Progressive Indiana Network Special Events

Progressive Indiana Network
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Indiana news, opinion, analysis, and historical perspective from a diverse group of politically-progressive Hoosiers. This is where you'll find PIN special events that don't fall in one of our creators' podcast feeds: town halls, debates, collaborations with MADVoters, and other one-off events. www.progressiveindiana.net

  1. Virtual Town Hall w/ Dr. Tim Peck

    May 4

    Virtual Town Hall w/ Dr. Tim Peck

    https://progressiveindiana.net https://timpeckforcongress.com/ SUMMARY: With Indiana’s May 5th primary two days out, the Progressive Indiana Network hosted its final virtual town hall of the primary season, featuring Dr. Tim Peck, emergency physician and Democratic candidate for Indiana’s 9th Congressional District. Peck, who lost the 2024 general election to Republican incumbent Erin Houchin, is making his second run for the seat covering Indiana’s 18 southeastern counties. Over the course of the hour, Peck made the case for a grassroots, no-corporate-PAC campaign rooted in his medical experience, discussing healthcare affordability, the Supreme Court, AI and data centers, the Fifth Circuit’s mifepristone ruling, bipartisan dealmaking, and his evolving view of corporations — closing with a pitch for why this cycle is different from 2024 and how viewers can join his movement before Tuesday. Progressive Indiana Network is subscriber-supported independent media. To help us continue doing this work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. IN DEPTH: 00:00:21 Opening Remarks - Scott introduces the show as PIN’s final virtual town hall of the primary season, two days before the May 5th primary - Peck thanks Scott for the work PIN does to bring educated voters to the polls and introduces himself as an emergency physician living on a farm in Clark County, across the river from Louisville - Peck frames his campaign around a door-knocking encounter: a constituent who told him “it costs too much to go to work,” citing gas, credit card interest, housing, childcare, student debt, and healthcare premiums - Peck notes that only six of IN-9’s 18 counties can deliver babies, calling the district a microcosm of rural healthcare collapse - Peck says he has sworn off all corporate PAC money and has built a movement of 1,000 volunteers who have knocked over 10,000 doors 00:06:02 Viewer Question (Sarah, web form): Will you accept corporate PAC money, and how do you guard against taking it indirectly through leadership PACs? - Peck says he signed on with roughly 70 candidates nationwide to a pledge covering term limits, no individual stock trading, no corporate PAC money, Supreme Court ethics transparency, and a five-year post-office lobbying moratorium - Peck defines his pledge broadly: he also refuses dark money PACs and money from Democratic incumbents who themselves take corporate PAC money — including declining a check offer from Rep. Andre Carson - Peck argues that taking corporate PAC money creates a structural conflict of interest: when Chase Bank calls, you cancel your constituent meeting; without that money, you don’t - Peck says the national Democratic Party — including the progressive wing — has abandoned Indiana, which actually gives him freedom to run the campaign Hoosiers deserve rather than one dictated by national party strategy 00:12:03 Viewer Question (Christine, YouTube): What type of Democrat do you consider yourself? - Peck calls himself a left-of-center Democrat with progressive ideals who is willing to work with those who don’t share all of them — distinguishing that from moderation - Peck says labels obscure more than they reveal; he knocked on a door that same day belonging to a union worker with a Trump yard sign who voted for Trump three times and is now unhappy with him - Peck argues that working with Republicans isn’t ideological compromise but legislative strategy: there is bipartisan support for things like the PRO Act that simply never gets to the floor because Mike Johnson blocks it - Scott offers “pragmatic progressive” as a label; Peck says he’ll take it 00:16:13 What do we do about the Supreme Court? - Peck opposes court expansion, calling it the nuclear option — like eliminating the filibuster, it only empowers whoever holds power at the moment - Peck’s path forward: pass Amy Klobuchar’s anti-mid-decade gerrymandering bill, enact binding Supreme Court ethics legislation, win the presidency to appoint new justices, and use impeachment only once ethics laws are in place and being violated - Peck says he does not support using impeachment for messaging purposes, but that Clarence Thomas, Sam Alito, and John Roberts cannot be impeached yet because Congress has not yet passed the ethics laws that would make their conduct clearly illegal - Peck frames the long game: chip away at the structural damage, neutralize the court over time, and focus on winning elections rather than procedural shortcuts 00:22:04 How do you tackle healthcare affordability and get toward universal coverage? - Peck believes healthcare is a human right but does not think Medicare for All is achievable now, and argues Medicare itself has serious flaws: no dental, vision, or hearing coverage; 20% of recipients still carry medical debt; no long-term care coverage; and lengthy ICU stays can bankrupt patients - Peck’s plan centers on weakening insurance monopolies through antitrust enforcement: UnitedHealth owns Optum (a physician network), nursing homes, pharmacy benefit managers, and NP groups — Aetna and CVS have merged similarly - Peck wants to haul insurance executives before Congress and demand an accounting of how much Medicare payroll tax money went to executive bonuses and shareholder payouts - Peck calls for banning prior authorization (an insurance company making a medical decision) and eliminating pharmacy benefit managers, which he says extract money from the system with no added value — both have bipartisan support - Peck argues that Citizens United is the real obstacle to full Medicare for All; until corporate money is out of politics, the insurance industry has too much power to be displaced entirely 00:32:21 Viewer Question (Anonymous, web form): Your career has ties to Sam Altman of OpenAI and Joe Lonsdale of Palantir. Your FEC filings show a $2,000 donation from Brian Bloom, VP of Millennium hedge fund. Will your votes on AI and tech policy protect Hoosier working families or will your industry connections sway you? - Peck says the Bloom donation came from a childhood friend who is a Democrat, not from Millennium as an institution - Peck focuses on data centers as the most immediate AI policy question: deals are being struck in backrooms, contracts signed, and only then is the public invited to discuss — he calls this insane and in need of regulation - Peck draws a parallel to Indiana’s casino licensing process, where communities had robust public input and could negotiate community benefits (schools, libraries, a YMCA) before deals closed — data centers should work the same way - Peck says he is directly affected: a massive Facebook data center is being built in Clark County, his home county, and he has no meaningful say over its electricity or water consumption 00:38:10 Viewer Question (Anonymous, web form): You suggested people use ChatGPT to vet candidates. Where do you stand on AI use and responsible guardrails? - Peck says he recommended ChatGPT because voters are uninformed — he knocked on doors during early voting and met people who had already cast a ballot without knowing who they voted for in his race; any research tool is better than none, but he stressed using the cited references - Peck says the incumbent, Erin Houchin, sits on tech and crypto policy committees while taking heavy money from Silicon Valley VCs and voting for maximum deregulation — he wants the opposite - Peck argues AI should be treated like nuclear energy: even when driven by private industry, technologies that pose existential risks require public ownership of the decision-making process - Peck says AI development needs to be slowed down and subjected to the same kind of public discourse and regulatory guardrails applied to other civilization-scale technologies 00:43:06 Viewer Question (Ruth, web form): The Fifth Circuit just ruled mifepristone cannot be sent by mail. Does this improve patient safety? - Peck flatly says no — the “patient safety” rationale from the court is false; mifepristone is a very safe drug, and the program of telemedicine prescribing followed by mail delivery is one he helped build with Planned Parenthood - Peck says what is actually unsafe is forcing patients to travel great distances, and describes the practical reality in his ER: when a pregnant patient faces a life-or-death situation, his first call legally has to go to a hospital lawyer before he can make a medical decision — that is the government in his exam room - Peck notes an unusual political wrinkle: pharma companies want the mail program to continue and will spend money fighting the ruling — watch where that money goes - Peck strongly supports restoring mifepristone access by mail and opposes government interference in medical decision-making 00:46:29 Can you name an issue where you’d vote with Republicans over most Democrats, or with the party over a majority of your constituents? - Peck says his commitment on rights issues — abortion, LGBTQ — is grounded in the First Amendment and will not waver regardless of constituent polling; those are not negotiating positions - Peck says working with Republicans is about the pre-floor process: finding issues with genuine bipartisan alignment, doing the work to get a bill to the floor, and then voting on whatever imperfect bill emerges in the best interest of his constituents - Peck points to universal pre-K as an example of surprising Republican support, including GOP-authored proposals to extend the CBO scoring window to 30 years so the long-term economic benefits become visible - Peck reiterates the mifepristone situation as a live example: sometimes pharma and the right align with the right outcome, and you take the win 00:51:13 Is there a position you’ve evolved on over the years? - Peck says his biggest evolution is his view of corporations: he used to think more highly of them, until he personally experienced

