In this episode, Kevin and John sit down with Dr. Lia Howard, a political scientist and Director of the Political Empathy Lab at the University of Pennsylvania. We dive into the concept of affective polarization and how our political identities have become dangerously stacked with our social identities.

Dr. Howard shares fascinating insights from her research traveling across Pennsylvania, where she and her students spent a summer simply listening to strangers to understand the roots of our national divide. Plus, we discuss the loneliness epidemic and why something as simple as making eye contact might be the first step in saving our democracy.

Chapter Timestamps:

00:00 – Malcolm X, 1964 and the WNAR mission

00:49 – Kevin’s computer crisis and John’s big move

02:48 – The clickbait culture: Why "annihilating" the opposition gets views

04:46 – Introducing Dr. Lia Howard

08:09 – Affective Polarization: How outrage became a manufactured system

10:41 – The danger of stacked identities and seeing others as less than human

14:55 – The Loneliness Epidemic: How screens are killing our social connections

17:51 – Inside the Political Empathy Lab: Learning to listen in a swing state

23:48 – Dealing with scripted talking points and conspiracy theories

56:22 – Outro: Coming up next week on WNAR

Join the Revolution: New episodes are LIVE every Wednesday at 9pm ET and streaming everywhere the next day.

#weneedarevolution #politicalempathy #leahhoward #nonpartisan #news #affectivepolarization #politics

Episode Summary: Is the United States becoming the next Hungary? Guest Matt Burka joins Kevin Rosenquist and John Banks to explain why the American system is beginning to mirror the decay of Eastern European democracies. From the "wealth pump" that extracts capital from the working class to the "elite overproduction" that fuels political vitriol, we explore why the system feels rigged and where the American dream has actually migrated.

Key Discussion Points:

• The Decay of Institutions: Matt discusses how the Hungarian government monopolized industries and used gerrymandering to stay in power, noting similar patterns emerging in the U.S.
• Digital Feudalism: A look at how Meta and Google control the "active eyeballs" of the world, charging small businesses arbitrary prices without transparency.
• The Education Trap: Why $200,000 degrees are failing to prepare young people for a workforce being rapidly transformed by AI.
• The Global Shift: Why talented Americans are moving to places like Thailand to find the safety, cost of living, and entrepreneurial freedom they can no longer find at home.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Democracy vs. concentrated wealth

10:32 – Defining Eastern European-ization

21:42 – Lobbying and the death of innovation

27:52 – The hidden costs of digital advertising

36:07 – Peter Turchin and the wealth pump

44:33 – The American dream in Southeast Asia

54:34 – Brain drain and the shift in global economics

More from Matt: https://www.youtube.com/@matt_borka

Connect with the Show: Watch live every Wednesday at 9pm ET on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WeNeedaRevolutionShow

If you earned $1 million every single day since the calendar began 2,026 years ago, you would still be less wealthy than Elon Musk. This week, we are joined by Bob Lord, Senior VP of Patriotic Millionaires and a former tax attorney for the 1%, to discuss why the American tax system is designed to fail the middle class.

We dive into the mechanics of wealth concentration, exploring how the tax code defers the recognition of investment gains until they are sold, allowing the ultra-rich to accumulate hundreds of billions while paying an effective annual rate lower than that of the average worker. Bob explains the "Buy, Borrow, Die" strategy and shares details on new legislative efforts to create a more progressive system that exempts basic cost-of-living wages from federal income tax.

Key Topics:

• The massive gap between economic income and what shows up on a tax return
• How the "Buy, Borrow, Die" strategy allows billionaires to avoid taxes entirely
• The mission of Patriotic Millionaires to save democracy from wealth destabilization
• Proposed legislation: The Equal Tax Act and the $46,000 basic cost-of-living exemption

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome to the Revolution: Ending "documentary bipartisanship"

