Estate Sale: the selling out of American democracy

Brad and Laurie are looking for a cure to the dumb fuckery that remains Republican lawmakers and their voters. The GOP continues to fight mask mandates and COVID vaccines all while pretending it was against pulling out of Afghanistan despite being big fans when Trump and the Taliban negotiated the exit last year.

White evangelicals, dominated by Southern Baptists, are a primary demographic within the Republican party. And an unhealthy majority of Southern Baptists are Republican. Brad and Laurie discuss just why both continue to be detrimental to racial justice, gender equality, truth, democracy, faith...pretty much anything good.

More than 150 years ago, on June 19, 1865, the last group of enslaved people in Texas learned of their freedom due to the Emancipation Proclamation issued two-and-a-half years earlier. That date has always been celebrated by Black Americans, but only recently has white America really become aware of its true significance. And that schism between white and Black Americans in the understanding of Black history as it impacts American history is at the heart of today's discussion.

It has been months since Laurie and Brad hosted a show together, so enjoy this somewhat disjointed but highly entertaining podcast catching you up on the latest cheers and jeers from Washington. And don't worry, "Being Black in America, part 2" will be posted next week!

In this first of a multi-part series, Laurie talks with two former students about what it is really like to grow up Black in today's America. While the Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum and support last year beyond communities of color, the enthusiasm for justice has already waned. And it's not helping Black Americans feel confident in true change.

Laurie sits down with David Quick, a former journalist-turned-candidate-turned-climate-activist, to talk about everything from Trump's Capitol Insurrection to President Biden's climate agenda (thanks to Bernie and fellow progressives) to voting rights to supporting journalism to having hope for the future. It's a wonderfully organic conversation that will leave you optimistic about change ahead.

In honor of Presidents Day, we recite 250 reasons why Donald J. Trump is undoubtedly the worst U.S. president this country has ever seen, beginning with the teeny tiny fact that he encouraged the insurrection of his own government.

Brad back solo, this time talking philosophy, logic and critical race theory with Scott Coley. Scott has a master's in theology from Notre Dame, a PhD in philosophy from Purdue University, and teaches ethics, political philosophy and epistemology at Mount St. Mary's University. This was a wide ranging conversation on concepts of justice, politics, objective truth, and critical race theory in the context of the conservative church. Along the way, we get some introduction to concepts in philosophy and logic. We recorded this in late December, and I have been mulling over Scott's analysis ever since. After the Estate Sale end, be sure to listen to me try to test my logic knowledge with Scott. He was very generous and probably gave me a pass fail. 

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have taken the oath, and now America can get back to being a democracy while Trump goes to jail (we hope). Brad and Laurie note that the contrast between the old and new Administrations could not be more stark.

Hi. Welcome to Estate Sale. Brad here, trying to process last week's insurrection, or what some people are calling a “self coup.” Whatever the name, it continues to take a toll on all of us as we await the Biden administration and some semblance of sanity. To make some sense of what happened, I decided to talk to another historian friend. Dr. Lance Janda is the chair of the Social Science department at Cameron University, and someone I met on my first day as a Phd Student at the university of Oklahoma. In this episode, we attempt to place last week's riots in some kind of historical context and take a stab at the major forces at work. 

In the first episode of "WTF just happened?" Brad and Laurie react to the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol earlier this week by a mob of Trump-supporting white nationalists. Now five people are dead and Capitol cybersecurity has been breached all because the president of the United States didn't want to admit he had lost a fair election so he chose to spread lies rather than truth - and the GOP enabled him. Bang up job, Republicans, bang up job!

The holiday season is meant to be one of joy and peace, and that could be harder than usual to find this year. But Brad and Laurie are committed to noting the positives of 2020 - namely covid vaccines and, of course, a White House without Trump. YAY! Oh, and Merry Christmas :)

Brad sat down to interview PRRI founder Robert P. Jones, who this year published White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity. We have had this interview on the books since August, but talking to him after the election turned out to be even better as we were able to discuss polls and how we understand the white church in the political landscape. I hope you will pick up the book, but in the meantime, enjoy this conversation.

