Resistor Vic Podcast

I’ve been trying to work on a series of videos all week. I’ve also been trying to get a decent night’s sleep since last week when Renee Good was murdered. Now I’m making myself late for work because I had to get this one out of my head.I’ll be back. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

I’m getting a resurgence of comments and emails asking “what can we do?” So I’m working on a series of videos to address the question. The first in the series is going to be about taking care of yourself in these troubling times. One of the ways to do this is to find a reason to laugh. That’s the primary reason for this video.Another reason for this video is, as I’ve stated before, authoritarians hate to be laughed at. My favorite protesters in the country are the frogs and unicorns in Portland. They’re using mockery to say, “we are not afraid of you.” I expect they’re also getting at least some of the ICEStapo thugs to actually think, even if only for a brief minute, about what they’re doing. If they only get one of them to quit, it’s worth it.I hope I give you at least a chuckle with this one. Let me know.Good DayP.S.I know there's nothing to laugh at with regard to the people ICE has hurt. Please don't take this as me making fun of them. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Victoria returned to the pod to update us on her campaign. We talked about that and what kind of people we need to be sending to Congress in an age where we have a government that openly assassinates law-abiding citizens in the street. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

There’s a familiar reaction that usually follows government violence in America.This time, it didn’t.In this piece, I talk about what was missing after the killing of Renée Good — and why noticing that absence matters more than any hot take. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Everyone has seen the Renee Good video.Almost no one has slowed it down.Sometimes the truth isn’t hidden.It’s just moving too fast to see.Depending upon your point of view. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

This is a short clip from my podcast.I recorded this after realizing that what we’re seeing right now — from government violence to expansionist rhetoric — isn’t just noise or distraction. It’s intent.I didn’t post a video immediately because anger isn’t strategy.This clip explains why.The full podcast episode will be available Monday. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Lately, I’ve been attracting a new audience — including trolls repeating very familiar talking points.That’s usually a sign that reach is growing and lines are being drawn.This channel believes in democracy, sovereignty, and the basic idea that invasion is wrong. I don’t debate that here. I state it plainly.Thanks for being part of this community — and for standing on principle.Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Five years after January 6, the wound remains open. Not because we don’t know what happened — but because the truth is still being withheld. This piece examines the attack, the failures that followed, and why public pressure is the only path left to accountability. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Most people remember 1984 for Big Brother and surveillance.But there’s another lesson in Orwell’s book that feels disturbingly relevant right now — how power organizes itself around permanent conflict and shifting enemies when resistance fades.This piece isn’t about prediction or panic.It’s about recognizing patterns — and what happens when we ignore them.Once you see it, it’s hard to unsee it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

This video looks backward to understand what’s happening now.Iran was once a center of learning, culture, and religious coexistence before its democracy was overthrown and its future redirected by outside powers. The consequences of that decision shaped decades of conflict and resentment.Venezuela is in the news today, but the pattern feels familiar.This isn’t an argument about personalities or parties.It’s about history, power, and whether we ever remember how we got here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

A viral panic about a Post Office rule change turned out not to be much of a story at all.But the reaction to it says a lot about where we are right now. Journalism is failing. Social media is filling the gap. And fear spreads faster than facts.If we’re going to be the new Fourth Estate, we have to do better than outrage. We have to choose curiosity, verification, and accountability.Because the sky doesn’t have to be falling for democracy to be in danger. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

After posting my video on ACA subsidies and Medicare for All, I heard from a lot of you. Some supportive. Some critical. One very angry.This follow up is a clarification. Medicare for All is not just an expansion of today’s Medicare, and taking health care off employer balance sheets is not a gift to corporations. It’s about freeing workers, strengthening small businesses, and making monopolies less powerful. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

A short New Year reflection on fear, democracy, community, and gratitude — and the quiet, deliberate choices that keep the Resistance alive. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Health insurance didn’t suddenly become unaffordable.The Affordable Care Act slowed premium growth when its guardrails were enforced. But those guardrails were weakened, consolidation ran unchecked, and subsidies only delayed the inevitable.This is why the current spike was always coming — and why Medicare for All is the only healthcare system that can survive partisan politics. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Every year, there’s a story people like to tell about soldiers laying down their weapons on Christmas Eve. The most famous version didn’t happen in World War II, but during World War I in 1914, when exhausted soldiers along the Western Front stopped fighting for a night. There was also a smaller, lesser-known moment during World War II in 1944, in the middle of the Battle of the Bulge. This is a reflective look at two real Christmas Eve stories, and why they’ve stayed with us. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

