If we were looking for favorite word pairs, two of them would be ‘digital media’ and ‘voter participation.’ Combined, these concepts marry themselves into a powerful force and a magnetic conversation about the methods that can be and should be used to mobilize new voters. This week’s episode focuses on exactly that through a fun conversation with Tatenda Musapatike, CEO/Founder of the Voter Formation Project. If understanding the wild world of digital tactics is up your alley (it’s our bread and...
Dec 22, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast The data does it for us. And what we mean by that aside from the fact that we may throw that phrase on a sweatshirt at some point, is that looking at data and the studies that produce these elements of interest can provide tangible evidence for particular policy measures. In the case of studies undertaken by our guest Dr. Jody Herman, who is a Reid Rasmussen Senior Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute, the findings are in the realm of gender identity and non-discrimination laws. In...
Dec 15, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast We love firsts, and this episode presents one for us - our first time on the show digging into early childhood education. Covering the waterfront in terms of policy and politics in this realm, we chat with expert in the field, Rebecca Feinglos Planchard, a Senior Early Childhood Policy Advisor, at the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education on what’s included in this policy bucket. We not only talk about the preparations and communications needed between federal and state government...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ohioooooo, we’re here! Okay, not physically but via Zoom with a must-learn-about candidate for US Senate - Morgan Harper. Previously, the Director of Policy & Advocacy at the American Economic Liberties Project, a former tenure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and able to tout testifying before Congress, Morgan opened the gate on the conversation about monopolies in the 21st century. Talkin’ big tech and more, we get into the nitty gritty of ‘too big too fail,’ the dangers of mer...
Dec 01, 2021•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gooooood morning Los Angeles (said in news anchor voice) voters, we’ve got a candidate you’re going to want to know all about. Her name is Yasmine Pomeroy and she is running for Los Angeles City Council District 3. Part get to know the candidate, part get to know the personality of LA politics, this episode opens the door to the unique functions and forms that make up the Angeleno political landscape. Yasmine Pomeroy’s Campaign Website: https://www.yasmineforthecity.com/ How to Talk Politics wit...
Nov 24, 2021•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you’ve been scratching your head about what on earth is going on with the Build Back Better bill, this episode is going to be your bread and butter of reference points. We go IN on the bill with Brian Derrick, Political Strategist & Founder of Oath to get a grasp on what’s included in the bill, what’s not, and what the process looks like for potentially passing it. Naturally, since we love abbreviations, we also get into the confusion around BBB versus the BIF, and even define what the CB...
Nov 17, 2021•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Us when talking about healthcare in the US and singing our favorite Avril Lavigne throwback: “Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?” But, seriously, healthcare in the US is no walk in the park. In fact, it’s more of a walk in a corn maze -- disorienting, confusing, and altogether spooky. To break down some of the basics, we had the honor of hosting Julie Oliver, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Ground Game Texas on this episode. Giving us the 411 on healthcare finance, cit...
Nov 10, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gender equality is a complex and nuanced topic, and discussing it at a global level is no exception from this qualification. In this episode, we begin the conversation around it, peeling back some of the many layers involved in what the status quo is at large, why in 2021 we are only so far, and how geopolitics play an important role. Joined by the amazing mind that is Dania Gharaibeh, Team Lead, Gender Equality at the IRC, we also brought clarity on terms and concepts commonly a part of the equ...
Nov 03, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast What are worker’s rights? What is collective bargaining? What in the literal world is the Taft-Hartley Act? Okay, and what about the Pro Act -- is there a cheat sheet somewhere? For this episode, we tapped Melanie D’Arrigo, Congressional Candidate (NY-3) to give us the answers to these q’s, which had us scratching our heads and trying to hit the good ol’ Google machine. Giving us the 411 on worker’s rights from a policy lens, past and future, Melanie walked us toward the answers and away from th...
Oct 27, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you’ve ever had a conversation with Sammy about politics, you KNOW she’s mentioned the term ‘gerrymandering.’ Thus, it’s only appropriate that we dedicated an entire episode to the term and its many siblings. Cue, our conversation with Arizona State Director at All On The Line, Kendra Alvarez, who took us past just gerrymandering to the terms beyond including ‘grid map,’ ‘packing,’ and ‘cracking.’ Terms with silly names perhaps, but ones that are set to play a big role in redistricting underw...
