))
By working people. For working people. Welcome to The Rick Smith Show.Working Americans are tired of listening to think tank approved corporate news and commentary. They want a direct, honest approach to the issues that matter, so this is what The Rick Smith Show provides. No puppets. No focus groups. No talking points.Want more #RickShow? Go to https://www.thericksmithshow.comThe Rick Smith Show streams live every weeknight from 9p-11p EST on YouTube & Twitch TV, and the show runs every nig ...
…
continue reading
July 26, 2024 So there’s an election coming, and America is going to have to make a decision. But unlike past elections, this time we have two candidates so different from each other in every imaginable way – that our vote this year may just define us and tell us the kind of America we think we deserve. We discuss this and more with Dave Madland of…
…
continue reading
July 25, 2024 This race is about many things, but the implications for working people simply can’t be overstated. Project 2025 is clear about its intention to immiserate the working class, and Trump has a life-long record of stiffing workers as a businessman, and as a president. We discuss the threat of a second Trump term with Jimmy Williams, Pres…
…
continue reading
July 24, 2024 The Democratic Party has quickly coalesced behind Vice President Kamala Harris, changing the race from one about age into one about criminality. Harris raised over $100 million in her first day as a candidate, so it’s safe to say that there is considerable excitement about this new direction. We discuss with Will Bunch of The Philadel…
…
continue reading
July 23, 2024 Joe Biden has stepped aside and endorsed his VP, Kamala Harris, for President. This kind of sacrifice for the good of the country has happened only a few times in our history, and frankly, it’s the kind of thing that makes America special, a legacy smeared by only one event – January 6, when Trump supporters attacked America and tried…
…
continue reading
July 22, 2024 The Republican National Convention is over, and once again, it was a well-staged, well-organized, four-day bludgeoning of truth, democracy, and working-class values. Now that it’s over, and ear-bandages can no longer be mistaken for a fashion statement, we discuss how America can recover and move forward. Our guests today are Craig Ha…
…
continue reading
July 19, 2024 Project 2025 is an absolute disaster for the working class, but it’s being sold as some grand appeal to choice. This is how they took our pensions and replaced them with 401ks, and it’s how they’re closing our public schools. Will it work this time, too? We discuss this and more with Labor Reporter Steven Greenhouse and Karla Walter o…
…
continue reading
July 18, 2024 As the RNC continues, we are hearing again and again about how broken America is, but nothing about how anyone plans to fix it. This RNC is absolutely devoid of any policy on anything at all – instead it’s only and always about the fear and hate that the GOP hopes to grow. We discuss this and more with Chris Anderson of the Ohio Dems,…
…
continue reading
July 17, 2024 So Trump picked JD Vance to be his VP. What does that mean, and how could his involvement change the campaign, and the administration should Trump pull off another unlikely upset? We talk about these effects and more with Jess Piper of Blue Missouri and Scott Paul of The Alliance for American Manufacturing. Don’t miss our daily TV sho…
…
continue reading
July 16, 2024 Politicians and talking heads across America are repeating the phrase “political violence is never OK” as they should. But we should not ignore the facts that America has a long history of political violence, and in the past several years, political violence has been called for time and again. We renew our calls for peace and also dis…
…
continue reading
July 15, 2024 As the RNC begins, it’s a good time to look back on our history, a history in which, at every stage, workers have been mistreated, and bosses have paid great sums of money to keep them that way. In fact, that simple truth explains the existence of the modern Republican party itself – a party dedicated to elevating the already elevated…
…
continue reading
July 12, 2024 Once every four years, Republicans gather for what can only be called the most anti-worker event on planet Earth – the Republican National Convention. At this event, they will nominate anti-worker candidates, make anti-worker speeches, unveil their anti-worker platform, and celebrate the greed of the wealth class and the misery of eve…
…
continue reading
July 11, 2024 After a rough week and a number of calls for him to leave the race, Joe Biden is punching back. He’s been everywhere, and he’s been dialed in for every event, defiantly saying he’s not going anywhere. We discuss this and more with Will Bunch of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Michael Sainato of The Guardian. Don’t miss our daily TV show…
…
continue reading
July 10, 2024 In America, we are all equal under the law … at least, that’s what the script says. But in reality, our Supreme Court has decided that some rich folks are simply more equal than the rest of us, and the script we’ve been following for over two centuries is not only false, btu it has never been true. We discuss this and more with George…
…
continue reading
July 9, 2024 In every election cycle, the pundit class tells us that “This is the most important election of our lifetime.” But this time it is likely true, since never in our history has the choice between freedom and authoritarianism been so clearly defined by two candidates. It’s democracy against the cult of personality, and November is coming.…
…
continue reading
July 8, 2024 As we celebrated another 4th of July, we did so fully aware that it could be our last as a democracy. That’s scary talk, but it’s not an exaggeration – we really are on the brink of authoritarianism, even if our legacy media refuses to treat the situation realistically. We discuss this and more with former GOP congressman Bob Ney, and …
…
continue reading
July 5, 2024 After last week’s debate, Dems have a very real dilemma on their hands, but it seems that they’re also split on the subject of solutions to the problem. And with an authoritarian dictator waiting in the wings, there’s not a whole lot of time to set things right. We discuss this and more with Law Professor Eric Fink, and Alphecca Muttar…
…
continue reading
July 4, 2024 As much as we hate to say it – it’s time to have the conversation. With Biden’s candidacy in an uncertain place, The Supreme Court taking us back to the days of King George, and Trump waiting in the wings to burn down what’s left of American Democracy, we need to discuss the best ways to secure our freedoms before the right-wing corpor…
…
continue reading
July 3, 2024 With its recent immunity ruling, the United States Supreme Court has announced itself as a partisan entity entirely owned by big money corporate interests, so much so that they are willing to install a king to replace our presidents. We discuss both the immunity ruling and the end of the Chevron Doctrine with former OSHA Administrator …
…
continue reading
June 20, 2024 Elections have consequences, but none are so drastic as those that might have been. For example, if the 2016 election had gone the other way, we would probably be living in the last months of the second Clinton term. We’d likely have a 6-3 liberal Supreme Court, the Trump tax cuts would have never happened, and the Trump Train, so to …
…
continue reading
June 19, 2024 While all we see in our corporate media is doom and gloom and anger and division, the reality is that, while working families are struggling in this economy, the economy itself is booming. The problem is not how we turn the economy around, but how we can unrig it so that working people get their fair share of all this American success…
…
continue reading
June 18, 2024 If the American right does one thing well, that thing is selling junk to its true believers. And they’ll buy anything, from Trumpy Bears to gold sneakers to foreign-made red hats. And considering that the GOP has no platform and has not had one since before the 2020 election, it seems that selling stuff might be the only thing today’s…
…
continue reading
June 17, 2024 Anyone paying attention knows that there is a big difference between how the two campaigns for President of The United States are being covered by our bought-and-paid-for corporate media, and those paying close attention know that even the traditionally “left-leaning” media sources are doing everything they can to cash in on the horse…
…
continue reading
June 14, 2024 Unions and workers (particularly immigrant workers) are common targets for right-wing politicians. And now that election season is upon us, those attacks are ramping up. Chris Kobach, Attorney General of Kansas, is leading the charge, and lots of red states are about to follow suit. This and more on today’s show. Don’t miss our daily …
…
continue reading
June 13, 2024 Election season is always full of lies and promises that will never be kept. But this year, the candidates on the right appear to be trying to set records for empty rhetoric. Yet, for some reason only known in the boardrooms, our corporate media never bothers to challenge the lies. We discuss this and more with former GOP Congressman …
…
continue reading
June 12, 2024 Trump is losing it. Anyone who listens to him speak can’t help but come to this conclusion, or something very close to it. As he appears more and more unhinged each day, we are forced to ask the question “Is this tired old demagogue really going to help working people?” We discuss this and more with Ted Pappageorge of the Culinary Wor…
…
continue reading