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  2. Virtual Town Hall IV w/ Brad Meyer

    Apr 27

    Virtual Town Hall IV w/ Brad Meyer

    progressiveindiana.net bradmeyer.org SUMMARY: In his fourth virtual town hall with Progressive Indiana Network, 9th District Democratic Congressional candidate Brad Meyer covers a wide range of policy ground with host Scott Aaron Rogers ahead of the May 5th primary. Meyer opens with an unscripted personal statement about why he got off the sideline and into the race, framing his progressive candidacy as a rejection of the Democratic Party’s rightward drift. The conversation spans climate and energy policy, the dual-edged threat of AI and data centers, US-China relations and the prospect of war, gun violence, drug policy, mass incarceration, neurodiversity and disability education funding, executive power and the Iran war, and the political disillusionment of ordinary voters. Throughout, Meyer draws on his 35-year background as an engineering manager to ground his policy positions in practical terms, while Scott pushes him on structural questions about wealth concentration, federal job guarantees, and the courage required to go on offense rather than play permanent defense. Progressive Indiana Network is subscriber-supported independent media. To help us continue doing this work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. IN DEPTH: 00:00:00 Opening Remarks - Scott opens the stream, notes technical difficulties with ProgressiveIndiana.net, and invites Brad Meyer to begin while Scott troubleshoots - Meyer speaks off the cuff, describing how he and his wife were heading into a quiet retirement before Project 2025 and the Democratic Party’s drift rightward pulled him into the race - Meyer argues Democrats must stand on their values and bring voters to their side rather than softening positions to blend in with the opposition 00:03:29 Environmental Policy, the Green New Deal, and Net Zero - Scott notes it is “criminal” that they have not yet discussed the environment in this series and asks Meyer about his policy positions, including the Green New Deal and a carbon tax - Meyer frames the issue in two parts: global warming, where he calls out climate denial as the same playbook used by the tobacco industry, and ecology, where he cites Indiana’s severely polluted waterways and the need for point source pollution controls - Meyer says he still has more listening to do before committing to a definitive climate platform, but expressed interest in carbon swap mechanisms as an economic tool 00:06:43 Nuclear Energy and Small Modular Reactors - Scott presses Meyer on how to achieve net zero by 2035 and raises nuclear — particularly small modular reactors being developed in Indiana partly to power AI data centers — as a potential clean energy option - Meyer says he cannot support nuclear today as an engineer, citing the recurring pattern of unforeseen combinations of failures in past plants and the impossibility of trusting regulatory oversight under the current science-denying administration - Meyer draws a distinction between next-generation reactor technology and the regulatory and scientific environment required to deploy it responsibly 00:09:43 Viewer Question from @2Tows (YouTube): AI and Data Centers - @2Tows asks how Meyer approaches the looming threat of AI and data centers on the working class - Meyer breaks the question in two: on AI, he says the transformation will be faster and more disruptive than the PC revolution, hitting white-collar workers who have never faced this kind of displacement before — comparable to what automation and deindustrialization did to blue-collar manufacturing - On data centers, Meyer argues the core problem is companies using NDAs to lock out local communities from decisions that directly affect them, calling the practice unethical and a red flag about corporate intentions as a community partner 00:14:03 Distributing AI’s Economic Value - Scott asks how we ensure AI’s productivity gains are distributed more equitably rather than captured entirely by a handful of tech overlords - Meyer confirms the hype is real — describing a personal engineering project he completed in two weeks with AI that he estimated would have taken 52 weeks alone — and says the question is not if but how - Meyer advocates for a $20 federal minimum wage and higher taxation on corporations and high-net-worth individuals, while expressing a preference for policies that break up monopolies and enable small business formation over direct wealth transfers 00:19:00 Federal Jobs Guarantee and the Care Economy - Scott pushes back: if AI eliminates jobs wholesale, what do the idle masses do, and does the federal government need to step in with a jobs guarantee or something like a climate corps? - Meyer prioritizes breaking up monopolies, restoring the Small Business Administration, banning anti-competitive non-compete agreements, and implementing Medicare for All to free workers from job-lock - Meyer says done right, the AI boom produces more small business owners; done wrong, it produces the economic conditions of the 1880s 00:22:23 US-China Relations and Foreign Policy - Scott notes it is equally “criminal” that a federal candidate has not been asked about foreign policy, and raises the US-China relationship: Cold War redux or something else? - Meyer says the better analogy is pre-World War II, citing publicly available congressional testimony about China’s plans to take Taiwan in 2027 and Trump’s requested 40% military budget increase as alarming signals - Meyer argues America First is really America Alone, and that the diplomatic failures surrounding the Iran war — including leaving European allies out of the picture — have left the US dangerously isolated at the moment it most needs partners 00:26:55 Scott Pushes Back: American Imperialism and the China Threat - Scott challenges the framing as an anti-war lefty, noting the US has spent 80 years “swinging its thing” around the globe — Iran, Cuba, Greenland, Central America, Iraq, Vietnam — and questions the moral authority to cast China as the threat - Meyer acknowledges the critique but argues the relative peace of the post-WWII era, underwritten by US power and trade alliances, has been genuine — and that China’s rise to preeminence, particularly a Taiwan seizure, would trigger a regional realignment with severe economic consequences for the US - The two agree to disagree philosophically and Meyer reframes the goal as preserving a stable world economy where all nations can grow without the US having to suffer 00:32:24 Gun Violence Policy - Scott pivots to gun violence, noting weapons of war are proliferating on American streets and schools, and asks what Meyer’s policy is and whether it involves banning anything - Meyer calls for common-sense measures with broad support — disarming people on terrorist watch lists, and those in mental health crisis or threatening others through court-reviewed red flag processes — while acknowledging the political sensitivity in southern Indiana and his need to be explicitly on the record - Meyer highlights the Dickey Amendment-style research prohibitions Congress has imposed and calls for lifting them, arguing the population cannot be moved faster than it is willing to go but that time in the district and sustained persuasion can shift that 00:37:28 Viewer Question from Patrick (Facebook): Schumer or Ro Khanna? - Patrick on Facebook asks whether Meyer aligns more with Chuck Schumer or Ro Khanna for the direction of the Democratic Party - Meyer says he is a progressive, plans to join the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and is not a Schumer fan — Scott informs him Khanna is a fellow Progressive Caucus member - Meyer’s response: “Groovy.” 00:38:35 Drug Policy: Marijuana Legalization and Beyond - Scott uses the gun prohibition discussion as a bridge to drug prohibition, noting Meyer has been outspoken for marijuana legalization, and asks how far he would go — psilocybin, ibogaine, the Portugal decriminalization model? - Meyer supports full recreational marijuana legalization with controls mirroring alcohol — taxed, regulated, no impaired driving — but says his enthusiasm for going further is “really low,” supporting only tightly restricted medical research into psychedelics with no path toward normalization - Meyer says he always believed medicinal marijuana was a foot in the door toward legalization, which he now supports outright, but draws the line there 00:42:05 Mass Incarceration - Scott argues the war on drugs has failed and produced a mass incarceration crisis, and asks how Meyer would address it - Meyer identifies three root causes he wants to attack: mental illness, addiction, and poverty — noting that the US has been almost entirely punitive rather than curative, and that the people most likely to be locked up are also the poorest - Meyer flags the high recidivism rate as evidence that longer sentences are counterproductive, severing inmates from the community ties that reduce reoffending 00:47:04 Private Prisons - Scott cuts to the chase: private prison corporations profit from incarceration — would Meyer ban them? - Meyer says he is inclined to ban private prisons as a government function, but hedges by saying if a private prison demonstrably lowered recidivism, that would be worth considering - Meyer’s core argument: remove the profit motive from the entire prison system, public or private, and tie advancement to outcomes after release 00:48:29 Neurodiversity, Disability, and the IDEA Act - Scott notes that many people in the carceral system are undiagnosed and untreated neurodiverse individuals who fell through the cracks, and asks how Meyer would address the autism and neurodiversity community specifically - Meyer says he has held roundtable discussions with disability experts and advocates to inform his thinking rather than imposing his own precepts, and centers his answer on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act — whic

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  3. Indiana's 9th Congressional District Democratic Primary Debate

    Apr 25

    Indiana's 9th Congressional District Democratic Primary Debate

    Produced by: Progressive Indiana Network: https:/www.progressiveindiana.net Moderator: Kacey Blundell: https://hoosierwomenforward.org/kacey-blundell/ Candidates: Brad Meyer: https://bradmeyer.org/ Tim Peck: https://timpeckforcongress.com/ Keil Roark: https://www.keilroark.com/ Jim Graham was invited but unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict. SUMMARY: Progressive Indiana Network hosted the final primary debate of the 2026 cycle for Indiana’s 9th Congressional District, moderated by Kacey Blundell. Three candidates participated: Dr. Tim Peck, an emergency medicine physician from New Washington; Brad Meyer, a former manufacturing leader from Bloomington; and Keil Roark, a licensed electrical engineer, Navy veteran, and former UAW assembly line worker. A fourth candidate, Jim Graham, was invited but declined citing a scheduling conflict. The debate covered 11 questions across a broad range of policy areas -- including the cost of living, healthcare, education, infrastructure, immigration, data centers, and government accountability -- followed by a 15-question lightning round exposing intra-party fault lines, and closing statements from each candidate. Peck ran on a platform of rejecting corporate PAC money, reducing healthcare costs by eliminating middlemen and directing Medicare dollars to patient care, and labor-first infrastructure policy. Meyer advocated for a $20 minimum wage, Medicare for All, and a structural progressive overhaul of the economy. Roark positioned himself as the pragmatic, electable candidate, focused on ACA subsidies, a $15 minimum wage, and appealing to disaffected Republicans. Progressive Indiana Network is powered entirely by our subscribers. To help us continue presenting special events like this, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. BREAKDOWN: 00:00:23 Welcome and Introductions - Blundell introduces the debate and PIN, explains the format, and welcomes the three candidates. - A fourth candidate, Jim Graham, was invited but could not attend due to a scheduling conflict. - Opening statement order determined by random draw: Peck first, then Meyer, then Roark. 00:03:21 Opening Statements - Peck introduces himself as an emergency medicine physician who co-led a bipartisan coalition to expand telemedicine ahead of the pandemic, frames the central problem as “it costs too much to work,” and pledges to accept no corporate PAC money. - Meyer highlights 25 years in manufacturing leadership, calls for a $20 minimum wage, Medicare for All, and the first $20,000 in earnings tax-free, and argues Democrats lose by softening their message. - Roark introduces himself as a Purdue-educated electrical engineer, Navy officer, and former UAW assembly line worker, calls for a $15 minimum wage and ACA subsidy restoration as pragmatic near-term priorities, and frames himself as the electable candidate in a conservative district. 00:09:43 Q1: What is your top priority for residents of Indiana’s 9th Congressional District, and how do you plan to achieve that? Keil Roark - Prioritizes reinstating ACA subsidies, passing a minimum wage increase, and repealing the “big, beautiful bill” to restore SNAP and Medicaid funding. - Also called for a No Stock Trade Act to prohibit members of Congress from trading on insider information, and Supreme Court ethics reform. Brad Meyer - Top priorities: stabilize the ACA and rural health care system, and enforce the Impoundment Act to compel the executive branch to spend congressionally allocated funds. - Called for impeachment proceedings against Trump for the Iran war and for gutting federal programs in violation of law. Tim Peck - Focused on the “costs too much to work” problem he hears at the doors: gas, housing, childcare, groceries, education debt, and health insurance all consume more than a paycheck provides. - Proposed restoring war powers, first-time homebuyer assistance to compete with private equity, universal pre-K, grocery price gouging investigations, lower student loan interest rates, and reversing the big, beautiful bill’s ACA cuts. 00:15:56 Q2: How would you address rising costs of living, including housing, groceries, and health care for families in this district? Brad Meyer - Proposed $20/hour minimum wage, raising the non-exempt salary threshold to $100,000 for overtime purposes, and making the first $20,000 earned tax-free. - Advocated for Medicare for All to reduce medical debt bankruptcies, ending corporate speculation in single-family housing, building more housing supply, and helping first-time buyers with down payments. - Also called for stabilizing Social Security. Tim Peck - Identified corporate PAC money as the root cause -- arguing that business interests now control government, citing the current congresswoman’s Duke Energy record as a specific example. - Proposed leveling the tax code between corporations and individuals: credit card interest rates, PE firm housing tax rates, and ACA premium taxation all favor corporations over working people. Keil Roark - Framed housing as primarily a supply problem stemming from the post-2008 construction slowdown, calling for tax incentives for development, low-interest loans for first-time buyers, and anti-monopoly cost controls on predatory developers. - Tied grocery prices to fertilizer costs elevated by war, and argued ACA subsidy restoration would cut average monthly health care costs by roughly 25%. 00:21:59 Q3: What is your stance on public safety and criminal justice reform, and what specific policies would you support? Tim Peck - Supports funding police while also addressing the root causes that produce crime. Described a real incident from the night before -- a middle schooler waving a gun outside a high school dance in Salem -- as emblematic of the problem. - Called for background checks, safe storage requirements, red flag laws, school-based mental health and conflict resolution, and access restrictions for those who should not have firearms. Brad Meyer - Framed the issue as reactive (policing and courts) versus proactive (addressing poverty and lack of hope). - Criticized the country’s failures on mental health, addiction policy, and recidivism -- noting that roughly half of those released from prison reoffend. - Called for body cameras and federal oversight to rebuild community trust, and argued the federal government’s retreat from consent decrees has made things worse. Keil Roark - Emphasized the direct link between unemployment and crime: good-paying jobs reduce recidivism. - Called for upgraded police recruiting, training, and federal grants to struggling departments; eliminating cash bond for nonviolent offenders; and better in-prison vocational training to reduce reoffending. 00:28:19 Q4: How do you plan to support small businesses and economic growth in the suburban and rural parts of the district? Tim Peck - Argued that rural infrastructure is the prerequisite: broadband, transportation links, local hospitals, and schools must exist before small businesses can survive. - Described his own community’s situation -- local hospital closed, fiber internet only recently arrived, limited transport to urban centers -- as the lived reality of rural economic hollowing. Keil Roark - Drew on his own blue-collar background in construction to argue for protecting small business tax deductions for equipment, materials, and operating costs. - Called for working with local mayors and county leaders to identify specific infrastructure and economic development needs, then targeting tax incentives accordingly. Brad Meyer - Outlined four steps: reduce barriers to starting businesses (limit non-competes, pass Medicare for All to decouple health insurance from employment); strengthen the local economy through minimum wage and overtime policy; expand capital through the Small Business Administration; and invest in broadband, infrastructure, and workforce development. - Noted that Kentucky receives roughly twice Indiana’s federal funding, and called that a failure of congressional representation. 00:34:39 Q5: What steps would you take to improve access to affordable health care for Hoosiers, given Indiana’s rankings near the bottom nationally for maternal mortality, mental health access, public health funding, and hospital costs? Brad Meyer - Short-term: reinstate ACA subsidies, expand telehealth and preventive care, increase rural provider reimbursement rates, and support mobile EMS units. - Long-term: advocated for Medicare for All, arguing the for-profit system is unsustainable -- Americans die earlier and go bankrupt more than in comparable countries. - Offered a personal story about using Planned Parenthood when he and his wife were young and low-income, and expressed strong support for restoring it. Keil Roark - Called for reinstating ACA subsidies and updating ACA language to include tax incentives for demonstrated preventive care activities -- citing Japan’s system as a model for how preventive care reduces downstream costs. - Supported repealing the big, beautiful bill, whose Medicaid and SNAP cuts are putting severe pressure on district hospitals. Tim Peck - Described the EMS crisis in his own community: no local hospital, local fire department does not run EMS on weekends, and the next closest ambulance may be unavailable or transporting someone to Kentucky. - Argued that without universal insurance coverage, rural hospitals cannot stay open -- and without hospitals, EMS collapses with them. - Called for eliminating prior authorization, banning pharmacy benefit managers, and ensuring Medicare tax dollars go directly to patient care rather than executive bonuses and shareholder payouts. 00:41:50 Q6: How should the federal government support education and what changes would you advocate for schools in the district, given Indiana’s rankings of 37th in K-12 funding, 37% grade-level reading rate, and 39th in teacher pay? Keil Roark - Called for

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  4. Indiana's 6th Congressional District Democratic Primary Debate

