Two Worlds, One Country

Anthony is joined by Andy Levison, Contributing Editor to The Democratic Strategist and author of  The White Working Class Today: Who They Are, How They Think and How Progressives Can Regain Their Support , as they discuss the differences withing this broad group of voters, including his distinction between “Cultural Traditionalists” and “MAGA Extremists”.

Anthony is joined by Stephanie Muravchik to discuss her book, Trump’s Democrats , which examined three communities, one rural, one a small town and the other a small city, which had voted Democratic for at least four decades but went for Donald Trump in 2016. She explores the details of why Trump appealed to these long-time Dems.

In this interview with Reece Peck, the author of "Fox Populism:  Branding Conservatism as Working Class", Two Worlds, One Country explores how and why Fox News has built such a strong and enduring loyalty among a major segment of the American public.  Hint: There's much more to Fox than what most liberals believe!

Heidi Binko is Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Just Transition Fund, a funding and advocacy group dedicated to helping rural communities transition away from fossil fuels. She discusses alternatives for coal towns and centering local communities in environmental activism. [1:14] Getting involved in clean energy [8:02] What could a just transition look like? [13:19] The Just Transition Fun...

Joe Fortier is the owner of two construction companies in the Radford, VA area specializing in green, energy-efficient housing initiatives. He talks getting his start in green construction and how we can build a more sustainable future. [1:31] From stay-at-home dad to small business owner [6:07] How we can build better buildings [12:43] Energy-efficient and hurricane-resistant walls [19:44] The ec...

Dwayne McIntyre is the owner of Goshen Homestead, a 110 acre family farm, and a friend of Anthony’s. He talks his farmstead operation, sustainable agriculture practices, and his take on federal regulations for small farmers. [1:45] Pennsylvania Amish roots [9:22] How Goshen Homestead is rethinking agriculture [16:06] Mobilizing local capital—crowdfunding local business [22:35] How the federal...

Brandon Dennison is the founder and CEO of Coalfield Development. He talks his 33/6/3 hour training model, creating sustainable businesses, and his vision for rebuilding the Appalachian economy. [2:01] Growing up in West Virginia [9:03] 33/6/3 model—building jobs for disadvantaged people [15:20] Is it really true that people don’t want to work? [19:43] Rural people don’t need handouts, they need i...

Anthony tackles a solo episode about Rural Urban Bridge Initiative (RUBI)’s latest projects, in particular RUBI’s joint work with the Progressive Democrats of America on the recently released Rural New Deal guidelines. [3:23] What is the Rural New Deal? [6:53] Rural health care needs revamping [11:52] Farming for a better future [18:49] Restoring American manufacturing RUBI Directory of Rural Orga...

Marjorie Kelly is an author and Senior Fellow at the Democracy Collaborative. She talks the structure of capitalism, how we can do better, and more, from her newest book  Wealth Supremacy: How the Extractive Economy and the Biased Rules of Capitalism Drive Today’s Crises. [1:52] Why capitalism is so crazy [6:22] No amount of wealth is ever enough [11:30] What happens when workers own the comp...

This is the third part in our three-part series on Community Works. Thomas Bates is an ex-federal prosecutor and the founder of Democrats Work, a precursor to Community Works. He discusses Democrats Work’s experiment with a service-based approach to politics and the path forward he sees for Democratic politics today. [1:29] Getting his start in campaign politics [4:36] How do bake sales win electi...

This is the second part in our three-part series on Community Works. Skip Halpern is an author, ex-lawyer, and chair of the Page County Democratic Committee. He talks why he moved to rural Virginia, his take on the rural-urban divide, and the work he’s doing with RUBI’s Community Works program. [2:34] Skip’s background in financial law [6:14] Why is Page County so red? [11:01] Why Page County got...

This is the first part in our three-part series on Community Works. Meredith Dean is Executive Director of Community Works at RUBI as well as the founder of both Healthy Floyd and Appalachian Women of Action. Meredith talks her background in organizing, breaking down liberal stereotypes of rural people, and Community Works—which encourages Democrats to, as Anthony says, “shut up and do stuff.” [1:...

