Keeping Democracy Alive with Burt Cohen

Keeping Democracy Alive with Burt Cohen


Latest Episodes

How Their Music Toppled Jim Crow
June 01, 2025

Its not just politics but arts and a free culture that makes real change. Sure there are the leaders we all know, MLK and Malcolm X, but in his new paperback edition of The Jazz Men: How Duke Ellingt

It’s Not the Kids, It’s the Foster Care System That’s Damaged
May 26, 2025

Society would rather not see them. Like people in prison, the foster care system makes hundreds of thousands of kids invisible. And the system is doing them great damage for life. On this show, author

Trade Peace Beats Trade War: Where Are the Democrats?
May 19, 2025

Starting a trade war is just stupid. But maybe Trump simply doesnt really care about tanking the economy. On this show, Washington Monthly politics editor Bill Scher points out that the current presi

We Know What NIMBY means. But Here’s a New Twist: YIMBYism!
May 12, 2025

There is in fact great abundance in America. The problem is not just the greed of the top percent but also the 21st century version of real estate redlining. Many are shut out. There is a huge demand

Mental Health Essential for National Security
May 05, 2025

May is Mental Health Month, and the Trump/Musk regime is pouring gasoline on our already widespread national crisis. The police-state ICE raids are indicative of a strategy to create fear. On this sho

Musk’s Chain Saw Does Not Think
April 28, 2025

If he really aims to cut waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal bureucracy, theres a lot of low hanging fruit. But Elon Musk has prioritized eliminating one of the smallest yet most effective program

Mindless Banality Spreads Quickly. And It’s Evil.
April 21, 2025

To normalize the horrific, it takes lots of people going along. From the history of leaders lying, the current regime has learned that spewing new lies many times a day works to make reality conform t

Addressing the Unique Stigma on Youth Impacted by Incarceration, Detention, and Deportation
April 14, 2025

Locking people up and deporting immigrants is on the rise. The adults face punishment (as if that works) and their children hide from the judgement and stigma of other kids and school administrators.

Washington Post Changes Bigly: Refuses $115,000 Ad
April 07, 2025

Remember when we could count on the Washington Post to boldly take the lead on political corruption? And can you imagine a newspaper turning down a really big ad buy? Welcome to Trumpworld 2.0. As Com

More Than Play: What’s Wrong With American Youth Sport
March 31, 2025

We think of it as pure fun but the reality is great pressure and there are overtraining injuries. Coaches often lack crucial training. Non-athlete kids feeling less-than. And since kids dont have a v