The Lean to the Left Podcast

Today we’re speaking with an author, a mom, a fighter. She’s dealt with a lot, but with great courage she’s used her novels to try to achieve a better world. Her name is Juliet Rose and she’s the fifth in a series of guests to recognize Women’s History Month. Juliet lives in the mountains of Georgia and says she first knew she wanted to be a writer when she was 11 years old. She’s had some tough t...

Now it's time for some straight talk about politics, in fact, mostly South Carolina and Georgia politics where things are always interesting with such players as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Stacy Abrams, Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Tom Rice, the right-winger who voted to impeach Trump. Our guest is Robert Thompson, host of the Got Damn Liberals podcast, whi...

A draconian GOP manifesto that would raise taxes and potentially end key social programs is a roadmap for what Republicans may be planning if they win control of Congress and the Presidency. One of the most powerful Republican senators in the nation, Rick Scott of Florida, is pushing a sweeping plan that, if passed, would raise taxes on working Americans by $1 trillion and potentially wipe out Soc...

As we celebrate Women’s History Month in March, we’re presenting the fourth in a series of guests to mark that occasion -- women who may be unheralded and not all that famous, but who are making significant contributions to society. Today’s guest is Kelsey Walker and our topic is abortion. Since she was a teenager, Kelsey’s been a warrior for reproductive rights and then had her own experience wit...

As we celebrate Women’s History Month in March, we’re presenting the third of several guests to mark that occasion -- women who may be unheralded and not all that famous, but who are making significant contributions to society. Today’s guest is Ashlyn Brierre, co-founder of Grand Strand Action Together, or GSAT, a nonprofit community organization devoted to providing education, outreach, and advoc...

Hey guys, welcome to another episode of Lean to the Left, presenting no-holds-barred progressive commentary and newsmaker interviews. I’m your host, Bob Gatty. At Lean to the Left you’ll find insight into today’s news, plus analysis…with focus on social issues that affect all of us. You’ll never know who’ll show up at Lean to the Left. Today we’re talking about Donald Trump, Sen. Lindsey Graham an...

Our guest today is a young Millennial, Leesa Danzek, who was an extremely active Republican but now is trying to turn a ruby red area of South Carolina blue. Leesa explains what factors influenced her transformation and what she hopes to accomplish, and along the way has some pointed comments about the Republican Party, its positions on such issues as abortion and racial equality. She talks about...

As we look ahead to Women’s History Month in March, we’re presenting the first of several guests to mark that occasion -- women who may be unheralded and not all that famous, but who are making significant contributions to society. Today’s guest is Donna Wayles, a teacher, author, speaker, and domestic violence survivor who’s written a new book, “I’ll Pray for You, A Christian Woman’s Guide to Sur...

Ever think what it would be like if things were reversed and it was Joe Biden who was colluding with foreign powers and Donald Trump who was the good guy, victimized by Biden and his gang of crooks? Take a listen… Everything is upside down in Michael Goodwin’s new book, Vice Versa. In this retelling of the 2020 election, China supposedly backs Joe Biden, as does Fox News. In Vice Versa, all the ot...

In many states across the nation there are right-wing sponsored efforts to stop public school teachers from discussing the racist history of our country with their students, an effort that has caught fire in many districts with some parents protesting the teaching of "critical race theory" to their kids. That is happening in South Carolina, where at least six bills are under consideration, all aim...

Joe Biden can't seen to catch a break. Even many Democrats and Independents are now expressing disappointment because he hasn't accomplished everything he promised, even though he's only been in office a little more than one year -- and despite stubborn opposition from the Trump dominated Republican Party. Chris Waldron of Not Fake News has some thoughts about that -- and a warning. Take a listen....

Today, Mark Bello and I are with Carrie Kohan. Carrie is a national child advocate and spokesperson who has forced the change of several laws in Canada relating to child abuse, and has written a book called the Five Lessons of Life. In addition to forcing the government to change an entire body of Canadian law, Carrie founded Project Guardian and Mad Mothers Against Pedophiles (MMAP) in 1998. What...