03:50 – Tax rates 101: The surgeon vs. the investor

05:50 – Bob Lord’s transition from high-level tax attorney to advocate

08:15 – Debunking the myth of high billionaire tax rates

11:30 – The path to the first trillionaire

14:40 – Inside the Patriotic Millionaires movement

16:00 – Policy solutions: The Equal Tax Act and median income exemptions

19:40 – Deep dive into the "Buy, Borrow, Die" loophole

27:20 – How the tax code threatens democracy

55:40 – Next week: Elite overproduction with Matt Burka

Links: Patriotic Millionaires: https://patrioticmillionaires.org/ We Need A Revolution YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WeNeedaRevolutionShow

#weneedarevolution #taxtherich #patrioticmillionaires #economicjustice #nonpartisan #politics2026 #news #wealthgap #elonmusk #jeffbezos #trump #2026midterms

In this episode, Kevin Rosenquist and John Banks sit down with researcher Laine Sullivan to uncover the disturbing history of Chicago’s water infrastructure. We explore the Daley-Bailey Pact, a mid-century political deal that mandated lead pipes in city building codes long after they were known to be toxic.

Laine explains the concept of hydraulic citizenship and the theory of weathering, detailing how systemic disinvestment and environmental toxins physically age the bodies of residents in marginalized communities. We also discuss recent federal mandates and the current administration’s progress in addressing this public health crisis.

Chapter Timestamps

• 00:00 George Carlin’s warning and the reality of class struggle.
• 00:32 Banter: Pickleball vs. the Chicago architectural tour.
• 04:10 Introducing Laine Sullivan: Infrastructure as a tool of the state.
• 06:00 Laine’s journey from environmental justice research to the Chicago lead crisis.
• 07:55 The Daley-Bailey Pact: How a political alliance kept lead in the ground.
• 11:55 Hydraulic Citizenship: How water determines who belongs.
• 14:41 The biological toll: Neurotoxins, brain development, and aging.
• 21:44 Why is it taking so long? The private side loophole and the 2045 deadline.
• 28:08 Weathering Explained: How chronic stress and toxic water physically change the body.
• 40:04 Beyond Chicago: Trump’s water veto in Colorado and the weaponization of resources.
• 42:21 The path forward: Testing kits, filters, and holding representatives accountable.

Join the Revolution: We record LIVE on YouTube every Wednesday at 9pm ET.

#weneedarevolution #chicago #environmentaljustice #leadpoisoning #politics2026 #publichealth #nonpartisan

Our government is failing us because it’s running on outdated code. This week, we are joined by Dustin Wahl of Fix Our House to discuss the specific structural flaws that keep the duopoly in power. Dustin brings a unique perspective as both an institutional disruptor and a frontline campaigner.

We discuss his work with Save71 at Liberty University, the strategic lessons learned from Dan Osborn’s independent Senate campaign in Nebraska, and the "Two-Party Doom Loop" that paralyzes American progress. Dustin breaks down why we need to move toward Mixed-Member Proportional representation, a system that ensures your vote actually results in representation, regardless of which color state you live in.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Insider Insurgency: How Dustin helped lead the movement to hold Liberty University leadership accountable from within.
• The 1967 Mandate: Why the Uniform Congressional District Act is the primary hurdle for third-party competition.
• The Nebraska Experiment: Why a working-class mechanic can win 46% of the vote and still end up with zero voice in Washington.
• The MMP Solution: How a two-vote system allows for local representation while ensuring the final seat count matches the actual will of the people.
• The Stability Myth: Why the current system provides instability without representation and why proportional systems actually help quarantine extremists.

Chapter Timestamps:

00:00 – Opening: Plato and the mission of WNAR.

07:13 – Why political parties are necessary, but two isn't enough.

11:51 – Taking on an "Evangelical Fortress": The ouster of Jerry Falwell Jr.

15:57 – The "Strategically Naive" tactic for social change.

21:41 – Behind the scenes of the Dan Osborn independent Senate run.

33:59 – The 1967 Uniform Congressional District Act.

43:25 – How Mixed-Member Proportional representation works in the U.S.

53:45 – Lessons from Germany: How proportional systems handle far-right factions.

59:50 – How to demand structural change from your local candidates.

Connect with Dustin Wahl:

Fix Our House: https://www.fixourhouse.org

Dustin Wahl on X: https://x.com/DustinWahl

Join the Revolution: Watch us live every Wednesday at 9pm ET: https://www.youtube.com/@WeNeedaRevolutionShow

#weneedarevolution #voterreform #mmp #dustinwahl #fixourhouse #independent #proportionalrepresentation #politics2026

John Graham spent fifteen years in the high stakes world of international diplomacy, serving in the middle of revolutions in Libya and the front lines of the Vietnam War. For years, he lived as an "adrenaline junkie," viewing conflict as a source of personal adventure rather than a human tragedy. That changed during a "Kafkaesque" night in Hue, Vietnam, when he realized he was ordering the deaths of 17 year olds for a war he no longer believed in.

In this episode, Kevin and John discuss Graham’s radical transformation and his time at the United Nations, where he covertly worked against his own government's hypocrisy to help end apartheid in South Africa. Now the co-founder of the Giraffe Heroes Project, John shares how we can all find meaning by "sticking our necks out" for the common good and why taking "smart risks" is essential to being a complete human being.

Key Moments and Insights

• The Mercenary Mindset: John discusses his early years hitchhiking through the Algerian Revolution and how he became addicted to the "adrenaline rush" of physical violence.
• The Vietnam Epiphany: A look at the specific moment of crisis in 1972 that shattered John’s "John Wayne" persona and forced him to confront the shallow nature of his life.
• Sabotaging the System: How John used his role at the UN to leak documents and tips to African delegates, ensuring a tough arms embargo against the white South African regime.
• The Giraffe Philosophy: An introduction to the Giraffe Heroes Project and the 2,000+ "unsung heroes" who have moved from being "ostriches" with their heads in the sand to activists making a difference.
• Building Trust Across Divides: Why the path to change often involves a cup of coffee and finding common ground on issues like clean water or family, rather than immediate confrontation.

Resources and Links

• Giraffe Heroes Project: https://www.giraffe.org
• John Graham’s Official Site: https://www.johngraham.org
• Badass Granddad Series: https://www.tiktok.com/@badassgranddad (Also available on YouTube and Instagram)
• Book - Sit Down, Young Stranger: https://www.johngraham.org/sit-down-young-stranger
• Book - Quest: Risk, Adventure and the Search for Meaning: https://www.johngraham.org/quest

Are you feeling "politically homeless"? You’re not alone. On the debut episode of We Need a Revolution, hosts Kevin Rosenquist and John Banks dive into why the American two-party system feels like a "runaway train" with zero accountability.

They are joined by Sara Wolk, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Equal Vote Coalition, to discuss how our current "choose-one" voting method is mathematically designed to divide us. From her adventures defending the rights of nature in the Ecuadorian cloud forests to the "center squeeze" disaster of Alaska’s recent elections, Sara explains why it’s time to move past outdated reforms and embrace a more expressive, accurate system: STAR Voting.

Key Moments in This Episode:

• The Problem with "Choose One": Why our current system forces us to vote against what we hate rather than for what we love.
• The Alaska Case Study: A look at how Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) failed in the 2022 Begich vs. Palin election and what we can learn from it.
• What is STAR Voting?: Sara breaks down "Score Then Automatic Runoff", a simple, 5-star rating system that levels the playing field for third parties and honest candidates.
• The Rights of Nature: How Sara helped Ecuador become the first country to recognize the constitutional rights of the ecosystem.

Resources & Links:

• Equal Vote Coalition: equal.vote
• Learn About STAR Voting: starvoting.org
• Run Your Own Election: bettervoting.com
• Join the Revolution: equal.vote/join

Watch us live: Every Wednesday at 9pm ET on YouTube.

Next Week: We talk with John Graham of the Giraffe Heroes Project about sticking your neck out for real change.

America isn’t broken by accident. The system works for the few, not the many.

We Need a Revolution is a live, weekly podcast breaking down how power, money, and the two-party system lead to a stacked deck against regular Americans, and what we can actually do about it. No party loyalty. No billionaire excuses. Just facts and real strategies for taking some power back.

Live on YouTube Wednesdays starting January 7. New episodes every week and streaming everywhere the next day. Subscribe and be part of it.

We have the power.