While COVID-19 continues to rage throughout the U.S. - thanks largely to superspreader holiday parties at the White House and covid-positive Rudy Guiliani's court briefings -Trump and the GOP have spent their days attempting a coup. Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden and his team are getting to work naming highly qualified individuals preparing to tackle the nation's biggest problems on Day One.

For our Thanksgiving special, Laurie and Brad chatted more about Trump's crazy "legal team," discussed how crazy you have to be to get on Tucker Carlson's right side, and had some thoughts about the future of politics--as well as carved out some time to highlight those things and people for which we are thankful. But we also took time to talk about how many people suffer from food insecurity, and we seriously hope that everyone listening will check out ways to help their local food banks as well as those in the hardest hit parts of the country. South Carolina, Texas (especially Houston) and much of the deep south have people lined up for hours to get help from their local food bank. Please help.

Laurie and Brad have a rambling conversation about all things Rudy G, Lindsay Graham, and the continued downward spiral of the Republican party.

Americans repudiate authoritarianism and put Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House ... can we get an "Amen"? Amen. It was a tense few days as 2020 Election results took longer to reveal what we hoped would be the case - that Americans would choose decency, sanity, democracy over chaos, hate and fear. There's going to be a lot of work ahead to undo the damage of Trump, but for a few beautiful moments, Brad and Laurie are celebrating the victory.

In our last podcast before this election, Laurie and Brad talk about the last few days of the campaign, but then pivot to talking about positive reasons for voting Biden. We aren't just anti-Trump, though that is clearly true. We are also Ridin' With Biden!!!! Vote, people. Vote

Laurie and Brad talk to friend and fellow activist Colleen Thomas about a range of issues - from the racial reckoning facing this country to the work following the election of bringing liberals and conservatives together (or not) to how progressives have to keep pushing for American ideals of equality and freedom, exercising our right to vote and fighting against the tyranny Donald Trump has brought to the surface within the GOP and our democracy. It's a lot.

Hi, Brad here. In addition to co-hosting Estate Sale with Laurie, I also produce a music podcast called https://feeds.captivate.fm/music-at-three-pines/ (Music at Three Pines: The Podcast), where I interview musicians about their craft. Most of those interviewed come from the folk tradition, which as you know, has deep political roots through Rhiannon Giddens, Bob Dylan, and Woody Guthrie. One example, is singer/songwriter Peter Mulvey, who has always been a strong social activist through his music. We talk about the pandemic, the state of the campaign, and along the way, introduce you to some of Peter's music. Hope you enjoy the conversation, and also hope you will visit Peter's https://www.petermulvey.com/ (webpage) for more information on his music and activism.

Brad and Laurie get into the weeds over the premise of Robert P. Jones' provocative book regarding the "unholy relationship between American Christianity and white supremacy."

During this episode, Laurie and Brad discuss the VP debate between Kamala Harris and the Liar Mike Pence. They also try to at least address some of what feels like hundreds of scandals since last Thursday's positive announcement for President Covid. For some interesting sub-plots, check out what we're reading: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/health/new-england-journal-trump.html?campaign_id=154&emc=edit_cb_20201008&instance_id=22963&nl=coronavirus-briefing®i_id=55814093&segment_id=40361&te=1&user_id=1a8454a97403492e36bd16d3bd3c10f1 (In a first, New England Journal of Medicine gets political) - New York Times https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/10/what-vp-debate-was-like-sound-off/616654/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=atlantic-daily-newsletter&utm_content=20201008&silverid-ref=MzQ3NzMxMDQwOTI3S0 (The man who pretended not to notice) - The Atlantic https://the.ink/p/the-illness-he-is?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0qQJDd_1gVhzd47qXbIDicDt9MetmcwAMsr7jdhkWo0MgEoE7IiTL_8zw (The illness he is) - The Ink

Brad and Laurie dissect the first Presidential debate of the 2020 election, and discuss the merits (or lack thereof) of these presidential debates, grade moderator Chris Wallace, and talk about the incessant "both-sides-ism" in discussing the performances of each candidate. Note: we recorded this on October 1st, before news broke of the President and First Lady both having Covid--revealing how difficult it is to produce a political podcast in this environment.

