How To Not Lose Your Sh!t

The energy we’ve been feeling since VP Kamala Harris became the candidate has been undeniable. Jasmine says she hasn’t felt this level of hope since Obama’s campaign in 2008. But the more successful Kamala’s campaign becomes, the more concerned we're getting about extremists resorting to undemocratic tactics. (It wouldn’t be the first time, after all!) In Georgia, some very concerning disenfranchisement efforts are already in the works.But as much as we need to be aware of those undemocratic tactics, we cannot let them cast a shadow on our joy. Our guest this week, Holli Holliday, was such a delight and shared some words about the importance of doubling – no, tripling – down on hope. She also had great advice about how to respond if we hear neighbors or family members repeating racist misinformation about Kamala. We know the power of real conversations and relational organizing, and we couldn’t agree more!Finally, Rachel and Jasmine raise a glass to getting back in the game after an illness and a tropical trip with elected Black women in this week's Toast to Joy.The next exciting event in our Momonomics campaign is coming up soon and you’re invited! You’ve probably heard your friends and neighbors worrying about the economy, but it can be hard to know how to talk about it. Join us on Tuesday August 13th at 7:30pm Eastern for an Ask Me Anything event that’s all about the economy. When you RSVP, you can even submit your own questions. Learn more and sign up here.For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

Lately there have been so many exciting organizing events on Zoom. And Red Wine & Blue is no exception - just two weeks after our incredibly successful event with Heather Cox Richardson, we held another event to talk about Project 2025… with Senator Elizabeth Warren! Here’s the audio from that call, and if you’d like to watch on video, you can see it here.For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

This week, Red Wine & Blue is launching a new campaign called Momonomics. The economy has been on everyone’s mind, and Republicans present it as one of their strongest issues. But we know that Democratic policies like paid childcare and reproductive freedom are what actually help American families.So this week, we’re joined by Sondra Goldschein, the Executive Director of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy. Sondra talks to us about what policies actually help working families and how Republicans like Trump and J.D. Vance are incredibly out of touch with what real families need. J.D. even called childcare “class warfare against normal people”! But amongst advanced nations, the United States has some of the worst policies for childcare and parental leave in the world.After that, we chat with Jo Carducci, also known as JoJoFromJerz, to share how economic policies have affected moms like her. Like so many single moms, during the pandemic she was put into the impossible position of choosing between childcare and her income. Moms shouldn't have to feel ashamed that they can't "do it all" when there are no systems in place to support them.Finally, Amanda and Jasmine raise a glass to community, bipartisan solutions, and the Tour to Save Democracy in this week's Toast to Joy.A few days ago, Red Wine & Blue held another incredibly successful event right on the heels of our virtual event with Heather Cox Richardson. This time, we were joined by Senator Elizabeth Warren, who shared her thoughts about Project 2025 and Momonomics. If you weren't able to join us, the video is available on YouTube.For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

Over the weekend, President Joe Biden announced that he would be stepping down as the nominee and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. We’ve had every reaction imaginable: excitement, appreciation for Biden's great work, fear over the racist and sexist attacks that are already coming, and everything in between. But despite our anxieties we are energized and ready to go! The conversations we have with our friends and family in the next 100 days will be make or break for democracy.And we couldn’t have asked for better timing with our guest this week because we are joined by Sam Schwartz, an inspiring Gen Z activist who is currently leading the youth-driven Tour To Save Democracy. Sam’s cousin Alex was tragically killed in the Parkland school shooting, and ever since then Sam has been a passionate advocate against gun violence. We were thrilled to have his perspective on the 2024 election, what young people think about VP Harris, and how we can get Gen Z to the polls in November.Finally, Rachel, Amanda and Jasmine raise a glass to Leslie Odom Jr., spending time outdoors with family, and conversations with constituents in this week's Toast to Joy.You can watch a video of our virtual event with Heather Cox Richardson here on YouTube and view our Project 2025 toolkit here. And next week we have another exciting event with Senator Elizabeth Warren! She’ll be joining us to discuss Project 2025 and the economy - you can learn more and RSVP here.For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

On a Monday night in the middle of summer, hundreds of thousands of people watched a virtual event where a historian spoke about a 900-page Republican playbook. It sounds like some DC-based strategist’s dream, but it was just another day at Red Wine & Blue!This past Monday July 15th, Heather Cox Richardson joined us to talk about Project 2025, and we wanted to share the audio of that conversation with you. Whether you missed the event or just wanted to listen to Heather again, please enjoy this conversation about Project 2025.For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

This week we’re joined by one of our favorite guest hosts, political strategist Jess McIntosh. You know what they say… come to discuss the electoral process, stay to discuss the latest shocking thing to hit our newsfeeds. Jess, Amanda and Jasmine discuss the events of the weekend, the recent increase in political violence and violent rhetoric, and emphasize that we need to settle our policy differences at the ballot box. But “lowering the temperature in our politics” doesn’t mean that we suddenly stop talking about extremist policies that threaten our country.After that conversation, we’re joined by Scott Anderson of The Strategic Victory Fund to demystify our election process. How do elections work? Are they really secure? How does the electoral college work, and can we change it? Scott answers all of our questions and more.Finally, Jess, Amanda and Jasmine raise a glass to Portland, DoorDash, and Rudy Giuliani having to pay the campaign workers he defamed in this week's Toast to Joy.If you have questions about Project 2025 and want to learn more, you can view our online toolkit here.For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

