Politics For Happy People
A podcast about politics for happy people!
Episodes
14 episodes
The Culture of Convenience Comes for Parenthood
When YouTube personality Jesse Ridgeway (McJuggerNuggets) publicly announced that he and his wife aborted their unborn child after a Down syndrome diagnosis, the backlash was immediate. Ashley Vaughan and Joseph Backholm examine the heartbreaki...
What should Christians do when neither option upholds their values?
In this episode of Politics for Happy People, Joseph and Ashley examine the theology and worldview of Texas Democrat James Talarico. They argue that Talarico redefines core biblical teachings to support progressive positions on gender, sexualit...
Progressives forfeiting education money in exchange for control
Federal investigators have launched a Title IX inquiry into Cabarrus County Schools after female students raised concerns about males accessing girls' bathrooms and locker rooms. Ashley and Joseph break down what the investigation could mean fo...
Is Woke Dead?
Joseph Backholm and Ashley Vaughan tackle one of the most controversial cultural and political issues in America today: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). As North Carolina lawmakers debate legislation targeting DEI programs in schools, un...
NC School Boards Are Out of Compliance — And Families Are Paying the Price
School districts across North Carolina are facing growing scrutiny for refusing to comply with state laws protecting parental rights, girls’ sports, and private spaces. In this episode, Ashley Vaughan and Joseph Backholm break down the ongoing ...
Who Draws the Maps—and Why It Matters
Why are states suddenly redrawing congressional maps? What even is gerrymandering? And why does redistricting matter so much heading into the next election cycle?In this episode of Politics for Happy People, Joseph Back...
Americans’ Love-Hate Relationship with AI
Artificial intelligence is changing the way we work, learn, and live — but is it making us smarter, or more dependent? In this episode of Politics for Happy People, Ashley Vaughan and Joseph Backholm unpack the growing cultural debate around AI...
Protect Our Daughters: Girls Speak Out About School Privacy
This week on Politics for Happy People, Joseph Backholm and Ashley Vaughan discuss the growing debate surrounding privacy and safety in North Carolina schools. The episode highlights firsthand stories from female students who say they ...
What No One Told Her: Prisha Mosley’s Detransition Story
In this special episode of Politics for Happy People, Joseph Backholm sits down with detransitioner and advocate Prisha Mosley to hear her deeply personal story of gender transition, regret, and healing. Prisha shares how online commun...
The New Abortion Battle: Mifepristone & Mail-Order Abortions
In this episode of Politics for Happy People, Joseph and Ashley break down the growing legal and cultural battle surrounding mifepristone — the abortion pill now used in the majority of abortions in America. They discuss the serious he...
SPLC: Are You A Hate Group?
In this episode of Politics for Happy People, we take a closer look at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)—its origins, its current influence, and the growing controversy surrounding it. From its early role in fighting the Ku Klux Klan to it...
Schoolboard Gone Wild | Special Guest Mary Summa
In this episode of Politics for Happy People, hosts Ashley Vaughan and Joseph Backholm break down a growing controversy in North Carolina as the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board pushes back against parts of the state’s Parents’ Bill o...
Recent Supreme Court decisions, and what they tell us about our culture
In this episode of Politics for Happy People, Joseph Backholm and Ashley Vaughan break down a series of major Supreme Court of the United States cases shaping the cultural and legal landscape—from free speech in counseling to parental rights, g...
What’s Ahead in the Legislative Short Session with Tami Fitzgerald
In the very first episode of Politics for Happy People, hosts Joseph Backholm and Ashley Vaughan sit down with Tami Fitzgerald to talk about why this podcast exists and why now is the right time for it.They break down the start ...
