The Lincoln Project

Host Reed Galen is joined by Elise Jordan a Political Analyst for MSNBC and NBC News to discuss the state of chaos that is the GOP, Rick Scott’s head-scratching new tax plan that he keeps doubling and tripling down on, and what to expect in the 2022 midterm elections especially with primary season just around the corner. Plus, what can be learned from the leadership of Dwight D. Eisenhower…and how could that wisdom be used today? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by John Sipher, a foreign policy and intelligence expert who served 28 years in the Central Intelligence Agency’s National Clandestine Service. They discuss the history of Russian intelligence and how that history has led to where things currently stand regarding Russia and Ukraine. Plus, why did the American foreign policy establishment and intelligence community seemingly forget about Russia until now and how do we combat the inevitable Russian interference in the 2024 election? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by fellow Lincoln Project Co-Founder Rick Wilson to unpack where things stand regarding the 2022 midterm elections and give the Democrats a little bit of tough love about what they could be doing better. There is division in the House Select Committee on January 6th and Jared Kushner is cozying up to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman again…this time to the tune of $2 billion. Plus, is Ron DeSantis making a legitimate run at Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Devon Murphy-Anderson and Alex Berrios, the Co-Founders of Mi Vecino, a voting rights organization in Florida (and proud member of “The Union”) that’s on a mission to register, educate, and empower Black, Brown, and first-time voters who’ve been historically and systemically marginalized, silenced, or ignored. They return to the podcast with an update on the pro-democracy work they’ve been doing now that they are in year two of their organization. Plus, they discuss the state of Florida politics, why year-round organizing and programming is a far superior model to the traditional approach, and the power of genuine and belief-driven messaging. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by former U.S. Congressman, Presidential Candidate, and Radio Host Joe Walsh. They discuss Joe’s journey from being a self described fire-breathing, Tea Party maniac, to challenging incumbent Donald Trump for the 2020 GOP presidential nomination, to hosting his current podcast, White Flag with Joe Walsh, where he has conversations with guests of different perspectives for the purpose of respectful discourse and to find common ground. Plus, what is the future of the GOP and what is on the horizon for the 2022 midterm elections? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Lincoln Project Senior Advisor Stuart Stevens to discuss the state of the national GOP and its continuing descent. Over the last month we’ve collectively seen the Republican Party weirdly flip-flop on Russia, make a fool of themselves during Ketanji Jackson Brown’s SCOTUS nomination hearings, override the veto of the Utah anti-trans sports ban, the list goes on. It begs the question…what is it that the GOP truly stands for…and what will the pro-democracy coalition’s message be to defeat them in the 2022 midterm elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Comedian and Host of LPTV’s “We're Speaking”, Maya May to answer questions asked by YOU, the members of the Lincoln Project community. Listeners ask about the state of the Republican party and the ongoing culture war they are waging, the recent performance of GOP Senators during Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson and what will come of them, and the latest with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Megan Matson, a renowned grassroots organizer/strategist and Board Member of the Lincoln Project. They continue the exciting conversation about the Lincoln Project’s brand new initiative, The Union, with special attention to its grassroots aspects and why it is so important for the pro-democracy coalition to get involved and build passion at the local level. If you have not yet joined The Union, sign up today at JoinTheUnion.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Lincoln Project Senior Advisor Joe Trippi to discuss the rollout of the Lincoln Project’s latest initiative, The Union. The Union is a pro-democracy coalition of grassroots supporters and organizations dedicated to defending our democracy from the Trumpist authoritarian movement. We’re tired of waiting for someone else to act: it’s on us to save our democracy. We’re comprised of people from all walks of life and all political views — it’s time to put past differences aside and work together for our common goal: saving our democracy. Visit JoinTheUnion.us to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Lincoln Project Senior Advisor Trygve Olson to discuss Vladimir’s Putin recent chilling, fascistic speech that served as a warning to pro-west Russians, the pro-Russia rhetoric we continue to hear from Tucker Carleson and his fellow American travelers, and who exactly the audience is of Russian state media when what’s being