#8 Fighting For Abortion Rights, Gun Safety In Florida With State Rep. Rita Harris!

Voting advocate Jamie Lynn Crofts joins me to discuss some promising developments in Wisconsin  — goodbye forever gerrymandered maps! We also explore the outsized role Wisconsin plays in the presidential election and why we’re cautiously optimistic that the purple state will reject Donald Trump again. It’s a good time, so pull up a comfy chair and enjoy!

You will hear:

• How the new maps approved in Wisconsin will be more fair and representative of the voters in this very purple state
• How aside from Trump, the “Trumpy” candidates in other elections are not doing well
• How the 2024 election will set up the future of how we live in this country - taking racism and sexism into account
• And more!

Guest Info: 

Whether lobbying, advocating, writing, or organizing, Jamie Lynn Crofts’ work centers around one goal: creating a just, more equitable society. Her main focus is protecting our democracy -- and that also means fighting for the civil and human rights of the people who make up our wonderfully diverse country. Jamie’s background in law, policy, and civil and constitutional rights give her expertise in a number of legal and policy areas -- and her writing and communications experience allows her to break down complex ideas in an accessible way. She also has years of experience leading and participating in coalitions, planning and teaching training sessions, and working on both electoral and issue-based campaigns.

Links:  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamielynncrofts

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: ser1840@gmail.com

Join the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

In this episode, Ed Oswald and I look at the similarities and differences between the campaigns of Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. Both ran on nostalgia with the idea of “making America great again,” both were Democrats for a large part of their lives, and both were incredibly media savvy. Ed is the author of From Ronald to Donald: How the Myth of Reagan Became the Cult of Trump.

You will hear:

• Platforms and communication styles of Reagan vs Trump
• Reagan’s charisma with the people and unifying the Republican party while Trump’s crass nature and rhetoric divided the party
• Tax cuts that lead to the decline of the middle class in favor of the wealthy
• People voting against their own interest thinking they are getting someone who will fight for them and them consistently not
• The myth of Reagan’s America and how we are still living in it four decades later
• And more!

Guest Info: 

Ed Oswald is the former attorney-advisor, US Treasury, Office of Tax and Legislative Counsel under the Clinton Administration.

Connect with Ed:

Ed’s X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/Eoswald_munitax

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: ser1840@gmail.com

Join the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

In this episode, I am chatting with my friend Danny Horn, the writer behind the Dark Shadows Every Day and Superheroes Every Day blogs. He has a new project coming out soon, The Fantastic Miss Piggy podcast that will discuss the history, analysis, and celebration of this cultural icon, which can be found on the site toughpigs.com. This is a really entertaining episode!

You’ll hear:

• Talk about 1960s vampire soap opera Dark Shadows and how we came to love this show
• The attempts at remaking the series that always seem to fall flat
• The implied sexuality and queer coding within the show
• The power of the mix of dark humor + scary in the series
• What was unique about Dark Shadows compared to other shows that tried to do a similar theme, but couldn’t capture the magic
• The danger of planning so far in advance that one character could tank the whole plan because you’ve written yourself into a corner
• And more!

Guest Info: 

By day, Danny Horn is a Director of Product Management at the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization behind Wikipedia. By night and weekend, he promotes truth and justice through the unlikely medium of a blog about superhero movies. Danny’s previous blog was Dark Shadows Every Day, an epic journey through every episode of the 1960s vampire soap opera. It was funny and weird and insightful, and even if you don’t know Dark Shadows, you should go check it out. He also founded the Muppet fan site Tough Pigs, and co-founded Muppet Wiki, the gorgeous and insanely detailed compendium of all knowledge about the Muppets and Jim Henson. Danny also appeared on a bunch of episodes of Tough Pigs’ Movin’ Right Along: The Muppet Movie Podcast.

Links:  

Dark Shadows Every Day (blog): https://darkshadowseveryday.com/

Superheroes Every Day (blog): https://superheroeseveryday.com/

Tough Pigs: https://toughpigs.com/

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: ser1840@gmail.com

Join the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

In this episode, I am joined by legal journalist Liz Dye from the Law and Chaos newsletter and podcast to help answer some questions about the state of Donald Trump's legal issues. Short answer, the courts probably won't save us. The long answer is sure to entertain!

You’ll hear:

• The likelihood of Trump’s cases actually going to trial
• What things could look like if Trump is re-elected
• Republican “normies” vs. MAGA Trump supporters
• Challenges journalists face in reporting on the current political climate
• The problematic issues with Nikki Haley’s campaign
• And more!

Guest Info:

Liz Dye is a columnist at Above the Law, contributor at Wonkette and Public Notice, and co-host of the podcast Opening Arguments. 

Links:  

Law and Chaos Podcast: https://www.lawandchaospod.com/

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: ser1840@gmail.com

Join the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

In this week’s episode, I am joined by Democratic political commentator Kaivan Shroff to talk about the aftermath of the New Hampshire primary. We discuss how the race for the Republican nomination hasn't actually changed (and probably won't). We also take a deep dive into Nikki Haley's views on race and how appeasing the GOP's extremist, anti-Black MAGA base is a disturbing preview of what a Haley presidency would look like.

You will hear:

• How the media drives how we view political races and a candidate's chances
• How racial identity is both hindering and promoting Nikki Haley’s candidacy and her opinions on racial relations in this country
• Haley’s “attacks” on Trump while still towing the MAGA line
• Anti-Black sentiments that are still strong today and how that would look going forward into a Haley presidency
• How running for office has become more of a PR machine for future gains than looking to hold that office
• Haley running on a platform of ageism against both Trump and Biden, while being out of touch and past her own prime
• Gen Z stepping into the political realm post-January 6th
• And more!

Guest Info: 

After completing his MBA, Kaivan Shroff was announced as COO & Chief Strategy Officer of the Institute For Education. He currently serves the organization as a Senior Advisor. During the 2016 presidential race, Shroff worked on Hillary Clinton’s campaign as a digital organizer. He continues to organize for Democratic causes both online and as a commentator. Shroff also served on the Advisory Board of The Jed Foundation, a leading national mental health non-profit, and has been a member of the Forbes NY Business Council. In 2022, Shroff graduated with a JD from Harvard Law School and an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School. 

Links:  

Kaivan’s Website: https://kaivanshroff.com/

Twitter: @kaivanshroff 

Instagram: @kaivanshroff 

TikTok: @kaivanshroff

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: ser1840@gmail.com

Join the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

In this episode, I chat with Democratic candidate for Congress for Oregon’s 3rd District, Nolan Bylenga. Nolan, who last ran for office in 2020, heads into the primary with some stiff competition against people with experience and a lot of money, but aren’t necessarily shoo-ins, so he feels there is a chance for a new type of candidate. He has experience organizing community events, such as a Black Lives Matter march in Pendleton, OR, where he was greeted with more Confederate flags than he had ever seen. 

You will hear:

• Nolan’s experience working with both the community and police to keep the BLM march to the truest meaning of a peaceful protest
• His experience starting as a Senator’s intern right before the January 6th insurrection and his role in the subsequent impeachment proceedings
• The importance of introducing/maintaining/enhancing blue presence in a red state to keep the gap between the two from growing ever wider based more on what people hear through the media versus lived experiences within the communities (building bridges rather than backing people into corners)
• The importance of representation of the people by those who aren’t “career politicians” and getting some younger blood into our government
• Possible solutions for communications between groups moving forward
• And more!

Guest Info: 

Nolan Bylenga is a Democrat running for Oregeon’s 3rd Congressional District. Nolan is an alumnus of Pendleton High School where he ran track & field, placing as high as 2nd place at State in the 800m for Pendleton and is the current school record holder in the 4x400 meter relay. He is currently a Graduate Student at Portland State University pursuing his master's in political science. During his undergrad, he was a Senator as part of the Associated Students of Portland State University.

Nolan previously ran for State Representative in 2020 to build bridges between different types of people, help give our citizens access to healthcare and education, and create opportunity for those without so that everyone has a fair shot at life. During the 2020 election cycle, he and his team of Brianna Spencer and John Landreth organized several events in search of Justice.

Nolan is currently a board member of the Pendleton Community Action Coalition and is still on a mission to prosper the various communities around him. 

Links:  

Nolan’s Website: https://bylenga.com/

Nolan’s Campaign Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bylenga2024

Nolan’s Campaign Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bylenga2024/

Nolan’s Campaign TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bylenga2024

Nolan’s Campaign Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/Bylenga2024

Nolan’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NolanBylenga

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: ser1840@gmail.com

Join the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

The incredibly talented Eliza Jane Schneider is an actor, singer, and dialect coach, who set out to travel the country (in an ambulance) and eventually the rest of the English speaking world collecting sounds of dialects from everywhere during the pre-internet days, which she assumed would take a month. But 30 years later, she’s still at it! 

I'm a big fan of Eliza's going back to her work on "Beakman's World." She's received critical acclaim for her one-woman show, "Freedom of Speech," which she's expanding into a podcast!. 

If you're in the Portland, Oregon, area, you can attend her podcast launch event on January 6th (link below). Hope to see you there!

You will hear:

• The journey to her one woman show, collecting thousands of stories and voices along the way
• Why she chose to start her podcast on January 6th to start to turn the conversation about that day in our history to something more positive
• What “otherness” is and how it keeps us divided
• The podcast will showcase the real voices of the people, along with their stories and reenactments
• Bringing to light problems with our current political system and what they do for the disenfranchised people of America
• And more!!

Guest Info: 

ELIZA JANE SCHNEIDER is a noted voice actor and dialect coach, whose clients include celebrities and Oscar® winners. Her expert ear and years of study as a musician and singer, allow her to master almost any accent with ease.

She voiced eight regular series characters and hundreds of additional voices for the hit animated series South Park. Her extensive list of credits includes voices for films, television and video games, including Finding Nemo, King of the Hill, Batman, The Cleveland Show, Assassin’s Creed, LEGO Dimensions, Skylanders, Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, to name just a few.

Eliza has studied, recorded, and taught dialects at UCLA, AFTRA, and the SAG Conservatory at AFI Hollywood. She is also the creator of the Internet Dialect Database, for which she has traveled the globe to capture samples of authentic dialects.

Links:  

Eliza’s Website: https://elizajaneschneidervo.com/

Eliza’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/elizajaneschneider

Competitive Edge Voice Training: https://competitiveedgevoice.com/

Podcast Launch Event Info & Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freedom-of-speech-tickets-741151212227?aff=ebdshpsearchautocomplete

Podcast Website: https://fosplay.com/

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: ser1840@gmail.com

Join the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

Singer, dancer, writer, and comedian Leah Sprecher joins me today, though you might not recognize her at first - she’s most well known for her breakout sketch character born on the Groundlings stage, Broadway Barbara Dixon! I first caught wind of her through social media and her hilarious videos on YouTube. You can check those out in the links below. 

You’ll hear:

• How Broadway Barbara came to be Leah’s most popular sketch comedy character
• Clips from Broadway Barbara’s shows
• Leah’s love for singing and dancing are funneled into this comedy show
• How she puts together a show
• And more!

Guest Info: 

Leah Sprecher earned a B.A. in theatre from UCLA and has since performed at some of the nations most prestigious theaters, like the Paper Mill Playhouse, Goodspeed Opera House, and REPRISE!  National tours include Radio City Christmas Spectacular, 42nd Street, and Happy Days. More recently, Leah wrote and performed as a member of the renowned Groundlings Sunday Company. Her original one woman show, Old at Heart debuted on the Groundlings’ stage. She is also a founding member of the Transcendence Theatre Company, which earned her a Broadway World "Person to Watch" nomination and the opportunity to open for both Rita Moreno and Ben Vereen in concert. Her TV credits include guest stints on IFC’s Maron, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Blackish. 

Links:  

Leah’s Website: https://groundlings.com/people/leah-sprecher

Barbara Dixon’s Website: https://www.broadwaybarbara.com/

Barbara Dixon’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNEQHkBQ1ITJMk4u0MYdURA

Barbara Dixon’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/broadwaybarbaraofficial/

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: ser1840@gmail.com

Join the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

In this episode, I chat with author Alana Best about her memoir, Around The World In Black and White, where she details her experiences traveling the globe as a white mother in a biracial, blended family. Alana did not set out on her travels expecting to write a book, but as they walked through the world, the vast differences between how she was treated versus how her partner was treated could not be ignored.

You will hear:

• Noticing both macro and micro aggressions toward her partner and children
• Experimenting with racial profiling through security while traveling and what made them more or less likely to be pulled aside for extra screenings
• Recognizing that racism is much more prevalent than the white experience tells us - it’s just certain people, places, or points in time, rather than current, everyday things
• Misconceptions about why interracial couples are together
• And more!

Guest Info: 

Alana is a writer, travel enthusiast and mom. She is passionate about being a global citizen and learning about other cultures. She lives to encourage wanderlust and to motivate living a full life. She believes travel creates tolerance, understanding and empathy. Together, one adventure at a time, we can work to make this world a better place for everyone.

 Alana has degrees, certificates, and an accounting designation. None of which are applicable to this novel.  She is a policy strategist by day, and enjoys working on files that will help make a difference to the citizens she serves. This has ranged from helping youth determine future employment demands, implementing regulations on organic foods, and now, modernizing the policing and public safety continuum to address issues such as systemic racism.

 Alana grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan with her two younger sisters and older brother. They are her best friends and some of her favorite travel companions.

She now has the pleasure of calling Victoria, British Columbia her home. Her and her husband, Roland, have three children, and will never stop exploring.

Links:  

Alana’s Website: https://www.alanabestauthor.com/

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: ser1840@gmail.com

Join the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson

Author and Playwright Laramie Dean joins me in this episode to pay tribute to the wonderful Lara Parker, who passed away last week. Parker played Angelique Collins in the 1960s Dark Shadows series. Laramie and I share our favorite memories of Angelique and discuss the character’s enduring impact.

You’ll hear:

• Challenges with processing the death of your icons
• Favorite moments of Angelique Collins in Dark Shadows
• Favorite moments and characters in the series
• A couple of our favorite scenes from the series
• Laramie and I geek out over spooky movies with Halloween coming soon
• And more!!

Guest Info: 

Laramie Dean was born and raised on a ranch in northeastern Montana. He is the author of Black Forest, a novel from Inkshares, as well as several plays from Theatrefolk, including Frankenstein Among the Dead, Dracula, The Gorgon Sisters, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Finding Jo March. Currently, Laramie enjoys his dream job as the Theatre Director at Hellgate High School in Missoula, Montana.

Links:  

Laramie’s Author Website: https://www.bylaramiedean.com/

Laramie’s Dark Shadows Website: https://shadowsonthewallzine.blogspot.com/

Connect with Stephen:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SER1897
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ThePlayTyperGuy
Email: ser1840@gmail.com

Join the Player Typer Guy Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stephenrobinson