The X-Ray

Here we go again. Congress is facing a June 1 deadline to avoid a totally preventable “debt ceiling” crisis. If no one flinches in this dangerous game of chicken, the U.S. economy will be dragged into a cataclysm, destroying America’s global reputation and unleashing unfathomable pain for every American family.

An artifact from World War I, the debt ceiling comes back every few years to provide existential drama — the battlefield of partisan politics. It all sounds a bit insane, but it’s only the latest crisis to be spawned by our increasingly dysfunctional political system.

On this week’s episode, Fernando is joined by Washington uber-insider Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, to discuss her mounting fear that a “default is possible” and what we can do about it.

Also, Fernando chats with Nellie Gorbea, former Rhode Island Secretary of State, for the latest installment of the X-Ray Vision interview. In this quirky conversation, Nellie shares her dream superpower, transformative leadership vision, and why Puerto Rican rum is superior to scotch.

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The 2020 election season, while carried out successfully by dedicated election officials and poll workers, exposed one glaring problem with the U.S. system of elections: it is chronically underfunded.

Though Congress allocated $400 million for election assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was far short of what experts and election administrators said was needed to pull off an election in a pandemic. Private philanthropy, from folks like Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, stepped in to help fill the gap. These investments didn’t come without scrutiny.

In episode 41, Weston speaks with members of the nonprofits that distributed grants to election departments around the country in both red and blue states to set the record straight about the role private philanthropy played in the 2020 election, and the need for increased federal investment in our nation’s election infrastructure.

Guests:

• Tiana Epps-Johnson, CEO of the Center for Tech and Civic Life
• Sam Oliker-Friedland, Executive Director of the Institute for Responsive Government

The episode also features interviews Issue One conducted with Republican election officials, including:

• Bill Gates, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors for Maricopa County, AZ
• Neal Kelley, Former Registrar of Voters for Orange County, CA
• Carly Koppes, Clerk and Recorder for Weld County, CO
• Shane Schoeller, Clerk for Greene County, MO

Elections across the country are run by dedicated full-time elected officials and by a huge and diverse group of citizens who serve as poll workers — people who might very well be your neighbors, your teacher, or your child’s baseball coach.

These folks are the backbone of our elections system, and are the reason that the 2020 election went so smoothly and was called the “most secure election in American history” with the highest turnout in over a century. But since Election Day in 2020 — and because of a systematic campaign of disinformation designed to undermine trust in our elections — the people who make our democracy work have been the target of repeated attacks on their character and integrity, and have even been threatened with violence.

In episode 38, Weston chats with current and former election officials about the threats they and other election workers have received since the 2020 election, and the problematic trend of election administration being politicized across the country.

Guests:

• Natalie Adona, Assistant Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters for Nevada County, CA
• Brian Corley, Supervisor of Elections in Pasco County, FL
• Al Schmidt, Former City Commissioner of Philadelphia
• Elise Wirkus, Legislative Director at Issue One

This year, many Americans are worried that the 2020 elections will be contested, chaotic, and drawn out, leading to comparisons with the infamous 2000 Bush vs. Gore election that was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court.

Weston sat down with Leonard Downie Jr., Executive Editor of the Washington Post during the 2000 election, to unpack what happened in 2000, what if any parallels there are to this year's election, and how politics and journalism has changed since 2000.

This is the second episode in a periodic series of conversations between Swamp Stories host Weston Wamp and leaders in the political reform movement.

This week, AND Campaign’s Co-founder Justin Giboney joins Weston to discuss the intersection of faith and politics, separating identity from political party, and how people of faith can put their faith in action in this election and beyond.