Start Me Up with Kimberley A. Johnson
by Kimberley A. Johnson
Hosted by blogger and author Kimberley A. Johnson.'Start Me Up' isn't just any other podcast. I'm willing to call BS when I see it and I don't care if it's coming from a rightwinger or a self-professed bleedingheart liberal. I'm not always politically correct and I'm a huge fan of loose talk and salty language. Sarcasm is guaranteed and political correctness will be at a minimum. This podcast is for anyone who wants to listen to compelling conversations with a variety of guests about current events and controversial topics.
Episodes
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Start Me Up: Writer, Sarah Wood
Sarah Wood is back. Her social media company: Relevate Strategies Topics: It's looking good for Dems (VOTE!); Senate has a shot at going blue (VOTE!); expect (more) f*ckery from GOP when they lose; Obama breaks what's left of donald's atrophied brain; donald is in decline; danger of flock...
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Start Me Up: Cheri Jacobus
Cheri is back! Topics: Lindsey Graham has been outed, and no one is surprised; Megyn Kelly sinks to new low; blue wave or blue high tide; are the midterm margins small enough for GOP to cheat; donald's mental state - Cheri thinks it's dementia and something else...all that and more.
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Start Me Up: Reporter Sarah Burris
Sarah Burris is a reporter at Alternet. Topics: Katie Zacharia’s failed bar exam, Trump’s dodged deposition, cognitive test claims, a halted execution livestream, and growing Democratic confidence in the midterms.
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Start Me Up: Comedian Andy Kindler
Andy Kindler is back! Topics: life in general; the Sebastian Maniscalco controversy; a little humor, a little politics and lots of laughs.
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Start Me Up: Brian J. Karem
Brian Karem is a White House Columnist and his latest book is titled Free the Press: The Death of American Journalism and How to Revive It. He's a documentary filmmaker, political analyst for CNN, and hosts the "Just Ask The Question" podcast. Topics: This week, Brian Karem and I dig into the…
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Start Me Up: Jody Hamilton
Jody Hamilton, co-host of The Politics Bar podcast, is back. Topics: Press ban, Ossoff's rise, midterms, Talarico/Texas & donald's embarrassing approval rating.
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Start Me Up: Stephanie Dominguez Walton
Steph is back! We talked about politics and then, we were just us--blabbing.
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Start Me Up: Reporter Sarah Burris
Sarah Burris is a reporter at Alternet. In this episode, Sarah and I dig into Trump’s gas price claims, Missouri’s gerrymandered voting maps, and the ongoing fight over USPS and mail-in ballots. We also get into the Texas primary, John Fetterman’s political future, the rise of progressive...
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Start Me Up: Writer, Sarah Wood
Sarah Wood is back. Her social media company: Relevate Strategies We talk about the generational shift happening in the Democratic Party, Sarah’s experience with local activism and Flock cameras, the disconnect between online political discourse and what voters actually care about, and the fight...
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Start Me Up: Greg Olear
Greg Olear is back! He's the author of Rough Beast, PREVAIL columnist & podcaster, and co-host of The Five 8 on YouTube. Topics: Greg and I talk about what Democrats need to do differently heading into the next election, including the need for candidates who aren’t tied to the party…
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Start Me Up: Political Strategist Maya Rupert
Maya Rupert is a political strategist, author, and former presidential campaign manager. She joins us to discuss her new book, The Real Ones, and what we get wrong about authenticity in politics.
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Start Me Up: Reporter Sarah Burris
Sarah Burris is a reporter at Alternet. Topics: The Todd Blanche nomination; support for donald is circling the drain; GOP Congressman Mike Flood of Nebraska faced a hostile crowd after making insensitive comments about people not working, leading to boos from the audience; Sarah shared a story...
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Start Me Up: Writer, Sarah Wood
Sarah Wood is back. Her social media company: Relevate Strategies Talarico leads Paxton in Texas, Democrats are winning by large margins, and Republican leaders are dying-- and lying about it. All that and more!
