America's Democrats

What’s next in the battle for free and fair elections? What will it take to achieve equity in education? Plus Bill Press on the year in hate.

David Daley on how Republicans are trying to tighten their grip on minority rule, and who is fighting back. Kimberly Jenkins Robinson on why it’s time to guarantee a federal right to education. Plus Bill Press on a new report about the new landscape of hate in America.

In his newest book, David Daley tells important stories about activists who are winning crucial battles for voting rights. And as they do, Daley says Republicans continue to rig the rules in their favor and put democracy at risk.

Racial and economic disparities in educational opportunity are deep and persistent in the United States.  Legal Scholar Kimberly Jenkins Robinson says the time is long past due to guarantee a federal right to education for all children. 

Bill Press with Michael Edison Hayden of the Southern Poverty Law Center on their new report on Hate in America 2020. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

Why Billionaires Are Detested

The politics of geography. Where Trump lost voters and why.  

How Nebraska became a Republican stronghold. Plus Bill Press with former Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez. 

In his newest book, author Ross Benes explores Nebraska’s political shift to the right. He says that if Democrats want to turn that around, they need to better understand the legitimate pain being felt in rural America today.

Recent analysis of the 2020 election from the America’s Communities Project reveals how Trump lost ground in places long considered key GOP strongholds.  Dante Chinni says Trump’s failure to perform better in the middle suburbs was key to his defeat.

Bill Press with former DNC chair Tom Perez on a new era in American politics and the path to 2022 for Democrats. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

Hey Democrats – be democrats!

Political Reckonings. Confronting the threat of right wing extremism.  Plus. GOP loyalty put to the test. And Bill Press with Congressman David Cicilline, co-author of the article of impeachment against Trump.

Alexandra Minna Stern on the changing face of America’s far right. Michael Koncewicz on why Trump’s impeachment is a different kind of challenge for Republicans than Nixon’s. Plus Congressman David Cicilline tells Bill Press  why he made the decision to file an article of impeachment against Trump.

Alexandra Minna Stern’s research takes her deep into the dark matter of America’s far right. She says it’s a movement in transition, and an ever growing threat to our democracy.

Michael Koncewicz’s most recent book on Republicans who defied Richard Nixon carries new relevance to the present day with Trump’s impeachment. Koncewicz (KON seh witzs) says what makes today different is a greater fear among Republicans that challenging this President will be at their political expense.

Bill Press with Congressman David Cicilline on why it is necessary to impeach Trump, even after he leaves office. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

Who’s really behind the desecration of our Capitol?

The Democrats' working class problem. Plus, How corporate monopolies have changed our lives. And Bill Press on the right wing media Trump is watching now.

Joan Williams says Democrats still have to figure out how to connect with the working class.  David Dayen says it's time for a grassroots movement to challenge monopolies. Plus Bill Press speaks with Matt Gertz about the shifting landscape of right wing media.

Joan C. Williams has written extensively about America’s working class.  And she says it’s a world that Democrats still have to understand.

David Dayen’s most recent book explores the power of concentrated economic power on daily life.  He says monopolies pervade almost every aspect of our lives, often when we don’t even know it.

The right wing media networks that are worse than Fox, and why Trump is a fan.  Bill Press with Matt Gertz, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America. If you'd like to hear the entire interview, visit BillPressPods.com.

What America can learn from the Animal kingdom.

Progressive politics at a turning point. Trump’s weaponization of the national security state. Plus Bill with Madeleine Albright.

Theda Skocpol on the right wing coalition that brought us Donald Trump, and what progressives should do now. Melvin Goodman on how Trump politicized the government to advance his personal agenda, and how to undo it. Plus, Madeleine Albright tells Bill Press about how to repair the damage done from Trump’s foreign policy.

Theda Skocpol’s most recent book explores citizen activism in the US from the Tea Party to the anti-Trump resistance and how they are transforming American politics.  It documents the elite and grassroots  interests that are pushing the GOP to the right, and what progressives can learn to advance their agenda in a Biden administration.

Melvin Goodman’s 42-year government career includes service at the CIA, Department of State, Department of Defense, and the US Army. He says Trump has weaponized the national security state in unprecedented ways.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on the state of U.S. foreign policy after four years of Trump, and what Biden can do to restore America’s role in the world. If you'd like to hear the entire interview, visit BillPressPods.com.

The People’s Department

What we need to know about the threat of far right extremist violence. Plus Bill Press with Susan Rice, incoming Direction of the Domestic Policy Council

An extended conversation with Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate.  Plus, Bill Press with an archive interview from 2019 with Susan Rice on the publication of her memoir.

