Christopher Hale

Alan Elrod

Daniel Nichanian

Karen Tallian

On this week's show
– Christopher Hale, author-publisher of “Letters from Leo — the American Pope & US Politics” on Substack
– Alan Elrod, president and CEO of the Pulaski Institution and columnist and contributing editor at Liberal Currents; his latest article is “Two Lessons from Hungary for 2026 and 2028”
– Daniel Nichanian, editor, writer, and journalist who works on criminal justice, voting rights, local politics, and political theory; he is the founder and editor-in-chief of Bolts
– Karen Tallian, attorney, former member of the Indiana State Senate, and chair of the Indiana Democratic Party since March 2025

Catch “It’s the Democracy, Stupid” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/edwin).   

 

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On this week's show &ndash; Christopher Hale, author-publisher of &ldquo;<a href="https://www.thelettersfromleo.com/">Letters from Leo &mdash; the American Pope &amp; US Politics</a>&rdquo; on Substack &ndash; Alan Elrod, president and CEO of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pulaskiinstitution.org/">Pulaski Institution</a>&nbsp;and columnist and contributing editor at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.liberalcurrents.com/author/alan/">Liberal Currents</a>; his latest article is &ldquo;<a href="https://www.liberalcurrents.com/two-lessons-from-hungary-for-2026-and-2028/">Two Lessons from Hungary for 2026 and 2028</a>&rdquo; &ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.danielnichanian.com/">Daniel Nichanian</a>, editor, writer, and journalist who works on criminal justice, voting rights, local politics, and political theory; he is the founder and editor-in-chief of&nbsp;<a href="https://boltsmag.org/authors/daniel-nichanian/">Bolts</a> &ndash; Karen Tallian, attorney, former member of the Indiana State Senate, and&nbsp;<a href="https://indems.org/our-party/party-leadership/">chair of the Indiana Democratic Party</a>&nbsp;since March 2025
Catch &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the Democracy, Stupid&rdquo; Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/edwin).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
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&nbsp;

From Heartland Signal and WCPT AM 820 in Chicago, "The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath" is now "It's the Democracy, Stupid with Edwin Eisendrath."

Each week Edwin and his guests get specific about politics, government, campaigns, and the kind of country all this work is meant to build.

Join us live every Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central to be part of the conversation.

About Edwin
Edwin Eisendrath served two terms in Chicago’s City Council before being appointed Midwest Region Director of HUD by President Bill Clinton. He was subsequently appointed Federal Receiver in charge of the takeover and turnaround of the Chicago Housing Authority.

Off the campaign trail, Edwin has worked in higher education and as a consultant to universities here and around the world. After the 2016 election cycle he knew he had to focus back home. He brought business and labor leaders together to rescue the Chicago Sun-Times and its subsidiary, the Chicago Reader. He ran the company as its CEO until both publications were saved. 

Back in the 1990s Bill Clinton’s campaign slogan, "It’s the economy, stupid," captured the biggest concern of the era. Today American democracy itself is under attack. So Edwin launched an effort called, "It’s the democracy, stupid."

In addition to his radio show here on WCPT, Edwin has built a community around his political ideas on Substack, hosts a weekly show on Lincoln Square, and is a frequent guest on political shows. He remains deeply involved in democracy work.

He is a proud Chicagoan, married to the journalist Jennifer Schulze.

From Heartland Signal and <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT AM 820</a> in Chicago,&nbsp;"The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath" is now "It's the Democracy, Stupid with Edwin Eisendrath."
Each week Edwin and his guests get specific about politics, government, campaigns, and the kind of country all this work is meant to build.
Join us live every Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central&nbsp;to be part of the conversation.
About Edwin Edwin Eisendrath served two terms in Chicago&rsquo;s City Council before being appointed Midwest Region Director of HUD by President Bill Clinton. He was subsequently appointed Federal Receiver in charge of the takeover and turnaround of the Chicago Housing Authority.
Off the campaign trail, Edwin has worked in higher education and as a consultant to universities here and around the world. After the 2016 election cycle he knew he had to focus back home. He brought business and labor leaders together to rescue the Chicago Sun-Times and its subsidiary, the Chicago Reader. He ran the company as its CEO until both publications were saved.&nbsp;
Back in the 1990s Bill Clinton&rsquo;s campaign slogan, "It&rsquo;s the economy, stupid," captured the biggest concern of the era. Today American democracy itself is under attack. So Edwin launched an effort called, "It&rsquo;s the democracy, stupid."
In addition to his radio show here on WCPT, Edwin has built a community around his political ideas on <a href="https://edwineisendrath.substack.com/p/i-love-american-democracy-but-love" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Substack</a>, hosts a weekly show on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lincolnsquare.media/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1">Lincoln Square</a>, and is a frequent guest on political shows. He remains deeply involved in democracy work.
He is a proud Chicagoan, married to the journalist <a href="https://jenniferschulze.substack.com/?utm_source=global-search" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">Jennifer Schulze</a>.

It's the Democracy, Stupid (formerly "The Big Picture") Full Episodes

From Heartland Signal and WCPT AM 820 in Chicago, "The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath" is now "It's the Democracy, Stupid with Edwin Eisendrath."

Each week Edwin and his guests get specific about politics, government, campaigns, and the kind of country all this work is meant to build.

Join us live every Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central to be part of the conversation.

About Edwin
Edwin Eisendrath served two terms in Chicago’s City Council before being appointed Midwest Region Director of HUD by President Bill Clinton. He was subsequently appointed Federal Receiver in charge of the takeover and turnaround of the Chicago Housing Authority.

Off the campaign trail, Edwin has worked in higher education and as a consultant to universities here and around the world. After the 2016 election cycle he knew he had to focus back home. He brought business and labor leaders together to rescue the Chicago Sun-Times and its subsidiary, the Chicago Reader. He ran the company as its CEO until both publications were saved. 

Back in the 1990s Bill Clinton’s campaign slogan, "It’s the economy, stupid," captured the biggest concern of the era. Today American democracy itself is under attack. So Edwin launched an effort called, "It’s the democracy, stupid."

In addition to his radio show here on WCPT, Edwin has built a community around his political ideas on Substack, hosts a weekly show on Lincoln Square, and is a frequent guest on political shows. He remains deeply involved in democracy work.

He is a proud Chicagoan, married to the journalist Jennifer Schulze.

From Heartland Signal and <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT AM 820</a> in Chicago, "The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath" is now "It's the Democracy, Stupid with Edwin Eisendrath."
Each week Edwin and his guests get specific about politics, government, campaigns, and the kind of country all this work is meant to build.
Join us live every Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central to be part of the conversation.
About Edwin Edwin Eisendrath served two terms in Chicago&rsquo;s City Council before being appointed Midwest Region Director of HUD by President Bill Clinton. He was subsequently appointed Federal Receiver in charge of the takeover and turnaround of the Chicago Housing Authority.
Off the campaign trail, Edwin has worked in higher education and as a consultant to universities here and around the world. After the 2016 election cycle he knew he had to focus back home. He brought business and labor leaders together to rescue the Chicago Sun-Times and its subsidiary, the Chicago Reader. He ran the company as its CEO until both publications were saved.&nbsp;
Back in the 1990s Bill Clinton&rsquo;s campaign slogan, "It&rsquo;s the economy, stupid," captured the biggest concern of the era. Today American democracy itself is under attack. So Edwin launched an effort called, "It&rsquo;s the democracy, stupid."
In addition to his radio show here on WCPT, Edwin has built a community around his political ideas on <a href="https://edwineisendrath.substack.com/p/i-love-american-democracy-but-love" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Substack</a>, hosts a weekly show on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lincolnsquare.media/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1">Lincoln Square</a>, and is a frequent guest on political shows. He remains deeply involved in democracy work.
He is a proud Chicagoan, married to the journalist <a href="https://jenniferschulze.substack.com/?utm_source=global-search" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">Jennifer Schulze</a>.