In this episode, Ami Chen Mills is joined by spiritual-political commentator Alvin Dawkins (in Austin, TX) and tireless advocate for the unhoused, Joy Schendledecker, to discuss the recent Presidential debate, the “Grants Pass” Supreme Court ruling on the rights of the unhoused to sleep or even to exist, the specter of a second Trump presidency, California YIMBY and the Tech Bro dystopians of San Francisco and the greater Bay Area, the Jewish challenger in Florida to Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, how Jamaal Bowman lost to AIPAC money, and how we might all stay sane and continue to work for democracy and human rights at this challenging time … With a special musical interlude from Weird Al Yakonvich and a message from the former, Republican Lt. Governor of Georgia, Geoff Duncan, for us all.
Show Notes and Resources:
Republican and Former Lt. Governor of Georgia Geoff Duncan implores colleagues not to enable a second Trump Presidency: https://www.npr.org/2023/08/16/1194115160/geoff-duncan-says-donald-trump-indictment-pivot-point-republican-party-georgia
Get Out the Vote Efforts and Where You Can Donate:
For local (Santa Cruz) GOTV parties, carpools and caravans to swing districts in CA and NV, letter and post card pick up (so you can complete at home), community and lots of great energy: Swing Left Santa Cruz
Force Multiplier (donate to the most crucial districts and best grassroots orgs)
Showing Up for Racial Justice (support grassroots work to enlist white working class solidarity)
More Sources and Resources:
On Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the wellness-spiritual community, “anti-vaxx” grift network: Conspirituality Podcast.
On How Third Party and Independent Candidates are Stacking Up or Not: https://www.politico.com/interactives/2024/where-are-third-party-candidates-ballots/
The real deal on Russia and its influence on U.S. politics, involvement with Donald Trump and funding of Congressional campaigns. Also: Ukraine, disinformation, Paul Manafort, Ukrainian and Russian history: Gaslit Nation Podcast.
Jenn Perelman for US Congress: https://www.jen2024.org/
Black Voters and the Democratic Party (plus other racial groups; a breakdown): https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/04/09/partisanship-by-race-ethnicity-and-education/
On Expanding the Supreme Court: https://www.alternet.org/2019/06/here-are-4-ways-to-expand-the-us-supreme-court
https://www.newsweek.com/can-democrats-expand-supreme-court-how-likely-it-1720256
Thanks to The Gregory Brothers for use of the song: Deja Vu (But Worse) – Biden vs. Trump ft. “Weird Al” Yankovic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fNWHbnIn0g