    Apr 24

    Indiana's 6th Congressional District Democratic Primary Debate

    Produced by: Progressive Indiana Network: https:/www.progressiveindiana.net Moderator: Scott Aaron Rogers: https://www.hoosleft.us Candidates: William Kory Amyx: https://amyxforcongress.com/ Nick Baker: https://electnickbaker.com/ Cinde Wirth: https://wirth4congress.com/ David Boyd was invited and and confirmed but pulled out of this debate citing to a scheduling conflict. SUMMARY: Progressive Indiana Network hosted a Democratic primary debate for Indiana’s 6th Congressional District, featuring moderator Scott Aaron Rogers and candidates William Kory Amyx, Nick Baker, and Dr. Cinde Wirth. A fourth candidate, David Boyd, was invited and confirmed but withdrew citing a scheduling conflict. The debate covered ten questions on foreign policy, technology accountability, immigration, affordability, healthcare, education, human rights, taxation, social security, and labor, followed by a fifteen-question speed round and closing statements. The candidates showed clear ideological distinctions throughout, particularly on healthcare — with Amyx and Wirth supporting universal single-payer and Baker advocating a public option — and on immigration, where Amyx and Wirth called for abolishing ICE and Baker opposed that position. The speed round revealed unanimous agreement on several issues including data center moratoriums, DC and Puerto Rico statehood, abolishing the Electoral College, cannabis legalization, FISA reauthorization, impeaching Trump, and opposing Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker, while the candidates split on an assault weapons ban, student debt cancellation, free higher education, and abolishing the federal death penalty. Progressive Indiana Network is powered entirely by our subscribers. To help us continue presenting special events like this, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. BREAKDOWN: 00:00:22 Opening and introductions - Scott Aaron Rogers opens the debate on behalf of Progressive Indiana Network, introducing the 6th Congressional District race. - Candidates introduced: William Kory Amyx, Nick Baker, and Dr. Cinde Wirth; David Boyd was invited and confirmed but withdrew at the last minute citing a scheduling conflict. - Format outlined: two-minute opening statements, ten questions with 90-second responses, a fifteen-question speed round, and closing statements. 00:02:49 Opening statements - Amyx leads, citing 23,000 doors knocked across 11 counties and a focus on affordability, healthcare, education, public safety, and economic dignity. - Baker follows (order swapped due to technical difficulties with Wirth), highlighting his Camp Lejeune Supreme Court case, a push for a balanced budget through healthcare reform, and an argument that he is the most electable candidate in a conservative district. - Wirth closes, introducing herself as a seventh-generation 6th District resident, public school teacher, small business owner, and PhD scientist, and citing her 2022 run against Greg Pence as proof of her commitment to the district. 00:08:10 Q1: Separation of powers and the war with Iran - Rogers frames the question around the Iran war, sweeping tariff authority, and the revival of impoundment powers, asking what each candidate would do to reassert congressional authority and what their position is on the war. - Baker calls the war illegal and unconstitutional, argues for winning back the House majority to challenge executive overreach through legislation. - Amyx proposes replacing the War Powers Resolution with a modern version requiring affirmative congressional authorization within 30 days, automatic funding cutoffs for unauthorized hostilities, congressional approval windows for tariffs, and reform of the National Emergencies Act. - Wirth argues Congress members who took an oath to defend the Constitution have a duty to hold domestic enemies accountable, and calls for restoring the State Department’s professional diplomatic corps to end the Iran conflict. 00:15:12 Q2: Tech accountability and Section 230 - Rogers uses the discovery of a network of online chat groups called “Rape Academy” with an estimated 62 million members as the entry point for a question on platform liability and Section 230 reform. - Amyx calls for full repeal of Section 230 and introduces two pieces of draft legislation: the Real Identity Integrity Act (tokenized logins to verify identity while preserving anonymity) and the Digital Integrity and Algorithmic Accountability Act (algorithmic transparency requirements). - Wirth draws on her classroom experience with cyberbullying, calls for guardrails on big tech, and argues the root problem is money blocking legislation that has been proposed repeatedly over 15 years. - Baker calls Silicon Valley the “Wild West,” applauds a New Mexico verdict against Meta for hosting child predators, references Indiana’s Haley’s Law, and cautions against regulation that tips into censorship. 00:21:32 Q3: Immigration and ICE - Rogers frames the question around the removal of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, ICE shootings of U.S. citizens, and a Democratic base that increasingly supports abolishing ICE. - Wirth states she called for abolishing ICE last summer and co-organized an anti-ICE rally at Johnson County Park in Atterbury; she supports retaining professional Customs and Border Protection at ports of entry while eliminating ICE entirely. - Baker opposes full abolishment, arguing ICE can be returned to how it functioned under Clinton and Obama — deporting people lawfully without the abuses of the current administration; warns that “abolish ICE” messaging will cost votes in a conservative district. - Amyx introduces his Unity Pathway Act: provisional legal status for undocumented individuals, a pathway to a green card after five years, and replacement of ICE with a new Immigration Enforcement Service refocused on trafficking networks, cartel operations, and violent criminals rather than families and workers. 00:28:20 Q4: Affordability - Rogers presses all three on the affordability crisis, noting that “we’ll lower costs” is a talking point, not a policy, and asking for root causes and specific solutions. - Amyx cites real wage data (3.3% price increases vs. 0.3% real hourly earnings growth in March), and outlines a structural approach: raise wages with small business offsets, universal healthcare to cut costs, expand housing supply, and treat child care as an economic investment. - Baker points to insurance as the largest inflationary metric — with profits up fourfold while premiums rose 10-21% — and argues for reforming healthcare overhead, returning tax revenue to communities, and raising the minimum wage. - Wirth argues Medicare for All would give every family an effective lift of approximately $24,000 through 2-3% administrative overhead, calls for CEO pay accountability, enforcement of antitrust laws, and investment in 50 million affordable housing units. 00:34:30 Q5: Healthcare - Rogers uses a direct Baker quote from a Hancock County forum — “I would love the dream of universal healthcare to come true, but I don’t think right now it’s a workable solution” — to open a deeper discussion on how each candidate would get to their preferred healthcare system. - Baker clarifies he does not support propping up the ACA, which he calls broken, and instead supports a public option he describes as “Medicare for More” — leaving a capitalistic private market open while eliminating administrative waste; he says universal healthcare would require a two-thirds congressional majority. - Wirth cites polling showing over 70% of Americans support single-payer in some form, advocates a phased-in approach funded through payroll taxes and a wealth tax on investment gains, and proposes job transition programs for insurance industry workers displaced by the change. - Amyx agrees with Wirth that preventative care is critical, supports universal healthcare but opposes a sudden transition that could “crush” rural hospitals, and calls for phased implementation with Medicare negotiating drug prices, capped out-of-pocket costs, and strengthened rural care. 00:41:19 Q6: Education - Rogers frames the question around Trump’s dismantling of the Department of Education, Title I cuts, student debt, and the teacher exodus from the profession. - Amyx, who has worked in higher education for 22 years as a financial aid officer and veterans advisor, calls for increased Title I and IDEA funding, ending the voucher program, paying teachers at the same level as ICE agents (over $100,000), expanding career and technical education, and making all students independent at 18 for FAFSA purposes. - Baker predicts the Department of Education may need to be “resurrected” by January, supports increased federal funding, and proposes using litigation to challenge religious institutions that accept vouchers while discriminating — arguing that’s a case winnable even in the current Supreme Court. - Wirth, whose PhD is in cultural and educational policy, calls vouchers a tool for segregation dating to the post-Brown v. Board era, calls for overturning Espinoza v. Montana, restoring teacher loan eligibility, protecting IDEA, and ending the use of public tax dollars in private schools that can expel students at will. 00:47:54 Q7: LGBTQ rights and the Newsom debate - Rogers frames the question around Gavin Newsom’s call for Democrats to be more “culturally normal,” the backlash from LGBTQ advocates, and where candidates draw the line between political pragmatism and abandoning vulnerable constituents. - Wirth, an anthropologist, flatly rejects Newsom’s framing — “there is no cultural normalcy” — calls trans rights human rights, and recounts changing attendance rosters by hand to protect trans students before it was widely discussed, as far back as 2010. - Baker says he supports liberty and government staying out of people’s personal lives, but expresses personal re

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  5. Virtual Town Hall w/ John Whetstone for Congress (D-IN4)

