Michael Tomasky

Bill Scher

 Hadar Harris

Ezra Levin

On today's show:
– Michael Tomasky, editor of The New Republic and author of The Middle Out: The Rise of Progressive Economics and a Return to Shared Prosperity
– Bill Scher, politics editor at The Washington Monthly
– Hadar Harris, PEN America’s managing director, Washington
– Ezra Levin,  co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible


Catch “The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture).   

On today's show: &ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://newrepublic.com/authors/michael-tomasky" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Michael Tomasky</a>, editor of The New Republic and author of&nbsp;The Middle Out: The Rise of Progressive Economics and a Return to Shared Prosperity &ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://washingtonmonthly.com/author/bill-scher/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1">Bill Scher</a>, politics editor at The Washington Monthly &ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://pen.org/profile/hadar-harris/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">Hadar Harris</a>, PEN America&rsquo;s managing director, Washington &ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://indivisible.org/ezra-levin-0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3">Ezra Levin</a>, &nbsp;co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible 
Catch &ldquo;The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath&rdquo; Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Here are full episodes from "The Big Picture" with Edwin Eisendrath (Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT Chicago). Good conversations help us see the big picture. Edwin Eisendrath 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 to be part of the conversation.  


Edwin 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. His last foray as a candidate came when he took on a crooked governor of his own party, but it was the U.S. attorney rather than the voters who sealed Rod Blagojevich’s fate.

Off the campaign trail, Edwin worked in higher education and as a consultant to universities here and around the world. He was working primarily in Saudi Arabia during the 2016 election cycle, but after Donald Trump’s victory, he knew he had to focus back home. He brought business and labor leaders together to rescue the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Reader. He ran the company as its CEO until both publications were saved.

Edwin continues his political, civic, and business engagement from his home in Chicago, where he and his wife, Jennifer, raised their three children. He and Jennifer can be seen walking their hound dog, Winston Churchill.

Here are full episodes from "The Big Picture" with Edwin Eisendrath (Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT Chicago</a>). Good conversations help us see the big picture. Edwin Eisendrath 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 to be part of the conversation.  
 Edwin 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. His last foray as a candidate came when he took on a crooked governor of his own party, but it was the U.S. attorney rather than the voters who sealed Rod Blagojevich’s fate.
Off the campaign trail, Edwin worked in higher education and as a consultant to universities here and around the world. He was working primarily in Saudi Arabia during the 2016 election cycle, but after Donald Trump’s victory, he knew he had to focus back home. He brought business and labor leaders together to rescue the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Reader. He ran the company as its CEO until both publications were saved.
Edwin continues his political, civic, and business engagement from his home in Chicago, where he and his wife, Jennifer, raised their three children. He and Jennifer can be seen walking their hound dog, Winston Churchill.

The Big Picture (Full Episodes)

Good conversations help us see the big picture. Edwin Eisendrath 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 on WCPT Chicago to be part of the conversation.  

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. His last foray as a candidate came when he took on a crooked governor of his own party, but it was the U.S. attorney rather than the voters who sealed Rod Blagojevich’s fate.
Off the campaign trail, Edwin has worked in higher education and as a consultant to universities here and around the world. He was working primarily in Saudi Arabia during the 2016 election cycle, but after Donald Trump’s victory, he knew he had to focus back home. He brought business and labor leaders together to rescue the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Reader. He ran the company as its CEO until both publications were saved.
Edwin continues his political, civic, and business engagement from his home in Chicago, where he and his wife, Jennifer, raised their three children. He and Jennifer can be seen walking their hound dog, Winston Churchill.

Good conversations help us see the big picture. Edwin Eisendrath 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 on <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT Chicago</a> to be part of the conversation.  
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. His last foray as a candidate came when he took on a crooked governor of his own party, but it was the U.S. attorney rather than the voters who sealed Rod Blagojevich’s fate. Off the campaign trail, Edwin has worked in higher education and as a consultant to universities here and around the world. He was working primarily in Saudi Arabia during the 2016 election cycle, but after Donald Trump’s victory, he knew he had to focus back home. He brought business and labor leaders together to rescue the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Reader. He ran the company as its CEO until both publications were saved. Edwin continues his political, civic, and business engagement from his home in Chicago, where he and his wife, Jennifer, raised their three children. He and Jennifer can be seen walking their hound dog, Winston Churchill.

The Big Picture With Edwin Eisendrath

The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath Mar. 8 2025

Edwin is joined by Hadar Harris, PEN America’s managing director, Washington. 

Harris discussed the challenges to free speech in the U.S., highlighting the impact of book bans, media restrictions, the marginalization of NGOs, and attacks on higher education, and emphasized the importance of individual and institutional efforts to protect free expression. 

"There's this sort of twisting of the concept of what civil rights are and what illegal discrimination means," Harris told WCPT. "The whole concept of what DEI is, the concept of what gender is, and even the concept of what antisemitism is . . . is being instrumentalized to . . . undermine institutions in ways that will kind of comport with this ideological approach to things and to not necessarily go through the legal processes or to comply with the law but to really impose a particular vision of free expression, a particular vision of free speech, and a particular vision of the 'golden age of America.'"

Catch “The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture).  

