We're having a hard time today. You probably are too. But we wanted to get together and talk about it, give some reasons for hope, and just be present with each other. We were joined by political strategist Jess McIntosh, one of our favorite guests, to help us put things in perspective... and start figuring out where we go from here.For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected]. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Twitter: @Th...

On Wednesday October 30th, Red Wine & Blue hosted a virtual event where we were joined by Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. She’s not just the highest ranking Indigenous woman to be elected in this country… if Kamala Harris and Tim Walz win, she’ll be the first Indigenous governor ever.Before being elected to statewide office in Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Flanagan was a community organizer who trained thousands of other organizers and candidates, including Governor Tim Walz himself —...

The last episode of the podcast before the election is here and we’re feeling a lot of things: excitement, nerves, determination, stress, but most of all… hope.Hope because the Trump/Vance campaign has apparently given up on reaching across the aisle and are doubling down on their unpopular rhetoric. Hope because the Harris/Walz campaign is featuring uplifting speakers like Michelle Obama and Beyoncé. Hope because early voting numbers are breaking records.But more than anything, hope because ...

This past Monday, our favorite historian Heather Cox Richardson joined Red Wine & Blue for a virtual event. We were hoping to hear her insight into how this election fits into the broader story of American history, and what we might expect over the next two weeks.But if we’re being honest, what we really wanted was for Heather to tell us that it was all going to be okay.And of course she couldn’t tell us that with certainty. She’s a historian, not a soothsayer. But she did offer some word...

This week on the pod, we’re celebrating Michigan!We’re in the final stretch of the election now, which means we’re feeling stressed, excited, exhausted, inspired, nervous, and everything in between. So we thought this is the perfect time to remind ourselves what’s possible when we unite and fight. Because together, we can truly move mountains.Since Michigan Democrats won a trifecta in 2022 (that means the State House, State Senate, and Governorship) they’ve been able to pass so much amazing l...

The election is less than three weeks away and early voting is already open in many states. If you’re listening to this podcast, chances are you agree that a Kamala Harris presidency is absolutely crucial. Maybe you’ve put up a yard sign, or talked to some people you know about what’s on the line.But what about the down-ballot races? No matter who wins the presidency, electing Democrats up and down the ballot is just as important. If we get a President Harris, she’ll need a House and Senate t...

The election is only 4 weeks away now (!!!!) which means that we have less than 26 days to have some important conversations with the people in our lives. There are so many things to talk about: abortion access, gun violence, voting rights, the economy, immigration… and, as we discuss this week on the pod, the Supreme Court.Since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe vs Wade, the Supreme Court has been on all of our minds. But the truth is, Dobbs is just one of many recent rulings that have chang...

We’re back this week with regular episodes and we couldn’t have asked for a better guest than Jessica Valenti. Jessica has a popular newsletter on Substack called “Abortion, Every Day” where she covers the latest news about reproductive rights. She also has a new book that came out this week: Abortion - Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win.Jessica shared her thoughts about America post-Roe, and in turn Rachel shared her own difficult personal story about losing her daughter Sa...

So far on our miniseries The American Fabric, we’ve learned more about immigrants and why they come to this country. We’ve busted myths and decried disinformation. And we’ve heard immigrants tell their stories in their own words.Today, on the final episode, we’re talking about why this year’s election is so important. We have the opportunity to choose leaders who understand that immigrants are a cornerstone of this country and want to find humane bipartisan solutions. Leaders who don’t demoni...

Extremists have always used disinformation and fear-mongering to further their cause. But their rhetoric about immigration has stooped to new lows in recent months.Some of the lies are so outrageous it might be tempting to laugh. Haitian immigrants, for example, are not eating their neighbors’ pets in Springfield Ohio. And 107% of American jobs have not been taken by “illegal aliens,” as Trump claimed. (107 percent? How would that even work?)But the misinformation is no laughing matter. It’s ...

Despite all the extremist disinformation, suburban women aren’t afraid of immigrants. They’re our friends, our neighbors, our spouses. They’re us. Immigration isn’t a story about fear… it’s a story about love.And no one knows this better than our own Suburban Women Problem co-host Rachel Vindman. Her husband Alex came here as a refugee from the Soviet Union when he was only 4 years old. Alex says his immigration story has a lot to do with his patriotism and optimism about The United States. I...

It’s been so disheartening to see outlandish and offensive rumors about Haitian immigrants in Springfield Ohio turn into bomb threats, harassment, and arson. But it’s also not surprising. It’s the inevitable consequence of dangerous extremist rhetoric.During last week’s debate, we saw Donald Trump attack immigrants at every turn. And JD Vance just admitted on television that he shared the story about Haitians in Springfield despite knowing it was a lie. “If I have to create stories,” he told ...

