A View from the Left Side

Pamela Powers

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POLITICS
UPDATED WEEKLY

A View from the Left side is hosted by Pamela Powers, progressive author and former member of the Arizona Legislature. Powers and her guests tackle wide-ranging topics from politics and policy to health and wellness, lifestyle, technology and culture.

04/02/2025

23,000 Turn Out for Bernie/AOC Fight Oligarchy Rally in Tucson

Fight Oligarchy rallies are setting attendance records in swing states and Republican-controlled Congressional districts across the country. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Texas Congressman Greg Casar ... and Calexico rocked the house in Tucson on May 22, 2025. Event organizers estimated 3000 for the Tucson rally at Catalina High School. The Midtown neighborhood association warned residents that as many as 7000 people may attend the March 22, 2025 rally. More that 23,000 people filled the football field and bleachers. The beginning of the program was delayed because so many people were still in line, and still streaming in as AOC began to speak. The lines snaked around the neighborhood, and eventually everyone got in. Time Stamps | Power to the People [Music] | 0:00 | Episode Introduction Segment 1: Change Is Gonna Come | 1:09 | Four Speeches Included in this Podcast | 2:35 | AOC & Casar Are Progressive Leaders for the Future | 3:03 | End Big Money Politics with Nationwide Clean Elections | 3:52 | Segment 2: Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva | 4:44 | Segment 3: Texas Congressional Rep. Greg Casar | 9:04 | Segment 4: NY Congressional Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | 19:55 | What Congress Should Be Doing | 30:14 | When the System Is Stacked Against You ... | 32:23 | Trump Is Selling Our Country for Parts & Kickbacks | 33:43 | Benefits WE Paid into Are Being Stolen | 34:32 | Common Sense Isn't Radical | 36:40:00 | I Believe in These Things Because I was a WAITRESS!' | 38:21 | AOC Thanks AZ for Electing Grijalva & Getting Rid of Sinema | 39:20 | AOC Calls Out Schweikert But SoAZ Wants to Oust Ciscomani | 40:46 | This Fascist Administration Didn't Come Out of Nowhere ... | 41:26 | 'Beyond Elections Our Task Is to Build Community' | 42:08 | No Act Is Too Small' | 43:17 | In this House We Stand Together' | 44:46 | We Can't Go Back' | 45:29 | Segment 5: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders | 46:22 | Sanders Praises AOC & Casar | 47:21 | Bernie Remembers His Friend Raul | 51:12 | Bernie Talks Crowd Size | 52:10 | The American Oligarchy | 52:45 | The Rich Have Never Had It So Good | 56:20 | Too Many Are Living Paycheck to Paycheck | 58:19 | Stand Up! Fight Back! | 1:01 | Segment 6: Calexcio [Music] | 1:14 | Closing | 1:15 One correction to AOC's speech ... she confused the Tucson audience when she rallied support for booting Maricopa County Rep. David Schweikert out of Congress. YES! Let's get rid of Schweikert, but in Tucson, we want to boot Rep. Juan Ciscomani out of Congress. The full transcript and the video of this podcast can be found at PowersForThePeople on Substack.com.

1h 16m
03/23/2025

Grijalva Speaks Truth to Power ... a Retrospective

Season 3, Episode 6 of a View from the Left Side -- Grijalva Speaks Truth to Power ... a Retrospective -- is a tribute to former Southern Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva, who passed away after a battle with cancer on March 13, 2025. Time Stamps | Introduction: Raul and Me | 00:29 | Union Roots | 02:04 | Background on Today's Speeches | 04:26 | Raul's Words in 2011 Foreshadow 2025 | 05:02 | Raul Introducing Bernie in 2015 | 06:58 | Raul at the Vigil for Democracy in 2022 | 07:15 | Raul at Stop Abortion Bans Rally in 2022 | 07:38 | Segment 1: PDA Tucson Organizing Meeting, February 22, 2011 | 08:20 | Segment 2: Bernie at Reid Park, October 9, 2015 | 24:16 | Segment 3: Vigil for Democracy, January 6, 2022 | 35:25 | Segment 4: Stop Abortion Bans Rally, May 14, 2022 | 45:28 | Closing | 50:08 This podcast features four of Grijalva's speeches that I videotaped over the years. Segment 1. Progressive Democrats of America Tucson Chapter Organizing Meeting on February 22, 2011. The video in this segment has never been published. It was shot in February 2011, just a few months after the Tea Party victories in November 2010, a few weeks after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot at the Safeway Shopping Center in Tucson, Arizona and one year after Citizens United SCOTUS case. Three hundred progressives answered a tiny Tucson Weekly newspaper ad to hear about PDA and progressive activism. It was an exhilarating evening. In talking about the proposed Tea Party budget cuts and tax breaks for the rich, Grijalva foreshadows the struggles we have today. The 2010 election was the first one influenced by the SCOTUS decision that corporations are people and money is speech. Twenty-five years later, the richest man in the world bought the presidency for $270 million in campaign donations. The billionaires are in charge. Grijalva warned us in 2011. Segment 2. Senator Bernie Sanders Presidential Campaign Rally in Reid Park on October 9, 2015. Bernie drew 1000s of people in a rally in Reid Park in Tucson, Arizona on a lovely fall evening. Grijalva endorsed Bernie for president. This segment is Grijalva's introduction of Bernie. To see all of the videos from that evening, go to my PamelaPowersTucsonProgressive YouTube channel. (I shot a lot of footage that night. It's all broken up by speaker and for Bernie by topic because he talked for like 90 minutes. My camera battery ran out. Bernie's 2015 speeches are inspiring.) Segment 3. Vigil for Democracy on January 6, 2022. One year after the January 6, 2021 Insurrection at the US Capitol, about 100 Tucsonans gathered at the cancer survivors memorial at Reid Park in Tucson, Arizona for a candlelight vigil and thoughtful speeches from local elected officials. This segment is Grijalva's speech. (Forgive the shaky video, I handed my smart phone to a friend, while I waited in line to speak.) You can view all of the speeches from the Vigil for Democracy on this YouTube channel. There is also a podcast. Segment 4. Stop Abortion Bans Rally in Tucson. May 14, 2022. A few weeks before Roe v Wade was struck down by t

53 min
03/10/2025

New Strategies for a New World Order

Well, it certainly didn’t take long for President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance to revive the Ugly American brand. Welcome to Season 3: Episode 5 of A View from the Left Side, New Strategies for a New World Order. As the seventh week of Trump’s second term comes to a close, the United States, the world and the global financial markets are reeling from his decisions and walkbacks. Trump is not just a flimflam man. He’s a flipflopping flimflam man. It’s mind-boggling how much has happened since I recorded my last podcast a week ago. Casting off our long-term allies, jumping in bed with Russia, starting a trade war with our biggest trading partners, crashing Wall Street, tanking world financial markets, pissing off consumers—and lying about all of it during a joint session of Congress on primetime TV. Wow, Trump had a big week! Oh, I almost forgot to mention that – also this week—we learned that several states have measles outbreaks. The upside of the measles outbreaks is that DOGE has rehired some of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff they fired. Perhaps we do need a few public health people! (Will Arizona have a measles outbreak? We have the same personal exemption for vaccines that Texas does.) So much winning! Ugh … pass the anti-depressants before RFK Jr. outlaws them! Today’s episode features a wide-ranging interview with three long-time political authors from Blog for Arizona. Tucson lawyer and former prosecutor Michael Bryan founded Blog for Arizona more than 20 years ago. B4AZ has been published continuously since then. Retired lawyer and former newspaper journalist, Larry Bodine is the past chair of the Legislative District 18 Democrats in Pima County and has been on the Board of Democrats of Greater Tucson for five years, including three years as president. Phoenician David Gordon has had a career in education and is a successful science fiction author, in addition to being a prolific political blogger. His experience in science fiction writing probably informs his coverage of the Arizona Legislature. Podcast Time Stamps | The Ugly American Brand Returns | 0:29 | It's the Economy Stupid | 4:02 | The 'Stable Genius' at Work | 5:51 | Shadow Group [DOGE] Dismantles 'Shadow Government' [Deep State] | 7:14 | Is Trump's Election Part of a Antisystems Revolt? | 8:14 | Democrats Shouldn't Defend Systems that Are Broken | 8:38 | Podcast Interview: Today's Guests | 9:55 | Strategic Alliances Crumbling | 11:31 | DOGE Is a Challenge to Constitutional Order | 17:05 | Are We Watching an Antisystems Revolt Unfold? | 23:51 | Egg Prices and Where the Democrats Went Wrong in 2024 | 27:49 | Disinformation and the Media Landscape | 40:27 | Do the Dems Need 'Better Stories' or Better Listening Skills? | 42:42 | Institutional Change | 50:23 | The Resistance Can't Be Invisible | 57:54 | Arizona Politics | 1:02:23 | Diversity Equity and Inclusion | 1:09:37 | 2026: Can Dems Keep the Statewide Offices They Hold and Oust Ciscomani? | 1:14:49 | Parting Thoughts | 1:27:03 You can watch my podcast on YouTube or listen to it on popular podcast platforms including Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Listen Notes and True Fans.

