“Women Saving Democracy” with Dan Shafer of The Recombobulation Area
Release Date: 09/24/2024
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But the next best time is now. Michael Edison Hayden—author of "" and co-host of ""—gives the backstory of blockbuster stories he wrote while working for the Southern Poverty Law Center, based on emails . The context he adds to that story, and the connections to his new book about extremists buying a castle in a small West Virginia town, help explain how America got to where we are now. Support this podcast and help change brains by .
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Spend a minute and a half thinking about what's happening in Minneapolis as an American citizen. We don't know who Woke Hoth Guy is but we share this only out of respect for his words and solidarity. Found here:
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Will your vote count in 2026? It may be the most important question we can ask right now. There's no one better to ask than Ari Berman. He's the author of MINORITY RULE and GIVE US THE BALLOT. He is also the National Voting Rights Correspondent for Mother Jones, and he has been covering the "GOP War on Voting" for over a decade.
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Read more: Trump Keeps Demanding that You Stop Talking about His Jeffrey Epstein Problem If Dems Successfully Message on News Outlets Lefty Pundits No Longer Read, Did It Ever Happen?
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Marcy Wheeler looks deeper into news that Trump's former defense attorney, now the deputy attorney general, will reach out to Ghislaine Maxwell. She lays out how Trump is orchestrating a cover-up scheme to protect himself from damaging Epstein revelations by getting Ghislaine Maxwell out of prison through a cooperation deal that will target his political opponents instead.
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Donald Trump was desperately trying to regain his superpower, attempting to grab attention and refocus it. He ended up on an Obama conspiracy theory that's already been re-litigated five times. Read more at emptywheel: https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/07/18/tulsi-gabbard-accuses-kash-patel-of-covering-up-for-the-obama-deep-state/
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emptywheel's Marcy Wheeler explains that the bubbling Jeffrey Epstein scandal is about two things: the underlying scandal and any ties Trump has to it, and the way it has disrupted Trump’s normal super power ability to command and direct attention. Read more: Jeffrey Epstein Is about Trump’s Failing Ability to Command Attention https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/07/13/jeffrey-epstein-is-about-command-of-attention/
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Marcy Wheeler explains the crucial distinctions in how liberals and the right-wing use language, the role of journalism, and the impact of amplifying polarizing messages. See how journalists act as data mules for Trump's truth social posts and the broader. And find out how FEMA's failures present an opportunity to build solidarity in everyone victimized by the regime's malicious ineptitude.
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Find out more: https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/07/07/pam-bondi-admits-she-must-fire-kash-patel-and-dan-bongino/
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Marcy Wheeler digs deeper into the Catturd Deficit that allows white supremacists to use Xitter to rig the news. Then she looks at how Trump's illegal war on Iran has created unprecedented fractures in his base, from Russian useful idiots like Marjorie Taylor Greene to anti-Semitic voices like Candace Owens, and even convicted January 6th participants like Joe Biggs. She explores how to exploit these cracks using the same tactics that got Trump elected, turning his own troll army's playbook against them.
info_outlineWisconsin’s first truly democratic election in over a decade has already begun.
And if you want to know how November might look in the nation’s Tipping Point State, you’ve got to read Dan Shafer at The Recombobulation Area, which recently became a part of the Civic Media Network.
Dan describes how the election of Janet Protasiewicz to the state’s Supreme Court last year has changed the board and the game. For the first time since the Great Recession, voters–and not the politicians who drew their districts–will decide control of the State Assembly. And Democrats can pick up that body while making real progress toward winning the State Senate in 2026.
Come with us to Sheboygan to get an idea of what democratic renewal looks like in the Badger State. Dan discusses his complete analysis of all 99 races for the State Assembly, in which he identified the eight toss-up seats that will decide who controls Wisconsin's lower house. He explains Tammy Baldwin’s special sauce and why the nation should be watching Green Bay.
Also, you’ll find out just how good Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler really is and why the women of Wisconsin deserve the most credit for what Dan calls “a true moment for democracy.”
And if you want to invest in the ground game to win in November and begin the flip of Wisconsin, consider this excellent Give Smart slate that includes three of the Assembly candidates Dan mentions and all of the “tossup” candidates he’s identified. You can also donate to the Movement Voter Project, which backs local trusted organizers who can get sporadic voters to the polls.
Catch up on all the episodes of “How are you feeling about democracy?” here.
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