This week on the Resistor Vic Podcast, I’m joined by Blythe Potter — an Army veteran, small business owner, and grassroots candidate running for Indiana Secretary of State.We talk about what that office actually does, why so many voters skip down-ballot races, and how election systems can quietly suppress participation without ever touching a voting machine. Blythe explains Indiana’s delegate system, straight-ticket voting, voter purges, and why voter education may be the most powerful reform tool we have.This isn’t a polished campaign ad. It’s a real conversation about what happens when regular people decide they’re done being ignored — and choose to step into the arena.If you’ve ever felt like politics happens around you instead of with you, this episode is worth your time. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Trump framed the $1,776 payment to service members as patriotic. Most analysis stopped at the funding source. This piece steps back and asks a different question: why 1776, and why now? Using inductive logic and historical context, this essay examines how symbols function, how meaning shifts, and why some choices deserve a closer look. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

In December of 1944, the 101st Airborne Division was surrounded at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.Facing overwhelming odds, the German command delivered a formal demand for surrender. Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe’s response was a single word: Nuts.This piece isn’t about military heroics for their own sake. It’s about the quiet, human decision to refuse surrender when surrender is presented as inevitable — and why that kind of courage still matters. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Fear is one of the oldest tools in politics — and one of the most effective.This video provides an example to support what I said in yesterday’s video.In this piece, I walk through a new Colorado ballot initiative targeting fentanyl and show how fear is being used to sell a policy with enormous incarceration costs, predictable racial disparities, and little evidence it will actually solve the problem.This isn’t about denying the harm fentanyl causes. It’s about refusing to let fear override facts, accountability, and democratic judgment.When fear drives policy, the goal often isn’t safety. It’s power. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Fear has always been one of the most powerful political tools.It freezes people. It convinces them to stop acting. And eventually, it convinces them to stop participating.Franklin Delano Roosevelt warned Americans about fear in 1933, not because danger wasn’t real, but because fear itself could finish the job. Nearly a century later, that warning still matters.In this video, I talk about how fear is used to make people give up their power, why authoritarians depend on it, and why democracy doesn’t end when someone powerful decides it should, but when people decide it’s already gone.Leadership isn’t pretending everything is fine.It’s refusing to let fear make the decisions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters is serving a prison sentence after being convicted of four felony counts and three misdemeanors related to breaching election security in Colorado.Yet Donald Trump and his allies are now claiming she’s innocent, abused by the system, or even “pardoned” — something a president has no authority to do for state crimes.In this video, I explain who Tina Peters is, what she actually did, why a jury from a heavily Republican county convicted her, and why more than 30 Republican election officials in Colorado said she violated her oath and deserved prosecution.This isn’t really about Tina Peters. It’s about how authoritarian movements attack elections, courts, and prisons to make Americans lose faith in democracy itself.As historian Timothy Snyder warns in On Tyranny, we must defend institutions. This is what that warning looks like in real time. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Legacy candidates do not break democracy. But they do weaken it.When familiar last names dominate our political system, voters start with an uneven playing field. Some candidates inherit name recognition, donor networks, and media attention before a single vote is cast. Others have to build everything from scratch.This video looks at legacy candidates, political dynasties, and inherited advantage, and asks a simple question. Does democracy work best when power is earned, or when it is inherited?This Thursday, December 18, I will be interviewing Blythe Potter on the Resistor Vic Podcast. Blythe is running for Secretary of State in Indiana. The conversation is about giving voters a fairer chance to decide for themselves.Join us live on YouTube and TikTok at 7pm Mountain Time This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

I’ve seen a lot of outrage posts today about Trump’s social media post on Rob Reiner.I decided to take a different approach. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Last week a Colorado State Senator entered the primary race against John Hickenlooper. All of the major media characterized her entrance as if she is the only person challenging Hickenlooper. Meanwhile, Karen Breslin has been working throughout 2025 on her campaign in this very race. The media won’t cover her because she’s not already well-known, doesn’t have a wealthy bankroll, and isn’t a part of the establishment. Does the press enjoy 1st Amendment protections so they can prop up the establishment? Or is it their duty to inform the public about all candidates and let us decide who is worthy of consideration? When did they become the gate-keepers who separate the wheat from the chafe? As long as our media performs for the establishment more than they work for the people, it’s up to us to be pro-active in learning about the people who are running. This is why I had Karen back for a second visit. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