1h 33m
03/01/2025

Buying Power, Fighting Back & Diagnosing Donald

Mean-spirited authoritarians—backed by greedy billionaires and bolstered by weak legislative branches—are leading many countries, including ours. I’m really concerned about the future of our world and our shared economy going forward. Do you remember the massive loss of jobs, homes and businesses after Wall Street crashed the world economy in 2008-2009? I do. Do you remember the unnecessary death and disease, the shattered families, the price increases, the supply chain disruptions and the corporate profiteering during the COVID19 pandemic and Donald Trump’s first term? I do. All of this could all happen again but worse. In this podcast, I discuss the current economic situation in the US and the world, Trump's proposed strategies--like tariffs, trade wars and land grabs-- which I believe will be disastrous, and how we can fight back. In the last segment, I discuss Trump's befuddle speech, numerous lies and erratic behavior and ask the question: How much plaque is in his brain? Time Stamps | Segment 1: What Are You Buying ... or Not? | 0:24 | We Are in the Midst of a Western Movie with No Hero | 4:34 | Where's Our Hero? | 6:21 | It's Time for Octogenarian Politicians to Retire | 6:59 | Jon Stewart Cuts from Billions from Budget in Seconds | 8:25 | Will the US Crash the World Economy Again? | 10:13 | Segment 2: 10 Ways to Fight Back | 13:59 | #1 Go to a Protest | 15:04 | #2 Buy Nothing Days | 17:49 | #3 Be a Choosy Shopper | 18:51 | #4 Go on a Social Media Diet | 20:52 | #5 Protect Your Personal Data, Information and Images | 23:05 | #6 Cut Back on Online Shopping | 12:40 | #7 Say Good-bye to Fast Fashion | 26:37 | #8 Don't Wear Logo Gear | 28:42 | #9 Be Self Reliant | 30:09 | #10 Find Community in Real Life | 31:19 | Segment 3: Dementia and Drugs in the White House | 31:53 | Lying for Profit | 32:36 | Does Trump Believe His Own Lies? | 34:09 | Drugs and Diagnoses: The Public Has a Right to Know | 35:18

41 min
02/15/2025

The Storm Before the Calm

The title of this podcast, The Storm Before the Calm, is taken from a book by George Friedman, founder of Geopolitical Futures. A good friend of mine gave me this book for Christmas. Initially, I balked at the title. I was not eager to read about “the storm” since we have been living in the eye of a hurricane since January 20, 2025, when Donald Trump took office. The last thing I wanted to do was read anything about Trump. I tackled The Storm, and it’s a great book—very insightful. I love the long-view historical perspective. Yes, Trump is in the book, but he’s not the storm. We’re the storm. Today, we’ll be talking history, economics and institutional and socioeconomic cycles. Here are the Time Stamps | We Are the Storm | 0:21 | Don't Worry. It's Just a Phase. | 1:48 | Cycling Through US History | 8:14 | The Rise of Feminism | 11:45 | Backlash in the 21st Centruy | 14:05 | Tired of the Trickle-Down | 19:33 | Common Themes Throughout Our History | 25:00:00 Friedman writes that the US has two predictable cycles that date back to the "invention" of the country by the Founding Fathers: the 80-year institutional cycle and the 50-year socioeconomic cycle. Think of them like the tectonic plates shifting before an earthquake. At the end of each 50-year economic cycle, there is division and great upheaval in the country and "it's as if the country is tearing itself apart," Friedman writes. That's where we are today. I was surprised -- and somewhat dismayed but oddly relieved -- to find out that in this decade both of these cycles will shift. Two earthquakes. In 2020, Friedman said that 2025 would be a pivotal year. Well, here we are! The signals of a shift to a new socioeconomic cycle are: great discontent among the people, broken or obsolete economic systems, and a "failed president" at the end of the cycle. This president is elected during the social unrest and upheaval but uses old ideas and old models to solve current problems. Clinging to old models doesn't work and often makes the situation for the people worse. A classic example is President Herbert Hoover clinging to the old models and ignoring the plight of millions of hungry and impoverished Americans. The Great Depression got worse during his term. Hoover was the "failed president" at the end of that cycle and President Franklin Roosevelt was the first president in the new cycle. Roosevelt made sweeping changes to the federal government to tackle the Great Depression, to feed people and put them back to work, build infrastructure and fight fascism in World War II. President Lyndon Johnson built on the New Deal with the Great Society. The middle class and the union movement grew during this cycle. And the rich paid taxes. President Jimmy Carter was the "failed president" at the end of that cycle. We are in the waning years of the cycle that began with President Ronald Reagan. He infamously introduced us to "trickle-down" economics. The theory is that dramatically cutting taxes on the rich would lead to "trickle-down" wealth. Making the rich richer was somehow supposed to enrich the masses. We have been suffering under this failed model for decades. Thanks to 50 years of Reaganomics, the wealth gap in the US is wider than ever, the billionaires are becoming trillionaires, corporate welfare is running rampant while people are hungry, the middle class has shrunk, the cost of housing, automobiles and college has skyrocketed. The Trump/Musk regime is clinging to the failed model that got here -- tax cuts for the rich and deregulation. Is Trump the last "failed president" of the Trickle-Down Era?

