Indivisible Chicago Podcast

INDIVISIBLE CHICAGO PODCAST SHOW NOTES FOR DECEMBER 28, 2020 1. ICYMI: Celebrating President-elect Biden, and reflections on riding the emotional roller coaster from November 2 to November 7, 2020. While there may be trouble ahead, for today, let's face the music and dance. 2. On Thanksgiving Day in 2016, at a holiday gathering in Austin, Texas, Indivisible was born. Three years later, an Indivisible organization exists in every congressional district in America. This week, an encore presentation with founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin, and an interview recorded in November 2019. We talk about the evolution of Indivisible, some of the lessons learned over the past three years, and what’s happening to ensure electoral reform — all of which is cleverly recounted in their book, We are Indivisible.

INDIVISIBLE CHICAGO PODCAST SHOW NOTES FOR MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2020. Starting this week, the days start getting longer. Hope returns. ICA board member Marj Halperin joins the podcast to talk Georgia phone-banking. Learn more at indivisiblechicago.com. Also, save the date. Marj and Tom will be hosting Indivisible Chicago's Inaugural Celebration: Everything New is Blue Again on January 20, 2021 at 5:30. Stay tuned for more information. In early December, the League of Women Voters Chicago celebrated the centennial of that organization, which was founded right here in Chicago in 1920. At that celebration, Lance Gough, outgoing executive director of the Cook County Board of Election, was honored for a remarkable career in the service of democracy. Mr. Gough joins the podcast this week along with League of Women Voters Chicago executive vice president, Catherine Mardikes.

INDIVISIBLE CHICAGO PODCAST SHOW NOTES FOR MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2020 1. With the current president's assault on democracy, one wonders what the ghosts of those who died in wars to protect our democratic way of life might expect of us. 2. For those of us who grew up believing that democratic values would be simply impossible to subvert in this country -- well, Donald Trump, you have our attention. This week, to help explain how we got here and what we need to do now, the authors of the new book Presidents, Populism, and the Crisis of Democracy (University of Chicago Press). William H. Howell is the Sydney Stein Professor in American Politics at the University of Chicago. He is currently chair of the Department of Political Science and Director of the Center for Effective Government. Terry M. Moe is the William Bennett Munro Professor of Political Science at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.

INDIVISIBLE CHICAGO PODCAST SHOW NOTES FOR MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2020 1. With incredible ratings in one demographic, you might be able to stay on TV, but you can't remain president. This is the lesson the current President is having trouble learning. 2. The ComEd scandal that has gotten everyone's attention over the last few months is really a story of two scandals -- one is a bribery scandal that seems to be closing in around Speaker of the House Madigan. But what of the legislation that was at the heart of the bribery scandal in the first place -- one that promises to deliver services to consumers but failed to do so. Joining the podcast this week, Abe Scarr, director of Illinois PIRG. In Springfield he leads the charge for stronger consumer protections, utility accountability, and good government. In 2017, Abe led a coalition to pass legislation to implement automatic voter registration in Illinois.  Just this week, PIRG released a report, *Guaranteed Profits, Broken Promises*, which  details how ComEd has managed to stay profitable while failing its customers. Find the report at illinoispirg.org

INDIVISIBLE CHICAGO PODCAST SHOW NOTES FOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2020 1. The US Constitution was  not delivered to the founders on a mountaintop; it was the product of bitter negotiations and tough compromises. The Electoral College was one such compromise, and we're living with the consequences to this day. Originally posted February 17, 2020.  2. After the election in 2016, Michigan resident Katie Fahey posted on Facebook to see if anyone was interested in taking on gerrymandering in Michigan. People were interested. Over the next two years, she led the successful fight to end gerrymandering, and is now executive director of The People — thepeople.org. Originally posted August 15, 2020. Member of the DemCast Podcast Network.

INDIVISIBLE CHICAGO PODCAST SHOW NOTES FOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2020 1. While Trump will certainly be remembered as the worst president, this transition may only be the second worst. What happened in 1861 was, so far, worse. 2. As Americans, we are invested in the idea that our fellow citizens accused of a crime are innocent until proven guilty. At the same time, we are invested in a bail system in which those accused are able to be released only if they can pay the price. Is it fair that the wealthy who are accused walk while the poor remain in jail awaiting their day in court? This week's guests do not think that it is fair, and they are working to end the cash bail system. Sharone Mitchell, Jr. is the Director of the Illinois Justice Project, and State Senator Robert Peters is sponsoring the Pretrial Fairness Act which aims to put an end to the cash bail system. Learn more at endmoneybond.org. Member of the DemCast Podcast Network.

1. Does America need a Truth Commission or would a Works Project do the trick? 2, The Tea Party emerged coincidentally with America's first Black president. Initially promoting libertarian values, they attracted broad swaths of the disaffected, those with libertarian concerns, but also those with isolationist, nationalist, and racist concerns. And then came Trump. Today's guest has researched the Tea Party, how it started, how it ate the Republican party, and where it might go from here. Rachel Blum is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Oklahoma University and author of *How the Tea Party Captured the GOP: Insurgent Factions in American Politics*, from University of Chicago Press. Member of the DemCast Podcast Network.

