Millennial Politics Podcast

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Cristóbal Alex Says Latinos Have "Best Friend" in Biden Jun 02, 2020

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Cristóbal Alex is a Civil Rights attorney, the former founding President of Latino Victory, a veteran of Hillary for America, and now Senior Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden in his bid to win the Presidency. Alex joined the Vice President in March 2019, even before Biden had officially declared his intent to run for the White House. "In this moment of crisis, Joe Biden will work to unify the country and address the very real injustices and the need for systemic change." On this episode of our podcast, Cristóbal provides us with an inside perspective of the Biden campaign; reflecting on the ups and downs of the 2020 primaries, where they're focused now as the presumptive nominee, how they intend to build coalitions with the various constituencies in the Democratic Party, and Joe Biden's plan to recognize the pain and grief of the American people in this tense moment. When asked about Joe Biden's involvement with and plan for the Latino community, Cristóbal elaborated on his work with Biden throughout his time at Latino Victory. Biden was always supportive of their work, and began campaigning with Latino Victory in Nevada, Florida, and Arizona in 2014, and continued throughout the 2016 election. "Based on my experience, I know Latinos will have a best friend in Joe Biden in the White House." When Donald Trump entered the race attacking immigrants and Latinos, Joe Biden didn't stop. He dropped by the Latino Victory office unannounced to reaffirm his support for the community. Alex has seen first-hand the compassion of the Vice President, and he goes in more detail into his personal experiences with him as a way to underscore his strength as a candidate in this tumultuous moment in our nation.

Former Obama Diplomat, Lauren Baer, Slams Trump's "Catastrophic Failure" May 28, 2020

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Lauren Baer, a former senior policy advisor at the State Department and candidate for Congress in 2018, joined the Millennial Politics podcast to talk about how foreign relations impact the response to a pandemic like this one and how the State Department under President Obama would have reacted differently. During this episode, Sam and Nathan ask Baer how the lackluster response by the United States government to coronavirus will affect our nation's standing on the world stage and what that could mean for future global emergencies. She also discusses what solutions she would be pushing for right now if she were in Congress and gives us some rapid-fire answers to big policy proposals such as universal basic income and a federal jobs guarantee. Baer also touched on President Trump's announcement of his intent to fire the State Department Inspector General Steve Linick and the circumstances surrounding this situation. She discusses how unusual it is for a president to fire multiple Inspectors General in a short period of time like Trump has done and how it sets a dangerous precedent and should be cause for concern.

Fred Guttenberg's Mission to Break The NRA May 23, 2020

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Fred Guttenberg is the father of Jaime Guttenberg, who was tragically killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida two years ago. It was Valentine's Day, 2018, and as he tells us on the podcast, just another normal day for him. Making sure his kids got to school on time was his top priority, and sadly, as we all now know, that day completely turned his life upside down. The Parkland Shooting was the deadliest high school shooting in American history, and it jolted America out of our collective jadedness and inaction. The March For Our Lives movement was born out of the tragedy, and Fred Guttenberg has now made it his mission in life to pass constitutional common-sense gun safety reform and break the back of the gun lobby. The movement's accomplishments include passing "Red Flag" laws in states around the country, where if a troubled individual is showing dangerous signs and owns firearms, they can be confiscated by the authorities. Guttenberg is also a major proponent of Universal Background Checks on all firearm sales, and he wishes to extend background checks to ammunition sales as well. Appropriately titled after his daughter, "Jaime's Law" would do just that. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz and Senator Richard Blumenthal jointly introduced Jaime's Law, which would require background checks on the sale of ammunition, into the US House of Representatives and US Senate in March of 2019. Fred also has become a vocal supporter of Vice President Joe Biden's campaign for President. On this episode of the podcast, we dig deeper into Fred's story, how he's coping with his new normal, his fight against the gun lobby, and his personal relationship with Joe Biden following the murder of his daughter. Fred can be found on Twitter @Fred_Guttenberg, Nathan can be found @NathanHRubin, and Sam can be found @JeskeSam

Addisu Demissie, Cory Booker's Campaign Manager, Reflects on 2020 Primary May 19, 2020

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Presidential races are grueling exercises. Day in and day out, you're always on the go. Raising money, speaking to voters, getting your message out into the media – doing whatever you can as the candidate or staff to maximize every hour of every day. It's exhausting, but somehow at the same time, exhilarating (or at least that's what Addisu Demissie, Senator Cory Booker's Campaign Manager, tells us). Demissie joined us on the podcast this week, and with him comes nearly 20 years of experience working on campaigns. Having gotten his start in Iowa with John Kerry in 2004, Addisu Demissie continued working on political campaigns on the Obama 2008 Presidential Campaign, Hillary Clinton 2016 Presidential Campaign, former Governor Terry McAullife Gubernatorial campaign, Gavin Newsome's Gubernatorial Campaign, and most recently, Senator Cory Booker's 2020 Presidential Campaign. Hosts Nathan and Sam asked Demissie not only about his experience on the 2020 campaign trail, but also how he reacted to the rapid coalescence behind Vice President Joe Biden, Biden's recent efforts to reach out to the left-wing of the party through policy concessions, and the latest announcements of Unity Task Forces to put together the 2020 Democratic Platform. Be sure to stick around until the end for our newly added "Good Idea / Bad Idea" rapid-fire questions, where Demissie gives his opinion on: Abolishing the filibuster, expanding the Supreme Court, a National Primary Election (where all states choose their pick for the nominee on one day), abolishing the electoral college, and Ranked Choice Voting. If you liked this episode and want to continue the conversation, Addisu can be found on Twitter @ASDem, Nathan can be found @NathanHRubin, and Sam @JeskeSam.

