Start Me Up with Kimberley A. Johnson

It's Election Day and Cliff Schecter joins me again! Topics: GOP is threatening Civil War if they lose, Elon continues to kill Twitter, Mastodon; more the new site I keep teasing; midterm predictions and more! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Writer/Director Jay Arnold is back! Topics: early voting numbers are good for Democrats; Elon is a jerk; the blue check scandal rages on -- and why those badges matter; the fate of social media and pop-culture fun stuff! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Allison Gill is the host of Mueller, She Wrote, and The Daily Beans podcasts. She's a veteran, Ph. D., and a former federal government executive, she’s a comedian, author, and staunch advocate for the resistance. Topics: Allison's infamous White House visit; killing Roe will bite the GOP in the ass next Tuesday...youth, women, conservative women--and AG makes a prediction; Donald indictmen...

Go-Go's bassist Kathy Valentine is a woman of many talents. Her memoir "All I Ever Wanted" is a fantastic view into her life as a young girl who dreamed of being in a successful rock band and seeing that dream come true. Her writing is raw, real, and very relatable. She talks about her relationship with her mom, her choice to have abortions (at critical times in her life), and how bein...

She goes by "Scully" on Twitter and her bio reads "Passionate lawyer focused on the Rule of Law & stopping the authoritarianization of the United States." She's an Iranian/American attorney and a big part of our focus was on the women's movement happening right now in Iran. Scully explains how important it is to amplify the truth of what's going on, how the right is...

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: New voting data is very encouraging and offers Democrats some hope and legit optimism for a successful 2022. Simon makes it clear this election will be...

Kat Cary is an American ex-pat who lives in Scotland and she's part of Democrats Abroad. We talked about the importance of ex-pats participating in American elections, what people from other countries think of Americans, and Kat filled us in on the Global Women's Caucus--an arm of Dems Abroad. It was a very interesting chat! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt...

The lovely and talented Sarah Wood returns! Sarah explains why she's optimistic about November; we discussed the docudrama: Dahmer, and then we talked about the batshit crazy, fascist GOP. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Melissa Jo Peltier's latest documentary The Game Is Up: Disillusioned Trump Voters Tell Their Stories is a fascinating look at the folks who voted for Trump and later regretted it.  Melissa and I had a fantastic conversation about her film and the people she interviewed. We eventually drifted over to current events and had a great discussion about what's at stake and what needs to be done...

Voters of Tomorrow was founded in 2019 by then 17-year-old Santiago Mayer, an immigrant from Mexico. Santiago noticed a lack of political engagement at his high school and decided to tackle that by creating a new organization for young people, by young people. Santiago explained how Voters of Tomorrow works, what they do, and how they are lobbying for youth rights. He emphasized the determination...

Tiffany Bond is a family law attorney who's running as a House Rep in Maine's second district. Her strategy is unique, she doesn't take contributions. She has no campaign staff and she asks that if voters wish to support her with cash, they should use that money to support small businesses and charities in Maine. Maine is a state that utilizes ranked choice voting and that helps candid...

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: First we talked about what's going on at Bot Sentinel and then we dove into politics: Why Christopher has an optimistic take on the midterms; Why the evisceration...

Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner is back to break down yesterday's NYAG announcement! Glenn weighs in on what this latest civil lawsuit against Trump and his children means for the family and their business. We discussed the pace at which the DOJ is moving; the two sets of justice in America; what might happen to Donald if he's convicted and which investigation into Donald Trump w...

Rachel Bitecofer is back to talk about messaging and the midterms. Topics: the House is competitive; why is Herschel Walker slightly ahead of Warnock; Rachel explains why Fetterman's messaging is so successful; is it worth it for Dems to fund the right-wing extremists as a winning strategy and why Dems need to be laser-focus on the evisceration of Roe. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle....

Jeremy Newberger is the CEO of Ironbound Films, a documentary, and new media production company. He's a Twitter Political Satirist, Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker, and TV Director. After Jeremy shared a little about his career as a documentary filmmaker, we dove into politics: why humor is essential in today's political climate; stupid GOP messaging and their absurd midterm strategie...

Greg Olear is back and he has a new book coming out. We talked about that then we discussed current headlines: The Leonard Leo threat to democracy; Greg wants 81 SCOTUS judges; midterms are approaching and Dems seem to be leading, and so much more. Greg is always fun and awesome. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nick Knudsen returns! He's the Executive Director of DemCast USA--a grassroots organization created to help Democratic down-ballot candidates win. It's a great way to get involved and you can do it from the comfort of your own home. Topics: how anyone can help Democrats win--no matter your comfort level; why Dems have the advantage and how we can win; messaging does not only come from lead...

Freekbass is back! He's a funk artist based in Ohio and one of the nicest humans on the planet. We went back and forth over politics, music, and film/TV. Topics: The newest vaccine is now available in some areas; media is failing us; there's more to be hopeful about than we're led to believe; Freek gives a review of the new Elvis movie and much more! Advertising Inquiries: https://redc...

Allison Gill is the host of Mueller, She Wrote, and The Daily Beans podcasts. She's a veteran, Ph. D., and a former federal government executive, she’s a comedian, author, and staunch advocate for the resistance Topics: After we dance jigs and laugh at Sarah Palin's loss, we talk about the trouble Lindsey Graham is in and then we talk about the trouble Donald Trump is in and then we talk a...

Jennifer Taub is a Law Professor at Western New England University and the author of Big Dirty Money.  Her focus is on corporate governance, financial market regulation, and white-collar crime. Topics: Jennifer talks us through Trump's legal woes--and there are many. She shares possible outcomes and we discuss the prospect of what might happen if Trump is convicted. GOP is threatening Civil Wa...

Comedian Andy Kindler is my guest!  He played the character "Andy", a fellow sportswriter on the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond, was a regular guest on Late Show with David Letterman, contributor to The Daily Show, and has performed on HBO. Andy and I had fun. I laughed. A lot! We shared stories, talked a little about politics a lot about fun stuff--like the comics who inspired him, what...

David is BACK! It's been a while and we pick up where we left off. We talk about, and listen to, David's amazing new son Higher Ground and then we shoot the shit. I tell the story about when I had sex (I was in my 30s) with a young guy with a massive package. Also discussed... self-esteem, self-love, pets, a little bit of politics and a whole lotta fun. Advertising Inquiries: https://redci...

Brian Karem is a White House Columnist and his latest book is titled Free the Press: The Death of American Journalism and How to Revive It. He's a political analyst for CNN and hosts the "Just Ask The Question" podcast. Topics: Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg admitted to 15 felonies; Liz Cheney's future; everything hinges on the 2022 midterms and much more! Advertising Inquiries: https...

Andy Parker's life changed when his daughter, journalist Alison Parker, was shot and killed on live television in 2015. Google, Facebook, and YouTube allow the video of his daughter's murder to be posted, and they all profit from it because of monetization. He channeled his grief into action and became an outspoken advocate for common-sense gun legislation, traveling around the country dem...

We love Cliff and he's back with more biting political commentary. Topics: How mainstream media is failing us; the Mara-a-Lago plot thickens; How GOP fascism is helping Dems in the Nov midterms; the talk of civil war and the Cincinnati shooter! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy