David Callahan is a prolific creator and thinker within Democratic politics. He helped start the progressive think tank Demos in the late 90s, founded the media outlet Inside Philanthropy as a Consumer Reports of sorts into the world of charitable giving, and more recently created Blue Tent - an advisory group to help progressive donors get the most bang for their buck. In this conversation, David talks his early days in politics focused on foreign policy, his next stint as a think-tanker trying to pull the Democratic Party left, and why he's more recently been focused on the world of political giving. David is one of the most informed people on the planet on all facets of the political donor world and provides a tour de force on both the current state of play and future trends to better understand how our politics are funded.

IN THIS EPISODE

Growing up in New York as the child of academics...

An early experience that showed David he was not cut out to be an activist...

A formative year spent at the liberal magazine, The American Prospect...

David talks getting his PhD and his recommendations for those considering academia...

David helps found the progressive think tank Demos and talks the role of think tanks in American politics...

What led David to start Inside Philanthropy, a media outlet dedicated to understanding political fundraising...

The disturbing trend in political giving that led David to start Blue Tent, a resource for progressive donors...

How David and Blue Tent determine where donors will get the most bang for their buck...

Why David is an advocate of giving to organizations instead of candidates...

David on the phenomenon of "rage giving"...

Are donors pulling Democratic candidates to the left?

Has Democratic giving fallen off this cycle?

David's concern about too many advocacy groups and donor fragmentation on the left compared to more unanimity on the right...

David de-mystifies the world of big "donor advisors"...

David on the Soros factor on the left...

The rough balance of spending from the right vs. spending from the left...

The types of operatives who succeed in the donor advising space...

The political novel David wrote in the late 90s that eerily predicted elements of both the 9/11 attacks and the rise of a Donald Trump-like politician...

AND AOC, Stacey Abrams, Miriam Adelson, The American Enterprise Institute, The American Liberties Project, The American Prospect Magazine, Arabella Advisors, Joe Biden, bioethics, Michael Bloomberg, bureaucratic machinations, the Cato Institute, the Center for Voter Information, Bill Clinton, The Committee on States, credential firepower, the DLC, The Democracy Alliance, Michael Dukakis, The Economic Policy Institute, effective altruism, Federalist Society, Marcus Flowers, Focus for Democracy, Fredrick Forsyth, Forward Montana, Give Well, giving circles, Al Gore, Lindsey Graham, Stanley Greenberg, Jamie Harrison, Hastings-on-Hudson, the Heritage Foundation, Hezbollah, Indian Point Power Plant, Indivisible, the Koch Brothers, LUCHA, Mitch McConnell, Amy McGrath, Michigan United, Mind the Gap, Dustin Moskovitz, Movement Voter Project, neoliberal mindsets, The New America Foundation, Paul Nitze, NYPIRG, Beto O'Rourke, Open Markets, RCTs, Ronald Reagan, The Roosevelt Institute, Run for Something, saber-rattling, Sandinistas, Adam Schiff, Star Wars, the States Project, Swing Left, Marjorie Taylor Greene, transactional donors, Way to Win, Working America & more!

Lisa MacLean, founder of Moxie Media - the first female-founded political direct mail firm in the U.S - talks her path to politics...starting in St Louis and then Vassar, to impactful DC internships, managing campaigns in California and eventually starting her own mail firm in the late 1990s that recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary. In this conversation, Lisa talks overcoming adversity as a young woman in politics, the nuts and bolts of how she started her own firm, some of her big races and wins, direct mail best practices and trends, and much more from her 30+ years as a top political operative.

IN THIS EPISODE

Growing up middle-class in the St. Louis suburbs...

The searing experience in 9th grade that drove home the importance of politics...

How the Senate vote to confirm Clarence Thomas changed the course of Lisa's career...

Lisa talks what it was like to go to college at Vassar in the late 80s...

Lessons learned during and after the 1992 "Year of the Woman"...

A personal story Lisa tells about a very difficult experience as a young woman in a media firm...

How Lisa decided to start her own direct mail firm and how she got it off the ground...

The biggests changes in direct mail over Lisa's 25 years in the business...

Some of the memorable races where Lisa feels smart direct mail made a difference...

The direct mail trends Lisa is monitoring...

Lessons Lisa learned in running and growing a successful mail firm over 25 years...

The story behind the name "Moxie Media"...

A glimpse into living in rural, coastal Washington (state)...

AND Jill Alper, Sasha Bruce, Andrea Campbell, Yadira Caraveo, Amy Chapman, Tony Coehlo, Michael Dukakis, free shrimp cocktail, Patty Garamendi, The Good Neighbor News, Lisa Grove, Anita Hill, Trish Hoppey, Mary Hughes, Tishaura Jones, Celinda Lake, Kevin Mack, Hal Malchow, Laurie Moskowitz, Pat Moynihan, Adnaan Muslin, Amy Pritchard, Rich Schlackman, Amy Simon, Heather Stone, Clarence Thomas, tomboys, Henry Underhill, Karen White, the Womens Information Network, Harriett Woods...& more!

Kinky Friedman passed away yesterday, June 27 2024. This is a re-release of a Pro Politics Podcast episode with Kinky originally released June 4, 2021.

Kinky Friedman wore many hats in his 79 years - country music artist, bestselling novelist, political candidate, animal welfare activist, friend of multiple US Presidents, and a Texas and American icon. In this conversation from roughly three years ago, Kinky talks his connections to figures as varied as Nelson Mandela, Adlai Stevenson, John F Kennedy, Barbara Jordan, Bob Dylan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush among others - and insight into the life of a truly American original.