CORRECTED: Episode 240 with Richard Ojeda
Hello all,Please disregard the previous Episode 240 with Richard Ojeda which was sent out as it contained an audio error. This version corrects that issue. Our sincere apologies for the mistake! We are troubleshooting our process to make sure it does not reoccur. Sincerely,The KK&F Team This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe
Episode 240 Audio: Richard Ojeda
Welcome to Episode 240 of Krystal Kyle & Friends, featuring politician and current North Carolina congressional candidate Richard Ojeda. He’s here for a tell-all on MAGA, especially in working class regions of the U.S. where the far right has taken hold. How is Donald Trump, an exploitative billionaire, able to go to the veterans in North Carolina or the coal miners’ communities in WV and sell hard-working people empty promises? Richard takes us through the history of those communities and what they faced at the hands of company owners just like Trump. From the start of mining jobs in the U.S. as basically “legalized slavery,” with wages paid in company scrip and goods bought at company stores, miners have always had to fight uphill for survival. Now, Trump is able to play on these narratives and speak to the fear and anger people feel at their lack of mobility in order to win support for his deeply anti-worker politics. He’s always portrayed blue-collar workers as a cornerstone of the MAGA coalition. Is there any way for these workers to be won back in favor of policies that actually center their needs?That’s exactly the mission Richard’s on, seeking to offer something other than mainstream Democrats’ stock response to the loss of the party’s working-class base. We discuss Richard’s path to victory and what that victory would mean for working people. You can listen to this episode as a podcast starting tonight on major streaming platforms. Thanks for tuning in. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe
Episode 239 Audio: Emma Vigeland
Welcome to Episode 239 of KK&F, featuring Emma Vigeland on MAGA’s war against women’s rights. The cruel and exploitative culture that supports tradwife content on social media and promotes the lifestyle to right-wing women (and, frankly, all women) has, as we remark, turned back the clock on women’s rights and trapped women in violent and abusive situations. In our conversation, we cover the rape allegation made by former right-wing content creator Lauren Southern against major right-winger Andrew Tate. We take a look at the larger phenomenon of celebrating Christian, right-wing, and tradwife culture within right-wing circles, a confluence that ultimately seeks to remove women from social life and force them into emotional and physical submission to their male partners, upon whom they are totally reliant. Part of Tate’s disgusting attitude toward and treatment of women is his understanding of them as property rather than people, like (as we point out) a crypto coin or a gig economy. Evolving from the twentieth-century patriarchal practice of trapping women in marriages are new phenomena of exploiting and violating women, and Andrew Tate is just one example — a very powerful example.Thanks for joining us for Episode 239 of KK&F. This episode is available as a podcast on major streaming platforms. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe
Episode 238 Audio: “I’ve Had It” Pod’s Jennifer Welch
Welcome to Episode 238 of KK&F, featuring Jennifer Welch of I’ve Had It podcast. Jennifer provides fascinating insight into how the MAGA world engages in massive hypocrisy when they claim to support the needs of working-class Americans. She mentions a religious community member who calls healthcare a privilege and not a right. And she touches on the threats on LBGTQ people’s safety and bodily autonomy. In other words, Jennifer has seen the oppressive and cruel effects of Trump’s presidency in action, as a Democrat from a deep red state.Our conversation turns to holding Dem electeds accountable for supporting genocide in Gaza, and when those Democrats enter an election year, how to approach a vote. Jennifer talks to us about how Democrats accepting AIPAC money and funding Israel’s grievous war crimes do not reflect the views of the people that those Democrats represent. Still, she offers voting for those Democrats as the highest priority during an election year. Jennifer shares that she’s seen the result of Trump’s regressive policies on people in her community, and that from her perspective, the most important thing is to use one’s vote to make sure that Democrats beat back the Republican MAGA wave. We discuss the multiple sides on this issue and consider how to value the importance of voting blue no matter who while America continues to fund a genocide, with the support of some Democrats.Thanks for tuning in. You can listen to this podcast on major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe
Episode 237 Audio: Jamaal Bowman
We’re proud to present Episode 237 with former Congressman Jamaal Bowman. Jamaal was screwed over big time by the AIPAC funds that poured into his congressional race. He ran on a platform centered on the needs of working-class people and saw firsthand how AIPAC was able to plant seeds of fear and hatred into the electorate, tipping the race toward his opponent. People literally switched their voter registration to vote against Jamaal as Democrats. We unpack the effects of this political maneuvering on Jamaal’s campaign and on the political system at large.And, of course, we talk about how electeds — especially Democrats — are still (STILL!) voting to send offensive weapons to the IOF to perpetuate the genocide in Gaza. We talk about how this support for Israel works. Is it ideological? What is its basis, and why is it worth it? Finally, we discuss the importance of political education as a weapon to combat corrupting money in our elections — one of the most important ways the left has to take back control of what’s going on over on the Hill.Thanks for tuning in to this conversation on KK&F. This episode is available on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and other major streaming platforms. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe