Cast Iron Resistance
Welcome to Cast Iron Resistance. We're Southerners raised on catfish, Sunday night church suppers, family reunions in the sweltering July heat, and the chill of Spring Book Pool on opening day.. But like so many of you, we're tired of watching the South get dragged through the mud, and also tired of watching it drag itself through the mud. So this podcast is a love letter and a protest song. Because yes, the South gave us great things like bourbon and blues and the civil rights movement, but it's also home to voter suppression, book bans, and a political machine that treats cruelty like a virtue. So we're here to say something different. We're Southerners who don't believe in walking lockstep with the current administration. We don't wrap ourselves in flags to cover up injustice. We believe in equity, in community, and in calling bullshit when we see it, especially when it comes from those in power. The truth is, the South is not just red, y'all. It's complicated. It's alive and it's full of folks—liberals, leftists, democrats, independents, disillusioned conservatives—who feel isolated, outnumbered, and voiceless in their own hometowns. So if that's you, you're not alone. Cast Iron Resistance is about reclaiming southern identity from the grip of fear and fanaticism. We're not running from where we're from. We're standing here, sturdy, like cast iron, ready to speak up and to push back. So pull up a chair, and you've got people here. Let's talk about what it means to fight for a better South, because we love it enough not to let it slide quietly into hate.
Episodes
Y'all, the Republican machine wants you to think Tennessee's 7th Congressional District is theirs for the taking. They're dead wrong.
In this episode, we sit down with Kate Briefs, the Boston-bred, immigrant-raised campaign manager who's helping Aftyn Behn turn what everyone called a "safe red seat" into a battlefield. This ain't your typical campaign —this is grassroots organizing with teeth, stretching from Clarksville to the Ala...
In the wake of Charlie Kirk's shocking assassination, we sit down with Kevin Jenkins—a young Black man running for Congress in Tennessee's blood-red 1st district, where he's one of the few faces that don't look like the overwhelming majority. From the poorest county in Tennessee, Kevin's doing the hard work of building bridges in Trump country while folks on the right try to paint progressives as bloodthirsty monsters.
We dig into t...
From Alaska to Marshall County: How One Woman is Building a Progressive Resistance in Rural Tennessee
In this powerful episode, the Cast Iron crew sits down with Jess Limbird, the Democratic Party chair in Marshall County, Tennessee—a place so red it went 78% for Trump in 2024. But don't let those numbers fool you. Jess, who spent two decades in Alaska working with Native students and fighting broken systems, came home to Tennessee ...
When Boots-on-the-Ground Meets Policy Hell
This week, Steve sits down with Nathan "Narcan Nate" Smiddy, a fellow traveler from the rooms who went from small-town Tennessee addict to one of the most respected harm reduction advocates on the West Coast. Nate's story cuts deep—from growing up in a cop family in Jellico to chasing that first devastating high, to finding his calling keeping people alive on the streets of San Diego. He do...
In this episode, hosts Steve Wildsmith, Nathan Higdon, and Jeremy LaDuke welcome Lee Jones, Middle Tennessee Regional Vice Chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party and Chair of the LGBTQ+ Caucus, for a deep dive into what Democrats need to do to win—and it's not what you might think.
Opening with the stunning upset victory of democratic socialist Zoran Mamdani in New York's mayoral primary, Steve sets the stage for a crucial question...
In this episode of Cast Iron Resistance, we are joined by Jesse Mayshark Executive Director at the Progressive South and host of the Headlights podcast as we discuss the current geopolitical climate, particularly the escalation of tensions in the Middle East, and the role of media in shaping public perception and accountability. We explore the challenges faced by journalists in today's fast-paced information environment, the impact...
This episode kicks down the door with Southern fire and righteous fury. Hosts Steve, Jeremy, and Nathan celebrate unexpected wins—like a young Black Democrat flipping a deep-red South Carolina seat and Georgia’s youngest lawmaker stepping into the fight for justice. Even the return of North Carolina’s blue ghost fireflies gets its moment as a symbol of hope.
Then comes the main event: Tennessee State Rep Aftyn Behn. She doesn't suga...
Welcome to the inaugural episode of Cast Iron Resistance, a new podcast for Southern progressives who refuse to let their region be defined by hate and division. Hosts Steve Wildsmith, Jeremy LaDuke, and Nathan Higdon introduce their mission: reclaiming Southern identity from fear and fanaticism while building real political momentum in red counties across the South.
In this episode, the hosts sit down with Nathan Higdon, Vice Chair...
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