Kimber Lanning is an entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Local First Arizona, an organization that supports local entrepreneurs and economies. She talks her background in arts entrepreneurship, the mission of Local First Arizona, and how small business can help rural economies. [3:22] Developing Phoenix’s arts district [8:11] Can entrepreneurship help the world? [13:50] Local First Arizona dev...

Dan Shea is a professor of Government at Colby College and the author of many books, most recently The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and The Disuniting of America. Dan talks campaign consulting in upstate New York, the largest survey of rural voters ever done, and why conspiracy theorists aren’t as common as you might think.   [3:30] Starting out incampaign consulting [8:40] Rural didn’t...

Anthony and Stacy Mitchell (Co-Executive Director for the Institute for Local Self Reliance) continue their discussion from part one. They dive into why the right is now the party of small business, the exploits of super-duo Lina Khan and Jonathan Kanter, and how big business robs autonomy and dignity from democracies.   [1:42] Why small businesses matter [9:08] North Dakota is the only state...

Stacy Mitchell is Co-Executive Director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and author of the book Big Box Swindle, as well as articles for The Atlantic, New York Times, and more. Stacy talks how Walmart and dollar chains took over, how Amazon dwarfs them all, and ILSR’s work to stop monopoly power both locally and nationally. [1:35] Growing up in the north vs. the south [4:45] Big Box Window...

Luke Mayville is the founder and director of Reclaim Idaho, a grassroots organizing movement with a history of spearheading successful ballot initiatives in Idaho. Luke talks growing up in an evangelical small town, Reclaim Idaho’s grassroots organizing, and their current voting reform project. [1:53] Growing up evangelical, getting a PhD in philosophy [9:58] How ballot initiatives support direct...

Lark Corbeil is an experienced journalist and the founder of Public News Service, which reaches roughly 50 million people per week through news services in 37 states, as well as the non-profit Media in the Public Interest. Lark talks growing up in two different worlds, getting her start in journalism, and founding the biggest non-profit news service you’ve never heard of. [2:04] Growing up between...

Matt Morrison is the Executive Director of Working America, the largest non-union labor group in the country fighting for workers’ rights and a fair economy. Matt talks about growing up as a journalist’s kid, race and labor rights in St. Louis, and strategies for results-based organizing in working-class America. Originally aired May 25, 2023, WEHC 90.7. [0:43] Introduction [4:05] College and comi...

Richard Moyer is a full-time organic farmer and part-time professor of biology at King University in Bristol, VA. In this episode, Anthony and Richard talk farming and its challenges, efforts to be more self-sufficient in our homes and communities, and what seems to work to help build trust and begin to overcome the divide. This originally aired on WEHC 90.7 on May 18, 2023. https://feeds.cap...

Farah Stockman is an award-winning journalist, a member of the Editorial Board of the New York Times, and author of  American Made: What Happens to People When Work Disappears.   In this segment, Farah talks about the people she came to know and what she learned from them as she explored the closure of an Indiana ball bearing factory due to off-shoring, and how that impacted th...

In this two-part segment, former Maine State Senator Chloe Maxmin and her campaign manager and colleague, Canyon Woodward, discuss how Chloe was able to win two elections in rural districts of Maine, and how that experience laid the foundation for their new organization Dirt Road Organizing. The first segment focuses on their respective backgrounds in rural community organizing and how that l...

In this two-part segment, former Maine State Senator Chloe Maxmin and her campaign manager and colleague, Canyon Woodward, discuss how Chloe was able to win two elections in rural districts of Maine, and how that experience laid the foundation for their new organization Dirt Road Organizing. The first segment focuses on their respective backgrounds in rural community organizing and how that l...

Best selling author, Beth Macy, joins Two Worlds to discuss how being raised in poverty in a small Ohio town helped steer her into a journalism and writing career dedicated to lifting up the stories of folks who are struggling, whether due to offshoring of their jobs, the opioid epidemic or other issues https://feeds.captivate.fm/two-worlds-one-country/

Josh Ewing, director of the Rural Climate Initiative, joins Anthony for a discussion of how RCI approaches climate issues and problems in a way that builds support from farmers and rural people, rather than putting them on the defensive. https://feeds.captivate.fm/two-worlds-one-country/