Category Archives: Web Extras

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Web Extras

WEB EXTRA: Ann Armbrecht, THIN PLACES (full interview)

In 2009, Writer’s Voice spoke with Ann Armbrecht about her memoir, THIN PLACES: A Pilgramage Home. Francesca Rheannon was joined on the interview by writer Christian MacEwen.

The original edited aired episode has been lost, so here is the unedited version of the conversation, pulled from our archives. The first few minutes have been lost, but we join her as Armbrecht is talking about how the people in the village in Nepal first received her.

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Could A “Weapon of Mass Connection” win Georgia for the Dems?

Mehrdad Azemun on Deep Canvassing
Is America hopelessly divided between those who voted for Donald Trump and those who voted for Joe Biden? Or can a “weapon of mass connection” be used to bridge the divide?

Mehrdad Azemun

That’s a bet being made by a national economic and racial justice organization called People’s Action. It’s a coalition of grassroots groups operating in 30 different states on issues like climate justice, student debt, mass incarceration, health care, and housing—and on mobilizing voters to turn out for those issues.

The “weapon of mass connection” People’s Action uses (maybe a better word is “tool”) is something called “deep canvassing“.

Francesca spoke with Mehrdad Azemun, national political strategist with People’s Action, about deep canvassing and more for this episode of our online series, What You Need To Know.

Web Extras

Will Trump Go? A Post-Election Day Reaction from Lawrence Douglas

Lawrence Douglas

The US is facing a constitutional crisis as Donald Trump tries to stop the counting of millions of mail-in ballots that could tip the presidency to Joe Biden.

One person who predicted this very outcome is Amherst College legal scholar Lawrence Douglas. He’s the author of the recent book, Will He Go? Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown in 2020.

Writers Voice spoke with Douglas in September and Francesca called him up the day after Election Day for his reaction to the situation we find ourselves in, the very situation that was the topic of his book—and of an article he published November 4 in the Guardian, Don’t be fooled: the delays in the US election result mean our system is working.

Web Extras

Transcript: Excerpt from Interview with John Nichols

Writers Voice interviewed John Nichols about his book The Fight For The Soul Of The Democratic Party: The Enduring Legacy of Henry Wallace’s Anti-Fascist, Anti-Racist Politics. In this transcript of a clip from the interview, Francesca begins by asking about parallels in the situation during the New Deal and now. (The transcript has been edited for smoother reading.) Continue reading

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Max Elbaum: What’s At Stake for the Left in the 2020 Election?

We talk with Max Elbaum about the debate over whether the Left should support Joe Biden. He wrote a recent post, Should Anti-Capitalists Urge a Vote for Joe Biden to Defeat Donald Trump in 2020?.“

On the Left a great debate is raging between Progressives whose first priority is defeating Trump and those in the Never Biden camp.

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The former say that defeating fascist or white supremacist authoritarian control of the executive branch and the Supreme Court are necessary to protect the growing progressive movement.

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The Fracking Ban Law

Jim Walsh

America’s small businesses are facing hardship because of a dramatic, unexpected loss of business due to the COVID19 pandemic. But it’s come to light that the Trump administration has pushed to allow billions in CARES Act funds to pay off the debt of the fossil fuel industry—debt incurred way before the current pandemic.

Some in Congress are working to prevent that, as well as other bailouts of Big Oil and Gas underway by the administration. It’s called the ReWind Act and those proposing it say it’s needed to keep the Trump administration from using the CARES Act to transfer enormous amounts of wealth from taxpayers to oil companies.

They hope to include the ReWind Act in the new CARES Act package being worked on now. The Act has been referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Francesca spoke with Jim Walsh of Food and Water Watch about the proposed legislation. He’s a Senior Energy Policy Analyst for Food & Water Watch.

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Michael Klare: Covid-19 Is Forcing Us to Rethink How We Consume Energy

With COVID19 causing lockdowns throughout the globe, demand for oil has plummeted. The bottom has fallen out of the petroleum market. What long term impacts could that have on how we power our economies?

To find out, Francesca called up energy policy analyst Michael Klare. His article “Covid-19 Is Forcing Us to Rethink How We Consume Energy“ appeared in the Nation magazine.

Listen here for our interview with Klare about another article about the impact of the pandemic: Covid-19’s Third Shock Wave: The Global Food Crisis.

 

Web Extras

What Happens After Bernie? A Conversation with Micah Uetricht

Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign two days ago. The suspension left many grassroots organizations that had endorsed him wondering where to go from here. Francesca speaks with Micah Uetricht, co-author of Bigger Than Bernie, about it. Continue reading

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Branko Marcetic: Joe Biden Is No Al Franken

We talk with Branko Marcetic about his recent article in Jacobin, For Top Democrats, Joe Biden Is No Al Franken.

It’s about the differing ways prominent Senators treated sexual harassment claims made against Al Franken, who was pressured to resign his Senate seat, and the sexual assault claim made against Biden by former staffer Tara Reade. Continue reading

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Robert Pollin on the COVID19 Stimulus Bill

Yesterday, the Senate passed a $2 trillion stimulus package to deal with the COVID19 pandemic in the US.

Already, it has come under some withering criticism from New York Mayor Bill De Blasio, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

Some economists are blasting it, as well.

Writer’s Voice host Francesca Rheannon spoke with economist Robert Pollin of the Political Economy Research Center at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst about what the bill does, what it doesn’t do and what an adequate bill should do.

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Greg Palast (full interview) on Court Victory in Georgia Voting Case

Investigative reporter Greg Palast recently won a groundbreaking judgement from a federal court judge in Georgia that promises to open up to public scrutiny the massive 2018 purge of the voter rolls conducted by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp when he was Georgia’s Secretary  of State — and his work with voter suppression impresario Kris Kobach to disenfranchise voters in other states, as well.

WV called Palast up for an in-depth look at that ruling, as well as voter suppression (or, as Palast calls it, “voter theft”) in other states. Continue reading

Web Extras

Wendell Potter: “Democrats On The Take” fight Medicare For All

WV host Francesca Rheannon talks with former health insurance industry executive and whistleblower Wendell Potter about how the attacks on Medicare For All are being fueled by health insurance cash to Democrats. Continue reading

Web Extras

Ariel Burger Interview Segment: Elie Wiesel and Palestinian Rights

Despite his unquestionable moral force, there have been those who have pointed out that Elie Wiesel’s record of compassion faltered when it came to justice for the Palestinian people.

He was on record supporting the settlements that have taken over Palestinian land in the occupied territories and also in failing to publicly criticize Israel’s human rights violations.

In this segment from the extended interview with Ariel Burger, Francesca asks Burger about Wiesel’s stance toward Palestinian rights and he responds.

After the interview was recorded, Ariel Burger wrote Francesca the following about Wiesel’s work on behalf of victims of other genocides and mass murders, above all in Darfur.

Listen to the podcast interview here.

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Vandana Shiva, CREATIVE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

Vandana Shiva is a force of nature — and a force for nature. Winner of the alternative Nobel Prize, the Right Livelihood Award, Shiva has been at the forefront of the food sovereignty movement; Her greatest fights have been against GMOs and the patenting of seeds that have bankrupted small farmers throughout the world. As Vandana Shiva says, “Life is not an invention.” Continue reading