    Apr 20

    Virtual Town Hall w/ John Whetstone for Congress (D-IN4)

    https://progressiveindiana.net/ https://www.whetstoneforcongress.com/ SUMMARY John Whetstone, Democratic candidate for Indiana’s 4th Congressional District, joined HoosLeft host Scott Aaron Rogers for a virtual town hall on April 19, 2026. A small business owner from Crawfordsville, Whetstone grounded his progressive platform — Medicare for All, a $17.25 minimum wage, abolishing ICE, Supreme Court expansion, and federal cannabis legalization — in a personal story of growing up poor in a trailer park and watching his father work himself to death under the weight of medical debt. The conversation ranged across healthcare, education, housing, gun policy, democratic reform, data centers, and the question of how to peel off Trump voters with a working-class populist message that targets billionaires instead of immigrants. Progressive Indiana Network is subscriber-supported independent media. To help us continue doing special events like this, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. QUESTIONS 00:00:22 Introduction 00:01:08 John Whetstone introduction and opening remarks 00:05:42 Q: Healthcare transition — rural hospitals are closing now. What does the path from our current system to Medicare for All actually look like? - Government must use direct funding to keep rural hospitals and labor-and-delivery departments open during the transition period. - The transition requires throwing federal dollars at the gap while the private insurance model is being unwound. - Whetstone acknowledged he does not yet have a specific timeline for the full transition. 00:07:13 Q (Bonnie, Crawfordsville): What will you do to improve funding for Indiana schools? - Incentivize systems to stop diverting students to private and charter schools. - Restore and expand practical vocational programs — fire/EMS, law enforcement training, automotive — that have been defunded. - Fund education from pre-K through college; student debt should not exist because an educated workforce benefits the whole country. - AI-driven layoffs have left a generation of coding graduates underwater on loans they were told would pay off quickly. - Daycare must be treated as part of the education infrastructure — parents leaving the workforce to care for children is a policy failure. 00:11:34 Q: Would you have supported the Build Back Better plan’s investment in childcare as human infrastructure? - Yes — investing in people is the core message of his campaign. - Revenue is available through closing tax loopholes, raising the corporate tax rate, and taxing the wealthy. - The economy can afford to put people back at the center of policy. 00:13:29 Q: In last week’s IN-04 debate, you said you opposed a federal assault weapons ban. Why? - Gun culture is central to where he grew up; the Second Amendment is a constitutional right and should not be eroded before other options are exhausted. - Prefers investing in mental health, drug intervention, and community economic improvement — raising the minimum wage should lower crime rates. - Supports registration, licensing, and mandatory safety training, but insists all of it must be free, like voting — no effective poll tax on a constitutional right. - The insurance mandate idea is where he draws the line; cost should not be a barrier to exercising a right. 00:17:40 Q: Can ICE be reformed, or does it need to be abolished? - Abolish ICE — they have proven untrustworthy and operate like a gang at $85 billion and counting. - Replace with caseworkers who help people navigate the pathway to citizenship or residency. - The killing of Alex Pretti — a licensed gun owner shot in the back by ICE agents — illustrates exactly why the agency cannot be reformed. - The agency’s own arrest data shows only a small minority of those detained have any criminal record. 00:19:23 Q: You were the loudest yes on Supreme Court expansion in last week’s debate. To what number, and how do you answer the “race to the bottom” objection? - Expand to 13 justices (revised upward from his initial answer of 12 after Scott pointed out you need an odd number for majority rulings). - Structure it as six conservative, six liberal, plus one mutually agreed-upon neutral party. - Pair expansion with term limits and a rotating schedule so every president gets at least one pick and no justice accumulates unchecked power indefinitely. - 13 corresponds to the number of federal circuit courts — the same logic that originally produced nine. 00:24:17 Q: Do you support statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico? - Yes to both, and Guam as well — all U.S. territories should become full states. - America should not be an imperial power with permanent territorial subjects who have no voting representation. - Every territory should have some form of voting representation in Congress. 00:25:19 Q: Do you support abolishing the Electoral College? - Yes — presidents should not be able to win without winning the popular vote. - Also supports the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact as an interim workaround; Virginia just joined that week. 00:27:20 Q (Bonnie, Crawfordsville): What are your proposals on housing affordability and homelessness? - Raise the minimum wage and cap rent increases — out-of-state corporate landlords are buying up Crawfordsville properties and hiking rents without making improvements. - Medicare for All would free up household income currently drained by health costs. - We have more vacant homes than unhoused people; retrofit vacant big-box storefronts like old Sears locations into government-funded housing. - Supportive of public housing in concept but was candid that he needs to research the policy specifics before making firm commitments. 00:31:42 Q (Tabitha, Covington): What will you do for the autism, neurodiverse, and disability community? - No specific policy plan yet; honest about that gap. - Broad investment in the social work profession — more social workers, higher wages, more funding for social work schools. - DCS and case management agencies are dangerously understaffed. - ABA therapy and similar autism interventions would be covered under his Medicare for All plan because if a doctor says it’s health care, it’s health care. 00:33:41 Q: Would abortion be covered under your universal healthcare plan? - Yes, unequivocally — abortion is healthcare, it’s between a patient and their doctor, and it’s a human right. - The Hyde Amendment would have no place in his system. 00:35:13 Q: Social Security is projected to go insolvent around 2032 with automatic benefit cuts of roughly 28%. What’s your plan? - Remove the payroll tax cap — Elon Musk pays Social Security taxes only on his first $180,000 while working people pay on every dollar they earn. - Lifting the cap alone would dramatically extend Social Security’s solvency; Whetstone declined to put a specific year on it. - Cautious about whether surplus revenue could also be used to increase benefits — said he hasn’t fully researched that angle yet. 00:37:46 Q: What do you understand about this political moment that your older colleagues in Congress do not? - Personal data is being bought, sold, and weaponized — his campaign uses purchased voter data to target ads, and most legislators don’t even know that’s possible. - He purchased his own data before the campaign began and found the results alarming. - Regulation of who can buy personal data and for what purposes is urgently needed, and younger members are best positioned to explain why to colleagues who barely know how to use a computer. 00:40:28 Q (Aaron, YouTube): Which political figures, living or dead, inspire you? - Among current members: Thomas Massie — for his willingness to break with his party on principle (specifically on Epstein file transparency); Whetstone said he’d work with any Republican on minimum wage or universal healthcare. - On the Democratic side: AOC — “She’s our next president.” - Historically: his father, a union Democrat who drove a 14-year-old Whetstone to Tea Party meetings to heckle the speakers; and Bernie Sanders. 00:43:10 Q: It’s the eve of 4/20 — is it time to legalize cannabis federally? - Yes — it’s a revenue source, it’s a public safety improvement over an unregulated market, and it’s comparable in risk to alcohol. - Legalize, tax, regulate, decriminalize, reduce prison populations, restore lives. - Acknowledged he usually avoids the topic because people assume it’s the only reason young candidates run. 00:45:16 Q: Indiana agriculture depends on migrant labor, yet your district’s voters largely back Trump’s immigration crackdown. How do you talk to farmers about this? - Farmers don’t bring up migrant labor — they bring up the cost of fertilizer and lost export markets, particularly the loss of Chinese demand for American crops and the rising cost of sulfuric acid due to trade war disruptions. - Proposed a government purchasing program to buy surplus agricultural output and direct it to free school meals and unhoused shelters, creating a domestic market floor. - Farmers know agriculture depends on migrant labor; they avoid the subject because it’s uncomfortable. 00:47:26 Q (Colton, ProgressiveIndiana.net): What are your thoughts on data centers? - Call for an immediate moratorium — supports Bernie Sanders’s nationwide pause on new data center construction. - Indiana is ground zero; community opposition near Lebanon and Monrovia has been nearly unanimous, yet politicians keep ramming approvals through. - We have more vacant homes than homeless people, yet we’re demolishing livable structures behind barbed wire to build data centers. - Government should have heavy oversight of any future construction — protecting water tables, requiring sustainable energy and closed-loop cooling, and regulating AI companies’ data-scraping practices. - Skeptical of the China national security argument; believes good-

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  6. Indiana's 8th Congressional District Democratic Primary Debate

    Apr 18

    Indiana's 8th Congressional District Democratic Primary Debate

    Produced by: Progressive Indiana Network : https:/www.progressiveindiana.net Moderator: Rachael Chatham: https://rchathampr.com/ Candidates: Mary Allen: https://www.maryallenforcongress.com/ Chris Rector: Campaign Facebook Page Tabitha Zeigler: https://tabithazeiglerforcongress.com/ Mario Foradori was invited and RSVP’d, but has since stopped participating in campaign events; he has made no official withdrawal announcement. SUMMARY: Three Democratic candidates for Indiana’s 8th Congressional District debated across ten policy categories — foreign policy, accountability, immigration, affordability, healthcare, education, human rights, taxation, social security, and labor — followed by a rapid-fire speed round and closing statements. All three candidates broadly agreed that the Trump administration has gone beyond the bounds of constitutional governance and that working families have been abandoned by both parties’ leadership. Chris Rector, a 25-year Army veteran and service-connected disabled veteran from Knoxville, Tennessee now living in the 8th District, brought a blunt, movement-politics energy and a focus on the struggles of working and struggling families. Mary Allen, an at-large city councilor in Evansville, healthcare worker, and former small business owner, emphasized her track record of showing up and her experience seeing where policy hits people in the real world. Tabitha Zeigler, a multi-generational Hoosier, 20-year union member, working farmer, and LGBTQ+ community member, left her position at the U.S. Postal Service to run and brought firsthand experience with autism, domestic violence, and the economics of rural life. Progressive Indiana Network is powered entirely by our subscribers. To help us continue presenting special events like this, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. BREAKDOWN: 00:00:20 - Introduction - Rachael Chatham introduces herself as an independent journalist from Southeast Indiana and the debate moderator; credits Scott Rogers of HoosLeft with running production and the Progressive Indiana Network as the presenting organization - Notes that Mario Foradori originally RSVP’d but has been unresponsive and did not participate, though he remains on the ballot - Outlines the format: two-minute opening statements, ten policy questions, a speed round, and closing statements 00:02:07 - Opening Statements - Chris Rector: 25-year Army veteran, service-connected disabled veteran, certified peer support specialist with the VA, and former sheriff’s investigator; frames his candidacy around working and struggling families; vows not to reach across the aisle to “wannabe white Christian nationalists, fascists, racists, and corrupt politicians”; says fighters fight, and this is our home - Mary Allen: healthcare worker for 15 years, nonprofit organizer, small business owner, and current at-large city councilor in Evansville; union household upbringing — her father was a Teamster truck driver; three adult daughters and two grandchildren; never missed a meeting or vote on city council; recently sold her business to focus full-time on the campaign - Tabitha Zeigler: multi-generational Hoosier with roots to at least 1822; steelworker and farming family background; still lives on a working farm; 20-year union member with the airlines and U.S. Postal Service; left her USPS position to run; LGBTQ+ community member, domestic violence survivor, autistic, and parent of three autistic children 00:08:19 - Q1: FOREIGN POLICY — The War with Iran, Gaza, and the U.S.-Israel Relationship The U.S. has been at war with Iran for six weeks, initiated at the urging of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered an international energy crisis. Gaza and the West Bank remain under occupation. Both the war and the U.S. relationship with Israel have divided Democrats. Where do you stand on the war with Iran, and is it time to fundamentally reevaluate the U.S. relationship with Israel? - Allen: calls it a war of choice; says Congress is abdicating its constitutional responsibility to declare war; calls for repealing outdated war authorizations; speaks as a veteran and member of Veterans for Peace; warns that our enemies are becoming our friends and our friends are becoming our enemies - Zeigler: says the U.S. is supporting a genocide not just in Palestine but in Lebanon and Syria as well; argues for diplomacy over war; says her millennial generation has effectively been at war since 9/11 and she has watched too many friends come back not okay - Rector: draws on his own military service; calls the spending of a billion dollars a day on war criminal when that money could fund universal child care and healthcare in the 8th District; criticizes Democratic leadership in D.C. for going along with it 00:14:21 - Q2: ACCOUNTABILITY — Impeachment, Criminal Prosecution, and the Limits of Removal President Trump has defied court orders, weaponized the DOJ, attempted to strip birthright citizenship by executive order, launched an unconstitutional war without a single vote of Congress, and committed what one resolution calls outright tyranny. House Democrats have introduced multiple impeachment resolutions while party leadership has largely sat on their hands. Is impeachment on the table on day one? Is removal even enough, or are we talking about criminal prosecution? - Zeigler: says we have not seen a government like this ever; argues impeachment alone is insufficient and criminal prosecution is necessary; invokes the Nuremberg trials as the appropriate framework; says this goes beyond the president to everyone complicit in war crimes - Rector: commits to filing for impeachment on day one; cites Rep. Al Green as the only House member willing to say it out loud; says we have to impeach, convict, remove, and prosecute anyone proven to have committed war crimes or genocide - Allen: supports both impeachment and prosecution; warns accountability cannot stop with Trump; points to the Epstein files as one example of broader lawbreaking that must be investigated; argues Congress must reassert itself against executive overreach regardless of which party holds the White House 00:19:36 - Q3: IMMIGRATION — Abolishing ICE and the Future of DHS DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was removed and replaced with another MAGA loyalist. Multiple U.S. citizens have been shot and killed by masked, unidentified agents. ICE’s funding would rank it among the top 15 military budgets on the planet. A majority of Democrats now support abolishing ICE outright, though elected Democrats have been reticent to say so. Can this agency be reformed, or should it be abolished? Has DHS outlived its original purpose? - Rector: will push to abolish ICE on day one and replace it with a reformed version of the pre-9/11 INS; calls the current agency “an armed regime”; says everyone — documented or not — has a right to due process - Zeigler: 100% abolish ICE; calls it a rebranding from the slave catcher days; praises community organizing in Minnesota as a model for the interim; argues the money should be redirected to immigration judges, lawyers, and USCIS processing capacity to make the system actually work - Allen: supports abolition and prosecution of agents who broke the law; argues money spent on detention camps should build courts instead; says we can have both humanity and a secure border — they are not mutually exclusive 00:25:29 - Q4: AFFORDABILITY — The Root Cause of the Cost-of-Living Crisis Grocery prices, rent, healthcare, and child care keep climbing. Saying “we’ll lower costs” is insufficient. What is the root cause of the affordability crisis and what specific steps would you take in Congress to actually address it? - Allen: argues poverty is a policy choice; calls out the reconciliation bill as the biggest transfer of wealth from working people to billionaires in recent memory; draws on her own experience as a single mother who worked two jobs to afford child care; supports child care for all - Zeigler: argues $1–2 billion a day in war spending could fund universal healthcare and child care; calls out tariffs and backroom deals; describes the current moment as obscene — Elon Musk becoming a trillionaire while American children are trafficked and starving - Rector: asks why universal health care and child care remain out of reach while genocide is being funded; describes his work modeling a universal child care program after New Mexico’s free, taxpayer-neutral system; wants to implement it first in the 8th District 00:30:58 - Q5: HEALTHCARE — Medicare for All, the ACA, and How to Get There The free market will not deliver the healthcare results we need — the rest of the industrialized world has already figured this out. More market competition? A bolstered ACA? A public option? Medicare for all? A hybrid model? What’s your solution and how do you get there? - Zeigler: looks to European and Portuguese models; argues taxing the 1% appropriately would fund the system; calls out Walmart’s deliberate wage suppression as a mechanism for offloading worker healthcare costs onto SNAP and Medicaid - Allen: supports a transitional approach — ACA subsidies as a near-term Band-Aid, moving toward Medicare for all or a single-payer system; shares a door-knocking encounter with a recently widowed woman in her sixties, working at Walmart, navigating her late husband’s hospital bills while too young for Medicare - Rector: points to the VA model as proof that universal healthcare is achievable at low cost — the VA provides glasses, exams, and lenses for a dollar; argues big pharma and billionaires are the only reason it hasn’t happened for everyone 00:36:51 - Q6: EDUCATION — Vouchers, Title I, and a Sustainable Future for Hoosier Educators The Trump administration has taken a chainsaw to the Department of Education, slashed Title I funding, and pushe

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  7. Virtual Town Hall w/ Clif Marsiglio for State Senate (D-District 46)

    Apr 17

    Virtual Town Hall w/ Clif Marsiglio for State Senate (D-District 46)

    https://progressiveindiana.net https://clifmars.com/ SUMMARY Scott Aaron Rogers hosts Clif Marsiglio, candidate for Indiana State Senate District 46 — the only state Senate district contained entirely within Indianapolis — for a one-hour virtual town hall drawing questions from YouTube, Facebook Live, and ProgressiveIndiana.net. Marsiglio, a 35-year Indianapolis resident who works in accreditation at Indiana University, makes the case that his background in higher education and K-12 accreditation, his community organizing work on overdose prevention and public safety, and his reputation as a fighter distinguish him in a Democratic primary to succeed outgoing Sen. Andrea Hunley. Over the course of the hour, he takes positions on charter school accountability, corporate ownership of single-family homes and public utilities, data center regulation, organized labor, small business support, local control vs. state preemption, tenant rights, homelessness, LGBTQ safety, Medicaid and SNAP access, and Medicare for All. Progressive Indiana Network is subscriber-supported independent media. To help us continue doing special events like this, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. QUESTIONS 00:00:21 Introduction - Scott Aaron Rogers opens the broadcast, introduces the Progressive Indiana Network Virtual Town Hall format, and explains the multi-platform question submission process (YouTube, Facebook Live, Substack Live at ProgressiveIndiana.net, Google Form). - Clif Marsiglio is introduced as the candidate for Indiana State Senate District 46. - Marsiglio apologizes for sounding under the weather due to spring allergies and gives a brief personal introduction: 35-year Indianapolis resident, avid cyclist, IU employee working in accreditation and program review, and SD-46 candidate. 00:03:47 Succeeding Andrea Hunley — Why Marsiglio? - Rogers notes that current Sen. Andrea Hunley, a former IPS principal and highly regarded Black woman, is vacating the seat to run for Indianapolis mayor in 2027, and asks Marsiglio to make the case for why a 54-year-old white guy should replace her in a diverse district. - Marsiglio says no one can replace Hunley, but argues his accreditation background — remediating failures and replicating successes across educational institutions — gives him a specific expertise in higher education and K-12 bridge programs that complements her legacy. - He highlights that roughly half of Indiana’s income tax revenue goes to public education and that his professional background positions him to defend fully funded public schools. 00:06:51 Education Credentials and the IPS Board Opponent - Rogers notes that one of Marsiglio’s primary opponents is an IPS board member and asks why Marsiglio — not she — is the education candidate in this race. - Marsiglio argues that the IPS board has presided over a legislative gutting of Indianapolis Public Schools and that he sees lackluster support for public education from that corner; he draws a contrast by stating he will never do anything other than fully back public schools. - He adds that he has two children currently in IPS schools. 00:08:41 Clarification: Is Marsiglio Actually an Educator? - A viewer named Daniel, identified as an IU staffer, challenges Marsiglio’s claim to the title of “educator,” saying a fellow IU staff member would not describe himself that way. - Marsiglio responds that he has taught courses in group dynamics, statistics, and humanistic psychology at IU and at Martin University (which recently closed due to funding issues), and that his accreditation role is analogous to a school principal — an administrative education role, not a classroom one. 00:10:10 Charter School Accountability - Rogers asks what accountability framework Marsiglio would push for given that charter schools are embedded in the budget and buildings, and given a likely continued Republican majority. - Marsiglio focuses on data transparency: public schools must report dozens of metrics that charter schools are free to conceal, including “counsel-out” rates — the practice of pushing out students with disciplinary issues after collecting their per-pupil funding, then returning them to the public school system with no money following them. - He says he would pursue mandatory reporting requirements for charter schools matching those of public schools. 00:12:35 Higher Education Independence and the Braun Takeover of IU - Rogers raises Gov. Mike Braun’s takeover of the IU board of trustees, the elimination of alumni and faculty input, and the cutting of degree programs — and asks how Marsiglio would work to restore independence to the state’s higher education institutions. - Marsiglio, speaking carefully given his IU employment, argues the program cuts are being driven by a single metric — whether graduates earn above the median wage — which ignores programs that serve as gateways to law school, medical school, or other advanced degrees. - He says the governor does not have, or did not care to look at, the full picture, and that bringing his accreditation expertise to the Senate is precisely the point. 00:14:52 Housing Affordability and Corporate Landlords (Jackson in Irvington) - Jackson in Irvington submitted a question noting that Marion County housing costs have risen over 90% [Fact check: about 60%] in the past decade and asking what Marsiglio would do about private equity firms buying up single-family homes. - Marsiglio says Indiana has more out-of-state corporate ownership of single-family housing than any other state in the nation [Fact-check: the city of Indianapolis is #1, state in the top 10], with BlackRock as the dominant player. - He calls for taxing out-of-state corporate home purchases punitively — high enough to make the practice unprofitable — and frames it as a straightforward anti-profiteering measure. 00:17:26 BlackRock, AES, and Utility Privatization - Rogers extends the BlackRock discussion to utilities, noting the company’s announced intent to acquire AES — the parent of Indianapolis Power & Light — with a deal expected to close late 2026 or early 2027. - Rogers points out that Democrats offered an amendment to House Bill 1002 this session that would have banned private equity from buying public utilities, and Republicans killed it; he asks what makes Marsiglio think he could move Republicans now. - Marsiglio says he would filibuster the deal if it came before the Senate during his tenure, notes that Indiana Democrats have only 10 members in the chamber (meaning he would need 16 Republicans), and argues that most Republican constituents are also harmed by utility privatization and that he intends to make that case directly. 00:20:13 Data Centers, Utility Costs, and the Maine Moratorium - Rogers notes that Marsiglio has been organizing against a proposed data center in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood and raises an anonymous web form question: Maine just passed the first state moratorium on data centers in the nation — will Marsiglio introduce similar legislation? - Marsiglio says yes, arguing data centers are only cost-effective in Indiana because of sweetheart deals — subsidized electricity rates and utility upgrade costs shifted to ratepayers — and that if those true costs were accounted for, the companies would not come. - He draws a contrast between the 30-year tax moratoriums given to trillion-dollar companies and the absence of equivalent relief for everyday Hoosiers, and references the recent gas tax cut as an example of corporate profiteering absorbing public relief immediately. 00:23:47 Organized Labor and the Union/Data Center Tension - Rogers raises the friction point: building trades unions love data center projects for the construction jobs; how does Marsiglio square his opposition to data centers with his support for organized labor? - Marsiglio says the jobs numbers are misleading — of 450 jobs cited for one data center, the Carpenters Union told him they would realistically get about 40, with most positions going to migratory workers from out west. - He argues Indiana should instead mandate organized labor for any state-subsidized construction project — including low-cost housing — and calls for repeal of right-to-work statutes. 00:26:18 Iron Nation Indiana — Braun’s Israeli Security Partnership (Hans in Indy) - Rogers raises Gov. Braun’s announcement of a public-private partnership with Israeli security firms called “Iron Nation Indiana,” and a question from Hans in Indy asking how Marsiglio feels about sending Indiana taxpayer dollars to Israel. - Marsiglio says Indiana should not be entering public-private partnerships with any foreign nation — he frames it as a pragmatic position, not specifically anti-Israel — and argues Indiana should keep its economic partnerships domestic. 00:28:07 Small Business Support and Barriers to Entry (Jackson in Irvington) - Jackson in Irvington asked a follow-up question about how Marsiglio would help small and mom-and-pop businesses in underserved communities survive an impending economic downturn and reduce unnecessary red tape without stripping worker and consumer protections. - Marsiglio says the state is over-taxing and under-investing in small businesses while handing tax moratoriums to trillion-dollar corporations, and calls for directing business support below a certain revenue threshold. - He connects small business viability to walkable and bikeable urban infrastructure, citing a south-side deli owner whose customers can only reach him by car. 00:31:46 Marsiglio’s Temperament — Reddit Legend, Brick Incident (Daniel on Substack Live) - A viewer named Daniel on Substack Live notes Marsiglio is a local legend on the Indianapolis subreddit, has been banned multiple times, has a comment history of calling users “f*****g idiots,” and has previously admitted to throwing a brick through a glass door

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  8. Virtual Town Hall II w/ Jackson Franklin for Congress (D-IN5)

