America's Democrats

How the Democratic Party can, and should, engage rural America.  Why it’s time to abolish the electoral college. Plus Bill Press with GOP insider Rick Wilson on how to prevent President Trump from being re-elected.

Jane Kleeb on the importance of rural voters to progressive politics. Reed Hundt on why the nation is ready for a national popular vote. Plus a GOP campaign consultant tells Bill Press how Democrats can, and should, beat Donald Trump.

One of the lessons from the 2016 election was that Democrats have a problem with rural voters. A new book by Jane Kleeb offers a convincing strategy on how progressive Democrats can connect to the issues rural voters care about and win their support in November.

There’s a growing movement to elect the president by a national popular vote.

Former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt says it’s the only way to restore faith in American democracy.

Back Announce: Bill Press talking with Rick Wilson, author of Running Against the Devil: A Plot to Save America from Trump--and Democrats from Themselves.  If you'd like to hear the entire interview, visit BillPressPods.com.

Health care for people… or for corporate profits?

Black Voters Matter.  Building the power of black communities at the ballot box. Plus Bill Press with Tom Daschle looking back and looking ahead.

Cliff Albright of the Black Voters Matter Fund on the political power of black communities to determine their own destiny.  Plus Bill Press with former Democratic minority leader Tom Daschle on a divided Congress and a divided nation.

The ethos of the Black Voters Matter Fund is that effective voting is a powerful tool for change and self determination.  Co-Founder Cliff Albright says that when that message is delivered in the right way, black voters are ready to hear it.

Cliff Albright, cofounder of Black Voters Matter Fund, which builds community and organizational capacity related to Black voting power. One of their core beliefs is about the importance of working with existing community based organizations. For Cliff Albright, it allows them to build power from what already exists.

Bill Press talks with former Democratic minority leader, Tom Daschle about impeachment, the politics of justice, and the future of the Trump presidency.

Should Democrats be the party of small change?

Building progressive power at the state level.  Cutting through the fog of centrist corporate speak.   Plus Bill Press on President Trump’s impeachment trial.

How one organization is powering progressive change at the state level. A guide to what centrists politicians say and what they really mean.  Plus Bill Press with Eleanor Clift on the impeachment trial and what it reveals about the Senate GOP.

Jessie Ulibarri has dedicated his career to building progressive power at the state level. As a former state senator, he knows how challenging that can be, and what it will take for state lawmakers to build a broader progressive movement.

Richard RJ. Eskow pays close attention to the words politicians use, and the true intent behind them.  He says centrist politicians, by design, use language that is often misleading and demands greater precision.

Bill Press talks with veteran journalist Eleanor Clift about President Trump’s impeachment trial and what it means for the future of politics. Eleanor Clift is one of Washington’s best known reporters, authors and commentators. She is a former White House correspondent and now a columnist for The Daily Beast. If you'd like to hear the entire interview, visit BillPressPods.com.

Sonny and Donnie: Down on the farm

Can unions save democracy?  And will millionaires help?

Author and organizer Jane McAlevey on her new book,  A Collective Bargain:Unions, Organizing, and the Fight for Democracy.  Plus, the millionaires who want to pay more taxes, not less. Bill Press  talks with Erica Payne, Executive Director of Patriotic Millionaires.  

At a time when workers are under attack at  historic levels, strikes are making a comeback. In that, Jane McAlevey sees an opportunity to reset power and politics in America, and clear a path to progressive change. 

Jane McAlevey about her  powerful new book, A Collective Bargain:Unions, Organizing, and the Fight for Democracy. She makes the case that unions are central to challenging the corporate class and restoring democracy in America. But what about the millions of workers who don’t have a union?  For Jane McAlevey, that translates into even more opportunity to build the power of organized labor.

The millionaires who are fighting for a living wage for all working citizens, and a fair tax system.  Bill Press talks with Erica Payne, Executive Director of Patriotic Millionaires. If you'd like to hear the entire interview, visit BillPressPods.com.

Who’ll care for “the other” migrants?

Getting it right in 2020. Making black communities powerful in politics. Turning out progressive voters one conversation at a time. Plus Bill Press talks with former UN Ambassador Susan Rice.

Alicia Garza on what motivates black voters and why politicians should care.  Alex Morgan on upping the progresive ground game in 2020. Plus Bill Press on Donald Trump’s perilous foreign policy with former UN Ambassador Susan Rice.

Alicia Garza reminds us that black voters are central to changing the direction of the nation,  and that politicians who take black voters for granted do so at their own peril.

Alex Morgan says that in 2016, Democrats forgot the basics of winning campaigns — face-to-face conversations with voters. That’s why he’s leading a massive effort to turn that around.

Bill Press talks former UN Ambassador Susan Rice about Donald Trump’s disdain for diplomacy and why she supports a War Powers Resolution to curb more military actions against Iran. If you'd like to hear the entire interview, visit Bill PressPods.com.