Oct 20, 2021•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’ve got California’s housing crisis on the mind and more than a few questions as to how it emerged. To shed light on these q’s, we tapped none other than Senator Scott Wiener (CA, SD-11) to tell us the tales of the past, present, and future of the housing crisis and the related homelessness crisis that has made a name for itself in the state. We start with the basics and then get into the bills, providing key context to what on earth a crisis is in this frame and how the political world can wo...
Oct 13, 2021•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast If we had a penny for every time we heard the phrase “Haitian border crisis” over the last few weeks, we’d be richer than Jeff Bezos (don’t tell him, thanks). That phrase begs many questions - is it really a crisis? Who on earth was and is responsible for what we are seeing unfold at our southern border? Is there a reason these people aren’t being granted asylum? And, what is this ambiguous Title 42 everyone keeps throwing around? We ask these questions and more in our conversation and latest ep...
Oct 06, 2021•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast The concept of sex education might bring you back to an array of incredibly awkward classes taught begrudgingly by your gym teacher. It might also conjure absolutely nothing if you’re from a state where parents can opt their children out of sex education at school. Sex education, its depth and most importantly, its accuracy varies state to state. Far from a one size fits all sitch, sex education has and continues to take on a variety pack of forms in this country and the data shows some wild tre...
Sep 29, 2021•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Our first dive into this issue in depth, albeit a very important one, this episode takes us through the background and the basics of gun reform in the US. An often touchy topic, as well as one with many behind the scenes players, the expert we brought in, Nico Bocour, Government Affairs Director at Giffords Courage, shed light on it from a data-based perspective, and provided the current and past context necessary to understand this complex issue. The tip of the iceberg, the start of a long road...
Sep 22, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast How can running for office be more accessible for working parents? Sarah Hague, political director at Vote Mama PAC has got the 411 on a solution that tackles one of the many critical hurdles parents face. Eyeing the need for a more diverse and important set of voices at the table (hello, young working parents), Vote Mama takes aim at changing the campaign finance game. Specifically, the two-pronged organization, which includes not just a PAC, but also a foundation, is lobbying for state finance...
Sep 08, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast The last few weeks have been headline city as it relates to the US’s longest war -- the war in Afghanistan. A departure from the past 20 years, where the war received little to no press coverage, the past few weeks had many of us constantly at a loss for words and left with many questions as to how on earth we got to this place. Cue, this week’s episode where we were honored to be joined by Veteran and Congressional Candidate for NY-11, Brittany Ramos DeBarros. Brittany, in our conversation, wal...
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Grab your cowboy boots and get ready to head to Texas in this episode where we get into the complexities of the Lone Star state’s politics with congressional candidate for TX-35, Claudia Zapata. Tackling a few of the many controversies that have taken to the headlines as of late, our conversation touches on voting rights legislation, the strategy of the politicians who made moves to DC to prevent a vote, and the surprisingly (and pitiful) pay that state legislators are paid. We also get into Cla...
Aug 25, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast When you think ‘Iowa’, you may think of presidential campaigns and the buzz that surrounds the infamous caucuses. However, politics happens in the state 365, 24/7, especially in Cedar Rapids. In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Cedar Rapids Councilmember Ashley Vanorny (D-5) about the politics of her district, the politics of city council, and what inspired her to run for local office. A look inside city council, what it does, and why local politics are extremely important, thi...
Aug 18, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode we take a virtual road trip down to Louisiana to chat with State Representative Mandie Landry (LA, D-91) on what it’s like to be pro-choice in a heavily red (and anti-choice) state. Walking us through her experiences, her conversations with colleagues, and painting the picture as to the political landscape of the state, we learned there is much more than meets the eye when it comes to the overall topic of women’s health in the state. From maternal morbidity rates to access to sex...
Aug 11, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we virtually traveled to Philly to get the skinny on a district that will be the talk of the town, or dare we say the talk of the City of Brotherly Love, as we head into the 2022 midterms. In our explorations sans cheesesteak, we chatted with candidate and congressional hopeful, Alexandra Hunt about her campaign, the ins-and-outs of Philly’s political landscape, and the change she hopes to bring to the table. Touching on issues in her district and beyond, we covered territory from unio...
Aug 04, 2021•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode we officially leave Sammy’s NY territory and hop on over to Maddie’s in California to chat with Fatima Iqbal-Zubair who is a candidate running for CA State Assembly (D64). And when we say running in this case, we mean running as a grassroots progressive candidate against an incumbent Democrat. There’s tea and there’s real talk on what needs to change in her district and how she plans to make it happen. We also tap into redistricting happening as a result of the 2020 Census, what ...
Jul 28, 2021•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s all in the branding isn’t it? That is very much the case of the concept of Crisis Pregnancy Centers, as well as that of Planned Parenthood. In our first deep dive conversation (we don’t know how it’s our first either) on women’s health and the politics surrounding it, we virtually sat down with State Senator Cappelletti (PA-17) to get into it all. Through our conversation we peeled back the branding on Crisis Pregnancy Centers, and dove into what on earth these centers do and how they’re ev...
Jul 21, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode we’re scooting over to the SCOTUS side of things to discuss the latest and greatest hot button cases with lawyer and legal educator, Natasha Axelrod. Touching on Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L and NCAA v. Alston et al, this episode provides the scoop on what the cases were all about, where they landed, and what the court’s decisions mean for the future. Obvi we also give light to some essential ‘I have a stupid questions,’ including defining what SCOTUS is, so even if you’re a ...
Jul 14, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s a DM-iversary BABAAAAAY! Once upon a time in land far far away, aka California, Maddie DM’d Sammy about starting a podcast. A year later and here we are - rockin,’ rollin,’ and giving you the scoop on our journey. We chat through top q’s we get, submissions from our beloved brand ambassadors (we heart you!), what we have planned for year two, and a lot about Sammy's momentarily raspy voice. Have fun in and out of the sun and hop into this eppy with us. P.S. Ask us all your questions and...
Jul 07, 2021•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode covers so much ground that its title is almost two full lines long. Is that a record? We’re not sure. But, what we are sure of, is that this episode gives you the 411 on the amazing work done and that is in motion for the Trevor Project. What we’re also sure of is that our guest, Casey Pick, ESQ, Senior Fellow for Advocacy & Government Affairs at The Trevor Project, provides a comprehensive look at the issues facing the LGBTQ community and how it connects to not just the organiz...
Jun 30, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is a special edition of Girl and the Gov, The Podcast and it’s special not just because its a two episode week, but because we are beyond honored to share that our guest is none other than Ms. Opal Lee, the Grandmother of Juneteenth. To say that we aren’t still star struck is an understatement, but Ms. Opal Lee is one serious badass lady, counting 94 years on this planet and many in activism. Her focus, as one may guess from her moniker, is to have Juneteenth recognized in law as a federal ...
Jun 18, 2021•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re surfing over to California for this episode, where we speak with the founder of Project Super Bloom, Eric Warmoth about the smoke and mirrors politics going on in the Golden State. To the surprise of many, politics in California at the state level isn’t what it seems to be from afar -- blue. Due to the ability for corporations to donate directly to political campaigns, the ways in which politics work in the state are a whole different beast than you may think. In our conversation, we get t...
Jun 16, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Have you ever thought to yourself WTF is actually inside the Constitution? Have you ever thought, but like where’s the Bill of Rights at? If either of these two questions have ever popped into your head, this episode is for you. We had the privilege of chatting with Ben Sheehan, Author of OMG WTF DOES THE CONSTITUTION ACTUALLY SAY?, on these two questions and more -- like those pesky amendments, how they’re ratified, and what ratifying even means in the first place. Humor is top of mind in this ...
Jun 09, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast The sun is rising on a new episode, which is perfect because this one sheds (sun)light on the Sunrise Movement. A dip back into the world of climate activism and climate policy, this episode takes us through an informative and can’t-miss conversation with the Co-Founder of the Sunrise Movement. Will Lawrence. From interesting tactics like ‘Wide Awakes’ (this was new to us) to politicians that are making their mark in this realm (Senator Markey you make an appearance), we cover new territory. P.S...
Jun 02, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Every season is election season, which is why we tapped Lala Wu, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Sister District to give us the 411 on how to get out the vote. Providing a close look at the mechanisms we commonly hear about like phone banking, text banking, and more, our conversation with Lala offers more than just definitions, but an understanding of how these processes are actually put to work by organizations like Sister District. Speaking of Sister District, in this episode we also disc...
May 26, 2021•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