broadcast is so obviously false. Plus, how does all this influence the 2022 midterm elections, now just less than 8 months away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by New York Times bestselling author Michael Lewis and the Co-Founder and CEO of Public Health Company Dr. Charity Dean to discuss where our nation is with COVID-19 two years after the first lockdown and about one year after Lewis wrote his latest book, The Premonition. They also examine how systems break down, in health systems and otherwise, and ask the question as to why the pandemic hasn’t been enough to unite our country and how our country hasn’t been truly united by a common cause in quite some time. Be sure to pick up The Premonition at your favorite book retailer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by retired United States Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman who was the former Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council. They discuss how “the perfect phone call” set into motion the events we’re now experiencing today with the Russia-Ukraine war. Plus, why was the Russian army not immediately victorious like so many predicted, what more can NATO and the United States be doing to continue to aid Ukraine, and does this all end in a whimper…or in a mushroom cloud? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by fellow Lincoln Project Co-Founder Rick Wilson to discuss the latest with the Russia-Ukraine war and the downward spiraling of Vladimir Putin, the effect fracturing democracy at home has on the rest of the world, and the multi-faceted importance of President Joe Biden’s commander in chief moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by John Avlon (Author and Senior Political Analyst/Anchor at CNN) to discuss how Abraham Lincoln’s character informed his commitment to an unconditional surrender from the Confederacy, how even though Lincoln was surrounded by reactionaries and radicals…he maintained the notion that there was more that united American than divides them, and how peace needs to be waged with the same intensity as war. Plus, how the wisdom of Lincoln and the founding fathers can be applied to the present moment for which our nation finds itself. Be sure to pick up John’s latest book Lincoln and the Fight for Peace at your favorite book retailer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Comedian and Host of LPTV’s “We're Speaking”, Maya May to answer questions asked by YOU, the members of the Lincoln Project community. Listeners ask about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the future of the GOP, how everyday Americans can join the fight for democracy, and so much more. Plus, what is the deal with Donald Trump’s brand new “Truth Social”. As mentioned during the episode, be sure to check out Joe Trippi’s “Five Reasons for Optimism in 2022”: https://lincolnproject.us/five-reasons-for-optimism-in-2022/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Steven Smith, Author and Professor of Political Science at Yale University, who’s latest book is Reclaiming Patriotism in an Age of Extremes. They discuss how patriotism, which was once a value that united Americans, has now become so politicized by both the right and the left, that it's threatening to rip apart our nation's social fabric. Plus, what does the short-term future look like for Americans? Be sure to pick up Reclaiming Patriotism in an Age of Extremes at your favorite book retailer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Jeremy Peters, National Politics Reporter at The New York Times and author of, Insurgency: How Republicans Lost Their Party and Got Everything They Ever Wanted. They discuss the GOP’s multi-decade narrative of devolution, how Fox News and the right wing media machine has used identify politics and populism to their advantage, and can Trumpism survive without Trump. To hear more from Jeremy, be sure to pick up your copy of Insurgency here: penguinrandomhouse.com/books/586398/insurgency-by-jeremy-w-peters/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode was originally released on July 9, 2021. In this encore presentation, host Reed Galen is joined by New York Times Cybersecurity Reporter and Author of This is How They Tell Me the World Ends, Nicole Perlroth. They discuss the current state of our nation’s cybersecurity, the evolution and use of “zero-days”, and the disinformation-free truth about election security. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Fred Wellman and Cyrus Shick, the Co-Founders of The Beer Hall Project an organization inspired by the infamous Beer Hall Putsch of 1923 and its aftermath…who’s singular focus is to fight on the front lines against the far-right’s campaign to erase & revise the events of January 6th, 2021. They discuss the parallels between the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch of almost a hundred years ago and the events of today, how to turn voters from apathetic to activated with regards to keeping January 6th at top of mind, and the importance of fighting head-on in the battle against January 6th erasure. To learn more about the Beer Hall Project, visit BeerHallProject.