Gary Trauner ran for Congress in Wyoming twice, and for Senate once. In 2006, he lost the closest race in the nation to incumbent Barbara Cubin. Gary talks about his history as a candidate, what it takes to run as a Democrat in a red state, and what it was like to interact with the national Democratic infrastructure. He’s dealt with both the DCCC and DSCC, as well as the consultants they wanted him to hire. He also gives us a rundown on the sad state of Democrats in the reddest state in the country, Wyoming.

This episode is something you don’t see or hear all the time: a politician who shares his frank take on his experiences with the Democratic establishment.

More about Gary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Trauner

In this episode, John Cole interviews Dr. Genevieve Guenther. Dr Guenther is a former Renaissance scholar who turned to climate research and activism after having a child and becoming increasingly alarmed about the world her son could inherit after she died. She is now an expert in climate communication. Using her training in rhetoric and cultural politics, as well as social-science research, she works to revamp the ways that we talk about the urgent need to phase out coal, oil, and methane. She is guided by the conviction that our language for the climate crisis is largely inaccurate and misleading, and that fixing this problem requires us not just to reframe talking points, but to recognize how our speech itself—what we say and what we don’t say about climate change—upholds a dangerous status quo.

Dr Guenther is the author of The Language of Climate Politics, an examination of the propaganda underlying the fossil-fuel economy.

Genevieve Guenther’s website: https://genevieveguenther.com/

The non-profit she founded: https://www.endclimatesilence.org/

Steve M of No More Mister Nice Blog has been blogging since 2002. Steve’s posts are always smart and often prescient.

On this episode of Personality Crisis, NYT Pitchbot a.k.a. Doug J interviews Steve to discuss topics including why Steve got the anti-vaxx trend right years before everyone else, and how Steve views the history of the Democratic Party.

John Cole couldn’t make the taping of this pod, but don’t worry, he’ll be back for the next one. Also, Pitchbot had a little bit of an audio issue at the start that’s fixed a few minutes in.