In the lead up to the November election, there was significant concern about right wing inspired political violence, encouraged by Trump's incendiary rhetoric. As we approach the inauguration, those concerns remain as Trump continues to make unprecedented attacks on  the electoral process. Just before the election, we spoke with one of the most trusted voices on hate and extremism in America about how the landscape of political violence has changed under the Trump administration, and why a major election creates a moment of even greater risk.

We’re speaking with Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University San Bernardino.

Bill Press with Susan Rice,  President elect Biden’s choice to lead the White House Domestic Policy Council, and author of Tough Love: My Story of Things Worth Fighting For. If you'd like to hear the entire interview, visit BillPresspods.com.

Is more technology the answer to too much technology?

The change we have to have. How to make America work again for all Americans. Plus, Don Fowler, in his own words. 

Jim Hightower and Senator Sherrod Brown on why this is a pivotal moment for progressive politics in America.  Plus, we remember a progressive hero, Don Fowler. 

Every other Tuesday, A 21st Century Democrats co founder Jim Hightower sits down with a new quest for his own podcast titled Hightower Chat n Chew.  His most recent guest was Senator Sherrod Brown. And together they took on how progressives can get the most from a Biden administration.

We continue with a conversation with Jim Hightower and Senator Sherrod Brown originally posted to the podcast Hightower Chat n Chew. We pick up on a discussion about how progressive democrats can connect with voters in fly over country.

In his memory, our conversation with Don Fowler, in the aftermath of the 2010 election.

Last week, we lost a dear friend  of 21st Century Democrats — and of progressive populist Democrats everywhere, but particularly in the South. Don Fowler, who served on our Advisory Board, passed away at the age of 85. As Chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party and then as Democratic National Committee, he worked relentlessly to bring African Americans and whites together in the party to improve the lives of working people. Not surprisingly, he’s also the person who first introduced President-elect Biden and South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn to each other.

Back in 2010, Don Fowler was one of the very first guests on this podcast. And during that interview, he offered an analysis of Democratic messaging that is as insightful now as it was then.

Where is AI driving us?

Moving ahead on a racial justice agenda in a Biden administration. Plus Bill Press on America’s deepening political divide and the future of Trumpism. 

An extended conversation with political economist Dr. Julianne Malveaux on the hard work ahead for Democrats  to confront racial inequality. And Bill Press with political journalist Ron Brownstein on the future of both parties as the Red-Blue divide gets deeper.

Following his apparent victory in the November election, Joe Biden was quick to acknowledge the groundswell of support he received from Black voters. Dr. Julianne Malveaux says now is the time to make good on the support by taking on the hard lift of closing the racial wealth gap. 

We continue our conversation with Dr. Julianne Malveaux, and talk about why she says Joe Biden needs a new cabinet level position focused on racial equity.  

The lasting appeal of Trumpism in American politics,  and what Democrats can do about it.  Bill Press talks with Ron Brownstein, senior editor at The Atlantic. If you'd like to hear the entire interview, visit BillPressPods.com. 

Corporations are playing with our food – and our heads

Tracking corporate ties in the Biden administration. Keeping up the fight against voter suppression. Plus, the case for prosecuting Trump after he leaves office.

Jeff Hauser of the Revolving Door Project on why he’s concerned about corporate influence in the Biden Administration.  Jorge Vasquez, Jr. on why he will continue to fight against voter suppression. And Congressman Bill Pascrell tells Bill Press why he wants to see Trump investigated and Rudy Giuliani disbarred.

Jeff Hauser is a leader in the fight against corporate power in politics. He says that even as we come to the end of the most corrupt presidency in history, there are already concerns about corporate ties in the Biden Administration.

 Jorge L. Vasquez, Jr. is a long time advocate for voting rights. He says that even with record turn out  in  the November election, there is still a long way to go before voter suppression is a thing of the past.

Can Trump be held responsible for crimes committed as President, after he leaves office, and should he be? Bill Press with Congressman Bill Pascrell. If you'd like to hear the entire interview, visit BillPressPods.com.

Who cares who the Secretary of Agriculture is?

The evolving peril of Democratic centrism. Plus, where voters said yes to progressive ballot measures. And Bill Press with Biden economic transition adviser Jared Bernstein.

Author and journalist Thomas Frank on centrist Democrats and the rise of Trumpism.  Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, Executive Director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, on why progressive ballot measures win. And Bill Press with Jared Bernstein on what it will take to tackle  income inequality.

Progressive historian Thomas Frank says a shift to Democratic centrism paved the way for Trump’s presidency. And to defeat Trumpism now, Democrats need to get back to being a party that takes a stand for working people. 

Across the country, in red states and blue, voters gave their support to progressive ballot measures. Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, says ballot measures speak powerfully to what matters to voters, and are often the unsung heroes of the progressive movement. 

Bill Press with Jared Bernstein who served as Biden’s chief economist and economic adviser under the Obama administration. If you'd like to hear the entire interview, visit BillPressPods.com.

Which food future will you choose?