The Great Purple State
Conall and Emerson talk history and politics in Wisconsin and around the world. From presidential elections to nuclear disarmament treaties, from the history of Wisconsin to the history of the rise and fall of fascism in Europe, we cover a wide breadth of topics in a conversational way.
Episodes
35 episodes
Wisconsin’s message to the world: Don’t give up the ship
Conall and Emerson discuss the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court election that saw Susan Crawford defeat Elon Musk’s millions in a landslide, alongside other recent events here and in America. We speak about hope, resistance, and the importance of...
•
44:36
An interview with Christian Phelps, Wisconsin state representative
In The Great Purple State's first-ever interview, Conall and Emerson speak with Christian Phelps, a Wisconsin state representative for Assembly District 93 (Eau Claire and the rural areas around it). We cover a wide array of topics, from the Tr...
•
45:19
President Musk, and the calm before the storm
In this pre-inauguration episode, Conall and Emerson discuss the presidential transition, Elon Musk's attempt to buy the American government, and how to stay calm and collected in a time of political crisis.
•
58:40
The Return
Donald Trump has won the 2024 presidential election. He is set to return to Washington more empowered and vengeful than ever. Conall and Emerson give their election retrospectives and more in the Great Purple State's return episode in order to ...
•
50:06
Of politics and purple states: Is Wisconsin a future red state?
In this brief episode, Conall and Emerson discuss broader political trends in the state of Wisconsin and ask ourselves what the future holds for our podcast's titular state. Op-ed Conall cites about rural American political trends:...
•
28:49
One (state supreme court) election to rule them all: Wisconsin's Supreme Court election battle
In this episode, Conall and Emerson discuss the upcoming high stakes supreme court election that will determine the fate of things like Wisconsin's abortion ban, voting rights, and fair maps in the state. We explain our endorsement of Janet Pro...
•
19:29
Damn Derrick, Back At It Again: Assault on the Capitol (FINALE)
In this final episode of our episode on Derrick Van Orden, the Republican congressional candidate for Wisconsin's Third District , Conall and Emerson make our case for why he represents a threat to Wisconsin's democracy. From his embrace of Tru...
•
34:44
"Damn Derrick, Back At It Again": The Gay Bunny Book Cometh (Part 2)
In this episode, Emerson and Conall dive into the culture wars the right has been waging against LGBTQ content, and how Derrick Van Orden's harassment of a teenage library page in Prairie du Chien proves his unfitness for office. We also discus...
•
39:43
"Damn Derrick, Back At It Again": Dispatches from Wisconsin's Most Heated House Race (Part 1)
In this first episode of a mini-series on Wisconsin's 3rd House district, Conall and Emerson dive into the political dynamics of Wisconsin's 3rd district, a mostly rural district in western and central Wisconsin, and how the political winds in ...
•
Episode 27
•
19:42
Optimism of the Will: Thoughts on Persisting in Times of Struggle
In this emergency pod, Conall and Emerson discuss recent negative events in the world - such as the highly likely overturning of Roe v Wade, the Russian attack on Ukraine, or recent shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York. We discuss p...
•
Episode 26
•
53:53
Battle for the Badger State 2020: Darkness in Kenosha (Part 3)
Conall's note: The reverend I quote from at the end of the podcast about trauma is Roy Peeples, pastor of Turning Point Life Church. In this 3rd installment of a 4 part series about the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin, ...
•
Episode 25
•
27:56
Battle for the Badger State 2020: Summer of Rage (Part 2)
In this second part of a 4 part mini series on the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin, we discuss the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis and how that rippled through the country - and how it changed the presidential race. ...
•
Episode 24
•
46:06
Battle for the Badger State 2020: Harsh Realities (Part 1)
In this first episode of a 4 part series, Emerson and Conall recount the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin. Remembering our experiences on that fateful election night back in November, we segue into a broader discussion of the dynamics of...
•
Episode 23
•
1:04:58
Donald Trump's Neofascist Insurrection
In this episode, we discuss the insurrection and attempted coup at Capitol Hill by neofascist Trump supporters witnessed on January 6, 2021. It's a date which will live in infamy, but it was not at all unforeseeable - we discuss why antifascist...
•
Episode 22
•
37:28
Where Are We Now: Silent Majorities, Loud Departures, And Floated Coups (Part 2)
In this episode, Conall and Emerson conclude (for now) their discussion of the 2020 presidential election and the lasting damage that President Trump has done to constitutional government in the United States by lying about the election's integ...
•
Episode 21
•
52:20
Where Are We Now: Silent Majorities, Loud Departures, And Floated Coups (Part 1)
In this episode, Conall and Emerson discuss the recent 2020 presidential election and the fallout from it. We discuss why former Vice President Biden was able to defeat incumbent President Trump and why Trump has been lying about the elec...
•
Episode 20
•
1:09:19
Why Bernie Sanders is the Best Choice
In this episode (originally meant to be a shorter blurb, ended up being more of a standard podcast), we make the case as to why Bernie Sanders is a better choice than Joe Biden to not only defeat Donald Trump, but address the structural issues ...
•
Episode 19
•
53:14
"OK, Bloomberg" - Why Bloomberg is Bad
In this blurb (a shorter podcast on a topic of interest), Conall and Emerson discuss the presidential candidacy of mega billionaire and former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg. We explain how we think he's trying to buy an election by saturating the...
•
Episode 18
•
44:15
"A Scene from a Zombie Apocalypse Movie": CBP and the Border (Part 2)
In this second episode to a two part mini series, Conall and Emerson discuss the role played by Customs and Border Protection and the Border Patrol in enforcing President Trump's immigration policies, and the squalid conditions in the CBP deten...
•
Episode 17
•
1:12:50
War Powers... Who Has 'Em?
In the Great Purple State's first ever blurb - a shorter and punchier podcast on a topic of interest - Conall and Emerson discuss the power to wage and declare war and how this power is divided between Congress and the President. We analyze som...
•
Episode 16
•
44:55
ICE Ain't Nice: Trump's Immigration Policies (Part 1)
(Note: At one point Conall refers to CBP as Customs and Border Patrol. I misspoke - it's Customs and Border Protection, of which Border Patrol is a subagency)In this episode, Conall and Emerson analyze the Trump administration's embrace...
•
Episode 15
•
53:10
Can He Win Again? (yes)
In this episode, Conall and Emerson do a deep dive into Trump’s 2020 re-election bid, while also analyzing the state of the 2020 Democratic primary. Conall explains the electoral strategy of Trump's 2020 campaign, and we also discuss the shifti...
•
Episode 14
•
1:10:40
Lies, Damned Lies, and the Electoral College
(Factual correction from Conall: I misspoke and said the census is taken every year. I meant to say every decade!) In this episode, Emerson and Conall discuss the history and function of that much-discussed institution, the Elector...
•
Episode 13
•
58:09
The Shoah: The Nazi Genocide of the Jews (Part 3)
CORRECTION: Conall misspeaks and says the Nazi T4 program targeting disabled people ended in 1949. He meant to say 1941. However, the program did continue in less centralized fashion until the end of the war until 1945.In this fin...
•
Episode 12
•
1:17:15
Night and Fog: The Early Years of Hitler's Camps (Part 2)
Conall and Emerson break down the initial years of the Nazi camp system. We discuss at length the political trajectory and worldview of Adolf Hitler, the first 8 or so years of Hitler being in power, and how the Nazi regime he oversaw expanded ...
•
Episode 11
•
1:04:39