Rashad Robinson & Color Of Change: Building Power With Black America May 15, 2020

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The data from the American Public Media Research Lab shows that African-Americans have made up roughly 27% of COVID-19 deaths, but only 13% of the United States population is black. What is causing this horrific discrepancy? Rashad Robinson, civil rights activist and President of Color of Change, joined the podcast this week to discuss the impact of coronavirus on black Americans and what his organization is doing to help those in need. In this episode, Sam and Nathan ask Robinson about the problems that African-American populations face during the age of COVID-19, which include inadequate access to healthcare, unfair and racist policing policies, and disparate economic relief from the government. Robinson also discusses his journey of activism, beginning with knocking on doors for political candidates in his early teenage years and ultimately working his way up to leadership within GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. For more information, or if you'd like to continue the conversation, Rashad Robinson can be found on Twitter @rashadrobinson, Color of Change can be found @ColorOfChange, and Nathan can be found @NathanHRubin.

Dr. Angela Rasmussen on COVID19 Treatments, Vaccine Timelines & New Normal Apr 30, 2020

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Mandatory masks wherever physical distancing is impossible, along with weekly tests for those lacking antibodies is one doctor's vision of a new normal. Dr. Angela Rasmussen, Virologist at Columbia University's School of Public Health and a vForbes Contributor, came on the Millennial Politics podcast this week. As an Associate Research Scientist at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University, Dr. Rasmussen studies viral pathogens like Ebola, Bird Flu, MERS, SARS, and now COVID-19. "The fastest we've ever developed a vaccine was for the Mumps, and that took four years. To say we'll develop one in a year and a half isn't impossible, but it is extremely ambitious." On this episode, Nathan and Sam ask Dr. Rasmussen about the varying methods of containment different countries are using around the world to combat COVID-19, what a cohesive national testing strategy could look like in the United States, and articulated in her opinion what the United States will need to do in order to be able to start opening back up. And despite ending on a positive note acknowledging the promising data from treatment trials of the experimental drug Remdesivir, Dr. Rasmussen poured cold water on having a vaccine ready within the next 12-18 months; saying that in order to accomplish this herculean task, vaccine researchers may need to skip phases of development that were previously standard protocol. For more information, or if you'd like to continue the conversation, Dr. Rasmussen can be found on Twitter @angie_rasmussen and Nathan Rubin can be found @NathanHRubin.

Andom Ghebreghiorgis Challenges The Status Quo in NY-16 Jan 22, 2020

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Andom Ghebreghiogis (pronounced GEH-Bre-Gorgeous) is the son of Eritrean immigrants, a special education teacher, and an activist turned Congressional Candidate in NY's 16th district. Andom sat down with Nathan to discuss his background, vision for the future, path to victory, and the ways he differs from the longtime incumbent and Chairman of House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel. Full disclosure - Congressman Eliot Engel also came on the Millennial Politics Podcast, and that interview can be found here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conflict-with-iran-trump-impeachment-w-rep-eliot-engel/id1275784642?i=1000443316105 For more information on Andom, visit @AndomForNY or www.andomforny.com

Running (D) in the Deep South w/ Rob Anderson Oct 13, 2019

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Rob Anderson is a Democrat in the Deep South. Rob ran as a (D) for Congress in Louisiana, and he currently has an exploratory committee open in anticipation of running again in 2020. On this podcast we discuss his background as a working-class driller, small-business owner, and now, independent-minded politician. For those who have traveled around the South (or lived there), having a (D) next to your name can be toxic. Not to Rob, though. He explains how he meets his constituents where they are, and doesn't try to "sell them" on anything. Rob is known for his sharp-tongue on Twitter, but on this podcast we explore his stances on key issues, the current state of politics, and his background. Take a listen!

2016 Faithless Elector, Chris Suprun (D) TX-03 Oct 03, 2019

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In United States presidential elections, a faithless elector is a member of the United States Electoral College who does not vote for the presidential or vice presidential candidate for whom they had pledged to vote. Chris Suprun was perhaps the most notable faithless elector in the 2016 election cycle, penning an Op-Ed in the New York Times explaining why he wouldn't vote for Donald Trump, the rightful winner of Texas' electoral college votes. After declaring he would not cast his vote for Donald Trump despite being a Republican delegate in the Electoral College, Chris and his family were subject to death threats and targeted harassment. Instead of moving away from the public eye, he has decided to step even further into it by running for Congress. Take a listen to our interview with Chris and let us know your thoughts!

Roger Misso is Investing in Rural Democrats Aug 25, 2019

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Roger Misso is a veteran, father, Harvard graduate, and candidate for the Democratic Nomination in NY-24th Congressional District. NY-24 is one of two districts remaining where Hillary Clinton won in 2016, but the Congressional Seat is in Republican hands. If Roger Misso has anything to say about it, that will all change in 2020. This episode is also sponsored by Election Ride Home podcast, learn more here: https://link.chtbl.com/listen-to-erh

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