And find “The Big Picture (Full Episodes)” podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, YouTube, Amazon and TuneIn.

Edwin is joined by <a href="https://pen.org/profile/hadar-harris/">Hadar Harris</a>, PEN America&rsquo;s managing director, Washington.&nbsp;
Harris discussed the challenges to free speech in the U.S., highlighting the impact of book bans, media restrictions, the marginalization of NGOs, and attacks on higher education, and emphasized the importance of individual and institutional efforts to protect free expression.&nbsp;
"There's this sort of twisting of the concept of what civil rights are and what illegal discrimination means," Harris told WCPT. "The whole concept of what DEI is, the concept of what gender is, and even the concept of what antisemitism is . . . is being instrumentalized to . . . undermine institutions in ways that will kind of comport with this ideological approach to things and to not necessarily go through the legal processes or to comply with the law but to really impose a particular vision of free expression, a particular vision of free speech, and a particular vision of the 'golden age of America.'"
Catch &ldquo;The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath&rdquo; Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture). &nbsp;
And find &ldquo;The Big Picture (Full Episodes)&rdquo; podcast on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0TDBhZmN53i7kDyHRzHZZx">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-picture-full-episodes/id1772709867">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1300-the-big-picture-full-epis-224645190/">iHeartRadio</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ6EYyFLbGw&amp;list=PLquOHBYhhrLOG8meVY1bvfD7TfAPGXMK2">YouTube</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/43cb535f-a2df-4c89-aee0-e716694063b0/the-big-picture-full-episodes">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/The-Big-Picture-(Full-Episodes)-p4553846/">TuneIn</a>.

WCPT 820 Interview: Hadar Harris of PEN America

Edwin is joined by Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin, who discussed the importance of grassroots organizing and the need for a unified pro-democracy movement. He highlighted the success of Indivisible's weekly webinars, which have grown from 300 to 10,000 participants and address issues like messaging and strategy. He criticized the Democratic Party's "disappointing" response to President Donald Trump's recent joint address to Congress, pointing out the lack of "unified opposition" and the "distance between the grassroots and leadership, and that's not where I want to be," he said. 

Levin also advocated for persistent resistance to counteract authoritarianism. "Often these fights take a long time," Levin told WCPT, "but the only way you achieve change is by organizing on the ground. These aren't one-off marches. That's not what's going to change anything. It's persistent organizing, building up structures of people power to contend with concentrated wealth and concentrated political power that opposes any change."

Catch “The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture).  

And find “The Big Picture (Full Episodes)” podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, YouTube, Amazon and TuneIn.

Edwin is joined by Indivisible co-founder <a href="https://indivisible.org/ezra-levin-0">Ezra Levin</a>, who discussed the importance of grassroots organizing and the need for a unified pro-democracy movement. He highlighted the success of Indivisible's weekly webinars, which have grown from 300 to 10,000 participants and address issues like messaging and strategy. He criticized the Democratic Party's "disappointing" response to President Donald Trump's recent joint address to Congress, pointing out the lack of "unified opposition" and the "distance between the grassroots and leadership, and that's not where I want to be," he said.&nbsp;
Levin also advocated for persistent resistance to counteract authoritarianism. "Often these fights take a long time," Levin told WCPT, "but the only way you achieve change is by organizing on the ground. These aren't one-off marches. That's not what's going to change anything. It's persistent organizing, building up structures of people power to contend with concentrated wealth and concentrated political power that opposes any change."
Catch &ldquo;The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath&rdquo; Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture). &nbsp;
And find &ldquo;The Big Picture (Full Episodes)&rdquo; podcast on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0TDBhZmN53i7kDyHRzHZZx">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-picture-full-episodes/id1772709867">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1300-the-big-picture-full-epis-224645190/">iHeartRadio</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ6EYyFLbGw&amp;list=PLquOHBYhhrLOG8meVY1bvfD7TfAPGXMK2">YouTube</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/43cb535f-a2df-4c89-aee0-e716694063b0/the-big-picture-full-episodes">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/The-Big-Picture-(Full-Episodes)-p4553846/">TuneIn</a>.

WCPT 820 Interview: Ezra Levin

Edwin is joined by Dan Shafer, Civic Media's political editor and founder of The Recombobulation Area.

Shafer discussed recent town halls in Wisconsin where Republican representatives have faced strong opposition, particularly over issues like Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Donald Trump's pro-Putin stance on the war in Ukraine. He also highlighted the disruption caused by federal funding freezes and cuts, and emphasized the importance of the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court race, which takes place April 1st.

Catch “The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture).  

Edwin is joined by Dan Shafer, <a href="https://civicmedia.us/speaker/dan-shafer">Civic Media</a>'s political editor and founder of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.therecombobulationarea.news/">The Recombobulation Area</a>.
Shafer discussed recent town halls in Wisconsin where Republican representatives have faced strong opposition, particularly over issues like Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Donald Trump's pro-Putin stance on the war in Ukraine. He also highlighted the disruption caused by federal funding freezes and cuts, and emphasized the importance of the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court race, which takes place April 1st.
Catch &ldquo;The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath&rdquo; Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture). &nbsp;

The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath Mar. 8 2025

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