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Daily Beast columnist and Russian Media Expert Julia Davis. They discuss why Vladimir Putin is acting the way he is in regards to the escalating Russia/Ukraine tensions and what he hopes to gain from the situation, how Trump, Tucker Carlson, and the rest of the GOP came to love Russia, and why Russia is actively angling for Trump to make his return to the Oval Office in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by John Della Volpe (Author and Director of Polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics) to discuss who Gen Z is, the historical events that have shaped them, and how they are…despite older Americans' efforts to label them as overly sensitive, lazy, and entitled…rising to the unprecedented challenges of their time to take control of their country and our future. Be sure to pick up John’s new book, Fight: How Gen Z is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America, at your favorite book retailer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Comedian and Host of LPTV’s “We're Speaking”, Maya May to answer questions asked by YOU, the members of the Lincoln Project community. Listeners ask about how to frame the importance of defending democracy to those who’ve lost interest in the issue, what to make of Mitch McConnell’s recent troubling comments regarding race, will Dan Bongino’s banning from YouTube make a difference, how do we politically activate Gen Z, and so much more. Plus, is the solution to gerrymandering…“sleeper-agent voters”? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Lincoln Project Senior Advisor Joe Trippi to upack his latest memo, The Five Reasons for Optimism in 2022. They discuss the impact of redistricting, the loons that are the Republicans’ class of nominees, the externalities that provide opportunities for Democrats, and the continued urgency to secure a pro-democracy coalition. For more information on how you can join the fight to help save our democracy, visit: JoinTheUnion.us. In the words of Jason Isbell, “there can’t be more of them than us”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Anna Scheumann, who sits on the board for both 3GNY, a non-profit founded by the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors and the New Cracow Friendship Society, a non-profit international organization established by survivors of the Holocaust from Krakow, Poland and carried on by their descendants. In observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, they discuss the history of the Holocaust through the lens of Anna’s grandfather’s experience, who was a Holocaust survivor, and examine the current state of anti-semitism that continues to plague our nation and threaten our democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Dr. Charity Dean (CEO & Co-Founder of Public Health Company) to discuss the current state of our nation during the Omicron chapter of the pandemic, the historical event that served as catalyst for the systems failure that has now become the public health institutions of the United States, and how much longer COVID-19 will continue to be a part of our lives. To learn more about Dr. Charity Dean, visit phc.health or read about her story in Michael Lewis’ new book, The Premonition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by fellow Lincoln Project Co-Founder Rick Wilson and Lincoln Project Senior Advisor Trygve Olson to discuss why so much political power has found its way into the hands of non-office holders, the latest from the political organization “No Labels” and why they so widely miss the mark, and what can be expected in the political landscape over the next 10 months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Writer and Political Analyst Arieh Kovler to discuss his unique perspective on the U.S. political landscape from his home country of Israel, if a coalition government could be a path forward for our country, and unique political strategies to consider for the upcoming midterm elections. Plus, reflections on January 6th and what contributed to Arieh’s now-viral pre-insurrection prediction. To learn more from Arieh, be sure to subscribe to his digital newsletter, “The Hat Tip” at arieh.substack.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Claire Atkin, Co-Founder of the Check My Ads Institute, an independent watchdog non-profit that's reshaping the digital ad-tech industry by cutting disinformation off from its lifeline…which is advertisements and money. They discuss the work being done at the institute, especially in regards to combatting disinformation, and also lay out CMA’s top targets and how they are engaging them. To learn more about Claire Atkin and the Check My Ads Institute visit checkmyads.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Peter Strzok, former Deputy Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division of the FBI and author of the book, Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump. They reflect on January 6, 2021 and compare those reflections to where we are as a country now and also consider the current state of our nation’s national security institutions. Be sure to be on the lookout over the next couple weeks for the new paperback edition of Compromised which will be available at your favorite book retailer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Norman J. Ornstein, a Senior Fellow Emeritus at the American Enterprise Institute to discuss the long term transformation of the conservative movement, personal accounts of January 6th and the year-long aftermath that our nation has witnessed, and why can’t the institution that is Washington D.C. seem to wake up?