The Lean to the Left Podcast

Today, we’re talking about the leaked Supreme Court ruling that apparently will wipe out Roe v. Wade, the long-standing decision protecting a woman’s right to an abortion. I’ll be narrating three blogs on the subject from our Lean to the Left.net blog site, the first outlining why Trump, through his Supreme Court justices, is giving Democrats a winning issue going into the November election; the s...

Sheri Few, firebrand leader against teaching the implications of racial history and comprehensive sex education in school, says teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT) "is from the pit of Hell and is meant to destroy lives."Founder and president of US Parents Involved in Education, Few ran unsuccessfully for office three times in South Carolina, and now is doing a media blitz claiming that discussions...

What's the image that comes to mind when you think of a woman in her 70s? And if you're approaching that age, or living in that life decade, what's your mindset? For Ruth Yunker, a twice-divorced Californian, it's all about "aging vivaciously."On this episode of The Lean to the Left Podcast, Yunker, a yoga-fit mother of two talks about her struggle with alcoholism, subsequent sobriety, and her lif...

I had a bad dream last night. It's 2025 and an obsessed right-wing Republican from Florida by the name of Rick Scott is now president of the United States. All hell has broken loose. Take a listen...Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-lean-to-the-left-podcast--4719048/support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is Christopher Pearson and the topic is passing the National Popular Vote bill that would guarantee the presidency to the candidate with the most popular votes. Pearson is a Vermont State Senator and worked on his 1998 campaign, then his Congressional office. He’s been with National Popular Vote where is secretary on the Board of Directors. We’ve all seen the problems with the curr...

Too many outside influencers are trying to tell colleges and universities what they should and should not teach. At least 16 states are considering or have already signed into law bills that punish teachers for discussing critical race theory or similar topics. Bob Atkins, a higher education strategy consultant, is with us today to discuss how limiting students’ academic options are detrimental to...

Donald Trump's followers are being carted off to jail for participating in the January 6, 2021 violent attack intended to block the electoral college vote finalizing Joe Biden's election and relegating the orange blowhard to the trash heap of history. But what about those who sent those loyal followers on this fools' errand -- Trump and his son, Don Jr.? Should they not suffer the same fate? Shoul...

Last month former President Donald Trump urged his supporters to “lay down their lives” to fight against critical race theory, as he worked to whip up support for what probably will be an attempt to regain the White House. Using CRT, the study of institutional racism in the legal system, as a whipping boy is a favorite ploy of right-wing Republicans trying to control what can be taught in public s...

Today we’re with James A. Ross, author of the book, "Hunting Teddy Roosevelt", a historical novel that veers into TR’s African adventures and an assassination attempt. There is this line from the book: “Roosevelt is not only hunting in Africa, he’s being hunted.” And then…On the podcast, Ross talks about Roosevelt, a true progressive who was responsible for the 40-hour work week, backed the establ...

With the war in Ukraine continuing to rage and President Biden just challenging the energy companies to stop sitting on profits and produce oil to ease pricing pressure to consumers, you have to wonder what the impact will be on the battle to curtail greenhouse gases in the fight against climate change. Frank Dalene, author of Decarbonize the World, A Market-Based Solution to the Climate Crisis, i...

Many of the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee were disgusting in their disrespectful treatment of President Biden’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. At the same time, Justice Clarence Thomas is now under the January 6th Committee microscope because of his wife, Ginny’s, overt effort supporting Donald Trump’s try to overturn the 2020 election. In this episode, I narra...

Today we’re with University of Houston history professor Bob Buzzanco to discuss some of the historical context with respect to the vicious attack by Russia on Ukraine, and what he thinks is required to reach an agreement to stop the bloodshed. Professor Buzzanco, who also co-hosts the Green and Red Podcast, describes himself, among other things, as a historian, writer, agitator, professor, and Si...

Alester Linton-Pryor is an African-American woman from New York City who is now spending every waking moment of what is supposed to be retirement trying to overtake the rightwing Republicans who dominate her region in South Carolina. As chair of the Horry County (SC) Democratic Party (HCDP), Linton-Pryor leads a determined band of volunteers who share her concerns about the major social issues of...

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 oth...

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...