Schaitberger Interview – Podcast August 31, 2020

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Gary LaMaster

One Nation Indivisible Against Trump. Democratic Perspective welcomes Sharli Schaitberger, a member of the steering committee for Indivisible Arizona in Phoenix. She recalls that Indivisible was begun by a couple of former congressional staffers who wrote a guide to help counter Trump. It took off after the 2016 election. By early 2017, before Trump was even inaugurated, there were thousands of volunteers for Indivisible nationwide.

Schaitberger notes it was a grassroots organization that grew from the bottom up, saying, “At first it was just friends who gathered in their living rooms. The began by showing up at representative’s town halls and asking questions. The group now numbers more than a million members nationwide and about 400 in Phoenix of which about 40 are very active.

Given the increasing number of lies from Trump, Schaitberger reports that Indivisible has formed a truth brigade. “We use every way possible to put out the truth,” she says. “We’re continuing to send letters and make phone calls. She also says, “We send postcards to voters,” noting that most of the postcards are to get people to sign up to vote.

To learn more about Indivisible and to find a chapter near you, visit Indivisible.org. You can also check out the new book, We Are Indivisible: A Blueprint For Democracy After Trump.

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Whitmer Interview – Podcast August 24, 2020

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Gary LaMaster

Future Of The Verde River. There’s a saying in the American West that whiskey is for drinking. Water is for fighting. The issue is especially acute in the Arizona desert. To discuss the current and long-term availability of our most important resource, Democratic Perspective welcomes Tom Whitmer who, as Cottonwood Utilities Director, manages the city’s Water Resources division.

Whitmer is a fourth-generation Arizonan who has worked in the water industry for more than 30 years for companies such as the Salt River Project, Santa Cruz Valley Water District, Imperial Irrigation District, International Environmental Solutions, Troy Biosciences, and the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR). In his current position, he is responsible for ensuring the sustainability of water supplies for the City of Cottonwood while preserving baseflow in the Verde River. Given that Arizona is facing new development, a mega drought, and climate change, he offers a surprisingly optimistic and positive outlook.

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Baker Interview – Podcast August 17, 2020

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Gary LaMaster

Assessing The Economic Impact Of The Pandemic. Democratic Perspective welcomes Dean Baker, co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) in Washington, D.C. to discuss the short-term and long-term effects of the pandemic. He begins by noting that we’re really not out of the woods yet. Baker says that the current infection rate poses many problems for the immediate future saying, “It would be great to open the schools, but we’re really not prepared to do that, at least in many parts of the country because we did not take the steps necessary.”

Nevertheless, Baker is optimistic for the long-term. “I think we’re seeing some very, very interesting… stories play out here. We’re going to see permanent changes in behavior. A lot more people are not going to be commuting into offices so employers are not going to need as much office space. All of those people tasked with taking care of those offices won’t be needed. Restaurants, gyms – things that people do before and after work…purchases of business clothes. There’ll be a lot less demand in a wide range of areas. But we should really think of this as an increase in productivity. That’s a good thing. It frees up resources for a lot of other things. The list of needs is a long one.”

For example, Baker states that the capital can be used to respond to climate change. “There’s a whole range of things we need to do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” he says. “We also need more childcare. That’s become very clear in the pandemic. Parents who want to work need a place for their kids during the day.”

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Posted in Business, Business Cultural Change, Climate Change, Cultural Change, Domestic Policy, Economic Policy, Economic Stimulus, Environmental Issues, Financial Crisis, Fiscal Policy, Food Insecurity, Foreclosures, Global Warming, Government, Health Care Delivery, Infrastructure Investment, Innovation, Interviews, Jobs and Employment, Monetary Policy, National Politics, Pandemic, Public Education, Public Lands, Public Policy, Technology, Unemployment | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Baker Interview – Podcast August 17, 2020

DiSanto Interview – Podcast August 10, 2020

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Gary LaMaster

Defeating America’s Goofiest Congressman. Democratic Perspective welcomes Delina DiSanto, Democratic candidate running to unseat incumbent congressman Paul Gosar. For those unfamiliar with Gosar, he’s a Trump apologist who uses divisive rhetoric and subscribes to a variety of wild conspiracy theories. For example, he boycotted the Pope’s speech to a joint session of Congress because he was afraid the pontiff was going to talk about climate change.

DiSanto says, “He definitely has a lot of name recognition. I just need to prove to people that he is not working for the people in CD4. Some people haven’t received their stimulus checks or unemployment. So, he’s not listening to them. Some victims of Covid-19 have bills of $500,000 for hospitalization. How can anyone ever pay those bills?”

Asked how she plans to unseat Gosar, DiSanto replies, “I want to listen to what people have to say and what they’re concerned about. In this district, it mainly is healthcare, Social Security, jobs, education, and schools falling apart.” She says she’ll also focus on Native American issues and veterans issues, such as mental health, suicide, PTSD, and cuts to the Veterans Administration.

