Washington Indivisible Podcast

Steven Hassan is a leading expert on the subject of cults. His new book, “The Cult of Trump,” details the many techniques infamous cult leaders like Jim Jones, David Koresh, and Sun Myung Moon used to keep their followers obedient and unquestioning, a subject Hassan has firsthand knowledge of, having himself been indoctrinated into and then deprogrammed from Moon’s Unification Church in the 1970s.

“The Cult of Trump” draws direct, uncanny parallels to the current occupant of the White House and the tactics he uses to exercise control over both his base and the GOP.

Links:

Steven Hassan's Organization: https://freedomofmind.com/

Cult Continuum: https://freedomofmind.com/influence-continuum/

While Leah Greenberg & Ezra Levin were here in Washington to promote their new book, “We Are Indivisible: A Blueprint for Democracy After Trump,” they sat down for a discussion with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal at University Temple United Methodist Church in Seattle. We are proud to present that talk for you here on the podcast in its entirety.

Indivisible co-founders and co-executive directors, Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin have just released their new book, “We Are Indivisible: A Blueprint for Democracy After Trump,” and they join us in person for a wide-ranging discussion about, among other things, all that we've learned in the nearly three years since the founding of Indivisible, about why they both chose a career in politics, and about what motivated them to write their game-changing Google doc in the aftermath of the 2016 election.

Link:

Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Indivisible-Blueprint-Democracy/dp/1982129972/ref=sr_1_1?crid=K6RU09G0G6GD&keywords=we+are+indivisible+a+blueprint+for+democracy+after+trump&qid=1573595742&sprefix=we+are+indi%2Caps%2C602&sr=8-1

This week, we have a wrap-up Tuesday’s elections. We look not just at the one here at home, but also at two pivotal races across the country. First, joining us to discuss the results here in Washington is chair of the King County Democrats, Shasti Conrad.

Then, we’re joined by the head of Roanoke Indivisible, Ivonne Wallace Fuentes, to discuss the historic wins for Democrats up and down the ballot in Virginia.

And we talk with the chair of Indivisible Kentucky, Sharon Fleck, about the prospect of Democrat Andy Beshear winning the governorship in a very red state.

This week, with the 2019 election upon us here in Washington, we have an in-depth look at key races and initiatives from all over the state, with an expert lineup:

- The Stranger’s Rich Smith

- Indivisible Washington’s 8th District leader Chris Petzold

- Fuse Washington’s communications director, Collin Jergens

Then, continuing our election discussion, we also have a look at a new digital organizing platform called Outreach Circle that uses your personal relationships to empower campaigns.

Links:

The Stranger’s Voter Guide: www.thestranger.com/news/2019/10/09…_eid=78020b6f60

Fuse Washington’s Voter Guide: www.progressivevotersguide.com/

Outreach Circle: client.outreachcircle.com

Fight back against Tim Eyman's reign of anti-tax terror in our state. Eyman brought us the "Advisory Vote" that fills up half the ballot. They DISCOURAGE VOTING among low-information voters by making the prospect of filling out the ballot overwhelming. Very few people know that these measures are meaningless, that it's OK to leave half your ballot blank, and that Eyman is behind them. Having almost the whole front side of the ballot filled with his garbage isn't just annoying -- it's deliberately misleading and advances an anti-tax agenda via mischaracterization of budget process.

Write to our legislators and urge them to take action this year.

app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5224

****Sample script:****

I urge you to take action on the presence of "advisory votes" on our ballots. Candidates in important races have been pushed to the BACK of the ballot while these meaningless anti-tax measures are put front and center. This confuses voters, wastes tremendous amounts of revenue (up to $3 million if you include the voter's pamphlet) and serves no purpose other than to spread anti-tax messaging.

It is time to end this farce.

I support SB5224 and I urge you to make it a priority in the upcoming legislative session. Thank you!

This week, with the 2019 election upon us here in Washington, we have an in-depth look at key races and initiatives from all over the state, with an expert lineup:

- The Stranger’s Rich Smith

- Indivisible Washington’s 8th District leader Chris Petzold

- Fuse Washington’s communications director, Collin Jergens

Then, continuing our election discussion, we also have a look at a new digital organizing platform called Outreach Circle that uses your personal relationships to empower campaigns.