This video uses a familiar intervention metaphor to explain why America’s allies may need to draw firm boundaries with the current U.S. administration. This is not about abandoning Americans. It’s about refusing to enable reckless behavior that puts lives and global stability at risk. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

This video explores the real meaning of Christian nationalism, why Donald Trump functions as its political vehicle, and how Project 2025 seeks to impose authority through government institutions rather than faith. I explain why Christianity was never meant to be coerced, how power has replaced belief in modern politics, and what voters can do to defend democracy, institutions, and accountability. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

The White House published the National Security Strategi Plan 2025 last Friday. I can’t help but wonder if Putin wrote this after he finished writing the ‘peace plan’ that Trump tried to force on Ukraine. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

I was taught growing up that the Constitution is a living document — one that can change, adapt, and correct injustice when power overreaches. But when I look at how the co-equal branches of government function today, I have to ask an uncomfortable question.What happens when the tools written into the Constitution are no longer used?In this episode, I explore whether the Constitution is truly failing — or whether it’s being left on life support through disuse. We look at moments in history when the Constitution worked because people invoked it, enforced it, and refused to surrender accountability. And we look at what happens when those same responsibilities are abandoned.This isn’t an academic lecture. It’s a civic reckoning.If the Constitution only survives when people are willing to use it, then “We the People” are not a slogan — we’re the mechanism. And the question becomes whether we’re willing to act, or whether we’re comfortable watching it fade. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

In this video, I break down the latest Trump cabinet meeting — a chaotic spectacle filled with flattery, incompetence, and dangerous authoritarian symbolism. From Pete Hegseth’s “SSecretary of War” placard to echoes of Third Reich imagery, to alleged war crimes in the Venezuelan boat strikes, this administration continues to push the limits of what America can tolerate. Congress sees the danger — but refuses to act. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Most of the ideas labeled as ‘radical’ in American politics—like Medicare for All, raising the minimum wage, and taxing the rich—are actually supported by the majority of Americans. In this video, I break down the true meaning of the word ‘radical,’ expose how both parties weaponize it, and explain why working people must reclaim it. Radical does not mean extreme. Radical means solving problems at their root. Reclaim the word. Reclaim our power. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

I went back and forth about whether or not I should post this video. The last ten seconds or so are a little out of character for me. I’m sure that some will say I shouldn’t have. But sometimes I just have to say how I feel. If you are offended, I apologize in advance. For the record: I would have said the same thing if the person I’m talking about was a man. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

The Republicans in the Tennessee 7 special election are pulling out the usual, billionaire-funded, dirty tricks. Are we going to let them get away with it? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

In this video I explain why Venezuela is suddenly in Trump’s crosshairs, how Honduras and the Hernandez pardon fit into U.S. foreign policy, and why fentanyl, oil reserves, and a possible no fly zone matter right now. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

I don’t recall exactly what it was but the other day I saw or heard something that made me fed up with MAGA claiming to be Christians. This video does a fairly good job of why I know they’re not. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Just having some fun. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with your family. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

In this video, I talk about what happens after the Trump era ends — whether it’s next month, next year, or years from now. America has been here before: Nixon was pardoned, Trump was impeached twice, and both times our leaders chose “unity” over accountability. But the real question is bigger than Ford, bigger than Biden, and bigger than Trump. It’s about us — the American people — and whether we will participate in our own freedom.For 40 years, voter turnout has hovered around 60 percent. Wealthy voters participate at double the rate of working-class Americans, helping create a congressional re-election rate of nearly 90 percent. If we don’t change this dynamic, the post-Trump era could look exactly like the pre-Trump era — leaving us wide open for the next authoritarian who’s smarter, more disciplined, and just as dangerous.This is a call to action: to return to the principle in the Declaration of Independence that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. That consent only works when we participate. If you want a future where the American Dream belongs to all of us, it starts with turning out, showing up, and refusing to give power back to the people who made Trump possible. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District has a special election on December 2nd — and this race could change everything. With Republicans holding a narrow 219–213 majority and three House vacancies, Aftyn Behn has the opportunity to flip TN-07 and bring Democrats within striking distance of taking back the House. Texas and New Jersey vacancies will soon be filled by Democrats, and multiple GOP members — including Marjorie Taylor Greene — are resigning early. More “explosive resignations” are expected according to senior House Republicans.This video breaks down the math, the stakes, and why TN-07 voters have the chance to literally change the direction of Congress. No more unconstitutional ICE raids. No more DOJ weaponization. No more unauthorized spending. And no more rubber-stamping Trump’s foreign policy escalations. Aftyn Behn is running to fix roads, feed kids, and fund hospitals — and this moment could be history in the making.Early voting runs through November 26th. Election Day is December 2nd. Tennessee 7 — are you ready to make history? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

