The Electorette Podcast

In this episode, we've pulled together some of the most compelling moments from earlier interviews which explore racism and xenophobia in America, both during the Trump administration and following 9/11. This episode includes highlights of interviews from Maryam Zaringhalam, Catherine Squires & Ruth Defoster.

"They're afraid of the 2.6 million people who came out and marched on the anniversary of the Women's March. They are afraid of the young black activists and Black Lives Matter who are standing up... They’re afraid of our activism, and our civic awareness, and awakening that I think is happening.... There is a civic awakening that I think is happening and I think that, that's powerful because what [the GOP] are afraid of, are our voices." This is one of the points you'll hear in this powerful conversation with Michele Jawando, Vice President of Legal Progress at the Center for American Progress and Co-host of Thinking CAP Podcast. We discuss controversial judicial nominees, the Supreme Court, voter suppression and the #MeToo movement.

This episode features an interview with Sharon Fairley, candidate for Illinois Attorney General and the first candidate to receive the endorsement of the American Women's Party. Sharon Fairley has an incredibly impressive background, serving as federal prosecutor with the US Attorney General’s office for the Northern District of Illinois for eight years; she's also served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Appeals section of the Office of Illinois Attorney General. In December 2015 Sharon Fairley became the Chief Administrator of the Independent Police Review Authority, of which she led the transformation to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA). Sharon Fairley is a passionate defender of women's reproductive rights, has a proven record for fighting corruption and inefficiency in city government and vows to be a public advocate for comprehensive immigration reform. https://www.sharonfairley.com https://www.americanwomensparty.org/sharon-fairley-illinois-attorney-general/

Jan 22nd 2018 marks the 45th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision issued in 1973 on the issue of the constitutionality of laws that criminalized or restricted access to abortions. In this episode, with award-winning professor and author of the book "Scarlet A: The Ethics, Law & Politics of Ordinary Abortion" (https://amzn.to/2KAGW7A) Katie Watson, we discuss the deeper structural, cultural, and social issues that fuel our modern debate on abortion rights.

In this episode, we've pulled together some of the most compelling moments of episodes from 2017. This episode includes highlights of interviews from 1) Ruth Defoster, professor and author of Terrorizing the Masses 2) Pamela Nettleton, professor, domestic violence and media expert 3) Kate Manne, professor and author of Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny

"There is this a danger that if we hold misogyny to be a deep psychological property of individual agents, then it will become very difficult to know or justifiably believe if someone is a misogynist. " This is one of the points you'll hear in my conversation with author Kate Manne. In her book, "Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny," Manne thoroughly explores the meaning of misogyny; her examination, through analogy, and examples from politics and the news headlines, provides considerable clarity about what misogyny is and what it is not. "Down Girl..." is a must-read and should be in every feminist's library along with other notable feminist classics.

In my conversation with Professor Allison McKim, we discuss her book "Addicted to Rehab: Race, Gender, and Drugs in the Era of Mass Incarceration (Critical Issues in Crime and Society)" in which she compares two addiction rehabilitation programs: one is linked to the criminal justice system and the second, is private and is covered by private insurance. We discuss the ways in which gendered treatment or "Women Centered Treatment" the lives of women in recovery, the lives of their families and their relationships. We also discuss how racial stereotypes influence treatment.

"For some reason, all of the tropes and the explanations and the frames that came out of the Columbine coverage, have been repackaged and recycled in media coverage of almost every mass shooting since." This is just one of the points you'll hear during my conversation with terrorism scholar and mass shooting expert, Dr. Ruth Defoster. We discuss the consistent features present in all mass shootings and their perpetrators, including toxic masculinity. We walk through several of the country's attacks and discuss the media's treatment of these incidents, the contagion effect of mass shootings, and the media's influence on the culture of gun violence in America. Lastly, we discuss the Trump administration's treatment of and response to terror.

"We've been asking the wrong questions. We ask 'why does she stay' instead of 'why is he hitting her...'" This is just one of the points you'll hear in my conversation with Dr. Pamela Nettleton. We discuss how the media's coverage of violence against women perpetuates a culture of violence. We also discuss how our social systems are set up to burden women who are victims of violence.

Dangerous Discourses: Feminism, Gun Violence & Civic Life | This is the first in a series of episodes in which I'll cover gun violence from several angles. In this episode, I discuss the essay titled "Making Visible Victimhood, Bringing Intersectionality to a Mass Shooting - #SayHerName, Black Women & Charleston" with Professor Catherine Squires. We discuss the Charleston shooting, the need to bring violence against women of color to the forefront, and the patriarchal nature of racism.

If you've been following the news around the deterioration of our voting rights, including how gerrymandering and redistricting efforts or voter suppression efforts have further stripped equal access to the ballot, you'll want to listen to this episode with Think Progress journalist, Kira Lerner. We discuss the history of the recent destruction of voting rights starting with the Karl Rove Op Ed in 2010, which was the genesis of voter disenfranchisement.

"We need more Americans to connect, on a very deep level with a sense of empathy, for the experience of others..." This is just one of the points you'll hear during my conversation with Lauren Leader Chivee, author of "Crossing the Thinnest Line: How Embracing Diversity—from the Office to the Oscars—Makes America Stronger" and co-founder of All In Together, an organization dedicated to non-partisan women’s organization committed advancing the progress of women’s political, civic and professional leadership in the United States.

Mia Brett and Maya Contreras are the co-founders of the American Women's Party, an advocacy group fighting for equal representation, participation, and policy development for women in the Democratic Party. We discuss their role in creating "underground Hillary Clinton support groups" during the 2016 election as a safe space for women to discuss politics free from the threats of online attacks and misogyny. We also discuss how the American Women's Party is working to combat voter suppression, including the Voter Empowerment Day events being help around the country.

"If a male politician is in his 20’s and 30’s he’s an ambitious go-getter, who’s a rising star - no one asks “what about his kids, why isn’t he at home?” This is just one of the points of discussion you'll hear during my conversation with Dr. Teri Finneman, author and professor of journalism. We discuss her book "Press Portrayals of Women Politicians, 1870s–2000s" including the media coverage of women politicians including the 1st female presidential candidate (a.k.a. Mrs. Satan as she was referred to by the press), Sarah Palin and of course, Hillary Clinton.

"If the left has had one shortcoming, it's a failure of imagination when it comes to the audacity of the right to lie, to upset custom, to do anything they can to get around the law to achieve their aims." This is just one of the points made by Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza, a political and legal analyst. Rebecca has been blocked by Trump of Twitter and we discuss how silencing dissenting voices in a public forum presents a threat to democracy. We also discuss judicial nominees, the need to clarify a unified, progressive message and threats to LGBT rights.