It's the Democracy, Stupid (formerly "The Big Picture") Full Episodes
"The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath" is now "It's the Democracy, Stupid with Edwin Eisendrath." Each week Edwin and his guests get specific about politics, government, campaigns, and the kind of country all this work is meant to build. Join us live every Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT Chicago to be part of the conversation. About Edwin Edwin Eisendrath served two terms in Chicago’s City Council before being appointed Midwest Region Director of HUD by President Bill Clinton. He was subsequently appointed Federal Receiver in charge of the takeover and turnaround of the Chicago Housing Authority. Off the campaign trail, Edwin has worked in higher education and as a consultant to universities here and around the world. After the 2016 election cycle he knew he had to focus back home. He brought business and labor leaders together to rescue the Chicago Sun-Times and its subsidiary, the Chicago Reader. He ran the company as its CEO until both publications were saved. Back in the 1990s Bill Clinton’s campaign slogan, "It’s the economy, stupid," captured the biggest concern of the era. Today American democracy itself is under attack. So Edwin launched an effort called, "It’s the democracy, stupid." In addition to his radio show here on WCPT, Edwin has built a community around his political ideas on Substack, hosts a weekly show on Lincoln Square, and is a frequent guest on political shows. He remains deeply involved in democracy work. He is a proud Chicagoan, married to the journalist Jennifer Schulze.
Episodes
On this week's show:
– Elizabeth Jacobs, professor emerita of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and a founding member of the public health advocacy group Defend Public Health
– Jill Lawrence, opinion writer for The Bulwark and author of the History Keeps Happening Substack newsletter
– Don Moynihan, professor of Public Policy at the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy
– Matt Caffrey,...
On this week's show:
– Seth Cotlar, professor of history at Willamette University
– John Nichols, national affairs correspondent for The Nation
– Mark Jacob of Stop the Presses, “a weekly newsletter about how right-wing extremism has exploited the weaknesses in American journalism, and what we can do about it”
– Dean Baker, senior economist at the Center for Economic Po...
On this week's show Professor Joel Ostrow fills in for Edwin Eisendrath, and his guests are
– Scott Sakiyama, Oak Park attorney who was detained temporarily by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Oct. 20 near his child’s elementary school after trying to warn the community about ICE presence in the area
– Juan Garcia, founder of Kalpulli Across Borders
– Geoffrey R. Stone, the Edwa...
On this week's show
– Michael Tomasky, editor of The New Republic and author of five books, including his latest, “The Middle Out: The Rise of Progressive Economics and a Return to Shared Prosperity”
– Adam Klasfeld, editor-in-chief of All Rise News
– Dan Froomkin, editor of Press Watch
– Norman Eisen, executive chair and co-founder of Democracy Defenders Fund
On this week's show:
– Will Bunch, Philadelphia Inquirer national opinion columnist
– Chris Geidner, author of The Law Dork newsletter on Substack
– Margaret Donovan, attorney at Koskoff Koskoff and Bieder, visiting clinical lecturer in law at Yale Law School, former assistant United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, Army veteran and former captain in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) C...
On this week's show:
– Lavora Barnes, political director of Democracy Defenders Fund and former chair of the Michigan Democratic Party
– Melissa Sanchez, investigative reporter at ProPublica, covering immigration
– Bobby Kogan, senior director of Federal Budget Policy at the Center for American Progress
– Rachel Leingang, Midwest political correspondent for Guardian ...
On this week's show Turi Ryder fills in for Edwin and her guests are:
– Danielle Perry of the Greater Chicago Food Depository
– Greg Hinz of Crain’s Chicago Business
– Rami Gabriel and Karim Nagi of the music duo The Arab Blues
– Monica Shapiro, one of the real-life inspirations for Seinfeld’s Elaine Benes
– Mike Triggs, LGBQT memoirist; he...
On this week's show Rick Smith fills in for Edwin Eisendrath and his guests are:
– Matias Vernengo, professor of economics at Bucknell University
– Paul Wende, Business Manager FS/T of Ironworkers Local 63
– Richard Chew, host of "Chew's Views" on WCPT
Catch “It’s the Democracy, Stupid” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/edwin). ...
On this week's show:
– Tara McGowan, founder and publisher of COURIER Newsroom
– Chris Gaba, health care data analyst, blogger and founder of ACASignups.net
– Nissa Rhee, co-founder and executive director of Borderless Magazine, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news outlet covering immigration and immigrant communities in Chicago
– Michael Mann, climatologist, geophysicist, ...
On this week's show:
–Jill Wine-Banks, legal analyst, former general counsel of the U.S. Army, author of The Watergate Girl, co-host of#SistersInLaw and host ofJust The Facts with Jill Wine-Banks
– Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune investigative reporter and author of the Lori Lightfoot biography “The City is Up for Grabs”
– David Nir, publisher of The Downballot
&nda...
On this week's show:
– Jaime Harrison, former chair of the Democratic Party
– David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal editor-in-chief and opinion columnist
– Tim Dickinson, senior writer and editor for The Contrarian
– Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward
Catch “It’s the Democracy, Stupid” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlan...
Edwin Eisendrath talks about changing the name of "The Big Picture" to "It's the Democracy, Stupid."
Catch “It’s the Democracy, Stupid” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/edwin).
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this week's show:
– Chris Armitage, author of The Existentialist Republic newsletter on Substack
– Eric Garcia, Washington bureau chief at The Independent
– Deb Houry, former Chief Medical Officer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who resigned in protest last August
– Devin Remiker, new chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin
Catch “The Big Picture...
On this week's show:
– Charlotte Clymer, activist and the writer of Charlotte’s Web Thoughts, a bestselling Substack blog on politics, religion, foreign policy, and culture
– Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL)
– Rita Hart, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party
– Robert Weiner, Voting Rights Project director at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
On this week's show:
– Clara Jeffery, editor-in-chief of Mother Jones
– Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party
– G. Elliott Morris, data-driven journalist, pollster, author of the Substack newsletter “Strength In Numbers” and the book “Strength in Numbers: How Polls Work and Why We Need Them”
– Amy Maxmen, national public health repo...
On this week's show:
– Dave Roberts, publisher of Volts, a newsletter about clean energy and politics
– Tom Nichols, staff writer at The Atlantic; his latest piece is “The Commander in Chief Is Not Okay”
– Kiera Butler, national correspondent at Mother Jones; her latest piece is Tech Moguls Want to Build a Crypto Paradise on a Native American Reservation
– Dean Baker, senior...
On this week's show:
– Matt Caffrey, senior director of Grassroots Community Organizing at Swing Left
– Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council
– Richard Tofel, former president of ProPublica and author of the Second Rough Draft newsletter on Substack
– Lisa Graves, award-winning investigative researcher, author of &ld...
On this week's show:
– Ellen L. Weintraub, commissioner and four-time chair of the U.S. Federal Election Commission (2002-2025), currently a senior fellow at End Citizens United
– Bobby Kogan, senior director of Federal Budget Policy at the Center for American Progress
– Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL)
– Elizabeth Jacobs, professor emerita of Epidemiology and Biostatistics&n...
On this week's show:
– Simon Rosenberg, Democratic strategist and author of the Hopium Chronicles
– Amanda Marcotte, senior writer at Salon.com
– Jill Wine-Banks, legal analyst, former general counsel of the U.S. Army, author of The Watergate Girl, co-host of #SistersInLaw and host of Just The Facts with Jill Wine-Banks
– Claudia Sahm, chief economis...
On this week's show:
– Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García (D-IL)
– Samantha Tarazi, chief executive officer of Voting Rights Lab
– Radley Balko, award-winning journalist and publisher of “The Watch” on Substack
– Shaughnessy Naughton, president of 314 Action
Catch “The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p...
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