This episode features a conversation between Brad and Dr. James LaPlant, a political scientist from Valdosta State University. Dr. LaPlant teaches a course on conspiracy theories, but did his dissertation on political identification. They discuss how people vote, veer a little into the Bob Woodward book, and then focus on the awful role conspiracy theories play in American politics.

Laurie and Brad found a few minutes today to chat about the incredibly busy news week, starting with the tragic loss of Justice Ginsburg and then covering our cowardly GOP appearing open to Trump stealing the election. Get out the vote, people. GET OUT THE FREAKING VOTE!

For this episode, Brad sat down with Todd Littleton, a Southern Baptist pastor from Oklahoma and talked about evangelicals and race, as well as how these supposedly devout white Christians can support someone as awful as Donald Trump. Brad doesn't swear during this one--mostly just to prove that he can get through one interview without cursing. But don't get used to that, as we will be back next week, and undoubtedly with some rage over whatever nonsense the GOP is up to now. You can find more from Todd at his own podcast, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/patheological-the-podcast-for-the-pastor-theologian/id287787856 (Patheological), found where ever you listen to podcasts. Remember to share this podcast with anyone who might enjoy our conversations.

In our latest episode, the original idea was to expose the myth that Trump has been good in his response to the coronavirus. But then former investigative journalist Bob Woodward plays tapes of Trump saying in February that the virus was more deadly than even the worst flu, was dangerous to even the young, and was airborne--all while telling the American public it was no worse than the normal flu and would just "go away." Brad and Laurie discuss this, along with the Jeffrey Goldberg expose in The Atlantic about Trump's views of military war veterans, as well as a few other scandals. Along the way, they address journalistic ethics, the use of sources, and the President's complete lack of empathy or genuine emotion.

White evangelicals have gained political power and voice in the last 30 years due to their soul-selling when it comes to what faith is really about. For them it is about white supremacy and power - and they have found a friend in the Republican Party and weaponizing the abortion issue in order to gain power and influence. But Brad and Laurie argue that while Trump is good for the power-mongering white evangelicals, he is not good for faithful Christians. But those faithful Christians need to start speaking up.

Despite GOP claims of massive voter fraud with mail-in ballots, overwhelming evidence proves it's actually a very effective and secure tool for handling elections and often helps detect any potential abuse. But Laurie and Brad caution against waiting too long to mail in your ballot this election season as the GOP machine is also trying to hamstring the U.S. Postal Service and make it tougher for mailed ballots to reach the poll offices in time to be counted. So follow their lead and request your ballot RIGHT NOW, fill it out and then as early as you possibly can, drop it off at your local election office or polling station. Whatever you do, DO NOT LET THE GOP TAKE AWAY YOUR VOTE. Many, many good resources at the following links: https://votesaveamerica.com/ (Vote Save America) https://www.vote411.org/search-by-topic?tid_1%5B%5D=16&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhb36BRCfARIsAKcXh6H4fbpHlm6nMthLV4QO_NWovi9NxEDaG3NEgq1jX1ywTJ9z6oum2P8aAupsEALw_wcB (Vote 4-1-1) https://www.vox.com/2020-presidential-election/2020/8/27/21369269/vote-early-guide-mail-postal-service-ballots (Want to vote in 2020? Do it early) - Vox.com https://www.vox.com/2020/8/11/21358960/trump-mail-voting-sabotage-explained (Trump's sabotage of the election) - Vox.com https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/8/18/21373478/absentee-ballot-vote-by-mail-voting (Trump insists absentee ballots are fair but mail ballots are corrupt. That's nonsense)

In a rare moment of optimism, Laurie and Brad are spreading positive vibes as they gush over the brilliantly delivered Democratic National Convention and remind everyone that if you're still undecided between a man who bleeds compassion and decency versus a man with no soul, then you can just GTFO.

