Fireside Breakdowns

S3 | SS2: The Road We’re On: 1 Step Forward, 2 Steps Back

In Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court released a decision penned by Justice Samuel Alito which held that the right to an abortion outlined in Roe v Wade under the Due Process clause of the 14th amendment was errantly determined. In the decision, Alito wrote, “the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment… has been held to guarantee some rights that are not mentioned in the Constitution, but any such right must be “deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition” and “implicit in the concept of ordered liberty.”

Many legal scholars believe that this sets a dangerous precedent for the many rights afforded to Americans under the 14th amendment, and undermines many of the liberties that Americans - conservative and liberal - have come to rely on. Could this be two steps backward on the path to equal treatment and equal protection for all Americans?

Bonus discussion, Let’s Talk About States’ Rights + Episode 3 of this series, Runaway Train, are live on Patreon NOW!

What’s in this episode?

• Due process, substantive due process, and unenumerated rights.

• Penumbras, "The Shadows of the Constitution" from Throughline

• The “deeply rooted” methodology (Washington v Glucksberg + Dobbs v Jackson) + the danger of said methodology.

• States make terrible decisions, like forced sterilization (Buck v Bell).

• Clarence Thomas says all substantive due process decisions are demonstrably erroneous (yikes).

• Good News: The Yellow Bus Project visits Ted Cruz.

If you’d like to get in touch…

You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside

Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!

You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.

And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!

S3 | SS1: The Road We’re On: The View From Here

Welcome to Fireside Breakdowns season 3! We’re wasting no time this season - we’re jumping straight into the deep end with a series about how the Supreme Court decisions that were handed down this Summer could potentially affect life for ALL Americans. We feel like we saw the beginnings of a well-lined path being laid out for the U.S. - some might even say a train track - and we’re concerned about where it will lead us if we don’t pay attention.

That’s why we’re going to start by taking a closer look at some of the decisions released by the Supreme Court in May and June 2022. Many of these cases were widely publicized. Some were published without much fanfare. But each of them could have significant impacts on the way we live our lives from this point on.

Bonus discussion of Shinn v Ramirez + Episode 2 of the series - 1 Step Forward, 2 Steps Back - are available NOW on Patreon.

Cases discussed: Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, West Virginia v EPA, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc v. Bruen, Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, and Vega v. Tekoh.

What’s in this episode?

• Discussion of each of the above cases, and their potential impact on the future

• We get very salty about Brett Kavanaugh

• Good News: DHHS guidelines on emergency abortions

If you’d like to get in touch…

You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside

Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!

You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.

And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!

S2 | SS48: Everyone With A Uterus, Raise Your Hand

NOTE: This episode was recorded on Tuesday, June 21, 2022 - previous to the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade. This conversation seems much more significant now that broader reproductive rights - and LGBTQ+ rights - are at such incredible risk. While the focus of the episode was not specifically abortion access, we felt this episode art was most reflective of what many people with uteruses are experiencing today.

Join us for a special Fireside Unscripted where Robin and Savannah share their unfiltered (and sometimes unsophisticated) thoughts on navigating hot topic issues that involve people with uteruses, womanhood, women's rights, and women's bodies. 

What’s in this episode?

• We discuss the question of womanhood

• We ponder, “who is making decisions for us?”

• We get in the weeds talking about abortion and trans athletes

If you’d like to get in touch…

You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside

Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!

You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.

And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!

S2 | SS47: Playing a Zero Sum Game

Why do some people view life with a win or lose perspective? Is it possible to find solutions where everyone benefits when we’re talking about taxes, immigration, or workforce equity? Is it true that someone always gets the short end of the stick?

In this episode, we’re talking about another one of the foundational struggles that (the collective) we face when we’re trying to have conversations about difficult topics. We’ve already done episodes on bias, conspiracy thinking, good and bad faith arguments, and now we’re going to round things out by talking about zero sum thinking.

What’s in this episode?

• What is Zero Sum thinking?

• Why is Zero Sum thinking an obstacle to meaningful progress?

• Examples of Zero Sum thinking related to SCOTUS and the war in Ukraine

If you’d like to get in touch…

You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside

Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!

You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.

And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!

S2 | SS46: Good Guys With Guns

Today, we’re talking about arguing. Specifically, arguing in bad faith. We’ve done it; you’ve done it; and politicians, pundits, and public figures do it all the time. Accusations fly, especially during times of crisis (like after gun massacres) or in election years. But no one ever takes the time to explain what they mean when they accuse someone of arguing in bad faith.  I mean, how are you supposed to recognize these outrageous fallacies if no one will tell you how they work?! 

Knowledge is power, people. And we’re here to make you really damn powerful.  In this episode, we’re going to talk about what, exactly, good faith and bad faith arguments are and why debating in bad faith is so harmful to actual progress. Then, we’ll work through some examples of the bad faith arguments that make the rounds after every new spate of mass shootings. We’ll talk about why they fit the category, and even outline some good faith talking points on both sides that you can use to have these hard conversations with those who might disagree with you. 

What’s in this episode?

• Good Faith vs Bad Faith Arguments.

• Why debating in bad faith is harmful to actual progress

• Examples of bad faith arguments about gun safety/violence/control/laws

If you’d like to get in touch…

You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside

Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!

You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.

And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!

S2|SS45: Fireside Unscripted - Time Capsule

For this week’s unscripted episode, we thought it would be fun to take stock of where we stand on some current cultural and political hot topics. You see, we’ve all seen our opinions on topics like this change over the last several years and we wanted a way to document where we are now so we can compare in a year, or even two.

Oh! And we wanted to give you the same chance as well. You can fill out the survey we talked through (completely anonymous, if you wish) and even grab a screenshot if you want. Then, you can do your own check-in later down the road.

Take the survey: https://forms.gle/HxiW7awAQ43sDir48 

What’s in this episode?

• Our thoughts and feelings about topics from gun safety to dark money in politics.

• So. Many. Inappropriate. Jokes.

• We all get the giggles. Not our fault, it was really late.

If you’d like to get in touch…

You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside

Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!

You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.

And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!

S2 | SS44: Happy... Confederate... Memorial Day?

Imagine my surprise when I read the headline: “South Carolina marks Confederate Memorial Day on Tuesday.” I thought to myself surely this had to be some sort of clickbait situation, and that I was going to get to the end of that article and be embarrassed that I fell for their tricks.
But it wasn’t.
So here we are to talk about Confederate Memorial Day! Like almost everything else we talk about here, we quickly learned that there was more to this day than meets the headline - including a connection to the Ladies Memorial Associations of the Reconstruction South and the Lost Cause narrative that has influenced how the entire nation talks about the Civil War. We also want to take some time to talk about how the perpetuation of holidays like this makes it much more complicated for us, as a nation, to work toward our racial justice goals.

What’s in this episode?

• A brief history of regular Memorial Day

• The origins of Confederate Memorial Day

• How Ladies Memorial Associations gained political influence

• The United Daughters of the Confederacy and Lost Cause propaganda

• States honor Confederate holidays but won’t recognize Juneteenth

If you’d like to get in touch…

You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside

Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!

You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.

And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!

S2 | SS43: Fireside Unscripted: I Can’t Believe I Used to Think...

This one’s unscripted, folks, and we’re confessing a few cringeworthy things we can’t believe we used to think.

What’s in this episode:

• Jon was really bad at sports physiology

• Savannah didn’t know something she said was racist

• Robin used to be kind of an elitist

• And, Jon got drugged

If you’d like to get in touch…

You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside

Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!

You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.

And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!

S2 | SS42: An Unholy Convergence, pt. 5 - Their Kingdom Come

Note: Sorry, Jon accidentally uploaded the wrong audio file the first time. This is the actual episode! Apologies for the delay.

Hey folks, thanks for tuning into the last episode in our series “An Unholy Convergence”, where we’re trying to answer a listener’s question about how so many Evangelical Christians became enamored and entangled with Donald Trump, and how that connection might have noticeably changed their attitudes and behaviors on other current events issues, like social justice, immigration, and COVID.  

This week, we’re going to look at how the Trump administration continued the work his campaign began, creating loyalty with Evangelical voters by implementing white and Christian nationalist policies. Then, we’ll finish with a quick examination of whether Evangelicals’ positions on some key social issues changed during the Trump administration, or if the social climate during the 4 years Trump was President brought long held beliefs to the forefront.

Special features: Terrible things Matt Gaetz said, brief mention of replacement theory, Bill Barr thinks only Christians deserve free government, copy+paste legislation.

What's in this episode:

• Examples of white and Christian nationalist policy and rhetoric from the Trump administration

• Evangelicals have a strange affinity for “law and order”, and law enforcement, but haven’t changed their positions on racial justice since Rodney King

• Evangelicals used to advocate for immigrants, now they advocate for walls

• Evangelicals’ bad behavior during COVID was more about rebellion than religion

• Good News: The FIRST AAPI Heritage Parade in NYC!

If you’d like to get in touch…

You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside

Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!

You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.

And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!

S2 | SS41: An Unholy Convergence, pt. 4 - Justified By Faith

In the grand Fireside tradition of biting off more than we can chew (and not realizing it until we’ve already got a mouthful), we’re back this week with part FOUR of our three part series on White Nationalism, Evangelical Christianity, and Donald Trump.

This week, we’re going to try to answer the million dollar question: How on earth did a man like Donald Trump win and keep the vote of the deeply religious Evangelical population. What did Evangelical leaders at the time have to say about him, and how did his religious supporters justify his bawdy behavior?  What were the narratives circling in the conservative Christian community about Trump and the Republican party? And did - as our listener implied - that campaign season mark a change in the perspective and every day behavior of Evangelicals?

What’s in this episode:

• A note on covering the Roe v Wade question

• A reminder that we’re not attacking anyone personally. Just in case you were wondering

• The importance of a religious candidate for Evangelical voters

• Why Cruz lost the nomination to Trump (spoilers: Nationalism > Moral Alignment)

• The divide among Evangelical leaders over Trump

• Why Trump was considered the “lesser evil”

• In their own words: How Evangelicals justified voting for Trump

• Good News: Karine Jean-Pierre and Katherine Tai

If you’d like to get in touch…

You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside

Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!

You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.

And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!