Majority 54

This episode is for everyone who has listened to this show, thought about the change they’d like to make in the world, and hesitated to take action because they either weren’t an expert or weren’t directly affected by the thing they wanted to change. We’ve been debating the Muslim ban since the 2016 campaign, and we’ve even done an episode of this show on Islamophobia, but today we wanted to tell...

Gerrymandering is the process of redrawing the districts and reviewing the power structure of voting in America, but often for less than bi-partisan means. Every ten years, the party in power works with recent census data to determine the "best" way for voters to be represented. The process is becoming a bitter power play, and the people who are fighting against it are finding incredible backing f...

This is a show all about reaching across the aisle and engaging with people that you might think could never change their mind. So, it's a real pleasure to talk to someone who has flipped a seemingly impossible stance in a public figure. I absolutely want to ask them about how they pulled it off, and what we can learn from that and/or emulate in our own battles. Remember a few years ago when the o...

Our guest today had never been a political person, mostly because he simply did not have time to. He works​ three jobs trying to support a family. And that ​is the issue: based on the minimum wage in America, he ​is ​still struggling to provide for his family. It certainly ​isn't due to ​a ​lack of work ethic.   Here is my very personal conversation with minimum wage activist Terrance Wise about h...

His name is Trae Crowder but you might know him under a different name: The Liberal Redneck. From his porch, Trae films videos on his phone where he goes on rants about social issues. You instantly feel he’s about to venture into very upsetting territory, and some of that comes from his mix of anger and a heavy southern accent. And then, when he hits his stride, The Liberal Redneck shifts into a p...

Phil Spagnuolo is a state representative in New Hampshire, and someone who has personally struggled with opioid addiction. Last year, he flipped the seat from red to blue for the very first time in the history of that state. During the campaign for the 2016 election, Trump came to New Hampshire and made a lot of claims about the opioid epidemic and his plans to solve it. As you might have guessed,...

Today, we’re talking to one of the biggest names in the tech entrepreneur world. He experienced a total political shift the night of the 2016 election, while he watched in horror, as most of us did. Unlike most of us, he set about creating a means for change to prevent this from ever happening again. Eric Ries inadvertently became very influential in the Resistance against Donald Trump’s policies...

Welcome to Majority 54. We’re talking to the 54% of American​s​ who did not vote for Donald Trump about where we go from here. Senator Yvanna Cancela is a millennial union leader who thought she was headed for a much different destination. She listened to her calling and became the political director of Culinary Local 226, Nevada’s largest union. Now, Cancela has led protests, lobbied state lawmak...

Welcome the official start of season two of Majority 54. If you’re new to Majority 54, I’m Jason Kander, the president of Let America Vote: an organization dedicated to making sure that every American gets to vote by creating political consequences for anyone who wants to diminish the most basic American right. And we’re talking to the 54% of American who did not vote for Donald Trump about where...

If you’re new to Majority 54, I’m Jason Kander, the president of Let America Vote: an organization dedicated to making sure that every American gets to vote by creating political consequences for anyone who wants to diminish the most basic American right. And we're talking to the 54% of Americans who did not vote for Donald Trump about where we go from here. In the first episode of this second sea...

Jason Kander previews Season 2 of Majority 54... coming this Friday! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re talking health care, taxes, and activism with Ady Barkan.  Like me, you probably first became aware of Ady when a video of him confronting Jeff Flake went viral.  But that wasn’t Ady’s first stab at activism – far from it in fact. A graduate of Columbia and of Yale Law, he could have done anything he wanted. He could have made a whole bunch of money right out of school, but instead, he...

Today we’re talking Voting Rights. In my mind, there is no issue of greater importance in the country right now – and that’s because it affects every other issue. As you may know, I’ve put a good chunk of time into this cause. I spent four years fighting voter suppression as Secretary of State in Missouri and I’ve spent the last year fighting it as the President of Let America Vote, an organizatio...

Remember two years ago when we still talked about the college debt crisis? Remember when what to do about it was one of the defining topics of the Democratic primary for president? I’m nostalgic for those days, and I lament the fact that it barely qualifies as one of the most divisive issues anymore – solely because the people in power refuse to care about it.  I’m interested in reviving the conve...

I have an F rating from the NRA. They’ve spent millions against me. The leaders of the NRA hate me, but they loathe Shannon Watts. And I have a feeling you’re gonna love her.  We closed 2017 by talking to a life-long activist and imploring you to deepen your involvement, so it makes sense to open 2018 talking to someone who grabbed an oar a few years ago and hasn’t stopped rowing since. Shannon fo...

This is a special episode of Majority 54.  Usually this show focuses on a single divisive issue by talking to a single individual experiencing it in their everyday life.  But from the beginning, I wanted to conclude this year with a different kind of conversation – one specifically about activism. 2017 has been a year of progressive activism. It’s drawn people out of their homes in so many inspiri...

It’s hard to think of a more polarizing issue than the wall Trump wants to build on our southern border. The conversation you’re about to hear was recorded in a wooden barn, on Tony Sedgwick’s ranch in Nogales, Arizona. Tony’s a Republican who didn’t vote for Donald Trump. In fact, Trump drove Tony all the way out of the party. He’s a small-town lawyer turned full-time Arizona rancher working the...

This week I spoke to my friend Steve Droske, an elementary school principal, about the way public education gets treated by politicians. This episode is pure fire! We covered everything including: Betsy Devos, teacher pay, school choice and much more! Be sure to listen to the very end for a behind the scenes conversation where Steve talks about the fear of using his platform. Important links: @dro...

I sat down with my friend Salam, an Afghan man from Kansas City, who I first met in Afghanistan in 2006 when he was assigned as my main translator. I’m sure you’ve noticed that it’s hard to argue issues like national security, terrorism, or foreign policy anymore without the other side pulling you into a debate about Islam itself, so given that, it makes sense to dedicate a whole episode to Islamo...

Today I’m introducing you to former CIA officer A.J. Twombly for insight on the Trump Administration’s campaign against the American intelligence community. The President does a lot of talking about them and they don’t get to answer back. As a former Army intelligence officer myself, I know how I feel about his rhetoric, and I thought it was important to talk to a non-military individual in intell...

Bruce Franks (https://twitter.com/brucefranksjr) joins the show to discuss Ferguson, Black Lives Matter and the relationship between the African American community and the police.    You’ll find out about the importance of making people uncomfortable, Bruce’s take on American History, and surprisingly, that I am a battle rapper. Important links: Bruce: @brucefranksjr Jason: @jasonkander  Cathy’s K...

Jason Kander is an army veteran from Kansas City, Missouri and the first millennial elected to statewide office in the United States. He's traveling the country to help the 54% of us who didn't vote for Donald Trump talk to those of us who did about the most divisive issues in our country.  Majority 54, coming November 17th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices