The Great Battlefield

David Leichtman joins The Great Battlefield to discuss his position in Microsoft's new Defending Democracy Program - which is focused on safeguarding democratic elections worldwide against cyber-attacks - and his work as the Vice-chair of Technology & Communications for the Democratic Party of Virginia | Episode 139

Mary Alice Crim joins The Great Battlefield to discuss her work as the Field Director of Free Press - an organization which closely monitors the media landscape and fights back when people’s rights to connect and communicate are infringed upon. | Episode 138

Barrett Holmes Pitner, a journalist and columnist for The Daily Beast, joins The Great Battlefield to discuss the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era, the backlash that followed, and what this period in American history tells us about the rise of Trump. | Episode 137

Rich Pelletier, a partner at Prism Communications, joins The Great Battlefield to reflect on his experience as the deputy campaign manager of Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign. He also discusses the ways Democrats and progressives can effectively communicate their agenda to voters in upcoming elections. | Episode 136

Shaughnessy Naughton, an entrepreneur with a degree in chemistry, joins The Great Battlefield to discuss running for Congress and founding 314 Action - an organization devoted to fighting against anti-scientific policies by electing more candidates with backgrounds in STEM fields. | Episode 135

Larry Noble, Senior Director and General Counsel of the Campaign Legal Center, joins The Great Battlefield to tell us how campaign finance laws in America changed during his 13 years as the General Counsel to the FEC. He discusses how the CLC is now taking legal action in that area, and many others, to protect the public interest. | Episode 134

Justin Myers joins The Great Battlefield to discuss his work as CEO of For Our Future - a super PAC advocating for progressive values by establishing a permanent presence in battleground states, working alongside local leaders, and having one-on-one conversations with voters year-round. | Episode 133

Varshini Prakash joins The Great Battlefield to discuss her work as co-founder of the Sunrise Movement - an organization of young people focused on preventing climate change and holding elected officials accountable for accepting contributions from the oil, gas, and coal industries. | Episode 132

Laura Rosenberger, the Director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy and a Senior Fellow of The German Marshall Fund, joins The Great Battlefield for a conversation on foreign policy and international relations. She explains why negotiations with North Korea are a diplomatic quagmire, recounts her work as Foreign Policy Advisor for Hillary for America, and details the many ways in which Russia is attempting to undermine our democracy. | Episode 131

Arkadi Gerney joins The Great Battlefield to discuss his career in politics; from working as a White House intern, to fighting against gun violence with Michael Bloomberg, to his role as senior vice president for campaigns and strategy at the Center for American Progress. He also tells us about his new position as Executive Director of The Hub Project - an organization which is partnering with progressive advocacy groups to create innovative social change campaigns. | Episode 130

Dr. Tung Nguyen, Chair in General Internal Medicine and Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, joins The Great Battlefield to discuss his life and career. He recounts his childhood experience as a Vietnamese refugee in America, explains his resignation from the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in protest of the Trump administration, and discusses his work as Chair of both PIVOT and AAPI Progressive Action - organizations focused on empowering Vietnamese Americans and the AAPI community at large. | Episode 129

Hahrie Han, Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, joins The Great Battlefield to discuss what she has learned from over a decade of researching social policy, political participation, and effective organizing. | Episode 128

Tiffany Muller, the President and Executive Director of End Citizens United, joins The Great Battlefield to discuss how she and her team are fighting for campaign finance reform in response to the Supreme Court's controversial 2010 decision in Citizens United v. F.E.C | Episode 127

Taryn Rosenkranz joins us to discuss her career, from leading digital communications for the DCCC - where she broke fundraising records - to becoming Founder and CEO of New Blue Interactive, a digital/new media strategy firm which has raised over $250 million dollars for Democratic campaigns and causes. | Episode 126

Elena Hung joins The Great Battlefield to discuss her work as the Co-founder of Little Lobbyists -- an organization led by parents of children with complex medical needs. She details the methods they are using to help elected officials better understand the real-life consequences of dismantling Medicaid, Medicare, or the Affordable Care Act. | Episode 125