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It was a pleasure to sit down at this year's DNC and talk with actor, singer and activist, Mandy Patinkin about our shared journey as reluctant spokespeople for social change. Thanks to Gideon Patinkin for his help in facilitating this conversation.

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I had the opportunity to cover the DNC as a social media content creator this week. Much has been made of the access content creators were given to cover the convention this year -- much of it false info from traditional media -- I won't bother to clear up the rumors here.

What I will say is that it was an honor to be in the room for this historic event. Watching the first major political party nominate a woman of color was overwhelming and quite heartening. I keep likening it to being sprayed by a fire hose for 4 days straight -- it's going to take some time to parse out the exact impact of this event, and to assess its meaning, both personally and politically.

What I'm bringing you is a first person perspective of what this experience meant to me. No hard-hitting breaking news -- just my on-the-ground assessment of what it was like to witness democracy and spectacle up close.

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We're tackling two important topics today - the first being anti-Blackness within the pro-Palestinian movement. This issue has come to a head in recent weeks on TikTok, in particular, where the pro-Palestinian movement has gained a lot of traction since the attacks of October 7th.

Many young Black activists have stood in solidarity with those who have dedicated their social media accounts to calling for Palestinian independence. But the rise of Kamala Harris as the Democratic party's presumptive nominee has revealed a fissure among Black pro Palestine activists and non Black activists.

The primary issue - is it possible to stand in solidarity with those advocating for Palestinian liberation and also vote for a member of the Biden administration who is tangentially culpable for the genocide happening in Gaza?

I'm also taking a look at post-Trump politics in the Republican Party. Will they be able to form an identity once he is no long a factor?

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Kamala Harris and her new VP pick, Tim Walz are what some might call a "Dream Team." Walz was a bit of an unconventional pick, but anyone who's seen them on stage together would have to acknowledge that he makes the perfect compliment for her. Much like her, he's optimistic, he's plain-spoken and he's... *gasp* joyful. These are words you wouldn't necessarily associate with politics, but they're qualities that have been sorely lacking in our political sphere of late.

As we're all breathing a sigh of relief, we're also observing the unique ways in which these kindred souls move. When you're facing an opponent who deals in schoolyard politics, the temptation might be to allow that joy to be overwhelmed with the need to push back on his lies, to clapback to his insults and to allow the news cycle to be dominated by damage control. Kamala and Tim seem to be aware of this danger, and so far, they've focused on keeping their forward momentum, while not being afraid to address Trump and Vance's attacks head on, and then keep it moving.

It's a delicate balance they'll have to strike if they want to maintain their status as "The Joyful Team" and avoid being swept up in his vortex of chaos.

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Today, my guest Gerard LeConte and I discuss the ever-growing influence of so-called "Red Pill Culture" on the current Republican Party. From Andrew Tate to Jordan Peterson and now JD Vance, there's no shortage of far-right spokesmen to channel the anger, frustration and loneliness of young men and boys into increasingly toxic viewpoints.

Gerard LeConte and I are discussing a recent viral video he did on this topic:
Right Wing Radicalization

We're discussing ways that those concerned about this phenomenon can help to lessen its impact on the men in their lives.

Find Gerard LeConte online here:

Threads: Gerard LeConte Threads
TikTok: Gerard LeConte TikTok
IG: Gerard LeConte Instagram

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And just like that, Kamala Harris is now within a stone's throw of the presidency. Today, we're taking a look at how we got here, and I'm evaluating my own thought process around the idea of electing a Black woman as president, and examining how even those of us who think she can do the job can behave as impediments to her actually getting the job.

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Donald Trump has chosen his running mate – a newly-minted Senator from the state of Ohio named JD Vance. Many will remember him from the best-selling book he wrote in 2016 called, “Hillbilly Elegy.” JD Vance was a media darling at that time. His book shone a light on the unique struggles of America’s white poor.

But festering beneath the surface of this self-proclaimed “conservative with a conscience” was a man who held a special contempt for America’s so-called “liberal elite.” According to his former roommate at Yale law school, he allowed that contempt to lead him down a path of moral decay. JD Vance would not have succeeded in his bid for the Senate without $15 million from PayPal founder Peter Theil.

Despite JD’s scathing critiques of Donald Trump, Theil made a personal introduction of JD to Trump to assist him in his bid for the Senate. It worked. And in a very short period of time, it launched JD to the top of Trump’s list of willing acolytes that were being considered as his running mate.

JD Vance’s ascent has been swift and contradictory. In this episode, I’m taking a look at the various factions that had a hand in positioning him to stand a stone’s throw from the presidency.

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It's the central question on a lot of folks' minds right now -- Should Biden step down? If he does, who will replace him? There are those of us who thought this question would be resolved by now, but it hasn't been. It's time to grapple with the discontent in the Democratic Party and face the question head on -- is it time for Biden to go?

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