The president likes to say he's "good for Black people" and is "the least racist person you know." But in this second episode of the Estate Sale mini-series, "Stupid lies the GOP wants you to believe because it thinks you're an idiot," Laurie and Brad know that's complete bullsh*t. And they are here to tell you exactly why.

In the first episode of a short series, "Busting stupid GOP myths," Brad Raley and Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann discuss why the absurd GOP claim that America will become a socialist country if Joe Biden is president is total bullsh*t. And then they talk about how/why socialist policies do exist in our American government now (for realsies!), why Americans actually want it, and why we would benefit from more of it.

Brad and Laurie continue their harsh critique of news media coverage of Trump and offer ways for both journalists and news consumers to do it better. Some resources mentioned in today's pod: https://crooked.com/podcast/99-days-to-the-election-with-mehdi-hasan/ (99 days until the election) - Pod Save America with Mehdi Hasan https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/whats-a-journalist-supposed-to-be-now--an-activist-a-stenographer-youre-asking-the-wrong-question/2020/06/06/60fdfb86-a73b-11ea-b619-3f9133bbb482_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_evening_edition&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_evening (What's a journalist supposed to be now?) - Washington Post opinion https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/28/does-journalism-have-a-future (Does journalism have a future? )- The New Yorker https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/08/how-counter-bully-pulpit/614728/ (Can anything be done to rein in the president's speech?) - The Atlantic Trump would NOT recommend the following sources for news, which is exactly why we do: https://www.propublica.org/ (Pro Publica) https://www.washingtonpost.com/ (Washington Post) https://www.vox.com/ (Vox.com) https://www.nytimes.com/ (The New York Times) https://www.theatlantic.com/ (The Atlantic) https://www.newyorker.com/ (The New Yorker) https://www.vanityfair.com/ (Vanity Fair) https://talkingpointsmemo.com/ (Talking Points Memo)

What is happening to the Fourth Estate? In this first of two parts on the news media, Laurie and Brad discuss how journalism is winning and losing against Trump. Some great articles to read as well: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/11/the-making-of-the-fox-news-white-house (The Making of the Fox News' White House) - The New Yorker https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/fox_news_coronavirus_trump.php (Pandemic in the right-wing mediasphere) - Columbia Journalism Review https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/22/trump-admitted-many-meetings-with-ghislaine-maxwell-wishes-her-well-mainstream-media-yawns/ (Trump wishes Ghislaine Maxwell well, and the media barely reacts) - Washington Post

In this episode, Brad interviews two biologists to provide some clarity on the nature of this virus, how our immune systems work, how that factors into treatment of other viruses, how the scientific community approaches these kinds of problems, and finally, a little discussion on how anti-evolution has made us less equipped to address a pandemic. Interviewed in this episode were Dr. Richard Broughton, an evolutionary biologist and chair of the biology department at the University of Oklahoma; and Dr. Doug Mock, retired professor of behavior ecology, also from OU's biology department.

Brad Raley sits down with Dr. Gary Poe, chair of the history department at Palm Beach Atlantic University, to talk about the influence of the early church on today's Christian faith and the role of Christianity in American politics. Books, authors discussed on the show: John Fea, "https://www.amazon.com/Believe-Me-Evangelical-Donald-Trump/dp/0802876412 (Believe me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump)" https://johnpavlovitz.com/ (John Pavolovitz), Wake Forest, N.C., pastor/author, Twitter: @johnpavlovitz Beth Moore: https://www.tyndale.com/sites/chasingvines/ (Chasing Vines), Twitter: @BethMooreLPM Also follow Laurie and Brad on social media: @laurievolkmann @streaksfriend

Tune in for a quick recap of how the Southern Strategy evolved in American politics, how Trump is leaning into his racism and obliterating the strategy's subtlety and why defeating Trump in November is crucial for wiping racism out of our American existence. Great reads: What we got wrong about the Southern Strategy - https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/07/26/what-we-get-wrong-about-southern-strategy/ (Washington Post) Why isn't the Southern Strategy working? - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/07/briefing/coronavirus-hong-kong-patrick-mahomes-your-tuesday-briefing.html (New York Times) Trump's push to amplify racism unnerves Republicans - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-racism-white-nationalism-republicans/2020/07/04/2b0aebe6-bbaf-11ea-80b9-40ece9a701dc_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_evening_edition&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_evening (Washington Post)

Although Donald Trump is president of the world's foremost democracy, he is treating America like a fascist state. In a conversation with Southern Connecticut State University professor of modern European history Dr. Troy Paddock, pod co-hosts Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann and Brad Raley discuss all the ways Trump is showing his true colors as a fascist leader ... and the GOP is happy to comply. Links for this episode: https://media.southernct.edu/media/Fascism+in+the+20th+%26+21st+Centuries/1_fn6kgc31?fbclid=IwAR3GC7-4KbDIds3jdPRA_ZP8UUoMybqYnXWhRbovXYUuiZSJYeiWc6lPZZc (Fascism in the 20th and 21st centuries) (summer teach-in lecture) https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/liberalarts_contempaesthetics/vol13/iss1/14/?fbclid=IwAR1cTpFXXPLm6W2ycYAz6gjNhjOuiHwwdbK7CNWItlSEs9H3FE58r3pCyew ("Performing Politics") - progressives and conservatives have their own political “ecospheres” which enable them to have their own perspective reinforced, and debate is replaced by straw man arguments and personal attacks.

Conservative Supreme Court justice - and Trump appointee - Neil Gorsuch came through in a big way for LGBTQ rights...and Laurie and Brad are both astonished and elated. But look out for an upcoming decision that pits religious freedom against anti-gay sentiment. So many good articles to review for this episode: https://www.vox.com/2020/6/15/21291515/supreme-court-bostock-clayton-county-lgbtq-neil-gorsuch (Bostock v. Clayton County: the Supreme Court's landmark LGBTQ rights case) - Vox.com https://prospect.org/justice/bostock-what-two-conservatives-realized-and-three-dissenters-missed/ (Bostock: What two conservatives realized and three dissenters missed) - The American Prospect https://www.vox.com/2020/2/25/21150692/supreme-court-religion-discrimination-lgbtq-foster-fulton-philadelphia-first-amendment (Fulton v. City of Philadelphia: The fight over whether religious freedom is a license to discriminate) - Vox.com https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/06/22/why-john-bolton-didnt-testify-impeachment-inqury-first-place/ (Why John Bolton didn't testify) - Washington Post

Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann and Brad Raley are joined the first half of the show by theologian/scholar Dr. Ron Sider to discuss his new book, "The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump - 30 evangelical Christians on justice, truth, and moral integrity." The three discuss the recent events around the death of George Floyd, the protests that followed, the president's photo op in front of a Washington, D.C., church all in the context of how Christians who understand the biblical message of Jesus should be denouncing this behavior and Donald Trump. To buy Dr. Sider's book, go to http://wipfandstock.com/ (http://wipfandstock.com/) and type in DANGER40 for a 40% discounted copy. To subscribe to his blog, go to https://ronsiderblog.substack.com/ (https://ronsiderblog.substack.com/) to sign up!

In this inaugural episode, professors Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann and Brad Raley admit their own white privilege had allowed them to think things "had gotten better" during Barack Obama's time in the White House, but the unraveling of America under Donald Trump has revealed a much more somber reality when it comes to racial equality in the United States - as was on full display this past week. Good reads discussed on the show: Pete Buttigieg is a lying MF - The Root, Michael Harriot: https://www.theroot.com/pete-buttigieg-is-a-lying-mf-1840038708 (https://www.theroot.com/pete-buttigieg-is-a-lying-mf-1840038708) Pete Buttigieg called me. Here's what happened - The Root, Michael Harriot: https://www.theroot.com/pete-buttigieg-called-me-heres-what-happened-1840055464 (https://www.theroot.com/pete-buttigieg-called-me-heres-what-happened-1840055464) Rising out of Hatred, by Eli Saslow: https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Out-Hatred-Awakening-Nationalist/dp/0385542860 (https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Out-Hatred-Awakening-Nationalist/dp/0385542860)