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Author and Staff Writer at The Atlantic, Barton Gellman and Lincoln Project Senior Advisor Joe Trippi to further explore the ideas laid out by Gellman in his latest article for The Atlantic, “Trump’s Next Coup has Already Begun: January 6 was practice. Donald Trump’s GOP is much better positioned to subvert the next election.” They discuss January 6th and its aftermath, the mind of a “stop the steal” believer, the twisting of state election laws by Republicans, and a look ahead to where we as a nation go from here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode was originally released on September 24, 2021. In this encore presentation, host Reed Galen is joined by Sebastian Junger (Author, Journalist, and Filmmaker) to discuss his new book, Freedom. Junger recounts how he and three friends (a combat-photographer and two Afghan War vets) walked over 400-miles along railroad lines from Washington DC to Philadelphia to Pittsburgh to examine the intricacies for which personal autonomy and interdependence coexist. Plus, what happens to freedom when political violence and contemptuous rhetoric is introduced? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode was originally released on August 19, 2021. In this encore presentation, host Reed Galen is joined by Author and Contributing Writer at The Atlantic Tom Nichols to discuss the lead-up and aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the mass disbelief in the medical community, and the state of our nation’s democracy through the lens of Tom’s new book, Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault from within on Modern Democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen answers questions asked by the members of the Lincoln Project community about the latest in Texas Politics, the fate of Build Back Better, what drives Senator Joe Manchin, COVID-19, and so much more. Plus, why are we STILL waiting for voting rights legislation to be brought to the Senate floor? Happy Holidays from everyone at the Lincoln Project! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Matt Bennett, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President for Public Affairs at Third Way, as well as Co-Founder of Shield PAC. They discuss their views on the 2022 election, the types of candidates Shield PAC supports/defends, and the foreseeable concerns for the pro-democracy coalition in the next year. Plus, how can the Biden Administration better execute their infrastructure rollout? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Lincoln Project Senior Advisor Stuart Stevens to discuss where the world was when the Lincoln Project was first launched back in 2019, where the world is now as we close the book on 2021, what we’ve learned along the way, and how the fight continues as we approach 2022 and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Abigail Tracy, National Political Reporter at Vanity Fair to discuss what’s really happening in the headlines surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris, how exponentially inflating political egos have eroded both decency and accountability, and why the ones who are stepping away from public office are the ones we most need to stay. Plus, when journalism focuses on personalities rather than procedures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Bill Burton (Former White House Deputy Press Secretary & Founder/President of Bryson Gillette) to discuss how the White House isn’t using Vice President Kamala Harris correctly, the right-wing rage machine and how social media has completely transformed the political landscape, and how the Democrats need to message in order to be successful in 2022. Plus, a lunchtime proposal from Lauren Boebert. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by fellow Lincoln Project Co-Founder Rick Wilson to discuss the Lincoln Project’s roadmap for 2022 including where the organization stands both politically and organizationally in our path forward to midterms, what we foresee as our biggest concerns and hurdles along that path, which races we’ll be targeting in 2022 and how we’ll pursue them, and how YOU the Lincoln Project community can get involved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Political Reporter for RawStory.com, Sarah Burris. They discuss the recent chaotic infighting in the House Republican Conference (featuring Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Nancy Mace, and Kevin McCarthy), how the Democrats and mainstream media don’t respond properly to the right-wing rage machine, and Mark Meadows’ recent revelation about Trump’s positive COVID-19 test just three days before his first debate with Joe Biden. As mentioned in the episode here is Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy’s speech from the Senate floor: https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1465853033523425280. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Author and Professor of Italian and History at New York University. They discuss how Ruth came to find herself at the center of the conversation around democracy and the fight against authoritarianism, how the GOP uses projection as a strategy, and why it seems so hard for those in politics/government to acknowledge the realities of the world that we are truly living in today. Be sure to pick up Ruth’s latest book, Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present at your favorite book retailer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen answers questions asked by the members of the Lincoln Project community about the latest with Steve Bannon, Kevin McCarthy’s eight-and-a-half hour speech, the pace of the House Select Committee on January 6th, and so much more. Plus, Beto O’Rourke vs. Greg Abbott in the Texas race for governor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode was originally released on July 22, 2021. In this encore presentation, host Reed Galen is joined by Beto O’Rourke, former United States Congressman, Founder of Powered By People, and as of this past Monday…Texas gubernatorial candidate. They discuss the political landscape that is Texas, the Texas Legislature's voter-suppression bill and the 50+ Texas Democrats who traveled to Washington, and Speaker Pelosi’s decision to reject the additions of Jim Jordan and Jim Banks to the January 6th House Select Committee. Plus, Beto O’Rourke spotlights the work of his PAC, Powered By People. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Dave Pell, the self described “Managing Editor of the internet”, Writer and Publisher of the NextDraft newsletter, and author of the new book, Please Scream Inside Your Heart: Breaking News and Nervous Breakdowns in the Year that Wouldn't End. They discuss social media and how it seems to be anything but social, the snowballing failures of messaging that have gotten our nation to where it is at this moment in time, and what it takes to set seemingly everything aside for the sake of the pro-democracy coalition. You can subscribe to Dave’s newsletter at NextDraft.com and find his new book, Please Scream Inside Your Heart, at PleaseScream.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by fellow Lincoln Project Co-Founder Rick Wilson to discuss the aftermath of the 2021 elections (in Virginia, New Jersey, and elsewhere), all things infrastructure, and the Republican in-fighting that has erupted after the passage of the bipartisan bill. Plus, Rick Wilson makes a surprising (and strategic) endorsement! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Jeff Timmer (Lincoln Project Senior Advisor) and David Daley (Author of Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind The Secret Plan to Steal America's Democracy and Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy) to discuss all things redistricting, gerrymandering, and the political extremism that comes with it. Plus, what strategies and solutions can be used in fighting the battle ahead as 2022 approaches? Be sure to pick up Ratf**ked and Unrigged at your favorite book retailer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by David Pepper, the former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party and author of the new book, Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines. They discuss how the greatest threat to American democracy isn’t the antics of Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, or Jim Jordan…and it’s not even Donald Trump’s “Big Lie”…it’s the anonymous, often corrupt politicians in statehouses across the country (and the levers of power which they abuse) that pose the greatest dangers to our democracy. Be sure to pick up Laboratories of Autocracy at your favorite book retailer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Lincoln Project Senior Advisors Stuart Stevens and Joe Trippi to discuss the answer to a rather “small” question. How do we get our friends and allies of democracy (the Democrats, the media, and corporate America) to understand the fight we’re facing regarding the threat to democracy that faces our nation? The fight we face between now and a year from today is unlike anything this country has seen for at least the past 100 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to discuss the upcoming testimony she’ll be presenting at the Sidney Powell disciplinary hearing before the Texas Bar Association, the uncomfortably large number of GOP attorneys general who signed off on bogus claims regarding the 2020 election, and the letter written to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton earlier this month questioning the legitimacy of legalized same-sex marriage in the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to discuss the importance of preserving democracy at all levels of government, the issue of voting rights and the barrage of threats against those rights in the state of Michigan and the country as a whole, and what to expect in the political landscape as we approach the 2022 and 2024 elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices