We Need A Revolution

"If you give everything to an organization, it is not going to give everything back to you. The Marine Corps taught me that real fast." — Sarah Czech, Former Marine Corps Sergeant & Arabic Linguist Why are more than 50% of post-9/11 veterans registered independents? Mainstream political narratives love to treat the military as an ultra-conservative monolith, but the data tells a completely dif...

The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum. This insight from Noam Chomsky sets the stage for today's deep dive into the modern landscape of conspiracy theories. On this episode of WNAR, Kevin and John sit down with Matthew Hannah, an associate professor of digital studies at the Unive...

What if the wars we fight aren't about safety, but about an incentive structure designed to keep the defense budget growing? Connor Echols, managing editor at Responsible Statecraft and the Quincy Institute, joins Kevin and John to pull back the curtain on the military industrial complex. We discuss how foreign governments and defense contractors fund the think tanks that shape Washington policy,...

The modern political landscape often feels like a choice between two extremes, leaving a vast number of Americans feeling politically homeless. While the national spotlight stays fixed on partisan gridlock in D.C., a growing movement is shifting the focus back to where politics actually begins: our local communities. In this episode, Kevin and John sit down with Bridget Myers and John Lembke from...

Is the American Dream of homeownership officially dead for the next generation, or have we just been spoiled by a decade of unsustainable economics? Kevin and John sit down with real estate expert John Gravelyn to dismantle the private equity plague and the mechanics currently swallowing the housing market. We dive into how housing was transformed from a place to live into a high-yield financial p...

What happens when you realize the political party you grew up in no longer speaks your language? In this episode, Kevin Rosenquist and John Banks are joined by Brendan Frasier, a student at the University of Cincinnati and a Democratic precinct captain who is working to pull his party back to its working-class roots. Brendan shares his journey from a rural Ohio community devastated by power plant...

Our government is failing because the system is designed to protect the players, not the people. This week, Kevin and John are joined by John Goodwin, Communications Director for the Forward Party, to discuss the structural barriers that keep the two-party duopoly in power. A veteran of Capitol Hill and corporate leadership, John explains how the closed loop of American politics rewards resource a...

Employment law partner Erica Healey-Kagan joins the show to discuss the evolving legal landscape for transgender individuals in the workplace and the court system. We dive deep into the specific challenges faced during gender transition on the job, the rise of subjective performance metrics used to mask bias, and the high-profile legal battles currently taking place over school disclosure policies...

The media says the economy is booming, but for most workers, it is a dismal and dangerous place. In this episode, Kevin Rosenquist and John Banks sit down with economist Daniel Altman, international best-selling author of Outrageous Fortunes and the voice behind the High Yield Economics newsletter. We pull back the curtain on the K-shaped economy to see why corporate profits are hitting record hig...

Our healthcare system is experiencing a quiet, structural atrophy. This week, Kevin Rosenquist and John Banks are joined by Jason Banks, a veteran nursing home administrator with three decades of experience on the front lines. The conversation moves past the headlines of burnout to the reality of moral injury and the deep distress felt by healthcare workers when systemic shortages prevent them fro...

In this episode, Kevin and John sit down with Dr. Lia Howard, a political scientist and Director of the Political Empathy Lab at the University of Pennsylvania. We dive into the concept of affective polarization and how our political identities have become dangerously stacked with our social identities. Dr. Howard shares fascinating insights from her research traveling across Pennsylvania, where s...

Episode Summary: Is the United States becoming the next Hungary? Guest Matt Burka joins Kevin Rosenquist and John Banks to explain why the American system is beginning to mirror the decay of Eastern European democracies. From the "wealth pump" that extracts capital from the working class to the "elite overproduction" that fuels political vitriol, we explore why the system feels rigged and where th...

If you earned $1 million every single day since the calendar began 2,026 years ago, you would still be less wealthy than Elon Musk. This week, we are joined by Bob Lord, Senior VP of Patriotic Millionaires and a former tax attorney for the 1%, to discuss why the American tax system is designed to fail the middle class. We dive into the mechanics of wealth concentration, exploring how the tax code...

In this episode, Kevin Rosenquist and John Banks sit down with researcher Laine Sullivan to uncover the disturbing history of Chicago’s water infrastructure. We explore the Daley-Bailey Pact, a mid-century political deal that mandated lead pipes in city building codes long after they were known to be toxic. Laine explains the concept of hydraulic citizenship and the theory of weathering, detailing...

Our government is failing us because it’s running on outdated code. This week, we are joined by Dustin Wahl of Fix Our House to discuss the specific structural flaws that keep the duopoly in power. Dustin brings a unique perspective as both an institutional disruptor and a frontline campaigner. We discuss his work with Save71 at Liberty University, the strategic lessons learned from Dan Osborn’s i...

John Graham spent fifteen years in the high stakes world of international diplomacy, serving in the middle of revolutions in Libya and the front lines of the Vietnam War. For years, he lived as an "adrenaline junkie," viewing conflict as a source of personal adventure rather than a human tragedy. That changed during a "Kafkaesque" night in Hue, Vietnam, when he realized he was ordering the deaths...

Are you feeling "politically homeless"? You’re not alone. On the debut episode of We Need a Revolution , hosts Kevin Rosenquist and John Banks dive into why the American two-party system feels like a "runaway train" with zero accountability. They are joined by Sara Wolk , Co-founder and Executive Director of the Equal Vote Coalition , to discuss how our current "choose-one" voting method is mathem...

America isn’t broken by accident. The system works for the few, not the many. We Need a Revolution is a live, weekly podcast breaking down how power, money, and the two-party system lead to a stacked deck against regular Americans, and what we can actually do about it. No party loyalty. No billionaire excuses. Just facts and real strategies for taking some power back. Live on YouTube Wednesdays st...