INDIVISIBLE CHICAGO PODCAST SHOW NOTES FOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2020 1. Celebrating President-elect Biden, and reflections on riding the emotional roller coaster from November 2 to November 7, 2020. While there may be trouble ahead, for today, let's face the music and dance. 2. Three States. One Mission. 1500 volunteers and more than half a million phone calls. We go behind the scenes with Indivisible Chicago's Get-Out-the-Vote All-Stars -- Kathleen Long, Bill Mengebier, and Kathy Tholin. Member of the DemCast Podcast Network

INDIVISIBLE CHICAGO PODCAST SHOW NOTES FOR MONDAY OCTOBER 26, 2020 1. 8 days until voting ends. Do you remember where you were four years ago? 2. Indivisible Chicago founder Jason Rieger on The Last Weekend. Learn more at 3states1mission.com. 3. Chicago media legend and friend of the podcast Ken Davis joins to talk emails and laptops, and life after Trump. Spoiler: One way or the other, he’s not going away. Member of the DemCast Podcast Network

INDIVISIBLE CHICAGO PODCAST SHOW NOTES FOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 1. The only thing the GOP oppo research has done so far is demonstrate Joe Biden’s decency. Last week, a Trump aide compared Biden to Mr. Rogers. Yeah? So? 2. After a months-long hiatus, Indivisible Chicago is heading back (safely) to the doors. ICA board member Denise Poloyac joins to discuss. Sign up for canvassing, phone banking, and more at 3states1mission.com. 3. All roads to the White House lead through Wisconsin, but there is also much at stake for the state—and the country—in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Deb Andraca is a candidate in the north Milwaukee suburbs trying to flip that district blue. Learn more and get involved at debforwi.com.

INDIVISIBLE CHICAGO PODCAST SHOW NOTES FOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2020 _1. What could happen if -- under the terms of the 12th Amendment -- an inconclusive election were to end up before the House of Representatives to decide? Spoiler: nothing good if a majority of states are not represented by a majority of Democratic members. Congressman Jamie Raskin joins to explain. Raskin will keynote a fundraiser on Friday, 10/16, at 6pm CT to support six candidates across the country to ensure the House is in good hands. The event is sponsored by our friends at Indivisible Hawaii. Register here: https://bit.ly/3dngyNJ _2. Twenty-two days before election day, but 107 days before inauguration, we are prudent to prepare for a contested election. Congressman Mike Quigley from IL05 joins this week to talk about what could go wrong at the polls and what we need to do to get ready. Sign up for notifications at protecttheresults.com.

INDIVISIBLE CHICAGO PODCAST SHOW NOTES FOR OCTOBER 5, 2020 _1. We need to stay positive and we need to get out the vote. But we have to be prepared should the president follow through on what he has already said he might do and reject the results of the election. Indivisible Chicago Alliance Executive Director Darcey Regan joins the podcast to discuss contingency planning. To get notifications, visit protecttheresults.com. _2. With less than a month, it’s all hands on deck. Time to step up, if you haven’t already. Joining to discuss opportunities, with an eye toward Wisconsin this time, Kathleen Long and Laura Tanner, co-leaders Indivisible Evanston and Sandra Sullivan-Dunbar, Sister District Greater Chicago. Sign up for phone banking shifts at 3states1mission.com. Sign up to a poll observer at wisdems.org/voter-protection. Sign up to drive people to the polls at soulstothepollsmke.org.

INDIVISIBLE CHICAGO PODCAST SHOW NOTES FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 1. With claims of electoral fraud, a disputed election is thrown to Congress, where Republicans hold a slim edge. The year is 1876, and the compromise that leads to a Rutherford Hayes administration is catastrophic. What can we do to avoid such an outcome in 36 days? Hint: 3states1mission.com. 2. “The Imperial Presidency” is a term coined by Arthur Schlesinger in the 70s to describe the Nixon Administration, though it certainly has currency today. But what role does public opinion play in checking that power? This week, we take a step back from the election, from the Supreme Court fight, to think about how the Presidency works — or fails to — in these times. Dino Christenson is associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Boston University and an institute fellow at the Hariri Institute for Computational Science and Engineering. Douglas Kriner is the Clinton Rossiter Professor in American Institutions in the Department of Government at Cornell University. They are co-authors of The Myth of the Imperial Presidency, from University of Chicago Press. Member of the DemCast Podcast Network.

INDIVISIBLE CHICAGO PODCAST SHOW NOTES FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 _1. Remembering Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. _2. David Daley spent a year documenting the ways that the Republicans, starting after Obama won election in 2008, set in motion REDMAP, a long-term strategy to win key state legislative victories in time to redraw lines after the 2010 census and secure power, while the Democrats weren’t paying attention. It worked, and his book Ratf**ked documents that part of the story. His next book, Unrigged, published last March, documents how citizens across America fought to take back their Democracy. That fight is just getting started. Member of the DemCast Podcast Network.

INDIVISIBLE CHICAGO PODCAST SHOW NOTES FOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 This week, the Return of Blue Mondays with co-hosts Marj Halperin and Tom Moss. This week, Protecting the Vote in Wisconsin. Guests include: Renato Mariotti, CNN legal analyst, former federal prosecutor, host of the podcast On Topic, and friend of Indivisible Chicago. Reverend Greg Lewis, leader of Souls to the Polls, a statewide Wisconsin coalition of faith leaders that mobilizes ministers and their congregations to strengthen the voting power of the Black community. More at soulstothepollsmke.org. JP Thomas, Regional Voter Protection Director for the Wisconsin Coordinated Campaign. Volunteer to be a poll observer at wisdems.org/voter-protection. Member of the DemCast Podcast Network. Blue Mondays is jointly sponsored by Indivisible Chicago Alliance (ICA), which is registered under 501(c)(4) and the Indivisible Chicago Alliance Political Action Committee, a separate non-profit organization connected to ICA. This program is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Additional sponsors: Blue Beginning and The Hideout.