What car do billionaires ride in?

Donald Trump’s campaign to shred environmental protections.  A grassroots campaign to build the electoral power of Democrats. Plus Bill Press on the biggest foreign policy crisis yet in the Trump Administration.

Dan Farber on what’s next in Donald Trump’s war on regulations and who will pay the price.  Rita Bosworth on the Sister District Project and its plan to flip states from red to blue. Plus Bill Press talks with  nuclear arms expert Joe Cirincione about Iran and the path to war.

Dan Farber works at the intersection of constitutional law and the environment.  He says Donald Trump’s war on regulation sidelines science in the interest of industry profit, and if he has another four years, it will only get worse.

The path to power runs through the states.  That’s why Rita Bosworth started the Sister District Project, an organization dedicated to turning states from red to blue. She says it's crucial to invest in state legislative races in order to reverse the course of the country.

Is Donald Trump leading us into a war with Iran? Bill Press talks with  Joe Cirincione, one of the leading nuclear policy experts in the country. If you'd like to hear the entire interview, visit BillPressPods.com.

How do the rich become über-rich?

Listening to working class voters at the ballot box, and fighting for their future in the workplace.  Plus, Bill Press on the Supreme Court’s swing to the right.

What will it take to bring unions back and help workers stand up for their rights?  Plus, what working class voters want and what that means for 2020. And Bill Press talks with Ruth Marcus about her book, Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover.

After decades of corporate union-busting, author Shaun Richman says never have so many workers needed so much support. His new book offers an action plan to bring the power of unions back to workplaces across America.

Matt Morrison has worked on over 500 political campaigns.  He now focuses on voter turnout for candidates who support a fair economy for working-class Americans. He says progressive Democrats can win over working class voters if they are willing to show up and listen.

The inside story of Brett Kavanaugh’s ascent to the Supreme Court. Bill Press talks with Ruth Marcus, author of Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover. If you'd like to hear the entire interview, visit BillPressPods.com.

Is Healthcare more important than healthcare profits?

Our favorite interviews from 2019.  Fighting for the rights of felons to vote.  Why walls don’t work. Plus, why 2020 won’t be won by centrists  

The racist roots of denying felons the right to vote.  Everything Donald Trump gets wrong about walls. Plus Robert Reich on the choice that has to be made between oligarchy and an America that works for everyone.

The history of denying felons the right to vote is rooted in the history of African American voter suppression. And while restoring that right is gaining traction in the 2020 campaign,  Tierra Bradford says many Democratic hopefuls still don’t get the point.

President Trump often sites The Great Wall of China as evidence that a wall will solve our immigration problems. Adam Smith says it’s a claim that history simply cannot support.

Robert Reich is one of our nation’s leading economists. He says the widening gap between the wealthy and everyone else is the defining issue of our time. And that’s why Democrats have to choose a side.

The other Mexican migration

Framing the Debate for America’s Future.  Building the case for a wealth tax. Why Democrats need to talk about race and class.  Plus, Bill Press with Tom Friedman on saving American democracy. 

Economist Emmanuael Saez on how America’s tax system is pushing us deeper into inequality.  Ian Haney Lopez on why the fight for racial justice will win elections. Plus Tom Friedman tells Bill Press why Trump must be impeached.

Economist Emmanuel Saez studies wealth and income inequality around the world. His newest book argues that the American economy isn’t working for half of the nation and makes the case for a tax system that is truly progressive.

In his newest book, critical race theorist Ian Haney Lopez offers a roadmap to progressive political victory.  To get there, he argues we need to reframe the way we think about race and class.

Bill Press talks to New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize winning author Tom Friedman on why he believes Donald Trump must be impeached if America’s democracy is to remain intact. If you'd like to hear the entire interview, visit BillPresspods.com.

America’s healthcare border raiders.

The past and future of race and democracy in America. How Reconstruction remade the Constitution. The centrality of racial justice in progressive politics today. Plus,  Bill Press takes stock of the Justice Department under Bill Barr.

Historian Eric Foner on the ongoing battle over who is considered equal under the law.  Peniel Joseph on why the strength of the Democratic Party lies in its diversity. Plus, Bill Press talks about justice in the Trump Administration with Ed Chung, Vice President for Criminal Justice Reform at The Center for American Progress

Eric Foner is one of this country's most prominent historians. His newest book tells how the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments altered the course of history and changed what it means to be an American.

Peniel Joseph is a leading public scholar on race and democracy in America. Looking ahead to 2020, he says Democrats are ready for a more progressive Party,  but can only win if that includes a commitment to black voters and their interests.

Bill Press talks to Ed Chung, Vice President for Criminal Justice Reform at The Center for American Progress. He follows the Barr Justice Department and says loyalty to Trump is replacing the “rule of law”.

If you'd like to hear the entire interview, visit Bill PressPods.com.

Can “powerless nobodies” fight the corporate powers?