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Start Me Up: Cheri Jacobus
Cheri is back! This week, Cheri and I dig into the Supreme Court and the Alito situation, the possibility of another Trump appointment, and what it could mean for democracy. We talk political strategy — Tallarico in Texas, Susan Collins and a potential MAGA nominee, the Collins-Platner Senate…
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Start Me Up: Reporter Sarah Burris
Sarah Burris is a reporter at Alternet. Topics: Sarah visited The Reflecting Pool, and she's here to tell us everything she experienced. We also discussed donald's threat to not sign the housing bill unless the SAVE Act is passed, and the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of Bayer in the Roundup...
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Start Me Up: Stephanie Dominguez Walton
Steph is back! Topics: Trump's rapidly declining health; concerns about Graham Platner; holding elected officials accountable; and we talked about fun stuff. Lots of topics today!
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Start Me Up: Mamaw's Porch n Politics
My guest is Lisa Parker, AKA Mamaw's Porch Politics. She's a liberal woman who lives in rural Ohio and was raised in Appalachia, and her political commentary has caught the attention of thousands of voters. Her social pages are growing quickly because her message resonates so deeply. Lotsa laughs...
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Start Me Up: Writer, Sarah Wood
Sarah Wood is back. Her social media company: Relevate Strategies Sarah and I got into a lot this episode — Ken Paxton's win in Texas, a wild bill in North Carolina that would declare life begins at fertilization, and the DOJ looking into E. Jean Carroll. We also talked through the difference...
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Start Me Up: Reporter Sarah Burris
Sarah Burris is a reporter at Alternet. Topics: Trump's endorsement of Ken Paxton over John Cornyn in the Texas Senate race, which left senators like Susan Collins and Chuck Grassley visibly confused; and his proposed $1.7 billion "slush fund" for Antifa, which progressive legal experts are…
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Start Me Up: Qasim Rashid, Esq.
My guest: Qasim Rashid, Esq. Human Rights Lawyer; Author; SiriusXM Host; Creator of Let's Address This Substack We discussed Qasim’s brilliant and necessary Substack article, Men, We Need to Talk About "Rape Academy"—why he wrote it specifically for men, the response he received, and why men need...
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Start Me Up: Stephanie Dominguez Walton
Topics focused on current headlines, nighttime routines, AI regulation, and citizenship. We're besties, so, as per usual, we did our thing.
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Start Me Up: Buzz Burbank
Buzz Burbank is back! Topics: Gas prices, Louisiana Governor wants to cancel the primaries; Voting Rights Act killed by SCOTUS; 86'd meaning; and men's reaction to the Rape Academy...all that and more.
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Start Me Up: Jody Hamilton
Jody Hamilton, co-host of The Politics Bar podcast, is back! TOPICS: Swalwell Allegations Red state voter registration strategy donald's visible failing health -- and where he currently stands in the GOP
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Start Me Up: Writer, Sarah Wood
Sarah Wood is back, and she's started a new social media consulting business! Relevate Strategies Topics: TACO taco'd out on destroying an entire civilization; Iran is effectively and hilariously trolling donald with Lego videos; big name right-wing influencers are turning on donald; there's a...
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Start Me Up: Reporter Sarah Burris
Sarah Burris is a reporter at Alternet. Topics: No Kings protests on 3/28; when democracy prevails and Democrats win back power, they cannot simply "move past" these last 10 years--we need accountablity and progressive changes; how we treat former trumpers who are currently waking up will affect...
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Start Me Up: Stephanie Dominguez Walton
Steph is back! Two chatty best friends talking about politics, ways to cope with life and stress and shows we're watching as democracy hangs in the balance. (We do cover rape, sexual assaults and how it's being discussed today versus ten years ago. We packed a lot in.)
