The Rick Smith Show
By working people. For working people. Welcome to The Rick Smith Show.Working Americans are tired of listening to think tank approved corporate news and commentary. They want a direct, honest approach to the issues that matter, so this is what The Rick Smith Show provides. No puppets. No focus groups. No talking points.Want more #RickShow? Go to https://www.thericksmithshow.comThe Rick Smith Show streams live every weeknight from 9p-11p EST on YouTube & Twitch TV, and the show runs every night in prime time on Free Speech TV.Be sure to add the FSTV channel on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, on the FSTV iOS app, or find us in the regular channel lineup on DirecTV or Dish.Radio listeners – You can find us in most major markets, including New York City on WBAI 99.5 FM, Los Angeles on KPFK 90.7 FM, Chicago on WCPT AM 820, Columbus on 98.3/92.7 FM, Minneapolis on AM950, and many others. Check your local listings.Call-in at 1-866-416-RICK (7425) to join the show.Questions or comments? Email Rick@thericksmithshow.com
Episodes
July 26, 2024
So there’s an election coming, and America is going to have to make a decision. But unlike past elections, this time we have two candidates so different from each other in every imaginable way – that our vote this year may just define us and tell us the kind of America we think we deserve. We discuss this and more with Dave Madland of The Center for American Progress, and former OSHA Deputy Secretary Jordan Barab.
July 25, 2024
This race is about many things, but the implications for working people simply can’t be overstated. Project 2025 is clear about its intention to immiserate the working class, and Trump has a life-long record of stiffing workers as a businessman, and as a president. We discuss the threat of a second Trump term with Jimmy Williams, President of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, and also with Will Ric...
July 24, 2024
The Democratic Party has quickly coalesced behind Vice President Kamala Harris, changing the race from one about age into one about criminality. Harris raised over $100 million in her first day as a candidate, so it’s safe to say that there is considerable excitement about this new direction. We discuss with Will Bunch of The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Scott Paul of The Alliance for American Manufacturing.
July 23, 2024
Joe Biden has stepped aside and endorsed his VP, Kamala Harris, for President. This kind of sacrifice for the good of the country has happened only a few times in our history, and frankly, it’s the kind of thing that makes America special, a legacy smeared by only one event – January 6, when Trump supporters attacked America and tried to overthrow an election by force. These two acts, one of patriotism and the other of...
July 22, 2024
The Republican National Convention is over, and once again, it was a well-staged, well-organized, four-day bludgeoning of truth, democracy, and working-class values. Now that it’s over, and ear-bandages can no longer be mistaken for a fashion statement, we discuss how America can recover and move forward. Our guests today are Craig Harrington of Media Matters, and Sarah Burris of Raw Story.
July 19, 2024
Project 2025 is an absolute disaster for the working class, but it’s being sold as some grand appeal to choice. This is how they took our pensions and replaced them with 401ks, and it’s how they’re closing our public schools. Will it work this time, too? We discuss this and more with Labor Reporter Steven Greenhouse and Karla Walter of The Center for American Progress.
Don’t miss our daily TV show on Free Speech TV: www...
July 18, 2024
As the RNC continues, we are hearing again and again about how broken America is, but nothing about how anyone plans to fix it. This RNC is absolutely devoid of any policy on anything at all – instead it’s only and always about the fear and hate that the GOP hopes to grow. We discuss this and more with Chris Anderson of the Ohio Dems, and Nidhi Hegde of The American Economic Liberties Project.
July 17, 2024
So Trump picked JD Vance to be his VP. What does that mean, and how could his involvement change the campaign, and the administration should Trump pull off another unlikely upset? We talk about these effects and more with Jess Piper of Blue Missouri and Scott Paul of The Alliance for American Manufacturing.
Don’t miss our daily TV show on Free Speech TV: www.freespeech.org
Find us on:
· DirecTV (Channel 348)
· Di...
July 16, 2024
Politicians and talking heads across America are repeating the phrase “political violence is never OK” as they should. But we should not ignore the facts that America has a long history of political violence, and in the past several years, political violence has been called for time and again. We renew our calls for peace and also discuss how the attack on Trump is especially bad for American working people because it ...
July 15, 2024
As the RNC begins, it’s a good time to look back on our history, a history in which, at every stage, workers have been mistreated, and bosses have paid great sums of money to keep them that way. In fact, that simple truth explains the existence of the modern Republican party itself – a party dedicated to elevating the already elevated, and boot-heeling the rest of us. We discuss this and more with today’s guests: Saru ...
July 12, 2024
Once every four years, Republicans gather for what can only be called the most anti-worker event on planet Earth – the Republican National Convention. At this event, they will nominate anti-worker candidates, make anti-worker speeches, unveil their anti-worker platform, and celebrate the greed of the wealth class and the misery of everyone else. And this year, the greed class is getting lots and lots of mileage out of ...
July 11, 2024
After a rough week and a number of calls for him to leave the race, Joe Biden is punching back. He’s been everywhere, and he’s been dialed in for every event, defiantly saying he’s not going anywhere. We discuss this and more with Will Bunch of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Michael Sainato of The Guardian.
Don’t miss our daily TV show on Free Speech TV: www.freespeech.org
Find us on:
· DirecTV (Channel 348)
· Dis...
July 10, 2024
In America, we are all equal under the law … at least, that’s what the script says. But in reality, our Supreme Court has decided that some rich folks are simply more equal than the rest of us, and the script we’ve been following for over two centuries is not only false, btu it has never been true. We discuss this and more with Georgetown History Professor James McCartin and Scott Paul of The Alliance for American Manu...
July 9, 2024
In every election cycle, the pundit class tells us that “This is the most important election of our lifetime.” But this time it is likely true, since never in our history has the choice between freedom and authoritarianism been so clearly defined by two candidates. It’s democracy against the cult of personality, and November is coming. We discuss this and more with Bill Scher of Washington Monthly.
July 8, 2024
As we celebrated another 4th of July, we did so fully aware that it could be our last as a democracy. That’s scary talk, but it’s not an exaggeration – we really are on the brink of authoritarianism, even if our legacy media refuses to treat the situation realistically. We discuss this and more with former GOP congressman Bob Ney, and Sarah Burris, our favorite reporter over at Raw Story.
July 5, 2024
After last week’s debate, Dems have a very real dilemma on their hands, but it seems that they’re also split on the subject of solutions to the problem. And with an authoritarian dictator waiting in the wings, there’s not a whole lot of time to set things right. We discuss this and more with Law Professor Eric Fink, and Alphecca Muttardy of the National Infrastructure Bank Coalition.
July 4, 2024
As much as we hate to say it – it’s time to have the conversation. With Biden’s candidacy in an uncertain place, The Supreme Court taking us back to the days of King George, and Trump waiting in the wings to burn down what’s left of American Democracy, we need to discuss the best ways to secure our freedoms before the right-wing corporate flunkies turn us all into nothing more than cheap labor. We discuss this and more ...
July 3, 2024
With its recent immunity ruling, the United States Supreme Court has announced itself as a partisan entity entirely owned by big money corporate interests, so much so that they are willing to install a king to replace our presidents. We discuss both the immunity ruling and the end of the Chevron Doctrine with former OSHA Administrator Jordan Barab, and “The Aggressive Progressive” Chris Hahn.
June 20, 2024
Elections have consequences, but none are so drastic as those that might have been. For example, if the 2016 election had gone the other way, we would probably be living in the last months of the second Clinton term. We’d likely have a 6-3 liberal Supreme Court, the Trump tax cuts would have never happened, and the Trump Train, so to speak, would have never left the station. We normally don’t engage in “what ifs” but a...
June 19, 2024
While all we see in our corporate media is doom and gloom and anger and division, the reality is that, while working families are struggling in this economy, the economy itself is booming. The problem is not how we turn the economy around, but how we can unrig it so that working people get their fair share of all this American success. We discuss this and more on today’s show.
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