It’s the Democracy, Stupid

“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.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE FULL EPISODES PODCAST

SUBSCRIBE TO THE FEATURED INTERVIEWS PODCAST

Notable interviews: Author Anne Applebaum, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes, author and historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, journalist and author Ari Berman, North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton, Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL), Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL), law professor Michele Goodwin, former Chair of the Democratic Party Jaime Harrison, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel, former Chief Medical Officer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Debra Houry, Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Indivisible’s Ezra Levin, now-DNC Chairman Ken Martin, The Atlantic’s David Graham, Tom Nichols and George Packer, columnist Clarence Page, Democracy Forward President and CEO Skye Perryman, Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL), Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg, journalist Aaron Rupar, Tom Skilling, The New Republic’s Michael Tomasky, former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, legal analyst Jill Wine-Banks, abortion rights activist Amanda Zurawski

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.

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FEATURED INTERVIEWS

Edwin is joined by U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL).

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Edwin is joined by Dr. John P. Holdren, professor of Environmental Policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, former science adviser to President Obama, and Senate-confirmed director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy during both Obama terms.

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Edwin Eisendrath is joined by Debra Houry, former Chief Medical Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who resigned in protest last August (10-25-25).

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Edwin Eisendrath talks to Tom Nichols, staff writer at The Atlantic; his latest piece is “The Commander in Chief Is Not Okay.”

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Edwin is joined by Ellen L. Weintraub, former commissioner and four-time chair of the U.S. Federal Election Commission, and currently a senior fellow at End Citizens United.

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Edwin Eisendrath is joined by Simon Rosenberg, Democratic strategist and author of the Hopium Chronicles.

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Edwin is joined by Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL) (9-6-25).

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Edwin is joined by Anne Applebaum, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of six critically acclaimed books, including “Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World” (8-30-25). [Please note: There were audio issues during this interview.]

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Edwin is joined by WGN-TV chief meteorologist emeritus Tom Skilling (3-29-25).

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Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) talks to Edwin, August 17, 2024.

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Edwin welcomes Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the show.

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 Click here for all of Edwin’s Featured Interviews.

Listen live Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central at 820 AM, on TuneIn, right here on the Heartland Signal website, or tell Alexa to play WCPT from TuneIn.

Text or phone 773-763-9278.
Edwin is also available on Bluesky.

On the April 25 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

On the April 18 show
Listen to the full show
– Liz Dye, legal journalist and host of the “Law and Chaos” podcast
– Elizabeth Saunders, professor of political science at Columbia University, director of the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and author of the 2024 book “The Insiders’ Game: How Elites Make War and Peace” [Listen]
– Amanda Litman, co-founder and president of Run for Something, and author of the books “When We’re In Charge: The Next Generation’s Guide to Leadership” and “Run for Something: A Real-Talk Guide to Fixing the System Yourself” [Listen]
– Emily Horne, founder and CEO of Allegro Public Affairs, and former spokesperson for the National Security Council under President Joe Biden

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“It’s The Democracy, Stupid,” now has its very own podcast. Two, actually:  It’s The Democracy, Stupid (Full Episodes), available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, YouTube, Amazon and TuneIn, and It’s The Democracy, Stupid (Featured Interviews), also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, YouTube, Amazon and TuneIn. Subscribe to one or both!  “It’s The Democracy, Stupid” is also available at Omny.fm.

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