American Discourse

Special guest Melissa Grant, president of Grassroots Democrats HQ, an organization that has grown into one of the most formidable democratic ground game operations in the country, joins Robin and David to discuss how she did it and how you can be a part of what will bring our nation back from the brink.

OK, so Juneteeth is an official holiday. That's a good thing. Is it the only thing? Far from it!
How about making Election Day a holiday? How about securing voting rights? Oh let's not forget fixing our crumbling roads and bridges. There is so much work to be done and at every turn, there seems to be a single individual standing in the way. These days it feels like it is Joe Manchin, Kevin McCarthy, or the reliably dastardly Mitch McConnell. The latter two serving as standard-bearers of the Party of No.

There is no agenda on the right, no platform, no beliefs, no concern for the future of the nation, only their political power and the existence of their party which exists in name only. It is the party of Trump, the party of Q-Anon, the party of the insurrection, and the party of autocracy. 

It is incumbent on every one of us to commit to working our keisters off this election cycle. Losing control of Congress is not an option, because if we fail in the mission to not just hold onto but actually expand the Democratic majority, you can kiss this democracy goodbye.

Joining Robin and David is Melissa Grant, the president of Grassroots Democrats HQ, an organization that has grown into one of the most formidable democratic ground game operations in the country. We'll learn how she did it and how you can be a part of what will bring our nation back from the brink.

It seems inconceivable that we have to lure, entice and cajole people to get vaccinated. No matter what color your hat, we're pretty sure no one wants to relive the past 16 months. This week Robin, David, and special guest Dr. Lettisha Bilbrew dive into what's behind the various states of concern, confusion, and outright rejection of science.

Front and center on the world stage, Joe Biden will stride into talks with America's arch-enemy, master evil-doer, and all-around schmuck Vladimir Putin.  It's going to be vastly different from the fawning meeting of the past where compromised Russian asset and "President" Trump, would get his new orders and then embarrass himself in front of the world. We expect Joe isn't going to take any crap. Will it change the balance of power? We can only hope.

Speaking of the thankfully former White House resident, we're now learning just how omnipotent he thought he was, and how his minions enabled that thinking.  The deluded autocrat wanna-be ordered "his" DOJ to spy on those who dared to say mean things about him, like Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell.  It's time to put him and his cronies on the witness stand for all to see just how bad and corrupt everything and everyone was from 2017-2021.

So buckle up, it's time for another Deep Dive into the deep end of the pool.

Joe Manchin (D- W. Virginia) is basking in the limelight that he created by being a lynchpin in the US Senate. His antics are a continuing source of frustration for the President and the rest of the Democrats in the Senate. His deluded stubbornness, refusing to be a team player, or perhaps playing for the wrong team is nothing short of maddening.  Singlehandedly he is holding up any forward movement of the Biden agenda. Democrats are stymied at every turn.  

While Manchin acts more like a Republican than a Democrat, voting rights advocates scream foul as hundreds of voter suppression bills become laws and threaten to blow up our democracy and bring about the end of “The Great Experiment” that is the United States of America.  Never forget, it’s Manchin who is holding up passage of HR1 – the Voting Rights Bill, the only thing that has the potential to quash the outrageous and outright illiberal laws that bring the country closer and closer to autocratic rule.

Robin’s guest is Christale Spain, founder of 46 Hope Road, a voter engagement organization in South Carolina.  We take a deep dive into what voting rights groups are working on so that 2022 and beyond are not lost to the Machiavellian antics of the far right.

It has been a most trying time, filled with fear, apprehension, confusion, mixed messages, and a whole lot of finger-pointing.  That was then, so what exactly is now? That's what we're all trying to figure out as summer nears and vaccinations are reaching critical mass.  Are we safe? Can we do this? Can we not do that? There might be more questions than there are answers. One thing is for sure, there does appear to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

One place where the light is shrouded in smoke, ash, and destruction in the Middle East.  The always smoldering tinderbox of hostilities has erupted once again and as rockets and blame rain down on both sides, we are left to ponder just what the Trump-Kushner legacy in the region is? Was there ever a plan? Did Trump's hands-off approach lead to this? Whatever the reason, it is yet another inherited mess that the Biden Administration must navigate.

Can Biden and the Democrats turn any of this into messaging to support the party as there are now less than 18 months until the next major test of where we stand politically in this country?  The midterms.  We discuss it all with Justin Mathis, the Director of Olympic Sports at Stanford University and a real up-and-coming political force in this country. 

Watching the carnival sideshow that the Republican Party has devolved into is either fascinating or terrifying. On one hand, there are internal forces threatening to blow the whole thing up, on the other hand, there are so many lawmakers ready to fall on their swords for the twice-impeached, two-time popular vote LOSER, Donald Trump.  

The media is transfixed by it all because as we all know, "If it bleeds it leads" and there are some gaping wounds on display right now. The problem with this is that there are some very significant things happening in this country that SHOULD be the focus of our attention. We're still trying to recover from a Trump-fueled pandemic where nearly 400,000 Americans died - The economy is in tatters - Our infrastructure is crumbling - The Middle East is in flames again - Russians continue to hack our nation at will....did we miss anything?

So what does it all mean as we look forward to the shape of politics in our nation. We are joined by renowned and famously correct polling prognosticator Rachel Bitecofer, Ph.D. who helps us do a Deep Dive into how and why we vote as we do and what we can expect in 2022 and 2024 if some significant changes aren't made.

Is there ANY hope for a sane and reasonable Republican Party?

