Daily Kos' The Brief

Democrats need to go on the offensive. Today's guest, Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, can prove that because that is what the Democratic Party of Wisconsin did a couple of weeks ago in local elections and they won big time. You can also read Wikler’s report about it on Daily Kos.

Jennifer Fernandez Ancona from Way to Win, is our guest on this week’s Daily Kos’ The Brief. Unlike many messaging “gurus” Jennifer has data to back up what Democrats can say to help defuse Republican culture war attacks, and what the chances are of Democrats adopting this—or any—unified message.

Our guest is Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters, and the nation’s foremost expert on the pernicious effects Fox News has on our democracy. Carusone breaks down the evolution of the Fox News’ message since they’ve given up the pretense of having a “news” department. He also provides some ways you can make Fox News accountable in their pocketbooks. 

After a couple of weeks away, Kerry comes triumphantly back to the podcast to talk with Markos about what she has missed. The two also discuss how recent world events seem to have reminded many Americans why they got rid of the other guy in the first place.

If you’ve been appreciating our Ukraine coverage here at Daily Kos, here’s a chance to hear both me and Mark Sumner discuss that coverage. Daily Kos has been offering up some of the best war coverage in the biz, and this will be a chance to hear us expand on some of that coverage. 

Daily Kos’ Political Director David Nir, host of The Downballot podcast, joins Markos this week. Along with Senate Majority PAC’s J.B. Poersch, we’re going to take a close look at the 2022 Senate map. Can Democrats hold the majority? Can we expand it, despite the tough political climate? And with so many Republicans like Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson and party leader Donald Trump playing kissy-face with Russian dictator and mass murderer Vladimir Putin, can the Ukraine invasion give Democrats an unexpected assist? 

Today we have the triumphant return of Meteor Blades, aka, Tim Lange! He and Daily Kos’ Mark Sumner will join me to talk about how our oil addiction has fueled repressive regimes around the world and what we can do to wean ourselves for a cleaner, healthier world—one in which we’re not directly funding horrid repression and giving cause for more war. 

This week’s The Brief should be the best discussion about the war in Ukraine you’ll find anywhere. We have two incredible guests—Jon Soltz, chairman of VoteVets, former tank commander in Kosovo, and logistics officer in Iraq. You can guess where that discussion will go. We also have Brandon Friedman, former spokesperson and advisor to Julian Castro and Tammy Duckworth, who served two combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as an officer in the 101st Airborne Division.

Markos talks about whether or not Vladimir Putin has made a This week we are excited to have Ross Morales Rocketto. He is co-founder of Run for Something. Run for Something is critical progressive infrastructure and one of the premier organizations to emerge from the Resistance, urging young people to run for office. 2022 is the most important election since the last one, and once again the most important in our lifetimes. November will decide whether Republicans can stymie the rest of Joe Biden’s term while further eroding democratic norms across critical battleground states, or if we can get a real Democratic majority in both chambers, allowing for the passage of real voting reforms, D.C. statehood, Supreme Court expansion, and other critical progressive priorities. And key to this effort? We need candidates. The best candidates.