Links:

The Stranger’s Voter Guide: https://www.thestranger.com/news/2019/10/09/41625578/the-strangers-endorsements-for-the-november-5-2019-general-election?mc_cid=a1a4d9d13c&mc_eid=78020b6f60

Fuse Washington’s Voter Guide: https://www.progressivevotersguide.com/

Outreach Circle: https://client.outreachcircle.com

Fight back against Tim Eyman's reign of anti-tax terror in our state. Eyman brought us the "Advisory Vote" that fills up half the ballot. They DISCOURAGE VOTING among low-information voters by making the prospect of filling out the ballot overwhelming. Very few people know that these measures are meaningless, that it's OK to leave half your ballot blank, and that Eyman is behind them. Having almost the whole front side of the ballot filled with his garbage isn't just annoying -- it's deliberately misleading and advances an anti-tax agenda via mischaracterization of budget process.

Write to our legislators and urge them to take action this year.

https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5224

****Sample script:****

I urge you to take action on the presence of "advisory votes" on our ballots. Candidates in important races have been pushed to the BACK of the ballot while these meaningless anti-tax measures are put front and center. This confuses voters, wastes tremendous amounts of revenue (up to $3 million if you include the voter's pamphlet) and serves no purpose other than to spread anti-tax messaging.

It is time to end this farce.

I support SB5224 and I urge you to make it a priority in the upcoming legislative session. Thank you!

Veteran pollster Stanley Greenberg's new book is “RIP GOP: How the New America Is Dooming the Republicans.” In it, he breaks down the trends, poll numbers, and most importantly, demographic shifts that reveal how the Trump-led Republicans are headed for defeat in 2020.

On issue after issue like climate change, marriage equality, health care, and especially immigration, Republicans are out of touch with a changing America. We also talk about how Greenberg’s numbers indicate across the board wins for Democrats in 2020, especially in important battleground states like PA, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Links:

https://www.amazon.com/RIP-GOP-America-Dooming-Republicans/dp/1250311756/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1NL4CDZ1X1355&keywords=rip+gop&qid=1571942283&sprefix=rip+gop%2Caps%2C246&sr=8-1

This week, how Democrats can craft a winning message in 2020. We talk with two prominent Washington state Democrats—state Democratic Party communications director Will Casey and chair of the King County Democrats, Shasti Conrad—about how we in the grassroots community can best communicate to voters what Democrats stand for, and about how we strike the ideal balance in talking about—and not talking about—Trump.

Then, we are joined again by Jennifer Young. She is a therapist who specializes in trauma. She’s also an Indivisible leader, and she’s here to answer your questions about how activists can best cope with overwhelm, outrage, and anxiety.

This week, we revisit our conversation with the head of University of Washington’s new Center for an Informed Public, Jevin West, who’s best known for his course, “Calling Bullsh*t,” a class that teaches students how to, among other things, discern and dispatch with disinformation. West says that in many instances, there’s a moral imperative for calling out BS when you see it.

Links:

Jevin West’s TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZeMRy_PTmA

Calling Bullsh*t course videos: https://callingbullshit.org/videos.html

Calling Bullsh*t syllabus: https://callingbullshit.org/syllabus.html

See if you can tell which face is real, and which is a computer amalgam: http://www.whichfaceisreal.com

This week, a look at the emerging field of collective psychology, and the interconnection between the many crises we face in our politics, our economies, and our climate at the global level, and the epidemic of depression, anxiety, and addiction at the individual level.

Alex Evans is the creator of the Collective Psychology Project. In his recent paper, "A Larger Us," he details how the way in which we address how our intertwined nature may determine the fate of the climate, democracy, and even society itself.

Also, a brief dispatch from Europe on impeachment.

Links:

A Larger Us: https://www.collectivepsychology.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/A-Larger-Us.pdf

Cancel Matt Shea: https://www.cancelmattshea.com/take-action?fbclid=IwAR0eubsAOvXi3JmVYSUSP4muEVEYT2vr59CBRjUXFQSwhiqVKA2xSIjhOsw