29 min
02/07/2025

Musk's Takeover, Melania's Hat & Our Future

Season 3: Episode 2 of A View from the Left Side includes a variety pack of five segments. The first three segments -- Musk's Takeover, White Men In Black Are Snooping on You and Deregulation Fever -- cover aspects of Elon Musk's takeover of the US government in just 17 days. Segment 4 -- Melania Wore a Hat -- begins with a "you go girl" to the First Lady and her Inauguration Day hat and offers multiple reasons why you should consider adding hats to your wardrobe. It's good to have a chuckle here and there. (You can see the hats described here in YouTube version of this podcast @PowersForThePeople1969 on YouTube.) Segment 5 -- Nodes of Destiny -- offers some astrological insight to the times. Even if you think astrology is bunk, hear me out on this one. The Nodes of Destiny recently shifted on January 11, 2025. Time Stamps | Musk's Takeover | 0:29 | White Men in Black Are Snooping on You | 3:15 | Deregulation Fever | 7:49 | Melania Wore a Hat | 10:24 | Nodes of Destiny | 15:42

22 min
01/30/2025

Musings for a Brave New World

Welcome to Season 3: Episode 1 of A View from the Left Side (AVLS). It's a Brave New World out there -- the perfect time to restart my podcast. Time Stamps for Season 3: Episode 1 Introduction | 00:17 Is This What You Voted For? | 1:47 Trusted News Sources | 5:48 Turn Off Tune In and Be Here Now | 9:29 Tarot for a Brave New World | 12:21 Closing Remarks | 15:53 As of today, Trump's second term is just a little over a week ago. A cloud of Trump-generated chaos has engulfed the world -- after he talked about taking Greenland and the Panama Canal by force (so much for being the "peace candidate"); started the deportations; threatened pretty much everyone (including us) with tariffs; fired federal employees he believes are enemies; stopped publication of public health reports and warnings; eliminated diversity/equity/inclusion (DEI) programs; paused and then restarted grants; inserted fetal personhood language into the official governmental definition of the genders; suggested that Palestinians clear out of Gaza; nominated a boat-load of unqualified candidates for this cabinet; signed 200+ executive orders not all of which are legal; and a lot more. Obviously, there is a lot of national and international political and economic news swirling around us. Although I'll discuss these topics and conduct interviews, AVLS won't be an echo chamber for national news outlets, any political party or any special interest group. AVLS will continue to be a podcast that includes news and commentary about goings on at all levels of government, but as I have in the past, I plan to cover an eclectic blend topics including health policy, lifestyle, economics, women's rights, arts and culture. The content will be a bit freer now that I am a former elected official. Yes, it's been a while since I published Season 2: Episode 13 on August 5, 2022. Ironically, many of the bad ideas that Arizona Republicans proposed during my six years in office are now being proposed nationally. I debated these topics and covered them in Seasons 1 and 2 of this podcast -- another reason why it's a perfect time to restart the AVLS. Twenty-twenty-two was my last year in the Arizona Legislature. It was a wild ride with increased power of the Libertarians in the Freedom Caucus, after the 2020 election. The Republican Caucus in the Arizona Legislature was fractured between the Freedom Caucus [who backed the 2020 election lies and included two fake electors] and the old school Chamber of Commerce Republicans [who accepted that President Biden won and wanted to move on]. Even with that hardline fracture, the Republicans managed to pass many bad bills in the waning months of Governor Doug Ducey's governorship and my tenure in the House. There were intense floor battles over the 15-week abortion ban, fetal personhood, anti-trans bills, voter suppression, the Flat Tax, expansion of Empowerment Scholarship Awards (ESA school vouchers), the Border Wall and more. You can hear about those debates and other intrigues of the Arizona House by listening to previous episodes of AVLS. Those scenes from Arizona in 2022 are being replayed in Congress today.

