https://www.spreaker.com/show/bloc-partyenPoliticsCopyright Amy Westervelthttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/a59f70e697790e3fc88337e51f5f5dba.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/show/bloc-partyFri, 10 Sep 2021 07:36:16 +0000Amy WesterveltAmy Westerveltfeeds@spreaker.comBloc Party is a show about the fight for the soul of the Democratic Party, featuring progressive champions challenging the status quo from inside the halls of power and the organizers transforming the party’s agenda from the outside.yesepisodicAmy Westerveltfeeds@spreaker.comBloc Party is a show about the fight for the soul of the Democratic Party, featuring progressive champions challenging the status quo from inside the halls of power and the organizers transforming the party’s agenda from the outside.Yeshttps://www.spreaker.com/user/13493906/bloc-party-201-advanced-tactics
Freedom Caucus. Progressive Caucus. Blue Dogs. Why do we care?
Justice Dems spokesperson and co-host Waleed Shahid sits down with Ruth Bloch Rubin, author of Building the Bloc: Intraparty Organization in the US Congress. Ruth tells Waleed that size matters when it comes to congressional voting blocs, but bigger isn’t always better. What can we learn from Congressional ideological factions of the 20th and 21st centuries? Why and how did they succeed and fail in their own goals? Why is collective action exceptionally difficult in the U.S Congress? 
Amira Hassan, JD’s political director, joins Waleed to break down why Congress is the place where solidarity goes to die.

Readings & clips:
Ruth Bloch Rubin’s book BUILDING THE BLOC.
Robert McCormick, NBC, on Hon. Lee Metcalfe and Democratic Study Group. 1960.
“Meet the Blue Dog Democrats!”
“Democrats have grown frustrated with Blue Dogs..” Chris Van Hollen on WAMU 88.5.
Washington Unplugged, 07.15.09
House progressives are building something new, exciting, and powerful]]>7e283bfa-ff9f-11eb-8b99-cb2bbd8e3dcaWed, 18 Aug 2021 09:00:00 +0000Amy WesterveltPutting the bloc back in Bloc Party. Freedom Caucus. Progressive Caucus. Blue Dogs. Why do we care? Justice Dems spokesperson and co-host Waleed Shahid sits down with Ruth Bloch Rubin, author of Building the Bloc: Intraparty Organization in the US...
Freedom Caucus. Progressive Caucus. Blue Dogs. Why do we care?
Justice Dems spokesperson and co-host Waleed Shahid sits down with Ruth Bloch Rubin, author of Building the Bloc: Intraparty Organization in the US Congress. Ruth tells Waleed that size matters when it comes to congressional voting blocs, but bigger isn’t always better. What can we learn from Congressional ideological factions of the 20th and 21st centuries? Why and how did they succeed and fail in their own goals? Why is collective action exceptionally difficult in the U.S Congress? 
Amira Hassan, JD’s political director, joins Waleed to break down why Congress is the place where solidarity goes to die.

Readings & clips:
Ruth Bloch Rubin’s book BUILDING THE BLOC.
Robert McCormick, NBC, on Hon. Lee Metcalfe and Democratic Study Group. 1960.
“Meet the Blue Dog Democrats!”
“Democrats have grown frustrated with Blue Dogs..” Chris Van Hollen on WAMU 88.5.
Washington Unplugged, 07.15.09
House progressives are building something new, exciting, and powerful]]>3675cleanfullAmy WesterveltPutting the bloc back in Bloc Party. Freedom Caucus. Progressive Caucus. Blue Dogs. Why do we care? Justice Dems spokesperson and co-host Waleed Shahid sits down with Ruth Bloch Rubin, author of Building the Bloc: Intraparty Organization in the US Congress. Ruth tells Waleed that size matters when it comes to congressional voting blocs, but bigger isn’t always better. What can we learn from Congressional ideological factions of the 20th and 21st centuries? Why and how did they succeed and fail in their own goals? Why is collective action exceptionally difficult in the U.S Congress?  Amira Hassan, JD’s political director, joins Waleed to break down why Congress is the place where solidarity goes to die. Readings & clips: Ruth Bloch Rubin’s book BUILDING THE BLOC. Robert McCormick, NBC, on Hon. Lee Metcalfe and Democratic Study Group. 1960. “Meet the Blue Dog Democrats!” “Democrats have grown frustrated with Blue Dogs..” Chris Van Hollen on WAMU 88.5. Washington Unplugged, 07.15.09 House progressives are building something new, exciting, and powerfulNohttps://www.spreaker.com/user/13493906/the-era-of-small-government-is-overToday, a very special Group Chat to discuss a very large stimulus bill. Amira and Guido are joined by Mary Small, National Legislative Director for Indivisible, to react to the passage of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. What does the massive investment in stimulus checks, expanded unemployment insurance, and the child tax credit tell us about the state of the Democratic Party halfway through Biden’s first 100 days?
After a break, Mary and Amira break down progressives’ strategy during the Congressional negotiations over the American Rescue Plan. There were threats of progressives voting as a bloc! What did progressives win, what did progressives lose, how has the Congressional Progressive Caucus changed since the Obama era, and what can we learn about wielding the power of the progressive bloc in future legislative fights?
Readings & resources:

What’s in the Stimulus Bill? A Guide to Where the $1.9 Trillion Is Going

Biden’s COVID-Relief Bill Is a Big F**king Deal

Where Do We Go From Here on Tax Credits?

How Democrats miscalculated Manchin and later won him back

An Expanded Child Tax Credit Would Lift Millions of Children Out of Poverty

Analysis: Senate ‘gangs’ show Biden what’s possible, and not

‘A Racist Narrative’: Biden Warned of Welfare Moms Driving Luxury Cars


No, Joe Biden Won’t Give Us Social Democracy

Clinton’s 1996 State of the Union

Dismantling the Welfare State? Reagan, Thatcher and the Politics of Retrenchment]]>eb3f22e6-8455-11eb-8e1a-cb0f62aa2851Sat, 13 Mar 2021 22:43:54 +0000Amy WesterveltThis is not Bill Clinton’s Democratic Party. But it’s not the Squad’s party either. Today, a very special Group Chat to discuss a very large stimulus bill. Amira and Guido are joined by Mary Small, National Legislative Director for Indivisible, to...Today, a very special Group Chat to discuss a very large stimulus bill. Amira and Guido are joined by Mary Small, National Legislative Director for Indivisible, to react to the passage of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. What does the massive investment in stimulus checks, expanded unemployment insurance, and the child tax credit tell us about the state of the Democratic Party halfway through Biden’s first 100 days?
After a break, Mary and Amira break down progressives’ strategy during the Congressional negotiations over the American Rescue Plan. There were threats of progressives voting as a bloc! What did progressives win, what did progressives lose, how has the Congressional Progressive Caucus changed since the Obama era, and what can we learn about wielding the power of the progressive bloc in future legislative fights?
Readings & resources:

What’s in the Stimulus Bill? A Guide to Where the $1.9 Trillion Is Going

Biden’s COVID-Relief Bill Is a Big F**king Deal

Where Do We Go From Here on Tax Credits?

How Democrats miscalculated Manchin and later won him back

An Expanded Child Tax Credit Would Lift Millions of Children Out of Poverty

Analysis: Senate ‘gangs’ show Biden what’s possible, and not

‘A Racist Narrative’: Biden Warned of Welfare Moms Driving Luxury Cars


No, Joe Biden Won’t Give Us Social Democracy

Clinton’s 1996 State of the Union

Dismantling the Welfare State? Reagan, Thatcher and the Politics of Retrenchment]]>3348cleanfullAmy WesterveltThis is not Bill Clinton’s Democratic Party. But it’s not the Squad’s party either. Today, a very special Group Chat to discuss a very large stimulus bill. Amira and Guido are joined by Mary Small, National Legislative Director for Indivisible, to react to the passage of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. What does the massive investment in stimulus checks, expanded unemployment insurance, and the child tax credit tell us about the state of the Democratic Party halfway through Biden’s first 100 days? After a break, Mary and Amira break down progressives’ strategy during the Congressional negotiations over the American Rescue Plan. There were threats of progressives voting as a bloc! What did progressives win, what did progressives lose, how has the Congressional Progressive Caucus changed since the Obama era, and what can we learn about wielding the power of the progressive bloc in future legislative fights? Readings & resources: What’s in the Stimulus Bill? A Guide to Where the $1.9 Trillion Is Going Biden’s COVID-Relief Bill Is a Big F**king Deal Where Do We Go From Here on Tax Credits? How Democrats miscalculated Manchin and later won him back An Expanded Child Tax Credit Would Lift Millions of Children Out of Poverty Analysis: Senate ‘gangs’ show Biden what’s possible, and not ‘A Racist Narrative’: Biden Warned of Welfare Moms Driving Luxury Cars No, Joe Biden Won’t Give Us Social Democracy Clinton’s 1996 State of the Union Dismantling the Welfare State? Reagan, Thatcher and the Politics of RetrenchmentNohttps://www.spreaker.com/user/13493906/build-back-green-new-dealGuido sits down with Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, to check in on her well-being after four marathon years of campaigning for a Green New Deal. More than two years after the sit-in with AOC, Guido and Varshini look at Biden’s recent climate announcements and ask themselves: are we reading this wrong or did the Green New Deal.. win the debate over Democratic climate policy? And if the answer is “yes, we did notch some wins but not enough,” how did the climate movement achieve that and what’s next — for the movement and for its army of young people?
But first, Guido and Waleed debrief the right-wing attacks on the Green New Deal following blackouts in Texas, and break down how a Green New Deal would prevent such massive blackouts from ever happening again.

Additional readings & references:

BIDEN-SANDERS UNITY TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS

TACKLING THE CLIMATE CRISIS AT HOME AND ABROAD EXECUTIVE ORDER

At last, a climate policy platform that can unite the left

“End the lies-for-profit games.”

Why Texas Republicans Fear the Green New Deal]]>1f77a05e-760c-11eb-a73f-136f16f12037Tue, 23 Feb 2021 17:23:06 +0000Amy WesterveltDid the Sunrise Movement… negotiate a win? Guido sits down with Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, to check in on her well-being after four marathon years of campaigning for a Green New Deal. More than two years after the sit-in...Guido sits down with Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, to check in on her well-being after four marathon years of campaigning for a Green New Deal. More than two years after the sit-in with AOC, Guido and Varshini look at Biden’s recent climate announcements and ask themselves: are we reading this wrong or did the Green New Deal.. win the debate over Democratic climate policy? And if the answer is “yes, we did notch some wins but not enough,” how did the climate movement achieve that and what’s next — for the movement and for its army of young people?
But first, Guido and Waleed debrief the right-wing attacks on the Green New Deal following blackouts in Texas, and break down how a Green New Deal would prevent such massive blackouts from ever happening again.

Additional readings & references:

BIDEN-SANDERS UNITY TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS

TACKLING THE CLIMATE CRISIS AT HOME AND ABROAD EXECUTIVE ORDER

At last, a climate policy platform that can unite the left

“End the lies-for-profit games.”

Why Texas Republicans Fear the Green New Deal]]>2906cleanfullAmy WesterveltDid the Sunrise Movement… negotiate a win? Guido sits down with Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, to check in on her well-being after four marathon years of campaigning for a Green New Deal. More than two years after the sit-in with AOC, Guido and Varshini look at Biden’s recent climate announcements and ask themselves: are we reading this wrong or did the Green New Deal.. win the debate over Democratic climate policy? And if the answer is “yes, we did notch some wins but not enough,” how did the climate movement achieve that and what’s next — for the movement and for its army of young people? But first, Guido and Waleed debrief the right-wing attacks on the Green New Deal following blackouts in Texas, and break down how a Green New Deal would prevent such massive blackouts from ever happening again. Additional readings & references: BIDEN-SANDERS UNITY TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS TACKLING THE CLIMATE CRISIS AT HOME AND ABROAD EXECUTIVE ORDER At last, a climate policy platform that can unite the left “End the lies-for-profit games.” Why Texas Republicans Fear the Green New DealNohttps://www.spreaker.com/user/13493906/you-re-in-power-where-s-our-billGreisa Martinez Rosas was in the Senate gallery in 2010 when the DREAM Act died. Since then, she’s organized relentlessly to prevent the next Democratic trifecta from failing to protect immigrants.
This week, Amira Hassan, Justice Democrats’ Political Director, takes the mic to speak with Greisa, executive director of United We Dream. Together they unpack the immigrant rights movement’s wins and losses from the past two decades, what has changed since those battles, and what lies ahead in the fight for immigrant and racial justice during the Biden years. Greisa also shares her evolution from a shy high schooler to a veteran organizer, and gives Senate Democrats some advice after a few of them voted with Republicans to deny stimulus checks to undocumented Americans.

Join United We Dream’s Undeniable campaign.
'The civil rights issue of our time': how Dreamers came to dominate US politics
DREAM Act dies in Senate
Progressive dems show Biden what “sweeping” reform really looks like
On Immigration, Biden Goes Big In Opening Bid To Congress
Biden Signs 3 Immigration Executive Orders. Activists Want More
Hundreds deported under Biden, including witness to massacre]]>e74ba8c8-6e32-11eb-897f-fb6d2a469a5eSat, 13 Feb 2021 19:07:17 +0000Amy WesterveltIn 2010, the DREAM Act failed in a Senate vote when five Democrats refused to vote for the bill. Will the Biden administration learn from that defeat?  Greisa Martinez Rosas was in the Senate gallery in 2010 when the DREAM Act died. Since then, she’s...Greisa Martinez Rosas was in the Senate gallery in 2010 when the DREAM Act died. Since then, she’s organized relentlessly to prevent the next Democratic trifecta from failing to protect immigrants.
This week, Amira Hassan, Justice Democrats’ Political Director, takes the mic to speak with Greisa, executive director of United We Dream. Together they unpack the immigrant rights movement’s wins and losses from the past two decades, what has changed since those battles, and what lies ahead in the fight for immigrant and racial justice during the Biden years. Greisa also shares her evolution from a shy high schooler to a veteran organizer, and gives Senate Democrats some advice after a few of them voted with Republicans to deny stimulus checks to undocumented Americans.

Join United We Dream’s Undeniable campaign.
'The civil rights issue of our time': how Dreamers came to dominate US politics
DREAM Act dies in Senate
Progressive dems show Biden what “sweeping” reform really looks like
On Immigration, Biden Goes Big In Opening Bid To Congress
Biden Signs 3 Immigration Executive Orders. Activists Want More
Hundreds deported under Biden, including witness to massacre]]>2871cleanfullAmy WesterveltIn 2010, the DREAM Act failed in a Senate vote when five Democrats refused to vote for the bill. Will the Biden administration learn from that defeat?  Greisa Martinez Rosas was in the Senate gallery in 2010 when the DREAM Act died. Since then, she’s organized relentlessly to prevent the next Democratic trifecta from failing to protect immigrants. This week, Amira Hassan, Justice Democrats’ Political Director, takes the mic to speak with Greisa, executive director of United We Dream. Together they unpack the immigrant rights movement’s wins and losses from the past two decades, what has changed since those battles, and what lies ahead in the fight for immigrant and racial justice during the Biden years. Greisa also shares her evolution from a shy high schooler to a veteran organizer, and gives Senate Democrats some advice after a few of them voted with Republicans to deny stimulus checks to undocumented Americans. Join United We Dream’s Undeniable campaign. 'The civil rights issue of our time': how Dreamers came to dominate US politics DREAM Act dies in Senate Progressive dems show Biden what “sweeping” reform really looks like On Immigration, Biden Goes Big In Opening Bid To Congress Biden Signs 3 Immigration Executive Orders. Activists Want More Hundreds deported under Biden, including witness to massacreNohttps://www.spreaker.com/user/13493906/going-nuclear-for-majority-ruleBut the filibuster is an accident of parliamentary history; an unintended consequence of minor changes to Senate rules. Now the weaponization of the filibuster against majoritarian democracy has essentially broken Congress.
This week at the Bloc Party, Waleed Shahid, spokesperson of Justice Democrats, sits down with Adam Jentleson, author of the new book KILL SWITCH: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy. Waleed figures out why former Harry Reid staffers like Adam end up becoming progressive crusaders, how the filibuster went from accident to shield of white supremacy, and together they assess how the Democratic Party might reform Congress, or fail and forfeit power for a generation.]]>8d3fd5b2-6805-11eb-8f50-3b735ffdc151Fri, 05 Feb 2021 22:25:00 +0000Amy WesterveltWhen the slavocracy needed to quash the rising tides of emancipation and free labor, they used the filibuster. When Jim Crow segregationists needed to stymie anti-lynching laws and preserve their poll taxes, they used the filibuster. Today, when the...But the filibuster is an accident of parliamentary history; an unintended consequence of minor changes to Senate rules. Now the weaponization of the filibuster against majoritarian democracy has essentially broken Congress.
This week at the Bloc Party, Waleed Shahid, spokesperson of Justice Democrats, sits down with Adam Jentleson, author of the new book KILL SWITCH: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy. Waleed figures out why former Harry Reid staffers like Adam end up becoming progressive crusaders, how the filibuster went from accident to shield of white supremacy, and together they assess how the Democratic Party might reform Congress, or fail and forfeit power for a generation.]]>3255cleanfullAmy WesterveltWhen the slavocracy needed to quash the rising tides of emancipation and free labor, they used the filibuster. When Jim Crow segregationists needed to stymie anti-lynching laws and preserve their poll taxes, they used the filibuster. Today, when the Republican Party must cling to power by strangling the American government and suppressing the American majority, they use the filibuster. But the filibuster is an accident of parliamentary history; an unintended consequence of minor changes to Senate rules. Now the weaponization of the filibuster against majoritarian democracy has essentially broken Congress. This week at the Bloc Party, Waleed Shahid, spokesperson of Justice Democrats, sits down with Adam Jentleson, author of the new book KILL SWITCH: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy. Waleed figures out why former Harry Reid staffers like Adam end up becoming progressive crusaders, how the filibuster went from accident to shield of white supremacy, and together they assess how the Democratic Party might reform Congress, or fail and forfeit power for a generation.Nohttps://www.spreaker.com/user/13493906/unity-with-who-congressional-majorities-President Biden delivered his inaugural address, but what does “unity” mean after Republicans abetted violence against Democratic members of Congress? What does it mean to evoke Lincoln, who was assassinated by a Confederate sympathizer, as a figure of unity? Why would Senators like Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley ever stop aiding would-be fascists if there are no consequences for their actions? We look back at inaugural speeches from FDR and Reagan.
Just hours after his inauguration, Biden signed more than a dozen executive orders in the Oval Office, including measures to rejoin the Paris Agreement, repeal Trump's restrictions on travel from several Muslim-majority countries, stop construction of the Southern border wall and mandate the wearing of masks on federal property. Amira, Guido, and Waleed make sense of President Biden’s Day 1 agenda.

Additional reading & references:

Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem

Bayard Rustin, From Protest to Politics


Biden, Inauguration Speech 

Biden Transition: How to succeed in hyperpolarized politics 

Climate activists expect a lot from President Biden

League of Conservation Voters: Policy Priorities for Biden

The New Progressive Left Shows How To Deal With Sedition

Sen. Manchin calls for $4 trillion infrastructure spending

Biden unveils immigration plan

Poll: 47 percent of people blame ANTIFA for insurrection]]>50763916-5d2c-11eb-8401-cb72cf9bdaf3Sat, 23 Jan 2021 03:25:02 +0000Amy WesterveltGroup Chat returns after Senate Democrats win back the majority, the Republican Party incites a deadly coup attempt, and Joe Biden is officially sworn in as the 46th President. President Biden delivered his inaugural address, but what does “unity”...President Biden delivered his inaugural address, but what does “unity” mean after Republicans abetted violence against Democratic members of Congress? What does it mean to evoke Lincoln, who was assassinated by a Confederate sympathizer, as a figure of unity? Why would Senators like Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley ever stop aiding would-be fascists if there are no consequences for their actions? We look back at inaugural speeches from FDR and Reagan.
Just hours after his inauguration, Biden signed more than a dozen executive orders in the Oval Office, including measures to rejoin the Paris Agreement, repeal Trump's restrictions on travel from several Muslim-majority countries, stop construction of the Southern border wall and mandate the wearing of masks on federal property. Amira, Guido, and Waleed make sense of President Biden’s Day 1 agenda.

Additional reading & references:

Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem

Bayard Rustin, From Protest to Politics


Biden, Inauguration Speech 

Biden Transition: How to succeed in hyperpolarized politics 

Climate activists expect a lot from President Biden

League of Conservation Voters: Policy Priorities for Biden

The New Progressive Left Shows How To Deal With Sedition

Sen. Manchin calls for $4 trillion infrastructure spending

Biden unveils immigration plan

Poll: 47 percent of people blame ANTIFA for insurrection]]>3610yesfullAmy WesterveltGroup Chat returns after Senate Democrats win back the majority, the Republican Party incites a deadly coup attempt, and Joe Biden is officially sworn in as the 46th President. President Biden delivered his inaugural address, but what does “unity” mean after Republicans abetted violence against Democratic members of Congress? What does it mean to evoke Lincoln, who was assassinated by a Confederate sympathizer, as a figure of unity? Why would Senators like Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley ever stop aiding would-be fascists if there are no consequences for their actions? We look back at inaugural speeches from FDR and Reagan. Just hours after his inauguration, Biden signed more than a dozen executive orders in the Oval Office, including measures to rejoin the Paris Agreement, repeal Trump's restrictions on travel from several Muslim-majority countries, stop construction of the Southern border wall and mandate the wearing of masks on federal property. Amira, Guido, and Waleed make sense of President Biden’s Day 1 agenda. Additional reading & references: Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem Bayard Rustin, From Protest to Politics Biden, Inauguration Speech  Biden Transition: How to succeed in hyperpolarized politics  Climate activists expect a lot from President Biden League of Conservation Voters: Policy Priorities for Biden The New Progressive Left Shows How To Deal With Sedition Sen. Manchin calls for $4 trillion infrastructure spending Biden unveils immigration plan Poll: 47 percent of people blame ANTIFA for insurrectionYes