Freedom Over Fascism: Fireside Chats

Stephanie talks to Tara McGowan, founder and publisher of Courier Newsroom and CEO of Good Information Inc., a civic incubator that invests in solutions to counter disinformation online. We talked about the need for values-based, pro-democracy news locally and nationally. Find Courier Newsroom and its newsletters at https://couriernewsroom.com/ . *** Questions to Stephanie sgwilson@gmail.com Pleas...

Stephanie talks to Lauren Baer, the Managing Director of Arena Inc about recruiting and training campaign staff, deploy them to game-changing campaigns, and support both staff and candidates on the path to victory. They also train organizers at every stage in their careers to train them for movement work in the field. www.arena.run (At least) 2 Arena alumni will be guests on the podcast, talking a...

This week Stephanie talks to Dr. Matthew Taylor, who studies the extreme, violent, prophesy-spouting Christian Nationalists who are way too close to Donald Trump and Mike Johnson. He is the creator of the acclaimed audio-documentary series  “Charismatic Revival Fury: The New Apostolic Reformation,” which details how networks of extremist Christian leaders helped instigate the January 6th Insurrect...

Stephanie talks to Jeremy Smith, CEO of Civitech on better tools and data for activists and candidates to use to register and reach voters. We discussed the importance of contesting every state and local race, what it takes to find the unregistered voters in an area and get them registered (hint: the most effective way is not standing at a street fair). Civitech identifies (democratic) and works w...

Stephanie talks to Erin Reed, trans activist, independent journalist and writer of Erin in the Morning , which reports on the anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ bills and laws around the country, including the 400+ that have been filed in 2024 alone. We discuss the death of Nex Benedict in Oklahoma, and the ongoing risk to trans adults in MAGA captured states. Erin breaks the news that Arizona defeated a...

Stephanie talks to Julie Fernatt and Llama Habern of Rural Organizing Initiative in Arizona. They've done great work organizing young people, candidates for local and state offices, and helping people come together without preconditions. www.roi.vote --- Find a transcript of this podcast at our substack. Please introduce one person in real life to this podcast, and please consider supporting us at...

Stephanie talks to JoAnn Loulan of Democratic Messaging project about messaging in battleground states. This was before last week's multiple fiascos, so remember to talk about the distinction: do you want a wise man who will maintain freedom and liberty, or an old man the same age wanting to be a dictator who spouts nonsense. That's the choice. https://democraticmessagingproject.org/ -------------...

Stephanie talks with Amanda LItman, co-founder of Run for Something, about the support Run for Something provides to people who want to run for office for the first time. Since the founding on Jan 20, 2017, more than 150,000 people have raised their hand to run. More than 1000 RFS candidates have won their elections. Donate to Run for Something: runforsomething.net *** Find a transcript of this po...

Stephanie talks with Stephanie Schriock, the former executive director of Emily's List about the importance of owning the means of information distribution. In other words, wealthy progressives need to buy local and national media outlets. And we need a platform where all Dems can get good info for social sharing. Find a transcript of this podcast at our substack. Please introduce one person in re...

Stephanie talks with Zooey Zephyr, First Trans Legislator in Montana, about how MAGA is trying to fracture the American population to gain power, and how their anti-trans legislation is deeply unpopular and will ultimately fail. https://www.zooeyzephyr.com/ ----more---- Find a transcript of this podcast at our substack. Please introduce one person in real life to this podcast, and please consider...

Ron Fein, legal director of Free Speech for People ( freespeechforpeople.org ) talks about the constitutional case for Trump’s ineligibility for office. His clear and concise explanation of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment is must-listen if you want to understand the amendment, the original meaning, and how his organization and many others believe it applies to Donald Trump. Ron Fein is the Legal D...

Mark Riddle is President of Future Majority, founded in 2017 to fill the critical need for an outside, non-biased, data-driven strategy center focused on brand, storytelling, and policy to advise leaders as they think about issues and governing. https://futuremajority.org/ Stephanie also talks about putting January 6 into the context of Trump and MAGA's attempt to steal the election and stop the p...

Stephanie talks with Fentrice Driskell, Florida House Minority Leader, about how we all can be superheroes without capes, the Florida freedom agenda, the special election on January 16, 2024, and how we can help Florida residents regain their freedom. www.fentriceforflorida.com ----more----   MERCH! Our Bonfire Store ----more---- Find a transcript of this podcast at our substack. Please introduce...

Hi friends, Wishing you a wonderful holiday season. See you back on January 2 with some wonderful and invigorating interviews, including Fentrice Driskell of the Florida House of Representatives and others. Here is my list of some notable books of 2023...the works of authors I've interviewed (or want to interview)! You'll also find a link to freedom merch below. David Pepper, Laboratories of Autoc...

Stephanie discusses the stakes of the 2024 presidential race, particularly on the first "Promise" of Project 2025 , which a nationwide abortion ban. Project 2025 outlines Republican plans if Trump wins, developed by the Heritage Foundation and other RW think tanks. Spoiler alert: Nationwide abortion ban, contraception ban, and more war on women.   Dr. Katie McHugh, OBGYN and Abortion Provider ----...

Stephanie discusses the stakes of the 2024 presidential race, focusing on Project 2025 , which outlines Republican plans if Trump wins, developed by the Heritage Foundation and other RW think tanks. Spoiler alert: Trump weaponizes DOJ, purges civil service, puts military on US streets, and rounds up immigrants and puts them into camps. and  Jeff Sharlet, author of The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow...

Stephanie explores Thanksgiving mythology in the context of her conversation with Professor Ben Railton about teaching honest history and its importance in defining who counts as a real American. ----more---- Support the podcast with a paid subscription to hoosiervictoryalliance.substack.com or  patreon.com/freedomoverfascism Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast...

Stephanie discusses the notable 2023 electoral wins and the dark money funding MAGA campaigns nationwide. She then talks to Scott Aaron Rogers, host of the HoosLeft podcast, about who is funding (buying?) MAGA Republican Mike Braun's campaign for governor.  ----more---- Support the podcast with a paid subscription to hoosiervictoryalliance.substack.com or  patreon.com/freedomoverfascism Please lea...

Andrea Miller, Executive Director and Founding Board Member talks with Stephanie about turning out the BIPOC vote in Virginia with Democracy Centers, paid phone banks, good campaign tools, and organizational fundamentals. www.centerforcommonground.org ----more---- Support the podcast: patreon.com/freedomoverfascism Patrons will receive bonus content such as early access to podcasts, Q&As, bonu...

Stephanie talks to Debbie Cox Bultan, Co-founder and CEO of New Deal Leaders, an organization that helps select state and local leaders formulate policy once they've been elected. The NewDEAL is a selective national network of pro-growth progressive state and local elected officials. Their mission is to scour the country to lift up the best and brightest leaders – including school board members, c...

Aaron Rupar publishes and reports for the independent online publication Public Notice and is a prolific tweeter (Xer?), following and live tweeting public hearings, debates, and other political events. Public Notice describes itself this way: “it is fair, but not impartial. We think democracy and fair elections are good things and, unlike a lot of mainstream coverage, are not shy about saying so...

Chelsea McDonnel is a co-founder of MAD voters, a personal private baker (her confections are amazing!) and a community activist. She talks with us about reaching new and potential voters, and advocating for equal rights and freedoms for the entire individual. She's currently focused on advocacy to remove the tax on menstruation products in Indiana and has organized Period Action Day at the Indian...

In honor of National Coming Out Day and World Mental Health Month, both occurring this week, Stephanie provides context and a new analysis for the MAGA attack on LGBTQ+ youth and adults, followed by an archive recording of our September 2023 interview of Lance Preston, who talks about the mental health crisis among queer youth and the dangers of anti-queer legislation and prejudice. Rainbow Youth...

Our resident American History Professor Ben Railton joins us to discuss the battles over history curriculum in Florida and across the country. Ben Railton teaches American Studies of Fitchburg State University in MA. He is author of six books on American identity, national narratives, and collective memory, most recently Of Thee I Sing: The Contested History of American Patriotism (2021) . He writ...

Jeff Sharlet is an author, journalist, professor and producer of “The Family” on Netflix. He joins the podcast to discuss his latest book, The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War and his experiences investigating and interviewing the religious right. Jeff is a contributing editor for Vanity Fair and best-selling author or editor of seven books, including The Family, adapted into a Netflix docum...