This week I have an interview with Leila Staton. She’s running to represent the citizens of Iowa State House District 54. Leila checks a lot of boxes for me. She has a clear picture of what’s wrong with the Democratic Party. She’s stepping up and leading where others complain. She’s not waiting for permission from party elders. I could go on and on. I think this 22 year old woman represents what the Democratic Party will look like in a few years. That is, if they ever get smart enough to ditch the DC consultants and start listening to people like Leila. The alternative is to go the way of the Whigs. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

This is a follow-up to the video I posted this morning. There was more to say. Here are the relevant links mentioned in the video:To get a Sunflower shirt or hoodieTo learn more about Misto-Dobra(City of Goodness)The Mass Blackout ‘protest’ Nov 25-Dec 2 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Ukraine trusted America once. Now Donald Trump is pressuring Ukraine to accept a Putin-backed “peace plan” that gives up territory, caps Ukraine’s military, keeps them out of NATO forever, and forgives Russia’s war crimes. In this video, I break down what the Budapest Memorandum really promised, how the West failed to protect Ukraine, and why Trump is repeating the same mistake that allowed Russia to invade in 2014 and 2022. Stand with Ukraine. Tell Congress to act.If you want a shirt like the one I’m wearing in this video (it is easily the most comfortable shirt I own) then go to DaggerStreetWear.com. Tom donates $10 of every shirt to the Misto Dobra (City of Goodness) in Ukraine. Misto Dobra is the largest shelter in Ukraine for women, children, and dogs. They do amazing work with/for orphans (many orphaned by this war). Check out their website. And when I say Tom gives $10 for every shirt sold, he’s not taking any profit from these shirts. He also has hoodies. Check out DaggerStreetWear.com and Misto Dobra (City of Goodness). And please share this one. Thank you. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

America is crossing a line. A government surveillance program has been operating for over a decade, using AI, traffic cameras, and local police to track where you drive, when you drive, and who you meet. And the Big Beautiful Bill just put it on steroids. Congress isn’t stopping it. This is not freedom.Here is the AP story I referenced in the video: Border Patrol Monitors US Drivers And Detaining Those With ‘Suspicious’ Travel Patterns This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Trump just proved my point. Hours after I said he was a cornered animal who would lash out, he called for the execution of six Democratic military veterans who reminded service members to honor their oath to the Constitution — not to him. This is the moment where MAGA has to decide: stand with America, or follow a wannabe dictator. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

The wheels are coming off Trump’s little red wagon. It’s not hard to imagine how he’s going to handle it. Republicans in Congress are starting to figure it out. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Republicans hate it when Democrats say or do anything that sounds like we’re putting them down for being stupid. Then they go and do something like this and we don’t even have to say it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Yet another reason for us to be diligent and involved in the primaries. The dinosaur wing of the Democratic party cannot fathom how climate change will affect future generations. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

If we keep doing what we’ve been doing, we’ll keep getting what we’ve been getting. If we keep letting ‘centrist’ Dems dictate the direction of our party, we’ll keep losing. By we, I’m mean Main Street Americans. Also, thank you to Billy Simons Jr. for letting me use his song for the Epstein portion of this episode. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

I just don’t get why my fellow political content creators are ignoring Aftyn Behn, the progressive Dem running in the Dec 2 Special Election for TN7. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

The negative effects of the Democrats caving on the shutdown continue to pile up. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

Don’t tell me I shouldn’t be angry at the Democratic Party because 7 Dems caved. And don’t tell me that it wasn’t blessed by Dem leadership when none of those who caved are up for reelection. I sincerely hope their shutdown failure results in an anti-incumbent movement. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe

If you want to thank me for my service, if you want to honor those who have served and are still serving, then help me propagate this video and get Aftyn Behn elected. The last thing a veteran needs today is another Republican in Congress. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistorvic.substack.com/subscribe