American Fever Dream

Latest Episodes:

It's a Kamalanomenon Jul 23, 2024

Show notes

After weeks of speculation, President Biden announced that he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race -- leaving all eyes on Vice President Kamala Harris, the new likely democratic presidential nominee. Sami & V discuss Biden’s selfless decision, as well as the flood of endorsements and donations she received in the hours after the news broke, including their theory on why the Obamas have not endorsed her yet, as of recording time. They also talk about Trump’s reaction (or lack thereof) to the news and run through the pros and cons of the most likely VP picks. Finally, what’s with all the coconuts and what do brats have to do with the election? Find out in the episode.

AMERICAN'T

56:00 - If you don't like Kamala...start planning for 2028. Attacking her at this point only hurts our chance to beat Trump in 2024. We can do this, but it will take all of us. And as Jess Craven says, we are excited AF for Kamala Harris.

Want to learn more about VP Harris? Listen to our episode, The Case For Kamala.

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What Motivates a Presidential Assassin? Jul 18, 2024

Show notes

Sami & V take a look at the history of assassination attempts on US presidents and how these attempts, successful or not, shaped American politics. They also talk about the shared motives that many of these men have, like their desire for attention and recognition. This episode also touches on the history of the electric chair...and how masturbation might have played a role in one of these attempts.

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Are Trump & JD Vance an Odd Couple? Jul 16, 2024

Show notes

V and Sami break down the shooting at Trump's rally in Pennsylvania, and talk about what could have gone wrong, security failures, and odd choices that were made by the Secret Service. They also share what we know about the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, and his background. Then they move on to the RNC and the unceremonious way JD Vance was introduced as Trump's VP pick, and end the episode on debunking the term Blue MAGA.

MAIN NEWS

13:00 It's impossible to not talk about the shooting at Trump's rally in Butler, PA that happened Saturday evening.... so let's talk about it. Sami & V break it down -- what happened, how did it happen, and could it have been prevented? We'll also talk about the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, and what the FBI has learned about his motives.33:00 JD Vance was announced as the Republican vice president pick at the RNC, and it seemed like Trump was both surprised and confused (as were we!) V & Sami discuss what a Trump/Vance ticket for 2024 means for Americans, as well as how this could play out in future elections.

IN OUR DOWN BALLOT ERA

47:00 Money plays a significant role in elections, but it doesn't guarantee victory. Despite the fact Republican state leadership has raised a record breaking second quarter haul for their down ballot races, six Democrats have raised over $46 million in the second quarter for their down ballot races too. And where there are donations, there are voters!

AND FINALLY...

50:00 Have you heard the term Blue MAGA? Sami & V talk about the difference between Biden critics and "stans," and how the later can actually cause more harm to the Democratic party.

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Live at the Weitzman: How To Strengthen Our Democracy, With Governor Shapiro Jul 11, 2024

Show notes

This week Sami is in Philadelphia promoting her new book, Democracy in Retrograde, with her co-author Emily Amick. (Out now!) While in town, she spoke with Pennsylvania's Governor Josh Shapiro about the importance of democracy and the steps being taken to ensure free and fair elections, including creating a task force led by Republican Al Schmidt, to protect local poll workers and stop the spread of misinformation. Governor Shapiro also emphasizes the importance of increasing voter participation by creating policies like automatic voter registration, and encourages people to vote out politicians who suppress the vote. (We're looking at you, DeSantis.)

This episode was recorded live at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, visit www.theweitzman.org to learn more.

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Will There Be Tampons Under Project 2025? Jul 09, 2024

Show notes

Project 2025 is officially in the mainstream news, and Sami and V compare its ideologies to that of Agenda 47, and the 7 Mountains Mandate. They also discuss Nazis marching in Tennessee and how the US could follow the UK's elections last week and pull a "Taccy V."

MAIN NEWS

5:00 Project 2025, tied to the Heritage Foundation, is gaining mainstream attention, and both the Vice President and Taraji P. Henson are warning American's to start paying attention. Sami & V also dive into the 7 Mountains Mandate and their strategy to turn America into a Christian nation by capturing the 7 pillars of society that they’ve identified: family, religion, education, media, entertainment, business, and government. And last but not least, V tells us about the British voting trend affectionately called the "Taccy V' or the tactical vote, and how this might be the key for Democrats in 2024.

IN OUR DOWN BALLOT ERA

48:15 Voter suppression via the ADA. Sami & V talk about how many Republicans misuse the Americans with Disabilities Act to force the closure of polling places that are not entirely ADA accessible, and what we can do about it.

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The Case for Kamala Harris Jul 04, 2024

Show notes

In this very special 4th of July episode, Sami and V discuss the case for Kamala Harris as the potential Democratic presidential candidate, highlighting her voting record as a Senator, her advocacy for LGBTQ rights, and her stance on Israel-Palestine. They also consider how embracing Harris and giving her more spotlight is the clearest path to a victory against Donald Trump in November.

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Will Project 2025 Turn America into a Theocracy? Jul 02, 2024

Show notes

Back from Vidcon, V and Sami are comparing Project 2025, the Nazi's, Theocracy and Saudi Arabia, and where a win for Trump this fall would leave us. V and Sami also explore what the current round of Supreme Court rulings mean, and how this might be the end of #vanlife.

TEMP CHECK:

What are the realities of Project 2025? Everyone is quick to compare it to Nazi Germany, but is the reality more a Theocracy like Saudi Arabia? President Biden gives a mild speech after the Supreme Court’s decision to rule (6-3) that Donald Trump has immunity from being prosecuted for election interference & AOC says she’ll introduce articles of impeachment. Other laws being passed across the country include: rollbacks on child labor laws, age of consent laws & punishing people for sleeping in cars/public spaces

MAIN NEWS:

Sami and V go deeper into the 6-3 Supreme Court ruling, including Sotomayor's dissent and how this would have affected past presidents' actions. They also talk about the Chevron Deference and what that means for organizations like the FDA, Title IX, and Veteran Affairs.

AMERICAN/T:

Why you should vote for a Democrat even if you're not excited about it.

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America Doesn’t Give Time for Grief Jun 27, 2024

Show notes

Sami and V are joined by host and creative director at MSNBC Live, Luke Russert, to talk about his book Look for Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself.

“Give them the best and the world will take care of the rest.” Luke shares how his grandparents’ and parents’ legacies shaped not only his career but his worldview.

There is no correct way to grieve. Luke shares how his life has changed after the passing of his father and how he has navigated his grief.

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The Gen Z D.A.R.E. Jun 25, 2024

Show notes

04:45 TEMP CHECK: Will this week’s headlines give you a fever or make you freeze?

24:45 MAIN NEWS: Now that Louisiana has posted the 10 Commandments in every classroom, Sami and V discuss how extreme conservatives are spreading the Christian Dominionist Movement and how they want to completely rewrite the Constitution to create a more evangelical America.

50:15 DOWN BALLOT: It’s Election Day, and the primary race between Jamaal Bowman and George Latimer has now become the most expensive in history as well as controversial due to the Within Our Lives protest.

1:03:20 AMER-I-CAN’T: Hyper-capitalism in journalism is baring its fangs now that journalists are revealing they acquired important information while researching and how their contracts kept them from disclosing it.

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Can Roe Be Reinstated? Jun 20, 2024

Show notes

00:00 Sami and V are joined by authors Lisa Lerer & Elizabeth Dias of the new book The Fall of Roe: the Rise Of A New America, to discuss the decades of work done by anti-abortion groups to finally overturn Roe.

11:00 V wonders if American politicians had been more comfortable with using the word ‘abortion’ and didn’t shy away from these conversations, would it have been harder for conservatives to chip away at reproductive rights?

20:20 Everyone knows that religion affects politics, but less discussed is how politics has actually changed religion, and how that has played into recent elections.

24:20 Can Roe be put back? Lisa and Elizabeth’s book theorizes about how we go about getting our reproductive rights back.

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