It’s the Democracy, Stupid

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

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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, Rainbow PUSH Coalition CEO Yusef Jackson, Tom Nichols and George Packer, columnist Clarence Page, independent journalist Aaron Parnas, 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 Ami Fields-Meyer, senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, former senior policy adviser at the White House, and co-author (with Julia Angwin) of “On Courage: How to Be a Dissident in an Age of Fear” (2026).

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Edwin is joined by Ari Berman, national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones.

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Edwin is joined by Daniel Squadron, president and co-founder of Future Now and author of “The Fourth Branch: How State Government Can Save Our Union.”

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Edwin is joined by David Pepper, candidate for Ohio lieutenant governor (as Democratic candidate for governor Amy Acton‘s running mate).

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Edwin is joined by Yusef Jackson, newly appointed president and CEO of Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

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

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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.

August 29 show
Listen to the full show
– Adam Klasfeld, founder and editor-in-chief of All Rise News
– Nicholas Grossman, teaching assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign [Listen]
– Daniel Nichanian, founder and editor-in-chief of Bolts
– Rev. Earle J. Fisher, Ph.D., senior pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, founder of  #UPTheVote901, and author of “The Rev. Albert Cleage Jr., and the Black Prophetic Tradition: A Reintroduction of The Black Messiah” [Listen]

August 22 show
Listen to the full show
Watch the video stream
Jill Wine-Banks fills in for Edwin and her guests are
– Victor Shi, Gen Z activist, podcaster, and communications professional
– Jim Robenalt, author, presidential historian, lawyer, and regular contributor to Vanity Fair, The Washington Post, and Politico
– Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times Washington bureau chief
– Rachel E. VanLandingham, professor of law and associate dean for research at  Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles and retired Air Force lieutenant colonel [Listen]
– Kwame Raoul, attorney general of Illinois [Listen]

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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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