We’re all still recovering from last week’s debate and what it means for the election, but like we said in our last episode, the stakes have not changed. There’s Project 2025, the right-wing plan to overturn democracy in America. There’s the constant attacks on reproductive rights. There’s even Mark Robinson, the MAGA candidate for governor in North Carolina, saying that “some folks need killing”! Democrats might be in the midst of a family debate over our nominee in November, but the most important thing is to ensure that we're united against extremism.This week, we’re joined by Emily Amick, a digital media superstar who’s on a mission to make civic engagement part of self-care. Along with Sami Sage, she’s the co-author of a new book called Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives. Emily tells us how in the heck politics can feel like self care and how we can make a real difference in our communities by stepping up and getting involved.Finally, Rachel, Amanda and Jasmine raise a glass to the people of Arkansas and Ohio, to spending the 4th of July with community, and to good election results across the world in this week's Toast to Joy.If you have questions about Project 2025 and what's at stake, we invite you to join us at a virtual event with Heather Cox Richardson on Monday, July 15 at 7:00pm Eastern. You can learn more and RSVP here.For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

The past week has been tough. The presidential debate did not exactly go as we hoped. The Supreme Court ruled that Trump has absolute immunity for “official acts” as President. But all of that only makes the election in November more crucial. The choice is literally between a dictatorship and a democracy, and it’s essential that we encourage everyone we know to vote. Which brings us to our interview of the week: Daria Dawson, the Executive Director of America Votes. Daria explains why our vote is so important – if it wasn’t, why are some trying so hard to suppress it? – and how getting out the vote, or rather “spreading out the vote,” will help us keep our democracy this year. If you want more details about Project 2025, we encourage you to check out our info page here. And finally, because we definitely needed a little joy this week, Rachel, Amanda and Jasmine raise a glass to communities and the nourishing power of giving back in this week's Toast to Joy.If you haven’t signed up for Red Wine & Blue yet, please join us at pod.redwine.blue/join and encourage your friends to join too. The fight for democracy is far from over and the time to take action is now.For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

This is our last episode of June, so before Pride Month is over, we wanted to talk to some more Troublemakers who are doing great work supporting the LGBTQ community. Amanda got the chance to sit down with Lisa and Dani with Pride & Less Prejudice, an organization that provides inclusive books to classrooms to help students and teachers to “Read out loud, read out proud.” If you're a schoolteacher and want free inclusive books, please reach out to them here!And before that, the hosts catch up on the news, including a chat about Rachel’s brother-in-law Eugene winning his congressional primary and Louisiana classrooms now being required to display the 10 Commandments. This week also marks 2 years since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v Wade, a grim reminder of the rights we’ve lost and what is at stake in November. Finally, Rachel, Amanda and Jasmine raise a glass to baby showers, grandparents, and no place like home in this week's Toast to Joy.This week, our Troublemaker Training is about effective messaging for transgender rights. Extremists are spreading disinformation about the trans community as a way to push their political agenda and cause division. If you want some guidance on the best way to have conversations about it, join us on Thursday June 27th at 7:30 Eastern.And don’t forget to sign up for our Substack newsletter! It’s free and we’d love to hear from you in the comments.For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

This week’s episode is coming out on Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. But before we can get to our discussion about it (including how JD Vance recently introduced a “Dismantle DEI” bill to roll back Biden’s diversity programs), it seems there’s always more reproductive healthcare news to talk about. Last week, Senate Republicans blocked a bill to protect the right to IVF, and the Southern Baptist Church just voted to oppose IVF as well. And that’s not even the only repro news to talk about, because the Supreme Court just rejected a challenge to mifepristone, the abortion pill, saying there was no standing to sue. This is good news... but (there’s always a “but”!) this decision allows them to delay a merits decision on this issue until after the election. The fight is far from over.Then Jasmine sits down with Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead, a professor, author, and leader who is also known as the #BlackMommyActivist. Dr. Kaye is an incredible storyteller and walks us through the origins of Juneteenth, how being a mom has inspired her activism, and how it’s not just famous leaders but also everyday people who have done the hard work to make real change. We encourage everyone to learn more about her work with the African American Policy Forum and Critical Race Theory Summer School, as well as read her book Letters to My Black Sons: Raising Boys in a Post-Racial America.Finally, Amanda and Jasmine raise a glass to fathers and family reunions in this week's Toast to Joy.It's hard to believe, but this Monday will mark 2 years since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v Wade. If you want to learn about how you can fight for reproductive freedom, we invite you to join Red Wine & Blue and Sister District for a virtual event this Monday June 24th at 8pm Eastern.And don’t forget to sign up for our Substack newsletter! It’s free and we’d love to hear from you in the comments.For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA