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Battleground with Amanda Litman and Faiz Shakir — Government
Battleground with Amanda Litman and Faiz Shakir

Battleground brings you inside the fight for political power. Hosts Amanda Litman and Faiz Shakir aren’t your typical pundits – in fact, they’re not pundits at all. They’re doing the work day-in and day-out, and have the inside scoop on what’s really happening behind the tweets and headlines. Every week, Amanda and Faiz have a wide-ranging, unguarded, and occasionally profanity-laden conversation with reporters, activists, organizers, political scientists, campaign operatives – and even some conservatives – in order to shine a light on the problems we face and figure out how we can fix them. Both bring deep knowledge and experience building grassroots movements for change. Amanda is the co-founder and executive director Run for Something, which recruits and supports young progressives running for local state and local offices, and host of the Run for Something podcast on Dear Media. Faiz was the campaign manager for Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign, and he’s the founder of the progressive media non-profit, More Perfect Union. Listen to new episodes each Thursday on your favorite podcast app.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Copyright: © The Recount

Latest Episodes:

'If Everyone Hates Political Consultants, Why Are They Still in Charge?' with Tim Lim Apr 22, 2021

Show notes

As a group, political consultants have terrible reputations. They're supposedly grifters, scammers, and embezzlers who line their pockets with donors' money while running uninspired, cookie cutter campaigns. And yet, even though everyone in Democratic politics seems to hate them, they almost always end up running campaigns. Amanda and Faiz talk with Tim Lim to find out why.

Tim Lim is a Democratic strategist, an entrepreneur, a leading voice in comprehensive media planning and yes – a political consultant. He is President of Lim Consulting Services and a Partner at the Hooligans Agency, a progressive creative agency. Tim most recently served on the National Finance Committee of Biden for President as well as for the Biden-Harris Transition. He also served as a founding Co-Chair for Gen44, the young professional arm of President Obama's re-election campaign and served on the National Finance Committee of the Hillary for America campaign in 2016.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'How F*cked Are We Regarding Voting Rights?' with Ari Berman Apr 15, 2021

Show notes

Georgia recently passed one of the most restrictive voting laws in the country, and many Republican-led state legislatures hope to pass similar bills. Amanda and Faiz speak with Ari Berman, a senior reporter for Mother Jones and the author of "Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America," to ask him, "how f*cked are we?"

They discuss new Georgia law, its implications for our democracy, and the racist reasoning behind the GOP's historical rationale for limiting the franchise. Then they look forward and examine the Democrats' options for expanding voting rights and their chances of persuading a couple fellow Democrats who are currently standing in the way.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'Don't Be Afraid' with Amazon Union Organizers Jennifer Bates and Joshua Brewer Apr 08, 2021

Show notes

As workers in Alabama wait for their votes to be counted in the most consequential union election in recent years, Amanda and Faiz connect with two key organizers to answer the question, "How do you beat the most powerful company in the world?"

Jennifer Bates has worked at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, AL since early 2020 and has been a lead organizer in the union drive since September of the same year. She was born and raised in Marion, a small city in Perry County, AL. Some of her interests include singing, reading and motivational speaking.

Joshua Brewer, is the director of organizing, for the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union Mid-South Council. He has been organizing labor in the South since early 2016. Joshua is a husband, a father of three, and a former youth pastor.

Jennifer and Joshua, along with fellow workers and organizers, have been working around the clock in a fight against one of the richest and most powerful companies in human history. In this episode of Battleground, they discuss their strategy, their motivation, and their hopes.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'The Hand Off' with new hosts Amanda Litman and Faiz Shakir Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

David presides over his final episode as host of "Battleground" and hands over the reigns to our new hosts: Amanda Litman and Faiz Shakir.

Amanda is the co-founder of and executive director of Run For Something, which recruits and supports young progressives who want to run for local office. In the past four years, they've helped approximately 500 of them win elections. She's also a seasoned Democratic campaign operative who worked on President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, Charlie Crist's 2014 gubernatorial campaign, and Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

Faiz Shakir is one of the most experienced progressive strategists in the country. He was a senior advisor to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the political director for the ACLU, and the campaign manager for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign.

David chats with Amanda and Faiz to find out why they got into politics, what bits of conventional wisdom in progressive politics they'd like to dispel, and how they envision the new version of "Battleground." Their first episode as the hosts of this podcast will premiere on Thursday, April 8th.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'Politically Savage' with Yamiche Alcindor Mar 15, 2021

Show notes

Yamiche Alcindor is the White House correspondent for the PBS NewsHour and a frequent contributor on NBC and MSNBC. In 2020, she won the National Association of Black Journalists "Journalist of the Year Award" and the White House Correspondents’ Association's "Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage." Prior to joining PBS, Yamiche was a political reporter for The New York Times, a breaking news reporter for USA Today, and reporter for Newsday in Long Island NY.

Yamiche joins David on "Battleground" to discuss the role of white supremacy in American politics, the Covid relief bill, journalism in 2021, and Governor Cuomo's future.

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'Hamilton Saw Mitch McConnell Coming' with Adam Jentleson Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

Adam Jentleson is the Executive Director of the progressive organization Battle Born Collective, a former deputy chief of staff to Senator Harry Reid, and the author of "Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy." In it, he argues that the filibuster not only runs contrary to the Framers' designs, but that it has created a perverse incentive structure that rewards obstruction by the minority party and significantly lessens the chances of bipartisanship. Adam and David discuss the filibusters origins in white supremacy, its evolution, and why Mitch McConnell will jettison it as soon as he thinks it's convenient.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'Not a Winsome Argument' with Eugene Scott Feb 15, 2021

Show notes

Eugene Scott covers identity politics for The Fix at The Washington Post. Even those who use the term derogatorily have to admit that American politics, on both the left and right, is defined by identity. So, we thought who better to talk to than the reporter who's been covering the identity politics beat for years. Before coming to The Washington Post, Scott was a breaking news reporter at CNN. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and Harvard University and was recently a fellow at the Georgetown University Institute of Politics. Eugene is also the host of “The Next Four Years” podcast which is available exclusively on Amazon Music.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'They Made Up An Entire County' with Marc Elias Feb 08, 2021

Show notes

Marc Elias is both the founder of Democracy Docket, a platform for information about voting rights, elections, and redistricting, and the Democratic Party’s super-lawyer. During the 2020 election cycle, Marc’s voting rights practice brought over 150 cases in 30 states, totaling over 120 victories in courtrooms around the country. After Election Day, Marc led the charge against Trump’s baseless claims of voter fraud and won 64 times. Steve and David talk to Marc about those cases, the Republican push to pass restrictive voting laws in battleground states around the country, and the role corporations can play in pushing back against the GOP’s march towards autocracy.

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'No One Should Have That Much Money' with Rev. James Martin, SJ Feb 01, 2021

Show notes

Although he is far too humble to admit it, the Rev. James Martin, SJ, is a beacon of moral clarity. He is the editor-at-large of "America" magazine, where he recently published the article "How Catholic Leaders Helped Give Rise to Violence at the U.S. Capitol," a consultor to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, and a best-selling author. His latest book, published this month, is "Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone."

Father Martin is also known for delivering the closing benediction at the Democratic National Convention last year and for maintaining a strong and unflinching presence on Twitter. David and Steve talk to Father Martin about the role religion played in the insurrection at the Capitol, the spell Donald Trump seems to have cast over some religious leaders, how to think about forgiveness in context of the insurrection, and the current state of American capitalism.

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'It Is About Race' with Abby Phillip Jan 25, 2021

Show notes

Abby Phillip is CNN's senior political correspondent, the new anchor of "Inside Politics Sunday," and one of the most astute political reporters on television. She joined CNN after working as a national political reporter for The Washington Post and as a White House reporter for Politico. David and Steve talk with Abby about how the January 6th insurrection should be framed, the role of racism in the Republicans' attempts to overturn the election, and how to report on politics in this age of disinformation. Then, they wrap up the conversation with a short discussion of "Dream Deferred," Abby's upcoming book about Jesse Jackson's presidential campaigns in 1988 and 1984.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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