Mike McCabe
A United Working Class
In hour two, we dive into the Big Story: the SAVE Act, which would require citizenship when voting (and aimed at disenfranchising married women), would not be valid in Wisconsin, at least for the upcoming election - yet its being used as a scare tactic. We check in with our WMDX meteorologist Brittney Merlot for a look at the weather, and chatter about balloons! Later, we welcome in to the new studio Mike McCabe, who discusses his latest article on Substack. He begins with the analogy of Nero, the ancient Roman emperor, "fiddling" while the city burned, for the state of the country. The downfall of megalomaniacal Nero (and the ruling class of modern America)? A united working class.
Read Mike's blog at mikemccabe.substack.com
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
Think Vertically and Dare to Dream
In hour two, the guys chat Arlington National Cemetary, who is scrubbing Black and Women's history from the web and cemetery monuments, and also talk how the administration simply has a BAD view of the future - no view of how to make things better - only to revert, to the structure and culture of the 19th century. We talk with Brittney Merlot, taking a look at the (rainy!) weather to come today, and quickly chat about Republican's plan to bring their very own DOGE to Wisconsin. Later, we welcome in Mike McCabe for his weekly appearance, discussing his latest Substack article and Vertical Thinking - the idea that we have more in common with each other, and those on the other side of politics, than we do with the 1%.
Read Mike's blog at mikemccabe.blogspot.com!
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
Weekly Best of John and Gordy Show for Mar 15
This week was a fun one with John and Gordy (amidst the insanity!). On this week's best-of, we hear their segment from Friday detailing Elon Musk's car show at the White House, before moving to an Elvis-centric episode of Today in History from Thursday. Later, we hear the bulk of the guys' conversation with Mike McCabe this week on symbolism, and passionate advocacy for positive political change, as well as our monthly chat with Judy Davidoff, publisher of Isthmus, chatting about what's in the latest issue.
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
Imagine the Possibilities
In hour two, the guys get a surprise appearance by our WMDX newsperson Savanna Tomei-Olson, giving us a rundown of the big headlines today. John then dives into the Big Story: cuts Musk plans for Social Security (!), along with comments from Republican lawmakers agreeing with him. Getting the inside on the outside, we check in with Brittney Merlot for a look at the weather, and later, we welcome in Mike McCabe for his usual Wednesday appearance. Sporting a white cap (the new color of protest and unity), he chats about symbolism - his hat, but also another example: the spinning wheel, and the role it played in India's independence movement. Jumping off from this, the trio dive into the idea that, like Gandhi, we should not focus on what we're against, but rather to start something new. Gandhi used the spinning wheel to promote Indian manufacturing and independence, and we need to promote the ideas we've wanted for years: universal healthcare, funded public schools, a living wage, and more. In addition to having a plan for good policy, the guys also nail home the need to believe in an idea, and wholeheartedly, emotionally support that belief - in order to make it happen.
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
White > Red and Blue
In hour two, we check in with our WMDX newsperson Savanna Tomei-Olson to hear about the goings-on locally, including the apprehension of the person suspected of causing last week's bus crash and the implications of impending Medicaid cuts. In John and Gordy's Big Story of the day, the guys talk protest, and how Trump is taking aim at the fundamental right. To distract ourselves, we check the weather with Brittney Merlot, who tells us we have snow on the way (!). After briefly returning to the topic of protest, where we hear a clip of Representative Dan Meuser cancelling his remaining town halls, we welcome in Mike McCabe. This week, he talks the red, white, and blue. As red and blue have been claimed by the two major parties, he advocates white as the color of protest and unity for Americans going forward.
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
So Much for Freedom of the Press
In hour two, the guys dive into the Big Story: AP News still blocked from press conferences at the White House, first by Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt, and now by the courts (!) So much for freedom of the press. We check in with Brittney Merlot, our WMDX Meteorologist, for a look at the weather and to continue the conversation on raincoats, before jumping back to politics with calls from listeners. Later, we welcome on Mike McCabe for his weekly appearance, this time to chat about how the firehose of news is the strategy by MAGA to combat the real opposition party (in their view): the media. Throw the news media off balance, and you control the narrative,. By "flooding the zone," you control the propaganda. Mike's guidance is to pay attention only to what is really important. They close out their conversation touching on the outrage seen at congressional town halls, and a comment that stood out to Mike: If you go along with the administration, are you really representing us?
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
Civic Media Spotlight for February 22nd & 23rd (Hour 2)
Kicking off this hour, Maggie invites Gray Gunderson of Park Falls to talk about the Birkie on the Maggie Daun Show! They have a lot of great conversations, including a call from Jim in Brookfield about how much the event means and how little known it is here in WI despite drawing international visitors.
Then, Paul Vanden Plas with Wonderfully Wisconsin joins Maino & the Mayor. Paul uses social media platforms to share all the wonderful things Wisconsin has to offer. From local dive bars to state parks that folks may not know, Paul takes us there and shares the places, people, and history that make this state so awesome.
Next, sometimes, when a guest doesn't show up, you get a great conversation with the listeners on Matenaer On Air. In lieu of a Social Security advocate coming on the show to talk about the importance of protecting the nations most important "entitlements", we turned the mic to the audience and for three straight segments, we took call after call and listened to folks on or affected by social security, we read their texts and livestream comments. All of them express how vital that check is to their lives, and survival as well as what will happen if the current administration takes a machete to the money they've paid into, for so many years.
Last but not least, John and Gordy in the Morning welcomes back Mike McCabe to talk about the hardships, but also community from farm life, and how it can be a metaphor for what the country needs right now.
To learn more about these shows and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the network on Facebook, BlueSky, YouTube, X, and Instagram to keep up with Civic Media!
Weekly Best of John and Gordy Show for Feb 22
This week on John and Gordy the guys put the teletype to good use, with a constant flow of news. Featured here is Friday's Big Story, all about Musk's descent into madness, as he wielded a chainsaw. We hear from Pam Jahnke, the Fabulous Farm Babe, about the upcoming National Cheese Competition in Green Bay, and later, hear our full interview with Mike McCabe this week, about his upbringing on a farm, and the difficulties, but community found in it, as well as advice he has to help struggling farmers: a return to FDR-era agricultural regulation.
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
Life and Times of the American Farmer
In hour two, we get to the Big Story: words from Andrew Natsios, formerly of USAID, on 60 Minutes. He describes how we may be headed to a constitutional crisis, and his anger at the dissolution of the aid organization. We chat with Civic Media Meteorologist Brittney Merlot, checking in on the weather, and reach the bottom of the hour with a listener call describing Musk as a "parasitic illegal immigrant." Later, Mike McCabe joins us as he does every Wednesday, chatting about winter sports, and also his latest blog post on Substack's Ebiyan House. It covers the hardships of Mike's upbringing on a farm, but also the friendship and community found from it - with the example of two barn raisings he was a part of.
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
The Great Dictator
In hour two we're talking finances! The guys dive into why the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau exists, which Trump and DOGE want to do away with. We also take a look back at a prior realization, by Alan Greenspan, that deregulation was bad, with words from him about what caused the great recession. Later, we chat with Mike McCabe as we do every Wednesday, this time by phone, about the uncanny similarities, yet stark differences, between Charlie Chaplin and Adolf Hitler. Chaplin's distain for Hitler was showcased in his 1940 parody movie "The Great Dictator." Wrapping up the show, the conversation turns to AI, as Mike reflects on JD Vance's call to not regulate the new technology.
The John and Gordy Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-8 am on WMDX in Madison. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with John & Gordy!
