On Democracy with FPWellman

Katie Phang is on a roll. She began her career as a lawyer and prosecutor before beginning her path on TV as a legal analyst locally in Miami and continuing to national success. Now she has her own show on MNBSC and Peacock, aptly called The Katie Phang Show, as well as hosting her podcast ‘Class Action.’ Her talent makes her a frequent guest host across MSNBC. She and Fred discuss the search for...

Bill Kristol is a frequent commentator on several networks including CNN/He was the founder and editor-at-large of the conservative political magazine The Weekly Standard. Bill is now editor-at-large of The Bulwark. In addition, he is a founder and director of the advocacy organization Defending Democracy Together — responsible for such projects as Republicans for the Rule of Law, Republican Voter...

Greg Sargent is a columnist with the Washington Post and the first returning guest. He joined The Post in 2010, after stints at Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine, and the New York Observer. He is the author of the 2018 book ‘An Uncivil War: Taking Back Our Democracy in an Age of Trumpian Disinformation and Thunderdome Politics.’ Fred and Greg touch on a range of issues in this conversation in...

Santiago Mayer is the founder and Executive Director of Voters ofTomorrow. He dove into politics in high school and hasn’t slowed down since,participating in several campaigns including volunteering for the Biden/Harris campaign to help mobilize young voters. During the 2020 election cycle, Santiago and Voters of Tomorrow launched their first major initiative, “Prom at The Polls” registering thous...

Denver Riggleman is an Air Force veteran and National Security Agency contractor who represented Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. He has since moved on to focusing on respectable work co-owning Silverback Distillery in Virginia’s beautiful Rockfish River valley near Charlottesville. Months after leaving office he was recruited to join the staff of the House Select Committee on the January 6t...

Fred discusses the new House rules, George Santos, the mythical moderate Republican and more with Jennifer Rubin, columnist for the Washington Post. Jennifer is also an MSNBC contributor and author of the book “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy from Donald Trump.” Prior to her career in journalism, she practiced labor law for two decades but has since recovered. 

This is the home of the 'On Democracy' podcast with FPWellman. An ongoing discussion with advocates, activists, journalists, political players and more about the state of our democracy and the threats we face. Hosted by former Lincoln Project Executive Director, political strategist, and Army combat veteran, Fred Wellman. Available on Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

Jason Kander is the author of two New York Times bestselling books, Outside the Wire: Ten Lessons I’ve Learned in Everyday Courage, and Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD, as well as a children’s book, Courage Is, which he co-authored with his son, True.  He is currently the President of National Expansion at Veterans Community Project, a non-profit dedicated to fighting vete...

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University. She is an MSNBC Opinion Columnist and commentator on CNN, MSNBC, and other media outlets about authoritarianism, Fascism, and threats to democracy around the world. Her latest book, Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present examines how illiberal leaders use corruption, violence, propaganda, and machismo to stay in p...

Michael Steele is the former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and Chairman of the Republican National Committee. You seem him regularly appearing on MSNBC and elsewhere and now hosts his own podcast the aptly titled Michael Steele podcast. 

Soledad O’Brien is an award-winning documentarian, journalist, speaker, author and philanthropist. She is the CEO of Soledad O’Brien Productions, a multi-platform media production company dedicated to telling empowering and authentic stories on a range of social issues and a thought leader. She currently anchors and produces the Hearst Television political magazine program “Matter of Fact with Sol...

Mark McKinnon is the co-creator, co-executive producer, and co-host of Showtime's The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth .He is of course a legendary political advisor, reform advocate, media columnist, andtelevision producer. In his free time, he skis and mountain bikes wherever his travelsfind him leading to busting his head at least once or twice that I know of. I had the privi...

Naveed is a Veteran of the U.S. Army and Operation Iraqi Freedom, from Springfield, Va. After serving on active duty for four years, including a 12-month tour in Iraq, Naveed returned to his hometown for undergraduate studies and began volunteering with veteran’s groups. This led to a legislative and advocacy fellowship with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America in 2012, followed by politic...

Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In 2019, Tony won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary for his series of columns on debtors' prisons in Missouri. In 2016, Messenger was awarded a Missouri Honor Medal, the highest award bestowed by the University of Missouri's School of Journalism. That same year he won a National Headliner for editorial writing. In 2015, Messeng...

This is the home of the 'On Democracy' podcast with FPWellman. An ongoing discussion with advocates, activists, journalists, political players and more about the state of our democracy and the threats we face. Hosted by former Lincoln Project Executive Director, political strategist, and Army combat veteran, Fred Wellman. Available on Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

John Della Volpe is the director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, and the author of Fight: How Gen Z is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America published just earlier this year. The Washington Post referred to John as one of the world’s leading authorities on global sentiment, opinion, and influence, especially among young Americans and in the age of digita...

This weeks guest is a great American who has taken the fight online in a unique way. Ron Filipkowski is an attorney, former Marine, triathlete, and historian. You probably know him best for his falling out with Governor Ron DeSantis and subsequent blossoming as a force of nature tracking and reporting on right-wing extremism. Ron was a federal prosecutor and Republican. While watching the threat p...

This is the home of the 'On Democracy' podcast with FPWellman. An ongoing discussion with advocates, activists, journalists, political players and more about the state of our democracy and the threats we face. Hosted by former Lincoln Project Executive Director, political strategist, and Army combat veteran, Fred Wellman. Available on Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

There are certain guests you invite that don’t need much introduction. Steve Schmidt is an icon of American politics. As described in the currently airing Lincoln Project documentary he is one of only about a dozen political operatives alive who have managed Presidential General Election campaigns. He worked on the George W. Bush campaign and served in his Administration for Vice President Cheney...

He doesn’t need a lot of introduction but for those who live under a rock LTC (Retired) Alex Vindman is a former Army officer who served last on the National Security Council in the White House as the Director of European Affairs. That was the capstone assignment of an illustrious Army career that included service as an infantry officer in Iraq where he as injured in an attack and received the Pur...

Kris Goldsmith is the nation's most recognized authority on the targeting ofAmerican troops and veterans with disinformation and extremist recruiting efforts by hostile foreign and domestic entities. After leaving the US Army at the rank of sergeant in 2007, he became a top advocate in PTSD treatment and suicide prevention, founding High Ground Veterans Advocacy, which trains veterans to lead move...

This is the home of the 'On Democracy' podcast with FPWellman. An ongoing discussion with advocates, activists, journalists, political players and more about the state of our democracy and the threats we face. Hosted by former Lincoln Project Executive Director, political strategist, and Army combat veteran, Fred Wellman. Available on Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Fred welcomes his new stud...

Missouri House Democratic Floor Leader Crystal Quade is leading the fight against a Republican Super Majority in one of the reddest of states. She’s done it with skill, focus, and a strategy for the long term. We talk about the lessons others can learn and what we face as a state and nation if the GOP continues unchecked. Download the Callin app for iOS and Android to listen to this podcast live,...

Dr. William Horne recently published an essay on why we need to start using the “F” word (fascism) to describe the direction of the modern Republican Party. He is a historian who focuses on how elites and white supremacists use the state to create racial inequality and we examine what that means today. Download the Callin app for iOS and Android to listen to this podcast live, call in, and more! A...

Writer, producer, and director Billy Ray, known for a string of Hollywood hits including The Comey Rule, Captain Phillips, and more, joins the show to talk about how Democrats must speak to the American people in the face of chaos agents and how they can bring back our sense of community. Download the Callin app for iOS and Android to listen to this podcast live, call in, and more! Also available...