This week, Jasmine and Amanda are at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. So on today’s episode, Jess Piper joins us to co-host with Rachel. And the timing couldn’t be better, because abortion will now officially be on the ballot in her home state of Missouri! Jess and other advocates have been working hard to get the amendment on the ballot, gathering 380,000 signatures - a full 200k more than they needed.
The enthusiasm is proof that even in "red" states like Missouri, extremists are the minority. But when gerrymandering and misinformation run rampant, the far right can implement damaging policies like abortion bans and book bans. Jess even calls her state a "pilot program" for Project 2025, devastating healthcare and public education for Missourians.
And speaking of Project 2025, this week we're also joined by Nancy MacLean, author of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America. Nancy walks us through the history of the Heritage Foundation and Project 2025 (or as she calls it, “the 800-pound gorilla on the right”), as well as where she sees the far right going in the future. Her knowledge is impressive but her joy is even better - despite the topics she studies being anything but joyful. Nancy is proof that we can take this work seriously while still having fun.
Red Wine and Blue is going to be in D.C. Labor Day weekend – want to join us? Moms for Liberty will be holding their annual summit where they double down on hate and extremism. We cannot and will not let Moms for Liberty speak for us. Let’s turn out in big numbers to show that we are the majority! You can find more details here.
Project 2025 & the "800 Pound Gorilla on the Right"