Democracy In America

Two ministers -- Rich Tafel and Joseph A. C. Smith -- with different political persuasions but a deep friendship tackle having an honest conversation about racism in America.

Should more Republicans support an impeachment inquiry? Rich Tafel makes a compelling case for why they should. He also has suggestions for Democrats on how to manage the impeachment inquiry process. Annabel talks about the #democracyvan and her road trip across America to record podcast episodes featuring voters about 2020.

This is part 2 of our conversation about the ways in which the Democratic and Republican Parties are divided. We discuss what don't like about our parties and ideas about what we want our parties to be. We have found something that we agree on! We both like Andrew Yang. Among other topics we cover: Is Trump insane and dangerous or does Annabel suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome? Is Rich apologizing for Trump or is he offering a nuanced take?

The Log Cabin Republicans is an organization in turmoil since August 15th when it published an oped endorsing Trump. Rich Tafel, the cohost of Democracy In America, founded the Log Cabin Republicans in the early 90s although he does not currently have an official role in the organization. Rich opens up about what he thinks of LCR's endorsement and the ensuing chaos that has overtaken the organization with key figures in the organization resigning. We also discuss the 2020 democratic primary candidates and Annabel explains why she thinks of Obama as an ex-boyfriend and how Bill Clinton has hurt the Democratic Party.

Rich critiques the left for engaging in victim politics. Annabel explains why she thinks conservatives are in denial about the level of inequality and injustice in America. They wrestle with how to talk constructively about Trump. They circle back to how we ended up with Trump in the White House.

Like so many Americans, we are worried about the divided state of America. We are concerned that we are headed towards more violent conflicts as we ramp up towards the 2020 election. Rich Tafel is a minister, founder of Log Cabin Republicans, and the director of the American Project: On the Future of Conservatism. Annabel Park is a documentary filmmaker, progressive activist, and the founder of the Coffee Party.