The true conservatives in Congress are fewer in number and being forced into hiding. In their place, the loud, insistent rantings of the far-right are screaming from the rooftops (and on Fox "News") to drown out anyone who speaks the truth. It's not easy being Liz Cheney or Mitt Romney these days.  As the stalwarts continue to be booed and vilified for not supporting the New Republican agenda, which seems to be nothing more than “Trump won, Biden stole the election”, and everything Biden does sucks. We are sure Abe would turning in his grave seeing what has become of the "Party of Lincoln".

All indications are that Cheney will be losing her leadership role as soon as this week, but she is standing her ground, for which we have to give her credit.

Meantime, the sycophants continue to make the pilgrimage to Mar a Lago and the former guy still has a chokehold on the GOP.

Add to that Mitch McConnell’s refusal to even entertain Biden’s Jobs Plan, despite the majority of Americans being in favor of it.  And, despite the fact that it would be a one-two punch to both our crumbling infrastructure and the employment numbers.  Why?  Well, 1) because it comes from a Democratic president and 2) because it would reverse the 2017 Trump tax “bill” in order to pay for it and Lord knows our billionaires are hurting. Asking Jeff Bezos to pay a penny in taxes? Madness!

Finally, we’ll discuss all the hoopla about transgender athletes, which seems like just another distraction by the right-wing media and their GOP lackeys who just don’t want to do their jobs.

And that's not all, we conclude our two-part interview with Rep. Harley Rouda who gives us some behind-the-curtain insights into what life is like as a Democrat in the House of Representatives.

After promising to deliver 100 million shots in his first 100 days, President Biden upped the stakes, applied the pressure, and obliterated that initial projection. Over 230 million vaccine shots have been administered to Americans of all ages.  By any measure, it has been a soaring success, one that took firm resolve, reliance on experts, and the following of science. This major milestone also comes exactly one year after President Trump suggested that the virus could be beaten if people would just ingest bleach or insert powerful lights into their bodies.  We have certainly come a long way.

Much remains to be done and the pressure to keep up the march forward on huge issues including the effort to fix America's crumbling infrastructure remains a high priority. Democrats are hitting the road with a succinct and urgent call to muster support for what would be a signature piece of legislation and create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

To help us understand what goes on inside the halls of Congress where the partisan divide grows greater every day, Former (and hopefully returning) Congressman Harley Rouda joins Robin and David for the first of a two-part series examining the huge successes and some stumbles that the Biden/Harris Administration has experienced as they attempt to heal our fractured nation.

Oh and if that wasn't enough, California Governor Gavin Newsom will have to face a recall vote that promises to be a three-ring circus, because well....California.  Caitlin Jenner and a host of TMZ regulars will surely be vying for their moments of fame. How it will play out is anyone's guess.

The trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd held the nation's attention as we waited on pins and needles to hear the verdict, would justice be done or would the entire country go up in flames? It felt like so much hung in the balance and...let's not pull any punches, it did.

Does the GOP bear any resemblance to “The Party of Lincoln”?  The factions within the party right now would seem to prove otherwise.  Between the failed white supremacy caucus, the ever confrontational Jim Jordan and the recalcitrant minority leader, it’s hard to tell what the Grand Old Party stands for these days, other than blocking anything President Biden wants to accomplish.

In this episode Robin and David talk to former Nevada RNC Chairwoman, Amy Tarkanian to try and get a handle on where the Republican Party is now, and what it stands for.  And, she oughta know.

And finally, (yes there is more!), we dive into the obscene rash of new laws either passed or under consideration in statehouses across the country, that threaten American’s rights of peaceful protest, which by the way, are protected under the 1st Amendment.

On September 11, 2021, our nation's longest war will come to an end. Not with a glorious conclusion complete with victory parades but with a long-overdue ending. That doesn't make the sacrifices of our troops any less worthy of our remembrance or appreciation for their service.  President Biden announced the pull-out and within minutes the GOP pulled out all their righteous indignation, even though they didn't say a word when Trump announced the same thing only earlier. 

The only things that are for certain are death, taxes, and GOP hypocrisy. Perhaps that's why in a recent poll only  25% of American's identify as Republican.  Trump has brought ruin and shame to the "Grand Old Party" and it may end with him in an orange jumpsuit. And what's a poor thug like Vladimir to do, now that he's lost his favorite pet? For four years his puppet danced like a demented marionette while he delightedly pulled the strings and we watched in horror as Donnie played the part of Fawning Fanboy.

Joining Robin and David on this episode of American Discourse is Retired Command Sergent Major Jamie Lethiecq who served for 20 years including time in Afghanistan. He gives us insights into the mindset of many in the military about the decision as well as some important facts about what a drawdown of 2500 troops means in both the short and long term.

In a week that spanned the spectrum, from uplifting (4 million shots a day) to disconcerting (Texas & Florida ignoring science), surprising (Schumer brings a pot bill to the floor) to slimy (Matt Gaetz, do we need to say more?) there was plenty to chew on before taking the Discourse Deep Dive.

After a year unlike any other in modern times, we saw enormous voter turnout for both the general and run-off elections.  Clearly many people who have never or normally don’t vote were moved to cast their ballots.  One of the largest demographics was young people, who, in the past several elections, have mostly stayed home.

Robin Biro and David Katzner welcome Mitchell Rosenberg, founder of Simplified, a platform that explains the issues in short, palatable bites, to the youth electorate.  

Mitchell is one of a growing number of youth organizers and activists who are taking the political world by storm.  These young up-and-comers will be the new flank of the Democratic party and on this episode, he clues us in to what it takes to get young people involved and keep them activated.