Rebel on Main

A Confederate from Canada


Listen Later

Bob doesn’t care at all about the statue—until he does. A Canadian transplant to Jessamine, his ancestry traces back to abolitionist New England. But as the 2020 election approaches, Bob sees a political opening. For months prior to the election, he spends three hours a night working through a list of 13,500 Democrats conducting a telephone survey.

The work is arduous and often dispiriting. It takes fifteen phone dials to get one person to talk, and sometimes that person just hangs up or refuses to answer Bob’s questions. Nevertheless, he is able to convince many pro-statue Democrats to switch parties. Confederate controversies cement the Republican takeover of Jessamine.

Timestamps

01:38      David walks two doors down from his house to interview Bob

15:22      Bob describes his telephone survey and how he’s using it to defeat Democratic candidate Carolyn Dupont.

20:45      Pastor Moses responds.

25:03      Carolyn Dupont responds.

31:54      Blue Lives Matter rally at the courthouse

39:00      November 2020

43:52      David reflects on local politics and his relationship with Bob.

Transcript: Visit www.rebelonmain.com/episode6.

Engage

  • Check out our website at www.rebelonmain.com.
  • To support future creative projects, contribute here: www.rebelonmain.com/support
  • Email [email protected] to let me know what you think of this episode of Rebel on Main.
  • Resources

    • For pictures of the Back the Blue rally and video of the scuffle at the courthouse, head to www.rebelonmain.com/episode6.
    • Carolyn Dupont, Mississippi Praying: Southern White Evangelicals and the Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1975
    • Production team

      • Writer and Host: David R. Swartz
      • Original Music, Sound Design, and Mixing: Barry Blair
      • Story Editor: Stephen Smith
      • Artistic Design: Josh Smith and Lisa Weaver Swartz
      • Next episode: In Episode 7—Change Is Gonna Come—find out what happens after a final push to remove Jessamine County’s Confederate statue.

        ...more
        View all episodesView all episodes
        Download on the App Store

        Rebel on MainBy David Swartz

        • 4.9
        • 4.9
        • 4.9
        • 4.9
        • 4.9

        4.9

        58 ratings


        More shows like Rebel on Main

        View all
        Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! by NPR

        Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

        38,652 Listeners

        Radiolab by WNYC Studios

        Radiolab

        43,848 Listeners

        Fresh Air by NPR

        Fresh Air

        38,085 Listeners

        Snap Judgment by Snap Judgment and PRX

        Snap Judgment

        11,591 Listeners

        99% Invisible by Roman Mars

        99% Invisible

        26,180 Listeners

        Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

        Hidden Brain

        43,262 Listeners

        Revisionist History by Pushkin Industries

        Revisionist History

        59,299 Listeners

        The Daily by The New York Times

        The Daily

        111,437 Listeners

        Up First from NPR by NPR

        Up First from NPR

        56,158 Listeners

        Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

        Radio Atlantic

        2,269 Listeners

        The Bulwark Podcast by The Bulwark

        The Bulwark Podcast

        11,383 Listeners

        The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

        The Ezra Klein Show

        15,325 Listeners

        Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Christianity Today

        Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

        569 Listeners

        When The Wolves Came by Meanings of Democracy Lab

        When The Wolves Came

        66 Listeners

        All the Buried Women by Beth Allison Barr and Savannah Locke

        All the Buried Women

        311 Listeners