Burn the Boats

Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat describes the similarities between current authoritarian movements and those of the past.Ruth is a historian who specializes in authoritarianism and propaganda. She’s a professor of History and Italian Studies, as well as an MSNBC Opinion Columnist and frequent guest commentator on CNN, MSNBC, and other media channels.Her most recent book, Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present, examines how authoritarians use propaganda, virility, corruption, and violence to stay in power, and how they can be opposed. Ruth also authored Fascist Modernities, about how Mussolini presented fascism as a unique solution to his people, and Italian Fascism’s Empire Cinema, about the propaganda films created in Mussolini’s Italy.If you’d like to hear more from Ruth, you can subscribe to her weekly newsletter Lucid for free. Also, make sure to check out her website, ruthbenghiat.com, and follow her on Twitter @ruthbenghiat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andrew Hartzler, nephew of fmr. Representative Vicky Hartzler, talks about his viral video and how he has faced discrimination as a gay man.  In early January, Andrew Hartzler went viral on TikTok for calling out his aunt, fmr. Representative Vicky Hartzler, for her homophobic comments on the house floor. As a result of that video, Andrew received national attention, and was invited to the White House to watch president Biden sign the Respect for Marriage act. For Andrew, his Aunt's comments did not come as much of a surprise. Most of his family, including Rep. Hartzler, have not accepted him for who he is. Andrew came out to his family as gay when he was fourteen, and as a result, he was sent to conversion therapy. His father also forced him to attend Oral Roberts University, a homophobic, christian private school. During the interview, Andrew had this to say about the discrimination he faced at ORU:“I'm grateful that I was able to experience that firsthand. So, now, I can hopefully make a difference for others.”To learn more about Andrew, visit his website, andrewhartzler.com. There you’ll find his post, Fix Him. You can also find Andrew on TikTok and Twitter.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ken Mayer is a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an expert on elections and campaign finance. His current research focuses on evaluating recent state-level campaign finance reforms.In this episode, he discusses the chances of Republicans in 2024, and current campaign finance reform efforts:“Well, the explanation for that is that the Republican Party is in a little bit of a bind. And a lot of the leaders, Pence and McConnell and Pompeo and others, have indicated that they think Trump is old news, that they think the party should move beyond him.”Find Ken on Twitter at @uwkenmayer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senator from Illinois Tammy Duckworth reflects on her first term in office, the current issues facing the Senate, and what she hopes to accomplish in her second term. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russian politics expert Olga Lautman discusses Russia’s failure to defeat Ukraine, the instability of the Russian political system, and more.Olga is a researcher and analyst who has been monitoring Russian and Ukrainian internal politics for years. She’s a Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, and the co-host of the Kremlin File, a podcast that details the rise of Putin and the spread of authoritarianism across the globe, including the Trump White House. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ravi Gupta held several positions during the first term of the Obama administration, including Special Assistant and Speechwriter to Susan Rice, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.After serving in the Obama Administration, Ravi wanted to take a break from partisan politics and do real work on the ground. He Founded RePublic Schools, a network of charter schools in the South that provide quality education to underserved communities. Following the election of Donald Trump, Ravi decided he had to help fight Trumpism. He founded Arena, an organization dedicated to convening, training, and supporting the next generation of candidates and campaign staff. Arena has helped to elect over 75 candidates, and trained over 1500 staffers.In 2019, Ravi Co-Founded Second Chance Studios, which teaches life, social, and professional skills to formerly incarcerated individuals. SCS provides courses in editing, social media, podcasting, and other topics in the media space. Now, Ravi is the CEO of Lost Debate, a non-profit media company he founded in 2021. He hosts several podcasts, including Majority 54 which he co-hosts with Jason Kander.You can find Ravi on Twitter at @RaviMGupta. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stuart Stevens dedicated his life to getting Republicans elected. He worked for dozens of candidates, including both Bush and Romney during their presidential campaigns, and was extremely successful. Now however, Stuart regrets the part he played in the rise of Trumpism. In 2020, he wrote It Was All a Lie, about his time in the Republican party, and how Trumpism is “the natural outcome of five decades of hypocrisy and self-delusion.” Through the Lincoln Project and Resolute Square, he’s working to counteract the movement he helped build. You can follow Stuart on Twitter @stuartpstevens. To learn more about the Lincoln Project, check out their new limited series on Showtime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey everyone, it’s Ken Harbaugh. I just wanted to let you know that the team and I are taking some time off during the holidays. We’ll return to our normal release schedule on January 10th. Thank you all for an amazing year, and for your support for this show. Happy holidays, and have a great new year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tyler Merritt is an Activist, Author, Actor, and public speaker. His video monologue, “Before You Call the Cops,” garnered national attention after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, and has been viewed tens of millions of times. Tyler’s new children's book, A Door Made for Me, is based on his own experience being rejected by neighbors because of his race. The book helps kids understand the injustice of racism in a way they can understand, while also preparing them for situations they may encounter in the future. In Tyler’s first book, I Take My Coffee Black, he talks about his experiences as a black man in America, as well as privilege, religion, multiculturalism, and even musical theater. To hear him talk about it, listen to our interview with him from last year. You can follow Tyler on Twitter at @TTMProject, and on instagram at @thetylermerrittproject. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Miles Taylor, who co-founded the Forward Party, discusses the significance of the midterm election results, the future of Trumpism, and the ongoing threats to American democracy. –Back in 2018, Miles Taylor anonymously authored a New York Times op-ed titled “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.” At the time, Miles worked in a senior role in the Department of Homeland security. Eventually, after Trump asked him and other officials to break the law, Miles quit. He decided to author a book, again anonymously, titled A Warning, which described the morally gray, and sometimes blatantly illegal orders that came from the President.In the lead up to the 2020 election, Miles felt it was important to reveal himself as the anonymous author of both the op-ed and the book. He then created the Renew America Movement, an organization dedicated to giving a voice to the ‘rational’ republicans who do not subscribe to the right-wing extremism of Donald Trump.In our interview with Miles last year, “Miles Taylor: Inside the Trump White House,” he talked about his op-ed, his book, and the Renew America Movement.Since then, Miles left the Republican party, and co-founded the Forward Party with Andrew Yang. We brought him back on the show to talk about this decision, the midterm results, the future of Trumpism, and the ongoing threats to American democracy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices