American Discourse
39 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsDoing the deep dive into what it means to be an American today. What is it that divides us? How can we diffuse the hyper-charged state of vitriol?
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Episodes
The Georgia Runoff
December 05, 2022 20:00 - 31 minutes - 21.5 MBAll eyes are on Georgia once again as yet another runoff to determine who will represent the Peach State in the US Senate for the next six years. The stakes could not be higher. The Democratic incumbent Rev. Raphael Warnock or the Republican candidate, former football star, Herschel Walker. The lines and differences between these two could not be clearer however, when it comes to Georgia politics there are so many deep divisions between red and blue districts. Join Robin and David as th...
Governors races: Some real nailbiters
October 17, 2022 22:00 - 29 minutes - 20.6 MBMidterms aren't just about control of Congress, a majority of states will be electing the person to serve as the Chief Executive of their state government. The people who occupy these positions have the power to halt radical right state legislatures run amok, like those who try to pass statewide bans on abortion (even in the case of rape and incest!). With a stroke of their pen, they can veto and put a stop to the insanity. Robin and David run through some of the states where races are cl...
Democracy's Destiny Will Be Decided In November
October 13, 2022 05:00 - 33 minutes - 22.7 MBIt's not hyperbole to say that the fate of our nation hangs in the balance as voters head to the polls. Either the forces of authoritarianism, minority rule, and violent sedition will grab control of our nation, or we will stave off the darkness and reject those who would discard the Great American Experiment. Across the nation, races offer up options between people of principle and those who embrace the dismantling of our democracy. Republicans, MAGA Nation, Big Lie believers, and Realit...
Memorial Day Losses, A Sad Mournful Day in America
May 31, 2022 04:00 - 30 minutes - 21 MBThe grief and anguish people are feeling throughout our country (and throughout the world) is enough to sour the taste of grandma's apple pie, burn the best BBQ and bring to a screeching halt any festivities because this country is broken. Beyond repair? We shall see. As a nation, we remain in stunned shock and horror at the tragedy that occurred in Uvalde just this week. And yet, even as we tried to comprehend the senseless loss of life of the most innocent of lives due to yet another gun-...
The world rallies around Ukraine while shunning Russia
March 09, 2022 03:00 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBThe horrific and nightmarish scenes playing out in full view of the entire world has brought us to a historic moment. Today we are seeing people and nations around the globe come together to embrace Ukraine and its people while simultaneously condemning Vladimir Putin and Russia. Putin's unprovoked invasion of a sovereign nation, the killing of civilians, and the destruction of one of Eastern Europe's most beautiful and vibrant countries has unified literally billions of people. While Mosco...
Episode 33 - Looking Out for a Hero
January 18, 2022 05:00 - 37 minutes - 25.5 MBThis week, when we remember one of the greatest leaders in our nation's history, serves as a reminder that we once strived for greatness, overcame the most formidable obstacles, and injustice was never a thing we shrank from eradicating. That was then. Another time. When we had heroes occupying the highest offices. Men and women who answered the call to serve for the greater good. As we survey the current political landscape, the vitriol, the intolerance, the rigid adherence to ideology, ...
All is lost...Not So Fast!
December 15, 2021 05:00 - 40 minutes - 27.9 MBThere is a sentiment circulating among Democrats that the end is upon us, that given the historical nature of mid-terms the shift in power in Congress will surely occur and the Great American Experiment will come crashing down. Is there cause for concern? Sure. Is it a foregone conclusion? Not by a long shot. By any stretch of the imagination, these are not normal times. Norms and cycles have been busted wide open. Political pundits are scrambling to make sense of it all during a time wh...
Election Fallout - Some Good, Some Bad
November 09, 2021 07:00 - 47 minutes - 32.8 MBDemocrats were shaken to the core this past Election Day as Republicans turned out in record numbers, driven by a variety of ginned-up tropes about everything from socialism, to the Big Lie, to crime and even to what is being taught in schools. It all got stoked to the boiling point by fearmongering candidates, Republican PAC's and of course Fox News and their ilk. The slap in the face did serve as a wake-up call for Democrats though, as just 48 hours after the stinging rebuke, they passed...
Is It Too Late To Salvage Democracy?
October 12, 2021 04:00 - 33 minutes - 22.8 MBThe constant assault on reason, logic, facts, science, and reality is taking a toll. The non-stop barrage of nonsense, obfuscation, misdirection, lies, and treachery are undermining the very foundation of the nation we grew up believing in. Are we at a tipping point? Is there a way to put the brakes on this train that is speeding towards the end of the tracks, where democracy goes up in smoke and all that awaits us is autocracy, nihilism, and a country that bears no resemblance to what the ...
Don't Mess With Mah Freedumbs
October 05, 2021 06:00 - 36 minutes - 25.5 MBPandemic still raging? Check Anti-vaxxers still raving? Check Infrastructure Bill still languishing? Check America on the edge of default? Check Manchin and Sinema.....? Whatever It's been another period of rough and tumble politics with absolutely nothing to show for it. Lots of name-calling, finger-pointing, blame-hurling, and anything else you can think of. The bottom line is that it's been anything but productive. Welcome to Washington or as Mitch McConnell sees it, Nirvana. This week ...
Sometimes You Just Gotta Laugh
September 22, 2021 06:00 - 34 minutes - 23.5 MBThere's no denying the absurdity of the world we live in these days. It feels like each one is filled with intolerance, ignorance, and insanity. It can lead people directly to their local bar, oh wait, it's closed. What's left? Laughter. Over many centuries, humor has diffused tense and fraught situations, which is why we were so delighted to invite the wonderful Wendy Liebman, who has been making people laugh for decades, with her unique style of delightfully disarming and pointedly non-...
A Texas-sized Shit Show
September 07, 2021 05:00 - 40 minutes - 28.1 MBThe despicable laws conceived of, passed and signed into law in Texas, are rocking the very foundation of our society. Riding a wave of MINORITY opinion, Greg Abbott signed the most draconian roll-back of women's rights in half a century. Hell, Texas makes the Handmaid's Tale sound like a lighthearted romp. It's all one further example of the fact that our democracy is in crisis. Despite the fact that Democrats control the House, Senate, and the White House, nothing is getting done! With t...
End of an Error
August 31, 2021 03:00 - 42 minutes - 29.2 MBIt took 20 years, cost the lives of thousands of Americans and Afghans along with countless trillions of dollars, but as of today, it is in the rearview mirror. The Endless War has in fact, come to an end. That end came with a torrent of turmoil, angst, fingerpointing, and even more American lives lost as the final hours were being counted down. Debates over how it was handled and who shoulders the blame for all of the miscalculations and deadly decisions will rage for a long time. While ...
Colliding Calamities - Kabul & COVID
August 25, 2021 06:00 - 36 minutes - 25.4 MBIt has been yet another rough week for the man sitting in the Oval Office. As you know, there are no corners to hide in, and that's fine with Joe. He boldly proclaims that the buck stops with him. Of course, Biden didn't create the Afghan mess, nor did he extend it, like his predecessors. He was given a lousy hand and he played it...boldly. There's a lot of dust and plenty of blame to go around, but by next week, this ignominious chapter will mercifully come to a close. What comes next for...
The torturous end of an era
August 17, 2021 06:00 - 34 minutes - 23.5 MBAs a nation, we watched with a mixture of astonishment and horror, as the Taliban raced across the entirety of Afghanistan in a heartbeat. The suddenness with which they rolled over and laid waste to 20 years of "nation-building" was and is hard to comprehend. The end of the conflict, that Trump negotiated with the Taliban and then left for Biden to oversee, has stirred emotions across the spectrum. From those who served to those who live to point fingers and affix blame. One way or the ot...
The deadly Republican Governor variant
August 10, 2021 06:00 - 38 minutes - 26.8 MBRemember the days before there was a vaccine? Remember the terrifying death tolls reaching into the hundreds of thousands and showing no signs of ending? Then Sherriff Joe came to town and started getting shots in arms and we thought...this is good...we're saved...it's over. If only. If only there wasn't an entire subset of conspiracy-loving nut jobs who put their faith, their lives, and the lives of their families in to the hands of charlatans. People who choose to believe "facts" they fin...
The deadly Republican Governor variant
August 10, 2021 06:00 - 38 minutes - 26.8 MBRemember the days before there was a vaccine? Remember the terrifying death tolls reaching into the hundreds of thousands and showing no signs of ending? Then Sherriff Joe came to town and started getting shots in arms and we thought...this is good...we're saved...it's over. If only. If only there wasn't an entire subset of conspiracy-loving nut jobs who put their faith, their lives, and the lives of their families in to the hands of charlatans. People who choose to believe "facts" they fin...
Flying through GOP Turbulence
August 03, 2021 05:00 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MBThe march towards the truth, shedding light and bringing justice to those responsible for the violent attack on our nation's capital has officially begun. Despite some of the most riveting testimony ever given in a committee chamber, Republicans continue trying to obfuscate, lie, distract and point fingers at everyone but themselves and their Dear Leader. Oh and let's not forget that they are also working their miserable asses to the bone to make sure that voting becomes a thing of the past...
Nancy Is Carrying The Big Stick
July 27, 2021 06:00 - 37 minutes - 51.4 MBTogether with former state representative Jon Hoadley of Kalamazoo, MI, Robin and David dive into the insane lengths the Party of Trump, and the sycophants who do their master's bidding will go to cling to power. Want us to deny what we saw with our own eyes on January 6th? Do you mean those "loving" tourists? Break rules and pass unconstitutional laws? Sure! Subvert both the will of our constituents and the very foundations of our democracy. Done and done! All this while the Delta-fuele...
Is the GOP a Death Cult?
July 20, 2021 05:00 - 39 minutes - 54.2 MBRobert Patillo, Civil Rights and Criminal Defense Attorney and Executive Director of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition joins Robin and David to discuss how the right-wing message machine seems hell-bent on driving UP the Covid death count! It's clear that they are fine crushing the aspirations and goals of Americans who are desperate to return to normal. And why? Because their worst-case scenario is that Joe Biden gets hailed as the steward who guided us there. So the Dr. Seuss cancel culture line...
What the Fox?
June 29, 2021 05:00 - 28 minutes - 39.4 MBTucker Carlson is desperate to ingratiate himself with the most abhorrent wing of the Republican base but this week he totally went off the rails. The sniveling twit actually called four-star General Mark Milley a pig. Not sure what is worse, that Fox didn't kick him off the air immediately or that his ratings probably rose and Rupert Murdoch most likely gave him a raise. Between right-wing media outrages, the scary rise in the Delta Variant, the botched Infrastructure negotiations, and th...
Grassroots....The Key To Victory?
June 22, 2021 07:00 - 34 minutes - 47.4 MBSpecial guest Melissa Grant, president of Grassroots Democrats HQ, an organization that has grown into one of the most formidable democratic ground game operations in the country, joins Robin and David to discuss how she did it and how you can be a part of what will bring our nation back from the brink. OK, so Juneteeth is an official holiday. That's a good thing. Is it the only thing? Far from it! How about making Election Day a holiday? How about securing voting rights? Oh let's not forge...
Vaccine Hesitancy...Come on People!
June 15, 2021 17:00 - 31 minutes - 43.3 MBIt seems inconceivable that we have to lure, entice and cajole people to get vaccinated. No matter what color your hat, we're pretty sure no one wants to relive the past 16 months. This week Robin, David, and special guest Dr. Lettisha Bilbrew dive into what's behind the various states of concern, confusion, and outright rejection of science. Front and center on the world stage, Joe Biden will stride into talks with America's arch-enemy, master evil-doer, and all-around schmuck Vladimir Put...
More Manchin Malarky!
June 09, 2021 05:00 - 33 minutes - 46.5 MBJoe Manchin (D- W. Virginia) is basking in the limelight that he created by being a lynchpin in the US Senate. His antics are a continuing source of frustration for the President and the rest of the Democrats in the Senate. His deluded stubbornness, refusing to be a team player, or perhaps playing for the wrong team is nothing short of maddening. Singlehandedly he is holding up any forward movement of the Biden agenda. Democrats are stymied at every turn. While Manchin acts more like a R...
Mask On/Mask Off, moving to the next phase
May 19, 2021 06:00 - 37 minutes - 52.1 MBIt has been a most trying time, filled with fear, apprehension, confusion, mixed messages, and a whole lot of finger-pointing. That was then, so what exactly is now? That's what we're all trying to figure out as summer nears and vaccinations are reaching critical mass. Are we safe? Can we do this? Can we not do that? There might be more questions than there are answers. One thing is for sure, there does appear to be a light at the end of the tunnel. One place where the light is shrouded i...
Can Dems hang on in 2022? GOP seems poised to help
May 11, 2021 18:00 - 36 minutes - 49.5 MBWatching the carnival sideshow that the Republican Party has devolved into is either fascinating or terrifying. On one hand, there are internal forces threatening to blow the whole thing up, on the other hand, there are so many lawmakers ready to fall on their swords for the twice-impeached, two-time popular vote LOSER, Donald Trump. The media is transfixed by it all because as we all know, "If it bleeds it leads" and there are some gaping wounds on display right now. The problem with thi...
The Party of No....No Matter What
May 05, 2021 19:00 - 33 minutes - 45.6 MBIs there ANY hope for a sane and reasonable Republican Party? The true conservatives in Congress are fewer in number and being forced into hiding. In their place, the loud, insistent rantings of the far-right are screaming from the rooftops (and on Fox "News") to drown out anyone who speaks the truth. It's not easy being Liz Cheney or Mitt Romney these days. As the stalwarts continue to be booed and vilified for not supporting the New Republican agenda, which seems to be nothing more than ...
100 days and 230 million shots! - Guest Harley Rouda (CA-48)
April 27, 2021 07:00 - 30 minutes - 42.1 MBAfter promising to deliver 100 million shots in his first 100 days, President Biden upped the stakes, applied the pressure, and obliterated that initial projection. Over 230 million vaccine shots have been administered to Americans of all ages. By any measure, it has been a soaring success, one that took firm resolve, reliance on experts, and the following of science. This major milestone also comes exactly one year after President Trump suggested that the virus could be beaten if people wo...
The Chauvin Verdict, Where Do We Go From Here?
April 22, 2021 06:00 - 33 minutes - 45.5 MBThe trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd held the nation's attention as we waited on pins and needles to hear the verdict, would justice be done or would the entire country go up in flames? It felt like so much hung in the balance and...let's not pull any punches, it did. Does the GOP bear any resemblance to “The Party of Lincoln”? The factions within the party right now would seem to prove otherwise. Between the failed white supremacy caucus, the ever confrontational Jim...
Afghan Exit - Russia's Bill Comes Due
April 17, 2021 18:00 - 30 minutes - 42.4 MBOn September 11, 2021, our nation's longest war will come to an end. Not with a glorious conclusion complete with victory parades but with a long-overdue ending. That doesn't make the sacrifices of our troops any less worthy of our remembrance or appreciation for their service. President Biden announced the pull-out and within minutes the GOP pulled out all their righteous indignation, even though they didn't say a word when Trump announced the same thing only earlier. The only things tha...
Next Gen Democrats
April 09, 2021 05:00 - 32 minutes - 44.9 MBIn a week that spanned the spectrum, from uplifting (4 million shots a day) to disconcerting (Texas & Florida ignoring science), surprising (Schumer brings a pot bill to the floor) to slimy (Matt Gaetz, do we need to say more?) there was plenty to chew on before taking the Discourse Deep Dive. After a year unlike any other in modern times, we saw enormous voter turnout for both the general and run-off elections. Clearly many people who have never or normally don’t vote were moved to cast t...
Is now the time to bust the filibuster?
March 30, 2021 05:00 - 32 minutes - 44.3 MBWhether it's gun-control, infrastructure, or the outrageous voter suppression law passed in Georgia and is threatening to roll all over the country - at some point the logjam in the Senate has to give way so that bills like the John Lewis Voting Rights Act can get voted on. The only way for that to happen is for the filibuster to either disappear or revert back to the talking filibuster of yesteryear. Robin Biro and David Katzner set the table for all these issues and then invite Professor ...
Can We Disagree Better?
March 23, 2021 05:00 - 31 minutes - 43.9 MBQUIZ TIME: Which state has the bigger population? Wyoming or Washington DC? If you said DC you are right AND wrong! More people live in the District of Columbia but it's not a state! That's right, 800,000 Americans have no representation in Congress. It's a hot-button topic but not one that Robin Biro and David Katzner are afraid of wading into. Speaking of hot-buttons, let's talk about taxes. No, don't click away there's actually some good news this year, you don't have to file until May 1...
The Biden Cabinet Grows but our Voting System is a Disaster
March 16, 2021 06:00 - 31 minutes - 21.4 MBThe ascension of Deb Haaland to Secretary of the Interior is both significant and historic. The first native American EVER to sit in a presidential cabinet. Just another win for the Biden-Harris team that is racking up victories and making their GOP counterparts look silly. 3,000,000 vaccines a day?!! Even in our wildest dreams, we couldn't envision that happening and yet here we are. This unprecedented mobilization of resources and expertise defies description. And then there is the Vatic...
Victory Lap for Dems - GOP running on Empty
March 13, 2021 08:00 - 33 minutes - 23.4 MBThere is no way to look at the results of the past week as anything other than a huge win for the Biden-Harris administration, the Democratic Party, and all Americans longing for even the smallest dose of truth, sanity, compassion, and vaccinations! With the passage and signing of the American Rescue Plan Act, along with the announcement that vaccinations are rolling out even faster than expected, the light at the end of the tunnel appears to be shining brighter than ever. Robin and David ...
Party line vote gives Biden a win. More bills to come, what does the future hold?
March 09, 2021 19:00 - 31 minutes - 21.4 MBIt was another tumultuous legislative week in Congress with House and Senate Democrats managing to somehow stick together to overcome the Republican Party's obstructionism, every single member of Congress with an R (or Q) after their name ignored the polls and the pleas of their constituents by voting No again and again. Make no mistake, this was a huge win for Joe Biden and his administration but it also showed that his dreams of uniting the country have all but evaporated. Perhaps when t...
Episode 3 - CPAC Lunacy & What's Next
March 03, 2021 17:00 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MBJoin Robin Biro and guest host David Katzner as they do the deep dive into just what the heck happened in Orlando at CPAC. The shameless display of fealty to Trump was front and center for three days of mind-blowing insanity, conspiracies, and alternative reality. Was it a peek into the future of the Republican Party (such as it is) or was it the last gasp for the failed, twice-impeached, disgraced ex-president who is still raging, ranting, and perpetuating The Big Lie? We discuss that an...
Episode 2: Mortgage & Market Mayhem - Guest: Melissa Armo
February 23, 2021 20:00 - 28 minutes - 19.4 MBWhile politicians are squabbling over who is outmaneuvering who and coming up with new ways to gridlock our nation's ability to recover from the raging pandemic and economic catastrophe (oh and did we mention the armed militias stockpiling weapons?), there are real-world issues that Robin thinks deserve more airtime. In this episode, we examine how the expiring moratoriums in mortgages and rents have everyone on edge. Should we just extend the moratorium or should we be working on an equita...
Episode 1: The Starting Gate - Guest: Janine Dunmyre
February 20, 2021 23:00 - 19 minutes - 13.5 MBWelcome to the inaugural edition of American Discourse. Host Robin Biro has a lot on his mind this week, from Ted Cruz's Cancun Calamity to the student loan and mortgage crises, oh and let's not forget the pandemic, how about those vaccinations! Way to go Joe! Robin's guest this week is a real spitfire who is rising up the social media ranks in the world of outspoken, real-world people trying to make ends meet. Between juggling a family and a job as a waitress she also hosts a daily Fac...