11 years of programming, Steve Williamson and Gary LaMaster, two of the show’s founders, offer a retrospective of the past 11 years. Steve explains how the … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona Politics, Campaign Finance, Civil Society, Community, Community Activism, Conservatives and Reactionaries, Criminal Justice Reform, Cultural Change, Dark Money, Democratic Governance, Disinformation, Economic Policy, Elections, Ethics, Founding Fathers, Funding, Government, Interviews, Journalism, Local Politics, Medicare, National Politics, Pandemic, Political Candidacy, Political Clubs, Political Contributions, Political Polarization, Privatization, Social Security | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Casteen Interview – Podcast May 2, 2022

Posted on May 2, 2022 by Gary LaMaster

Issues Over Ideology. Steve Williamson and Karen McClelland welcome Jeanne Casteen, teacher, school board member, and director of the Secular Coalition of Arizona. She is running for the LD2 Senate seat in the Arizona legislature with hopes of reducing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona Politics, Conservatives and Reactionaries, Democratic Governance, Disinformation, Domestic Extremism, Education, Education Funding, Education Policy, Elections, Government, Interviews, Political Candidacy, Political Lies, Political Parties, Political Polarization, Poverty, Public Accountability, Public Education, Public Policy, Scandal Mongering, Social Services, Tax and Investment Policy, Tax Law, Tax Revenues, Taxation, Voting, Women's Rights | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Babaa, Jordahl Interview – Podcast February 14, 2022

Posted on February 15, 2022 by Gary LaMaster

GOP Assault On Free Speech. “You must pledge allegiance to Israel and to the corporations for which we stand.” That’s the message given to state contractors by Republican legislatures in the more than 30 states that have passed draconian laws … Continue reading →

Posted in Bigotry, Business, Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, Constitutional Issues, Domestic Extremism, Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, International Relations, Interviews, Justice System, Legal Issues, Middle East, Middle East Policy, Palestinian/Israeli Conflict, Political Polarization, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Babaa, Jordahl Interview – Podcast February 14, 2022

Singal Interview – Podcast January 24, 2022

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Gary LaMaster

The History Of Trump’s Paranoid Style Of Politics. Friend of the show, author Dan Singal, joins Steve Williamson and Karen McClelland to discuss the rural/urban divide and how Trumpism came about. He explains the phenomenon by referencing Richard Hofstadter, perhaps … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Federalism, Arizona History, Arizona Politics, Bigotry, Class Conflict, Conservative Paranoia, Conservatives and Reactionaries, Conspiracy Theories, Constitutional Issues, Cultural Change, Domestic Extremism, Economic Policy, Immigration, Interviews, LIberals and Conservatives, Movement Conservatism, National Politics, Political History, Political Polarization, Race and Class, Refugees, Religion | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Singal Interview – Podcast January 24, 2022

Gordon Interview – Podcast January 17, 2022

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Gary LaMaster

The Importance Of Enacting Voting Rights Legislation. On Martin Luther King Day, Democratic Perspective welcomes Mark Robert Gordon to discuss the ongoing struggle for equal access to voting. Gordon is an attorney who specializes in election law and represents Arizona … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona Politics, Budget Negotiations, Civil Rights, Constitutional Issues, Democratic Governance, Disinformation, Domestic Policy, Elections, Fiscal Policy, Government, Infrastructure, Infrastructure Investment, Interviews, LIberals and Conservatives, Mass Media, National Politics, Pandemic, Political Candidacy, Political Contributions, Political Lies, Political Parties, Political Polarization, Poverty, Presidential Elections, Public Policy, Racial Discrimination, Voter Suppression, Voting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Gordon Interview – Podcast January 17, 2022

Hodge Interview – Podcast January 10, 2022

Posted on January 10, 2022 by Gary LaMaster

An Enthusiastic Voice For Change. Karen McClelland and Steve Williamson welcome Jevin Hodge, former vice-chair of the AZ Democratic Party and candidate for the congressional seat currently held by the ethically challenged Rep. David Schweikert. He says, “When elected, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona Politics, Community, Community Activism, Corruption, Disinformation, Domestic Policy, Economic Policy, Economic Theory, Education, Elections, Energy Policy, Ethics, Government, Health Care, Infrastructure Investment, Innovation, Interviews, Jobs and Employment, National Politics, Political Candidacy, Political Polarization, Poverty, Public Accountability, Public Education, Small Business, Tax Law, Voting | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Hodge Interview – Podcast January 10, 2022

Year In Review – Podcast December 27, 2021

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Gary LaMaster

Putting 2021 In The Rearview Mirror. As always, at the end of the year, our hosts and contributors review the major events and news stories of the past year. In 2021, there were many to choose from: The continuing pandemic, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bigotry, Budget Negotiations, Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, Community Activism, Conservative Paranoia, Conservatives and Reactionaries, Conspiracy Theories, Constitutional Issues, Democratic Governance, Disinformation, Domestic Extremism, Domestic Terrorism, Domestic Violence, Economic Policy, Education, Education Policy, Elections, Firearms and Explosives, Government, Journalism, Law Enforcement, LIberals and Conservatives, Mass Media, National Politics, Political Lies, Political Polarization, Presidential Elections, Propaganda, Racial Discrimination, Voter Suppression, Voting | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Year In Review – Podcast December 27, 2021

Kamola, Wilson Interview – Podcast December 20, 2021

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Gary LaMaster

Should The Free Speech Rights Of Corporations Outweigh Those Of Citizens? In our upside-down culture, money now equals free speech and corporations are people. And, according to our guests, those beliefs are becoming increasingly apparent in our universities and colleges. … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Paranoia, Conservatives and Reactionaries, Conspiracy Theories, Dark Money, Disinformation, Domestic Extremism, Education, Education Funding, Front Organizations, Interviews, National Politics, Political Action Committees, Political Contributions, Political Lies, Political Polarization, Propaganda | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Kamola, Wilson Interview – Podcast December 20, 2021

Parraz Interview – Podcast December 13, 2021

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Gary LaMaster

Defeating Hate. Democratic Perspective welcomes Randy Parraz back to the show to discuss his new book, Dignity by Fire: Dismantling Arizona’s Anti-Immigrant Machine. Parraz is the activist who organized the successful effort to recall Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce, author … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona Law Enforcement, Arizona Politics, Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, Community Activism, Corruption, Domestic Extremism, Elections, Government, Human Rights, Immigration, Interviews, National Politics, Political Polarization, Public Accountability, Racial Discrimination, Racism | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Parraz Interview – Podcast December 13, 2021