Last week was a tough one in Georgia. After the shooting at a high school in Winder GA, Jasmine says her daughter was afraid to go to school. And she’s not the only one - every child, parent, and frankly any person who watches the news gets retraumatized each time this happens. And yet, still politicians do nothing. In fact, last week JD Vance called school shootings “a fact of life."Instead, he and other extremist Republicans have chosen something else to fixate on: the so-called traditional...

In the final episode of Sacred Politics, we delve into the intersection of religion and social activism. From advocating for human rights to championing environmental stewardship, we uncover how religious groups and individuals have leveraged their faith to fuel positive change.Shane Claiborne: http://www.shaneclaiborne.com/https://www.instagram.com/shane.claiborne/?hl=enRed Letter Christians: https://redletterchristians.org/https://www.instagram.com/redletterxians/?hl=enRev Karla: https://re...

In episode 2 of Sacred Politics, we discuss the trajectory of Christian Nationalism and its looming impact on the nation's future. From the halls of Congress to grassroots movements, we examine how this ideological force is poised to influence the political agenda in the years to come with the implementation of Project 2025.Jess McIntosh: https://x.com/jess_mc?lang=enhttps://www.jessmcintosh.org/ Jemar Tisby: https://jemartisby.com/ https://www.instagram.com/JemarTisby/ The Spirit of Justice:...

In our limited podcast series, Sacred Politics, we reveal the dangers of Christian Nationalism in American politics amidst the 2024 election season. Through narrative storytelling and expert interviews, we uncover Christian Nationalism's role in shaping elections, legislation, and public discourse, while also exploring how faith-inspired activism can drive positive change.In episode one, we look through American history to uncover the profound influence of Christian Nationalism. From pivotal ...

This episode is family-only as Rachel, Jasmine and Amanda tell us all about their amazing week at the DNC. In fact, they agreed that "amazing" doesn't even begin to capture how exciting and uplifting last week was.The joy was palpable, and we heartily reject a recent New York Times headline that "joy isn't a strategy." Joy IS a strategy. Hope and joy got us Obama. Fear might be a motivator as old as time, but extremists can only lie so many times before people realize they’re being manipulate...

Jasmine and Amanda are at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, so on this episode, Rachel is co-hosting with Jess Piper. And it's great timing because as of last week, abortion will be on the ballot in her home state of Missouri - something that she and other advocates have been working hard to achieve. They gathered 380,000 signatures, a full 200k more than they needed!It's important to remember that even in "red" states like Missouri, extremists are the minority. But when gerryman...

Every week in this political cycle feels like a decade! It’s hard to believe it’s only been a week since Kamala Harris announced Tim Walz as her VP pick. And if the energy was good before, now it’s downright jubilant. Governor Walz’s free school lunches program in Minnesota is exactly the kind of support we’ve been talking about throughout our Momonomics campaign.On today’s episode, we’re talking about the care economy with Dr. Jessica Calarco, the author of “Holding It Together: How Women Be...

The energy we’ve been feeling since VP Kamala Harris became the candidate has been undeniable. Jasmine says she hasn’t felt this level of hope since Obama’s campaign in 2008. But the more successful Kamala’s campaign becomes, the more concerned we're getting about extremists resorting to undemocratic tactics. (It wouldn’t be the first time, after all!) In Georgia, some very concerning disenfranchisement efforts are already in the works.But as much as we need to be aware of those undemocratic ...

Lately there have been so many exciting organizing events on Zoom. And Red Wine & Blue is no exception - just two weeks after our incredibly successful event with Heather Cox Richardson, we held another event to talk about Project 2025… with Senator Elizabeth Warren! Here’s the audio from that call, and if you’d like to watch on video, you can see it here.For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected]. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on ...

This week, Red Wine & Blue is launching a new campaign called Momonomics. The economy has been on everyone’s mind, and Republicans present it as one of their strongest issues. But we know that Democratic policies like paid childcare and reproductive freedom are what actually help American families.So this week, we’re joined by Sondra Goldschein, the Executive Director of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy. Sondra talks to us about what policies actually help working families and h...

Over the weekend, President Joe Biden announced that he would be stepping down as the nominee and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. We’ve had every reaction imaginable: excitement, appreciation for Biden's great work, fear over the racist and sexist attacks that are already coming, and everything in between. But despite our anxieties we are energized and ready to go! The conversations we have with our friends and family in the next 100 days will be make or break for democracy.And we coul...

On a Monday night in the middle of summer, hundreds of thousands of people watched a virtual event where a historian spoke about a 900-page Republican playbook. It sounds like some DC-based strategist’s dream, but it was just another day at Red Wine & Blue!This past Monday July 15th, Heather Cox Richardson joined us to talk about Project 2025, and we wanted to share the audio of that conversation with you. Whether you missed the event or just wanted to listen to Heather again, please enjo...