16 min
08/05/2022

National Infrastructure Bank Would Rebuild US, Create Jobs & Restore Global Competitiveness

Season 2 Episode 13: Creation of a National Infrastructure Bank | 0:44 The US Has Had Four National Infrastructure Banks | 1:17 Crumbling Infrastructure Hurts Competitiveness | 2:30 Rep. PPH Interview with Economics Experts on the Proposal for NIB | 4:24 Alphecca Muttardy, Board Member, NIB Coalition | 4:53 What Is an NIB and Why Do We Need One? | 5:00 Projects that Could Be Funded by the NIB | 5:19 Infrastructure Investments Are Good for the Economy | 8:48 Roosevelt's RFC Was Infrastructure Bank | 11:28 Nationwide Rural Broadband Funded by the NIB Is Modern REA | 11:36 Muttardy on the Scope of NIB Projects | 12:27 The Scope of the REA and Its Impact on Rural America | 13:01 'It Is a Disgrace that We Have Houses in America with No Running Water' | 13:35 Chinese NIB Is Building a Nationwide Water Grid. | 13:49 NIB Projects Could Help Arizona Farmers | 14:12 Public Private Partnerships (P3s) vs NIB | 14:29 Arizona Water Initiative Allocates $750 mil in P3s for 'Water Augmentation' | 14:37 Keep Public Infrastructure in Public Hands. Water Is a Public Good. | 15:09 Ellen Brown, Founder, Public Banking Institute and Author | 15:52 'P3s Want Profits. NIB Is Basically a Bank at Cost.' | 15:56 Who Can Invest in the NIB? | 16:40 Muttardy: How the NIB Would Be Capitalized? | 17:08 Brown: Individuals Can Invest in the NIB | 18:37 Crumbling US Infrastructure Hurts Competitiveness | 18:57 China Invests 8% of GDP in Infrastructure. US Invests 2.4%. | 19:35 Putting People to Work Building Infrastructure Will Rebuild the Middle Class | 20:00 Given Current Economic Uncertainties, How Would Our Strategies Change if We Had NIB Now? | 20:36 Dr. Robert Hockett, Edward Cornell Professor of Law and Finance at Cornell University | 21:45 The US Relies Too Much on Private Sector Initiative | 21:51 If Your Motive Is Profit Maximization, It Is Not in Your Interest to Prioritize the Public Good | 22:15 Brown on Inflation: Shortages Are to Blame | 23:28 COVID Relief Money that Was Sent to the Banks Is Just Sitting There Unspent | 24:05 COVID Relief Money that Went to People Is Long Gone | 24:28 'People Are Spending Now But They Have Less Money than Before COVID' | 24:52 'There's Not a Lot of Demand Competing for the Goods. The Problem Is Shortages.' | 25:11 The American System Model of Building Infrastructure to Promote Growth & Production | 25:19 Keep the Farmers and Small Businesses in Business | 25:30 Hamilton: 'This Bank Is to Be Used for Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Development of the Economy' | 25:56 'We've Had an Infrastructure Bank Before. The Problem Is Political.' | 26:33 'If the Money Goes to Productive Purposes -- Things that Do Pay Back -- then You Have a Sustainable System.' | 27:06 Muttardy: 'Policy Banks' Are Investing Money in the Most Productive Place | 27:52 The US Needs a Long-Term Infrastructure Plan | 28:29 What Are Common Objections to NIB? | 29:31 Muttardy: The NIB Has Checks and Balances as Well as Transparency | 29:59 NIB Will Have Engineers to Help Local Governments Design Efficient Systems | 30:37 All NIB Loans Are Transparent for Public to See | 31:42 Who Owns the Infrastructure Built with NIB Loans? | 32:02 Hockett: Who Owns the Infrastructure Depends Upon the Project | 32:41 Muttardy: Most NIB Loans Will Go to Public Entities who Own their Infrastructure | 34:03 To Relieve Bottlenecks, NIB Can Make Private Sector Loans | 34:30 The NIB's Role in Affordable Housing | 35:35 Hockett: Historical Perspective on Housing | 36:19 And more...

51 min

A View from the Left side is hosted by Pamela Powers, progressive author and former member of the Arizona Legislature. Powers and her guests tackle wide-ranging topics from politics and policy to health and wellness, lifestyle, technology and culture.

Creator

Pamela Powers
Years Active

2021 - 2025
Episodes

33
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© 2025 A View from the Left Side
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A View from the Left Side