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Posted in Arizona Economy, Arizona Politics, Conspiracy Theories, De-regulation, Domestic Policy, Economic Policy, Education, Energy Policy, Environmental Issues, Federal Lands, Financial Crisis, Food Insecurity, Government, Health Care, Health Care Delivery, Health Care Policy, Health Insurance, Interviews, Jobs and Employment, Medicare, National Politics, Native American Issues, Pandemic, Political Candidacy, Public Accountability, Public Lands | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on DiSanto Interview – Podcast August 10, 2020

Von Stutterheim Interview – Podcast August 3, 2020

Posted on August 3, 2020 by Gary LaMaster

An Immigrant’s Story. In this age of fear and disdain for immigrants, Democratic Perspective turns to our own Klaus von Stutterheim to illustrate just one example of the many contributions made by immigrants. It’s a story of someone who, as a native German, has gone from feeling the shame of growing up in the nation responsible for the Holocaust to experiencing the pride of emigrating to the US and living the American Dream.

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Cardona and Prigmore Interview – July 27, 2020

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Gary LaMaster

Parental Involvement In Public Education. Democratic Perspective welcomes Thomasene Cardona and Monique Prigmore who are campaigning for seats on the Camp Verde School Board in Camp Verde, Arizona. Cardona currently serves as a Tribal Council member of the Yavapai-Apache Nation. Prigmore is also a member of the Tribal Council. The two intend to address broad educational issues such as increased parental involvement, availability of high-speed Internet, and communication with students and parents. In particular, they are focused on addressing the achievement gap and the dropout rate, especially within the tribal community.

You can learn more by participating in an educational forum at 6:30 p.m., August 5, 2020. It will be available on Zoom. It will also be livestreamed on Facebook. The links are available on Cardona’s Facebook page.

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Ploog, Kinsella & Williamson Interviews – Podcast July 20, 2020

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Gary LaMaster

Meet The Candidates For Sedona City Council. After a brief discussion of a few Arizona statewide races, the co-hosts welcome three candidates who will be on the ballot for the August 4th primary: Holli Ploog, Kathy Kinsella, and Jessica Williamson.

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MacLean Interview – Podcast July 13, 2020

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Gary LaMaster

Exposing The Radical Right’s Toxic Plan For America. Nancy MacLean returns to talk more about her book, Democracy In Chains. The book, which was meticulously researched and documented, has deeply angered the Koch-backed Libertarians who have taken over the Republican Party. Not because it is untrue. But because it has exposed their plan and methods. MacLean says, “When they talk about freedom, they’re talking about commercial freedom…freedom for them and people of property. It’s social Darwinism. If you’re a billionaire, you are special…you have reached your just reward. Whereas if you’re a working person who’s struggling, that’s all on you…”

In describing the right’s response to the pandemic, MacLean states, “They’re perfectly comfortable with killing people in nursing homes because they’re not productive. They view essential workers as human capital. It’s literally a deadly dogma. They only value productivity as evidenced by the Texas governor who said, ‘Surely, older people would be willing to sacrifice themselves to reopen the economy’.”

As for protecting our democracy, MacLean says, “It’s really important for people to understand that Trump is a symptom of a larger problem. It’s so much deeper and wider than Trump. This is a real time experiment between two philosophies of governance. The best thing to do is for ordinary people to get organized.”

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Posted in Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Class Conflict, Conservatives and Reactionaries, De-regulation, Democratic Governance, Domestic Extremism, Economic Policy, Elections, Front Organizations, Government, Interviews, LIberals and Conservatives, National Politics, Pandemic, Political Action Committees | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on MacLean Interview – Podcast July 13, 2020

Bordewich Interview – Podcast July 6, 2020

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Gary LaMaster

Examining The History Of The Ku Klux Klan. Democratic Perspective welcomes back Fergus Bordewich, historian and author of numerous books, to discuss the three stages of the KKK. He says the original Klan began from a rather inauspicious start with a gathering of ex-Confederate soldiers as a kind of lark – a club. By 1867 it had dynamically grown into a political organization spreading across all the former Confederate states and committing hideous violent acts against blacks and white, progressive Republicans. President Grant recognized the growing threat and crushed it. And, by 1872, the Klan as an organized movement was dead.

“The second Klan was inspired by Birth of a Nation in 1915,” says Bordewich. The film was praised by President Woodrow Wilson which turbocharged a new Klan that was racist, nativist, and vehemently anti-Catholic. But, by the 1940s, its membership had faded as a result of its criminal behavior.

Bordewich explains that the third Klan sprang up after WWII with tenuous roots in the previous Klan. It openly organized against the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s but was eventually penetrated by the FBI and shattered. And, though Bordewich says the Klan still exists, he notes that the real terrorist threat is from many scattered militias across the country that operate with Klan thinking under different names.

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Singal Interview – Podcast June 29, 2020

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Gary LaMaster

For Trump, The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Appears To Be A Train. Democratic Perspective co-hosts discuss the upcoming election with historian and author Dan Singal. Singal predicts a landslide for Biden. He says that it’s showing all the signs of what political scientists call a critical election – an election in which there is a significant realignment of voting blocs. “There is incredible animus toward Trump,” says Singal. “Biden doesn’t even have to run negative ads [because] Trump is now in a terrible trap. He decided to go full force into opening up the government. Now the virus is spreading like wildfire. And the only way to control the virus is to shut it down again.”

Moreover, he notes that Trump is running out of time with the start of early voting in some states only two and a half months away.

Singal goes on to discuss his expectations for a Biden administration. “I think it will look a lot like the New Deal. There will be one new piece of legislation after another. Democrats will likely have a majority and a lot of leeway. Biden is spending 8-10 hours a day planning for the future.”

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