    Apr 13

    Virtual Town Hall II w/ Jackson Franklin for Congress (D-IN5)

    https://progressiveindiana.net https://jacksonfranklinforcongress.com/SHOW NOTES SUMMARY Progressive Indiana Network editor-in-chief Scott Aaron Rogers hosts Democratic congressional candidate Jackson Franklin for a virtual town hall focused on Indiana’s 5th Congressional District. Franklin, an Army combat medic and paramedic running a grassroots campaign, covers the full range of his platform — from the U.S. war with Iran and the blockade of Cuba to housing costs, NASA funding, and the future of the Democratic Party. He positions himself as a Bernie Sanders-style populist fighting corporate capture of both parties, pledges to take no corporate PAC money, and draws a sharp contrast with the establishment wing of the Democratic Party, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The town hall features a live chat Q&A with questions from viewers on Facebook, YouTube, and ProgressiveIndiana.net. Progressive Indiana Network is subscriber-supported independent media. To help us continue doing special events like this, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. QUESTIONS 00:00:22 Introduction & Welcome - Scott Rogers opens the broadcast, introduces Jackson Franklin as Democratic candidate for Indiana’s 5th Congressional District - Franklin introduces himself: Army combat medic, paramedic, grassroots candidate inspired by Bernie Sanders - Platform preview: Medicare for All, ending “illegal wars,” union rights, getting money out of politics, no corporate PAC money 00:03:06 The U.S. War with Iran - Rogers asks Franklin for his take on the ongoing conflict with Iran, noting the multi-front complexity involving Israel, Gulf states, and the Russia-Ukraine alignment - Franklin argues the war is driven by U.S. deference to Israel rather than any genuine national security threat, comparing the justification to the false WMD claims used to enter Iraq - Calls for cutting all military aid to Israel, impeachment of Trump, and referral of Netanyahu and Trump administration officials to the International Criminal Court 00:06:05 Viewer Q&A: How Does Franklin Win the Primary? (bi11jon, YouTube) - Viewer frames the question around the need for a Democrat who can outcompete Rep. Victoria Sparks with multiple candidates in the field - Franklin argues Indiana is not a “red state” but a “gray state” — non-voters would win every race if they were a candidate — and that the Democratic Party’s corporate alignment is the root of low turnout - Pitches his campaign as “home for the political homeless,” running on popular issues rather than donor-class interests 00:09:08 Anti-Semitism vs. Criticism of Israel - Rogers presses Franklin on how he responds to charges of anti-Semitism given his fierce criticism of the Israeli government - Franklin draws a distinction between critiquing the Jewish identity (anti-Semitism) and critiquing a government’s policies (politics) - Argues Netanyahu has deliberately conflated the two terms, diluting the word’s meaning and inadvertently enabling actual anti-Semitism; notes that Palestinians are also a Semitic people 00:13:09 NASA & the Artemis II Mission - Rogers pivots to the Artemis II mission, asking whether space exploration is a good use of limited resources - Franklin calls for doubling NASA’s budget while cutting military spending, arguing NASA produces tangible technological benefits (GPS, etc.) on a fraction of the Pentagon’s budget - Frames space investment as consistent with taxing the rich to fund public goods 00:15:26 The U.S. Postal Service (Austin Ray, Knox County Young Democrats) - Viewer question submitted via web form asks whether Franklin will protect the USPS and support reforms to address burdens created by the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act - Franklin answers yes on all counts, stressing USPS as a backbone of society that requires living wages, workers’ comp, and paid sick time for its employees - Rogers adds that unlike FedEx or UPS, USPS serves remote communities that the private market won’t touch — and that postal service is constitutionally mandated 00:18:25 Housing & Private Equity (Hoosier Lemon, Substack Live) - Viewer asks about legislation to lower housing costs and whether Franklin would support banning wealthy out-of-state investors and private equity from buying residential homes - Franklin supports strong tenant unions, rent regulation modeled on Zohran Mamdani’s New York City freeze proposal, and a major congressional investment in affordable housing construction - Calls for the wealthy to pay their fair share in taxes to fund housing and other public goods 00:20:12 Tax Policy: What Is the Rich’s “Fair Share”? - Rogers asks Franklin to put a number on it: what is the appropriate tax rate on income, wealth, and corporations? - Franklin cites Bernie Sanders’ Wall Street transaction tax proposal (0.1% bond trade tax, 0.05% stock trade tax) as sufficient to wipe out all student loan debt within one year and fund public colleges and trade schools thereafter - Proposes a 100% marginal tax rate on individual income above $999,999 — “you won capitalism, now fund the kids” - Argues billionaire wealth is structurally extracted from workers rather than earned, citing Elon Musk’s net worth relative to the bottom 53% of income earners 00:25:28 Devil’s Advocate: What About People Who Worked Hard? - Rogers poses as a Carmel-area voter who asks why their savings and estate planning should be penalized - Franklin distinguishes between “moral millionaires” and billionaires, arguing no one can spend a billion dollars in a lifetime — wealth at that scale is inherently exploitative, not earned - Notes that in sectors like manufacturing and retail, harder work does not translate to more reward; excess labor value is captured by ownership class 00:28:47 The District’s Economic Divide: Carmel vs. Muncie - Rogers notes that IN-05 includes both affluent Hamilton County suburbs (Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville) and post-industrial communities (Anderson, Kokomo, Muncie, Marion) - Franklin describes how Muncie was once “Middletown America” — a national demographic bellwether — until NAFTA gutted its factory base - Argues the working-class majority of Hamilton County has more in common with Muncie than with the district’s two billionaires; populist economic issues cut across the geographic divide 00:35:59 Data Centers vs. Green Jobs - Rogers raises the state-level push to attract data centers as an economic development tool for struggling Rust Belt communities, noting Mike Braun’s 2025 property tax bill defunded localities and pushed them to seek alternative revenue - Also notes the tension: Sanders supports a data center moratorium, but construction unions want the jobs - Franklin agrees with Sanders on a moratorium pending environmental and data privacy regulations, but argues the Green New Deal — high-speed rail, renewable energy infrastructure, school and hospital construction — provides a far better source of union jobs 00:41:11 Hakeem Jeffries & Progressive Leadership in the House - Rogers asks: if Democrats take the House in November and Franklin wins his race, is Jeffries the right Speaker? - Franklin says Jeffries will never have his vote, citing Jeffries and Schumer’s move to bury the Khanna-Massie War Powers resolution before the Iran strike - Names Ro Khanna and AOC as his preferred Speaker candidates; also mentions Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Maxwell Frost as members doing good work - Argues the Progressive Caucus must align against the establishment “New Democrat” wing 00:46:43 Cuba & the Blockade (Mel, Substack Live) - Viewer asks whether Franklin would end the U.S. blockade of Cuba - Franklin calls the blockade a war crime — using starvation and electricity as weapons against civilians meets the textbook definition of terrorism — and says the U.S. should end the embargo and pay reparations, as Germany did after World War II - References a Drop Site News report by Ryan Grimm on Cuban hospital conditions, including nurses hand-pumping infant ventilators during power outages 00:49:39 Electability & the “Too Radical” Objection - Rogers asks what Franklin says to voters who agree with most of his platform but worry he’s unelectable - Franklin points to polling: 70% of Americans support Medicare for All, 87% of Hoosiers support cannabis legalization — his positions are the mainstream, not the fringe - Argues the corporate Democratic strategy of sanitizing the message for donors has produced 20 years of failure and abysmal Indiana voter turnout; grassroots populism is how you win 00:53:46 Viewer Troll & the Third-Party Question (buttonsbloomers, Twitch) - A viewer calls Franklin a “Democrat shill propping up a system that denies humanity” and calls to break up the “Uniparty” - Franklin responds that he wants ranked-choice voting and multi-party democracy, but running outside the two-party system right now means not winning; his goal is to drag the Democratic Party back toward working-class interests - Frames his strategy as “hijacking” one party to kick out corporate influence rather than building a third party that can’t yet win 00:55:47 Closing: What Does IN-05 Need to Hear That No One Else Is Saying? - Rogers asks Franklin for his signature bold truth - Franklin highlights his consistent record on calling out genocide, abolishing ICE (not “abolish and replace” with a renamed agency), and refusing corporate PAC money - Closes with a call to action: early voting is underway, May 5th is primary day, jacksonfranklinforcongress.com for donations and volunteering - Notes the primary will test whether a grassroots working-class campaign can defeat establishment-backed opponents in a district he calls the one true swing seat in Indiana Thanks again to Jackson Franklin for joining us. For more information visit his campaign website at https://jacks

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Indiana news, opinion, analysis, and historical perspective from a diverse group of politically-progressive Hoosiers. This is where you'll find PIN special events that don't fall in one of our creators' podcast feeds: town halls, debates, collaborations with MADVoters, and other one-off events. www.progressiveindiana.net

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