Free Forum with Terrence McNally

In 2024, Republicans won the popular vote for only the second time since 1980. After the worst four years of his life, Trump, running against the best administration for labor in years, won bigger numbers than 2020 among working class voters - including Blacks & Latinos. Hartmann’s new book, THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN DREAM: The Demise of the Middle Class – and How to Rescue Our Future, supplies the backstory to that damaging development. Biden finally dumped neo-liberalsim but voters didn't know.

As we have for the last few elections, ROB JOHNSON - Executive Director of the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) and host of podcast ECONOMICS & BEYOND - and I offer our post-mortems. Biden’s late withdrawal meant the Dems skipped primaries, debates, and a convention that would have tested candidates and messages. 2024 was another “change” election and they didn’t get the memo. Bad time to be an incumbent. Trump’s message: If you’re angry, vote for me. Turns out a lot of voters were angry. 

LAUREN WINDSOR calls herself an “advocacy journalist”. Her biggest scoops usually come when she goes undercover among right-wing pols and donors to secretly record things they don’t want us to hear. Her accidental truth-tellers include Sam Alito, Rudy Giuliani, Roger Stone, John Eastman, and Ted Cruz. Executive producer of The Undercurrent and executive director of American Family Voices, we talk about her new documentary, GONZO FOR DEMOCRACY. You can learn more at laurenwindsor.comWindsor, Lauren 10-24-24 Transcript

STEPHEN UJLAKI’s documentary BAD FAITH opens with the following text: “Christian Nationalism is a political movement that believes America was founded as a Christian nation privileging Christianity over all other faiths. Masquerading as religion, this ideology exploits scripture and sacred symbols to achieve extremist objectives.” The film lays out the timeline, connects the dots, and makes clear that 1) Christian Nationalism is a political movement first, not a religious one. 2) Since the 1970s, it has been relentless, well funded, absolutely cynical, and frighteningly successful. 3) Christian Nationalists have achieved much of what they set out to do, and, if Trump wins again, have dark plans for more.

I’ve been talking about voter suppression with GREG PALAST since 2002. Known for his investigative reports for BBC, The Guardian, and Rolling Stone, his new documentary, VIGILANTES INC: America’s New Vote Suppression Hitmen, narrated by Rosario Dawson and produced by Martin Sheen, reveals that in 43 states individual citizens are able to challenge and remove fellow citizens from voter rolls. You can donate to watch it at gregpalast.com where you can also find Greg’s other documentaries, and his articles and books, including The Best Democracy Money Can Buy - or stream it for free at saveyourvote.org.

Wendell Potter, a former health insurance executive turned whistleblower, reveals the dark side of the healthcare system, where profits often trump patient care. He shares alarming statistics on U.S. healthcare outcomes and the pervasive role of insurance companies in promoting medical debt and inadequate care. Potter discusses his shift from corporate insider to advocate, highlighting the need for reform driven by grassroots movements. He also exposes the influence of financial contributions on healthcare legislation, urging listeners to engage in the fight for a fairer system.

Here’s my 2022 conversation with National Book Award winner, KEVIN BOYLE, about his book, THE SHATTERING: AMERICA IN THE 1960s. He reminds us that, after the Depression and two World Wars, the Silent Majority craved security not change. I suspect this history lesson offers us a window into the minds and the worldviews of many of the crucial undecided MidWest and Sunbelt voters upon whom this election and our future depends. You can learn more at kevinboylehistory.com

Arlie Hochschild, a bestselling author and sociology professor, delves into the complexities of American politics and societal emotions. Drawing insights from her latest book, she explores the ‘deep story’ of rural America, filled with feelings of loss and pride. Hochschild discusses how nostalgia shapes voter behavior and the emotional toll of economic decline in communities. She emphasizes the need for constructive dialogue to mend societal divides, highlighting the risks of political manipulation and the emotional mechanisms driving far-right support.

The Democrats have for too long ceded rural voters to the GOP. When the solution to minority rule is voting, connecting with and winning over rural voters is essential. Here’s my 2022 conversation with Maine state senator CHLOE MAXMIN and CANYON WOODWARD about the the book they’ve co-authored, DIRT ROAD REVIVAL. It tells the story of their winning elections in rural Maine with CHLOE as candidate and CANYON as campaign manager and offers lessons they've learned to guide other rural progressives. You can learn more at dirtroadrevival.com 

Blind spots. In his book, EXCLUDED: How Snob Zoning, NIMBYism, and Class Bias Build the Walls We Don't See, RICHARD KAHLENBERG points out not only how restrictive zoning laws negatively influence all sorts of things in this country, but also that such laws are more likely or more restrictive in communities that are otherwise more liberal and progressive. KAHLENBERG also testified on the side of doing away with race-based affirmative action in higher education. It’s a provocative conversation. You can learn more at richardkahlenberg.org