The Rick Smith Show

#GaetzGate with Daily Beast Columnist Max Burns

Max Burns of The Daily Beast breaks down some new developments the Matt Gaetz story and also shares his thoughts on a number of other current news items. @themaxburns @thedailybeast

David Pepper on "The Most Corrupt State in America"

Former Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party David Pepper finishes the first hour with a discussion about how the GOP made Ohio the “most corrupt state in America.”

Mad Marge | 5-15-21 (1st Hour)

 

 

Rick opens the show with a dialogue on Congressional anger issues and the unbelievable volume of garbage being produced by the right-wing media machine, and then columnist Max Burns of The Daily Beast talks about GOP branding problems and how Democrats who favor “ideology-over-reality” thinking might be leading their party off the same cliff. Former Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party David Pepper finishes the first hour with a discussion about how the GOP made Ohio the “most corrupt state in America.”

 

The Panel Breaks Down the Week | 5-17-21

The Panel Breaks Down the Week | 5-17-21

 

This week’s panel covers the spiraling descent of the Republican Party, including all the impending indictments, plea deals, raids, warrants … and that’s just the Matt Gaetz stuff. This week’s panel includes Scott Dworkin from the Democratic Coalition, RawStory Reporter Sarah Burris, and Rich Ojeda, National Spokesman for No Dem Left Behind.

Trade Expert Talks About Worker Abuse

Arthur Stamoulis of Citizens Trade Campaign shares a story about what it’s like fighting for workers’ rights south of the border. @CITIZENSTRADE

How Employers Can Help Us Defeat COVID

Emily Gee of the Center for American Progress joins the show to talk about how employers can help us defeat COVID. @EmilyG_DC @CAP_Health

Sarah Burris of RawStory Breaks Down the Week

Journalist Sarah Burris of RawStory joins us to discuss the new Project Veritas story and the potential criminality linked to it. @SarahBurris @RawStory

Southern Fried Propaganda | 5-14-21 (1st Hour)

 

 

Rick has a few words for Georgia Republican Andrew Clyde a day after he called the 1/6 insurrection “a bold-faced lie” and likened it to “a normal tourist visit.” Then Arthur Stamoulis of Citizens Trade Campaign shares a story about what it’s like fighting for workers’ rights south of the border, and  Emily Gee of the Center for American Progress joins the show to talk about how employers can help us defeat COVID.

 

Southern Fried Propaganda | 5-14-21 (2nd Hour)

 

Journalist Sarah Burris of RawStory joins us to discuss the new Project Veritas story and the potential criminality linked to it. She also shares stories of her own experience being targeted by PV and its team of pseudo-investigators. Then former GOP Congressman Bob Ney rounds out the show with his usual brand of no-nonsense political analysis and commentary on all things DC.

 

State Senator Vince Hughes on the Pennsylvania New Deal

Pennsylvania State Senator Vince Hughes, one of The Keystone State’s top progressive voices, joins to talk about how he plans to help get PA back on its feet and get control over the pandemic.

Fighting for Worker Rights in Nevada

The first hour concludes with a discussion on union busting and wage theft in Nevada with union leader Savannah Palmiera and labor activist Bliss Requa-Trautz.

Greg Palast on Voter Suppression

Greg Palast starts the second hour with a discussion about the onslaught of voter suppression laws hitting almost every state in the US

The Stupid Civil War | 5-13-21 (1st Hour)

Rick begins the show with a warning about GOP cultism, insurrection, and some recent and very real threats of escalating violence that we should not ignore. Then we are joined by Pennsylvania State Senator Vince Hughes, one of The Keystone State’s top progressive voices. The first hour concludes with a discussion on union busting and wage theft in Nevada with union leader Savannah Palmiera and labor activist Bliss Requa-Trautz.

 

The Stupid Civil War | 5-13-21 (2nd Hour)

 

 

Investigative Journalist Greg Palast starts the second hour with a discussion about the onslaught of voter suppression laws hitting almost every state in the US, and then we close the show with former GOP congressman Bob Ney, who will try to help us understand how the once “grand old party” has become such a cesspool of lunacy and craven appeals to diminishing power.

 

Policy Expert Sarah Anderson on CEO Greed

Sarah Anderson of the Institute for Policy Studies discusses excessive CEO pay, and why we need to get control over it, and why the labor shortages are a product of worker mistreatment during the pandemic. @SarahDAnderson1

Scott Paul on "Buy American" as a National Defense Argument

Scott Paul of the Alliance for American Manufacturing joins to talk about the future of how we build things in America, and what the Biden administration can do to make that future bright. @ScottPaulAAM @KeepItMadeinUSA

HuffPost's Travis Waldron on Voter Suppression and DC Statehood

Travis Waldron of The Huffington Post talks voter disenfranchisement and DC statehood, and how these topics are related. For more information visit www.huffingtonpost.com

Matthew Chapman of RawStory Breaks Down the Week

Matthew Chapman of RawStory helps us break down a number of recent and increasing puzzling stories out of DC and beyond.

Boating with Bezos | 5-12-21 (1st Hour)

Rick begins the show with a few thoughts on billionaire Jeff Bezos spending $500 million on a new yacht, and the cultural sickness that bizarre and insanely greedy act exposes, and then Sarah Anderson of the Institute for Policy Studies discusses excessive CEO pay, and why we need to get control over it, and then Scott Paul of the Alliance for American Manufacturing joins to talk about the future of how we build things in America, and what the Biden administration can do to make that future bright.

Boating with Bezos | 5-12-21 (2nd Hour)

The second hour starts with a conversation with Travis Waldron of The Huffington Post about a recent intersection of politics and sports and claims of “Cancel Culture” at the Kentucky Derby, and then we are joined by Reporter Matthew Chapman of RawStory, who will help us break down a number of recent and increasing puzzling stories out of DC and beyond.