We discuss how the everyday voter can make strategic political campaign donations just like a billionaire.

Brian's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1) Find an election you've never participated in before and get involved

2) Check out the Supreme Court races in Pennsylvania, governor's races in NJ and VA, and the California redistricting ballot measure

Brian Derrick is the co-founder of Oath, a donor advising platform whose mission is to empower donors to participate in our democracy by offering civic education and helping users manage their political giving to maximize impact.

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https://www.instagram.com/brianderrick_/

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Sponsor:

Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Brian Derrick

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the unavoidable intersection between our capitalist economy and democratic governance, and how their relationship plays out through campaign finance and other political transactions.

Hilary's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1. Get the data of your state, locality, and elected officials at opensecrets.org

2. Piece together what is happening your state

Hilary Braseth is the executive director of OpenSecrets, the nation's premier research and government transparency group tracking money in politics and its effect on elections and policy.

VOTE FOR FUTURE HINDSIGHT!

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Let's connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

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Follow Mila on X:

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Follow OpenSecrets on X:

https://x.com/OpenSecretsDC

Sponsor:

Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Hilary Braseth

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss how the struggle for transparency is really a struggle for the soul of American democracy.

Miranda's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1. Look up the agendas of your local school board and city council, and attend the public meetings

2. Learn how your local and state governments make decisions

Miranda S. Spivack is a veteran reporter and editor who specialized in government accountability, as well as the author of Backroom Deals in Our Backyard: How Government Secrecy Harms Our Communities and the Local Heroes Fighting Back.

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Follow Mila on X:

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Follow Miranda on X:

https://x.com/mirandareporter

Read Backroom Deals in our Backyards:

https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight

Sponsor:

Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Miranda Spivack

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the basics of organizing and the fruits of that work. Michael reminds us that "organizers organize organizations."

Michael's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1) Gather 4-5 friends to talk about what's happening

2) Share ideas on what you can do to resist

Michael Ansara is a seasoned community organizer and the author of The Hard Work of Hope: A Memoir.

Let's connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

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Follow Mila on X:

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Follow Michael on BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/michaelansara.bsky.social

Read The Hard Work of Hope:

https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight

Sponsor:

Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Michael Ansara

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the enduring power of protesting and the significance of the Ferguson uprising in the long arc of the Black liberation movement.

Jonathan's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1) Speak with a young person in your life about what they're wrestling with

2) Emphasize community engagement

Jonathan Pulphus is an organizer from St. Louis, Missouri, Co-founder of the community organization Tribe X, and the author of With My People: Life, Justice, and Activism Beyond the University.

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Read With My People:

https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Jonathan Pulphus

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the importance of shifting our mindset to one that is infused with hope. Positive change comes when we choose hope. Though nobody can fix it all, we can all do something and make an impact. Sharon reminds us that if something is worth doing for everyone, it's worth doing for one person.

Sharon's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1) Choose hope.

2) Get involved in an issue that is important to you because your actions do matter.

Sharon McMahon is the creator of "Sharon Says So" and host of the "Here's Where it Gets Interesting" podcast. She's also the author of The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement.

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Follow Sharon on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/sharonsaysso/

Read The Small and the Mighty:

https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight

Sponsor:

Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Sharon McMahon

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the role of collective memory in the myth-making of American exceptionalism.

Hajar's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1) Advocate

2) Relate

3) Create

Hajar Yazdiha is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences and the author of The Struggle for the People's King: How Politics Transforms the Memory of the Civil Rights Movement.

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Follow Mila on X:

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Follow Hajar on X:

https://x.com/HajYazdiha

Read The Struggle for the People's King:

https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight

Sponsor:

Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Hajar Yazdiha

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss how ungoverning is the equivalent of a bull in a china shop. We have already seen the destruction of many institutions and many functions of the administrative state, but we don't yet know how much there is still to come.

Nancy's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1) Don't let unpredictability strip you of your agency

2) Vote in local, county, and state elections

Nancy Rosenblum is the Senator Joseph Clark Professor of Ethics in Politics and Government Emerita at Harvard University, and the co-author of Ungoverning: The Attack on the Administrative State and the Politics of Chaos.

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Read Ungoverning:

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Sponsor:

Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Nancy Rosenblum

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss the long history of vigilante democracy in the US and its return in our current politics. The playing field is currently tilted in favor of these vigilante policies, but blue states can level the playing field by playing constitutional hardball. David reminds us that the American people have beat back movements to use vigilante power to enforce a reactionary agenda time and again.

David's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1) Get involved in local politics

2) Resistance works and there are a lot of opportunities to resist authoritarianism

David Noll is the co-author of Vigilante Nation: How State-Sponsored Terror Threatens Our Democracy. He's also the Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development and a professor of law at Rutgers Law School, as well as an academic fellow of the National Institute for Civil Justice.

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Read Vigilante Nation:

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Sponsor:

Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: David Noll

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis

We discuss how out of date immigration laws are and why the only cure is comprehensive immigration reform from Congress. In the face of rising arrests and deportations by ICE, this is the perfect episode to remind us that we still need immigration reform.

Aaron's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1) Be welcoming and model inclusion in your communities

2) Contact your member of Congress and demand comprehensive immigration reform

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick is the Policy Director at the American Immigration Council, a non-profit organization that strives to strengthen the United States by shaping immigration policies and practices.

Let's connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

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Follow Mila on X:

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Follow Aaron on X:

https://x.com/ReichlinMelnick

Follow the American Immigration Council:

https://x.com/immcouncil

Sponsor:

Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Aaron Reichlin-Melnick

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis