The Common Good Podcast

2025 A Nightmare Year in Review & The Brave Responses

On this episode of The Common Good Podcast, Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse reflect on what this year reveals, what it has cost the country, and why people committed to democracy, faith, and the common good cannot look away.

This year unfolded as a steady reminder of how damaging the Trump administration has been to democracy, human dignity, and the moral fabric of the country. ...

In this episode, with Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse, we dive into the shocking and disturbing details surrounding the latest Epstein file release.

Newly surfaced documents include a deeply troubling letter from Jeffrey Epstein to Larry Nassar, raising urgent questions about power, protection, and the systems that allowed abuse to persist for so long.

Doug and Robb ...

In moments of national crisis, leadership is revealed—not by strength of ego, but by depth of empathy. In this episode of The Common Good Podcast, Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse discuss Donald Trump’s repeated inability to lead during moments of struggle and tragedy. From public disasters to personal suffering, we examine how a lack of empathy and a pattern of narcissistic behavior undermine the basic responsibilities of moral and civ...

In this week’s episode, Doug and Robb dig into one of the most alarming stretches of the Trump presidency so far. From Trump’s dehumanizing attacks on Somali immigrants to a pair of lethal boat strikes in the Caribbean now raising war-crime concerns, the administration is leaning hard on fear and force while dodging accountability. We unpack Trump’s attempt to seize more control over immigration judges, America’s downgrade in globa...

What happens when a presidential administration treats law as optional and accountability as a threat? In this episode, we take a clear-eyed, fact-based look at the cascading legal, moral, and political crises emerging from the Trump Administration in 2025. Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse break down the three arenas where these dangers are most urgent: 🔹 State Crime – The misuse of government power, the erosion of checks and balances,...

In this episode of The Common Good Podcast, we dig into the documented scandals and alleged corruption that defined the Trump administration and why so many Americans see this moment as unprecedented in modern political history. We reflect on what these past years have revealed about our democracy, the stakes of integrity in public office, and why the coming election represents a critical opportunity for renewal, accountability, an...

In today’s episode of the Common Good Podcast, Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse dig into the growing rift inside MAGA world — the public break between Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump.

What does this split really mean? Why is it happening now? And how does it fit into the larger pattern of Republicans, conservatives, and former loyalists quietly (and not-so-quietly) backing away from Trump as his influence weakens?

Doug and Robb ...

This is The Common Good Podcast — where faith, politics, and the fight for the soul of our country come together. With Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse talking about the rising resistance to the MAGA movement — a resistance that’s growing stronger in every corner of society. Now that the shutdown is finally over and we’re less than a year from the midterm elections, the opposition to Donald Trump and his enablers isn’t just speaking out...

Voters sent a clear message in yesterday’s elections: Trumpism is losing its grip, and Democrats have the wind at their backs. In this episode of Good Politics, Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse break down the results, the trends, and the growing movement of voters choosing hope, compassion, and democracy over fear, lies, and extremism.

From local races to national momentum, we’re seeing a turning tide — one powered by people of faith an...

Author and scholar Holly Berkley Fletcher joins Doug Pagitt to discuss her new book The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism. Together, they explore how the experiences of missionary kids reveal deeper truths about faith, power, race, and identity within the evangelical movement. A thoughtful conversation about the cost of calling, the myth of multiculturalism, and what honest faith can look like beyond the ...

In this episode, we talk about what’s happening right now in America — prices for everyday essentials like gas, groceries, and housing have gone up since last year, and Donald Trump is doing nothing to help everyday Americans. Instead, he’s busy tearing down not only the East Wing of the White House in his bizarre plans, but also the foundations of democracy itself. But there’s hope. A growing number of evangelicals are turning awa...

Donald Trump isn’t just the president — he’s trolling the American people. In this episode, the Common Good Podcast team unpacks how Trump uses mockery, memes, and AI-generated videos to dehumanize and divide. From calling fellow citizens “enemies” to posting disturbing digital fantasies of violence, Trump turns cruelty into spectacle — and spectacle into power. We explore what this means for our national character, for people of f...

What does it mean to live in Donald Trump’s delusions about what America is and should be—especially as people of faith?

He calls our cities “hellholes,” treats political opponents as enemies, and talks about Gaza with no regard for human life. These aren’t just political statements—they reveal a worldview of fear, resentment, and revenge.

Join Vote Common Good's Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse for a candid conversation about how faith...

Donald Trump recently said people should “prove to God you are good enough to go to that next step.” His childish and immature understanding of goodness and morality shows that being 79 years old doesn’t necessarily mean having the maturity of an adult — sometimes it’s closer to that of a 7-year-old boy. This kind of moral immaturity puts our nation at risk in profound ways. In this episode of the Common Good Podcast, Doug Pagitt a...

On this episode of The Common Good Podcast, Doug Pagitt talks with Brian Recker, author of the new book Hellbent: How the Fear of Hell Holds Christians Back from a Spirituality of Love. Brian, a former evangelical pastor, takes us inside his journey of questioning one of Christianity’s most entrenched doctrines — the idea of eternal damnation. He argues that the fear of hell has distorted Christian faith, fostering shame, exclusion...

Welcome to the Common Good Podcast. In this episode, Doug Pagitt sits down with Father Pete Nunnally, an Episcopal priest, writer, and visionary leader behind the new Water and Wilderness Church. Together they dive into Pete’s forthcoming book, Catching Hope, which offers a fresh vision of faith rooted in renewal, resilience, and community. Their conversation explores not only Pete’s personal journey and the inspiration behind his ...

In this episode of Common Good Candidates, I talk with Mark Pinsley, a Democrat running for Congress in Pennsylvania. Mark’s district is one of the very few actually competitive Congressional districts in the country. It’s a critical race for Democrats to flip the House. Mark shares his journey from business leader to public servant, and why he believes government should work for people—not the wealthy and powerful. We dig into his...

In this episode of the Common Good Podcast, Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse confront the rising tide of political violence in America. In the wake of the tragic murders of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and  Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump has excused right-wing violence as “stopping crime” while casting the political left as “people who hate America.” Doug and Robb take on this dangerous rhetoric and the way it distorts our public...