Start Me Up with Kimberley A. Johnson

D. Earl Stephens is the author of "Toxic Tales: A Caustic Collection of Donald J. Trump's Very Important Letters."  He's the former managing editor of Stars & Stripes, a Navy vet, and a prolific writer. Topics: Why Georgia should be the place to hold the Democratic National Convention; GOP is so extreme, they risk turning off most of the country; why the Wisconsin Supreme Court...

Plastic Martyr is a transgender activist, singer, actress and model. We discussed her career as an entertainer; what it's like to be a trans woman in the US; details of her transition; some fun and not-so-fun stories from her life; the benefits (and side effects) of HRT and so much more! Such a wonderful conversation! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https...

Christopher Bouzy is a serial entrepreneur, software engineer, political maven and he’s the founder and CEO of both Bot Sentinel and Spoutible.com. We talked about Spoutible.com: the haters, the awesome user experience, and the misconceptions based on the BS attacks. Chris answered some of the recurring questions about the site including when the app will be available and what other features to lo...

Vivicca A. Whitsett is an actor, comedian, talk radio host, writer, cancer survivor and brazen hussy! Vivivva shared her cancer story and how she must isolate because of COVID. We also chatted about what it's like being a tall woman in the entertainment industry; the casting couch; white privilege; white supremacists; the CA Senate race; and so much more. Vivicca has a wonderful and humorous p...

David Pepper returns! He's the author Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines and he's the former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. Topics: David described what Democrats got right in 2022 and what still needs attention (hint, hint: state legislatures); the danger MAGA extremists pose and how to combat them; Why Trump could dominate the 2024 primaries; how to f...

Steve Pierson, Host of the How We Win podcast is a California Democrat running for State Assembly. As someone who's worked in the entertainment industry for decades, Steve uses the talents he acquired to be an effective, compassionate communicator. He also brings with him experience as a grassroots organizer and activist. Steve shares what made him run for office, as well as the issues he'...

Writer/Director Jay Arnold is back on Valentine's Day! Topics: GOP has been wanting to phase out Social Security for decades; Democrats are following Biden's lead on the SS debate; Dems are finding their stride; there are a number of young Democrats who will stand the test of time; Spoutible is getting easier and easier to use and Jay and I describe our experience on the site. All that and...

Ben Cohen of The Banter Substack is back! Topics: The impact of MAGA behavior over the next two years; Biden is incredibly impressive; GenZ will save democracy; new social media sites are popping up and we discuss the possible impact of moral, fair social media CEOs and more! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Simon Rosenberg was the lead strategist for the DCCC when Democrats flipped the House in 2018. He is the founder of New Democrat Network (NDN.org) and the New Policy Institute, a liberal think tank, and advocacy group based in Washington DC. Topics: Simon encourages all of us to be information warriors--that we shouldn't wait for anyone else to counter the right's extremist BS. He describe...

Cliff is back! Topics: George Santos' (name unconfirmed) connection to a Russian oligarch leads us to believe he is bought and paid for by those who want to kill democracy and fascist GOP does nothing; Republican leaders are literally wishing Donald would drop dead because they're too cowardly to do anything change the party; Nikki Haley is running in 2024 lol, and Trump might run third pa...

Steph is back! Topics: The brutal killing of Tyre Nichols is a tragic reminder we have to overhaul the system; gun culture; some personal stuff and Spoutible is almost here! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Cheri Jacobus is back and after we talk about our love for Sex And The City, we launch into a conversation about politics: Garland; rule of law; the extreme right members of Congress; McCarthy is weak but dangerous; new Twitter alternative is coming (Spoutible), and much more! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Rachel Vindman is an American-based writer and the co-host of the "Suburban WOmen Problem" podcast She's married to Alexander Vindman, retired U.S. Army, Lieutenant Colonel, and she's an all-around cool person. Topics: George Santos (if that's his real name) stole money from a veteran who was crowdfunding money to care for his sick dog (the dog died), pictures are surfacing of...

Sarah returns! Topics: Chaotic GOP in disarray for the next two years; smoking is once again allowed in offices in the Capitol; the"freedom caucus" are domestic terrorists; 2 Dems kept us from passing voting rights and a rant on the men who expect women to RT them with no ask or even a friendly hello. All that and more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out:...

Amanda is back and our thing! We are both talkers! Topics: COVID and the variants (sounds like a band-haha); lottery over $1 billion; Garland is taking a LONG time; (white) women make YouTube videos of themselves "Extreme Cleaning." Amanda and I talk about how that holds up the patriarchy and lots more! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircl...

Bob Cesca (my boyfriend) is back! We asked YOU to tell us your assumptions about us as a couple and we responded to your replies. Find out why refrigerators are so important to us and what inspires us about each other. Lots of fun and no politics (kinda). Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The wonderful and glorious Mary Trump is back for the first Start Me Up podcast of 2023! Topics: Republicans in disarray (McCarthy loses 8th vote for House Speaker while we chatted); 2024 Election Season will be a madhouse; we both agree indictments are coming; Mary doesn't trust Garland but is happy Jack Smith is on the job; new social media sites on the horizon and so much more. Mary also of...

The last Start Me Up podcast of the year! Rick Shew is my guest. He's a podcaster, an actor, a liberal, and a cool dude! His pods: @FriendsWorkPod & @barstoolpod. We chatted about movies, guilty pleasure shows, acting/actors. We also talked about possible indictments and what the 2024 presidential cast of candidate characters will look like and how it will impact Donald's future. Becau...

Jody is back and we do our thing! Politics, of course, and fun stuff, too! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Greg Olear is back and we talked about all the things: DeSantis has no charisma, Rupert Murdoch has turned on Trump; Trump is the GOP's biggest loser; Greg weighs in on Jack Smith and his confidence on the whole DOJ process; Elon is a menace and so much more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Fred Wellman is a Pro-Democracy advocate and a political consultant. He's an Army combat veteran. Host of the On Democracy podcast He's the co-founder of the Beer Hall Project and he's a senior advisor to Voters of Tomorrow. Topics: Donald Trump, the GOP, and Trumpism; Donald's legal problems as well as his big mouth just might get him jail time; the threat posed by chaos agents Mi...

Jared is a political analyst and author. His latest book, THE MIDNIGHT KINGDOM: A HISTORY OF POWER, PARANOIA, AND THE COMING CRISIS, comes out in January. Topics: antisemitism and toxic conspiracy theories have been a central component of Conservatism from the start; why Jared feels a positive change is taking place; why Milo, Ye and Elon are dangerous; despite the US not wanting to prosecute a fo...

Sarah Wood returns! Topics: GOP is doubling down on hate; Trump is running for POTUS but GOP is rejecting him; the infighting on the right is something to watch; Elon is a chaos agent; and living in an openly bigoted America is deadly! But Sarah and I still managed to have a great chat and we wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Ou...

Victor Shi, the youngest elected Delegate for Joe Biden in 2020, former White House Intern, Strategy Director for Voters Tomorrow, and co-host of the iGen Politics Podcast. He's a writer, speaker, organizer, and activist. Topics: GenZ showed up and helped Democrats have a historic midterm turnout; why the youth vote will continue to gain steam; GOP is selling a dystopian future and the younger...

Christopher Bouzy is a serial entrepreneur, software engineer, and political maven and he’s the founder and CEO of Bot Sentinel. It’s a free platform developed to detect and track trollbots and untrustworthy Twitter accounts. Topics: There was no "red wave" and traditional pundits got it wrong (and aren't admitting it); Bouzy's predictions came to pass (for the most part); Trump ex...