Dr. Tracy Pearson, a regular Court TV guest, in this episode blasts politicians in red states for skewing election laws to disadvantage minorities and others unlikely to support them, as well as Sen. Ted Cruz for complaining that President Biden's plan to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court amounts to racism against White men. Dr. Pearson says she likes to make sense out of the noise.” Her...

With Donald Trump continuing to claim that he literally is above the law because he was President and has used that assertion to avoid punishment for his many transgressions, we have a Justice Department that seems to be MIA – missing in action when it comes to prosecuting the twice impeached Trump. Writer Chris Waldron discusses those developments in twin blogs on Not Fake News.biz, which I’ll no...

Our guest is Martin Henson, executive director of the BMEN Foundation whose mission is to mobilize and support all Black men and address issues many confront every day. BMen is based in Boston and was established as a response to the “Me Too” movement as increasing numbers of women came forward to reveal instances of sexual abuse against them. But it’s grown far beyond that, with counseling sessio...

There’s a horrible, deadly cancer that not many people know about. It’s called Cholangiocarcinoma. We learn a lot about that today from a father who lost his daughter to this disease, and from a patient who continues in a fight for her life. Last summer Dave Fleischer crisscrossed America to draw attention to the battle against the rare and deadly cancer, Cholangiocarcinoma, which claimed the life...

It's like we're in an amusement park fun house where everything is distorted and weird, and where up is down and down is up. That apparently is Republican politics today. Consider this past week. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-lean-to-the-left-podcast--4719048/support .

Did you ever think about how data – statistical information – could be used to foster racism and discrimination? I have to tell you, that really never crossed my mind. Until I interviewed Maya Ford, founder of Houston-based FordMomentum! Check this out from the Houston Business Journal: "For the better part of her communications career, Maya Ford was usually the only person of color in the office,...

It is not every day you get to live your dreams and do what you love; this philosophy guides the professional life of Dr. Pamela Gurley, our guest on the Lean to the Left Podcast today. Dr. Pam says she’s a “busy and empowered boss lady working every day to change how Black women are perceived.” We’ll find out more about that. She says she’s “a fierce entrepreneur” as an author, professional speak...

In typical Republican fashion, many GOP lawmakers who voted against the new infrastructure law are claiming credit for bringing home millions in funding for projects in their districts. "It's a tale as old as time -- Republican lawmakers fight against popular legislation that helps the American people, and then try to take credit for it," the Democratic National Committee (DNC) pointed out. Howeve...

The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution was written in the aftermath of the Civil War. This landmark addition defined what made a person a citizen, equal protection under the law and even addressed Civil War debt. But, it is section three of this amendment that could be used as a tool to punish those who took part in the January 6th insurrection by having them removed from office and preventi...

Hey guys, something a little different for you today. We’re with an old buddy of mine, Scott Ramminger, a brilliant songwriter and blues musician based in Nashville, who’s coming out Feb. 4 with a new album, “Live from Third & Lindsley Nashville.” It’s his sixth record since 2011, and the third since he relocated from the Washington DC area to Nashville in 2017. And therein lies a part of the stor...

As a country, we’re in the middle of what’s been dubbed “The Great Resignation,” as millions of workers have either quit their jobs or switched to some other way to earn a livelihood. What’s behind all of this? What can companies do to counter this trend? To explore this important question, our guest today is Brad Smith, founder of Stellar Insights. Brad has spent over 20 years helping companies p...

Today we’re with Karen Igou, who helped lead a week-long event over the Christmas holiday called OccupyBiden, a 24/7 outdoors Climate Justice Occupation within a mile of President Biden’s house in Wilmington, DE. I found this interesting…that such a demonstration would be held targeting Biden, especially considering the harm done by his predecessor, Donald Trump, with his actions that were rooted...

Today we’re with Jeff Batton, a recovering Evangelical -- in fact, an ex-pastor -- who's now out of the closet and is counseling folks about life, religion, marriages, relationships -- you name it. Batton has lived all around the world…Hong Kong, London, New York City…now Detroit…but grew up on a big farm in South Georgia and claims to be the ambassador of the South. He’s started his own business,...