Ep. 44 - Local People

Could rural America become a hotbed of progressive politics? Luke Mayville, co-founder of the grassroots movement Reclaim Idaho and a lecturer of political philosophy at Boise State University’s Honors College, certainly thinks so. His conviction comes from firsthand experience. In 2018, Mayville helped Idaho become the only predominantly rural state in America to approve Medicaid expansion in a statewide referendum. On this episode, he talks with associate editor Matt Sitman about that campaign, arguing that if we want to pass more progressive legislation, we should put our energies into on-the-ground organizing and local persuasion. For further reading · Do Something Big, Luke Mayville · Drinking Alone, Jonathan Malesic · Democracy in America?, The Commonweal Editors