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Start Me Up: Knitting Cult Lady
Born into the Children of God cult and trafficked as a child, Daniella escaped to the U.S. at 15, put herself through school to become a U.S. Army intelligence officer who deployed twice to Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne Division, and now studies Organizational Psychology at Harvard…
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Start Me Up: Writer, Sarah Wood
Sarah Wood is back, and she's started a new social media consulting business! Relevate Strategies Topics: Democratic primaries look good for Dems; donald wants to cancel the 2026 midterms--but he's going to have a hard time; donald's poor health; rage against the patriarchy is rising; FB is now…
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Start Me Up: Mamaw's Porch 'n Politics
My guest is Lisa Parker AKA Mamaw's Porch n Politics. She's a liberal woman who lives in rural Ohio and was raised in Appalachia, and her political commentary has caught the attention of thousands of voters. Her social pages are growing quickly because her message resonates so deeply. Topics…
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Start Me Up: Christopher Bouzy
Topics: The Texas Senate race (with emphasis on Jasmine Crockett); Dems are winning special elections and primaries with big percentage points--good news for November; ICE - it'll get worse before it gets better but it will get better because Americans are not having it; donald is old and sick…
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Start Me Up: Greg Olear
Greg Olear is back! He's the author of Rough Beast, PREVAIL columnist & podcaster, and co-host of The Five 8 on YouTube. Topics: Sh*ts f*ucked up and we talk about it. Esptein (Greg had an interesting theory on what could be a smoking gun); fascism; general strikes; and I ended with a lil rant.
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Start Me Up: Reporter Sarah Burris
Sarah Burris is a reporter at Alternet. Former: Raw Story, AlterNet and Salon. Topics: The repercussions of ICE murdering Renee Nicole Good; the resignation of six Justice Department prosecutors in Minneapolis; the escalating actions of ICE and the public's response; donald's mental state; we…
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Start Me Up: Writer, Sarah Wood
Sarah and I discuss the aftermath of the ICE murder of Renee Nicole Good. We emphasized that the current regime will escalate their cruelty and that voters must not allow all of the cruelty to crush their spirit. We covered a variety of issues but our main focus was on how we maintain sanity…
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Start Me Up: Jody Hamilton
Jody Hamilton, co-host of The Politics Bar podcast, is back for the last Start Me Up of 2025! We talked about the tragic deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner, and Jody offered up great advice on how to handle people going through grief. We also chatted about dealing with MAGA family members; the…
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Start Me Up: Stephanie Dominguez Walton
We chatted about aging--the good, the bad and the ugly. We shared personal stories and then we talked about how democracy will be restored. It's a fun, hopeful show with lotsa laughs. We're besties and we never plan what we discuss. Come join us!
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Start Me Up: Brian J. Karem
Brian Karem is a White House Columnist and his latest book is titled Free the Press: The Death of American Journalism and How to Revive It. He's a political analyst for CNN and hosts the "Just Ask The Question" podcast. Topics: Brian's take on the recent Tennessee special election and what it…
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Start Me Up: Comedian Andy Kindler
Comedian Andy Kindler is back. Topics: We talked some shit about Bill Maher's whining; both of us seeing a democracy light at the end of the fascist tunnel; donald is losing the narrative; we talked about so many different things: spirituality, hope, show business...come join us. A fun, light show!
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Start Me Up: Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin
Elizabeth is the CEO/Founder at The Gaia Leadership Project; Author of Becoming Heroines: Unleashing Our Power for Revolution and Rebirth and the host of #ResistanceLive on Youtube. We discussed the potential political impact of donald's presidency and the release of Epstein files, and how these...
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Start Me Up: Reporter Sarah Burris
Sarah Burris is a reporter at Raw Story, Alternet and Salon. Topics: The beautiful big blue wave means DEMOCRACY IS NOT DEAD!!! The government shutdown may be stalled until after the Tennessee Special Election; donald's health and cognitive issues are getting worse by the hour and it looks like...
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Start Me Up: Mamaw's Porch Politics
My guest is Lisa Parker AKA Mamaw's Porch Politics. She's a liberal woman who lives in rural Ohio and was raised in Appalachia, and her political commentary has caught the attention of thousands of voters. Her social pages are growing quickly because her message resonates so deeply. Topics: The...
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Start Me Up: David Pepper
David Pepper is a lawyer, writer, political activist, former elected official, and adjunct professor, and served as the Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party between 2015 and 2021. He's the author of Laboratories of Autocracy and Saving Democracy. Topics: Strategies for effective activism in a...
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Start Me Up: Cliff Schecter
Cliff is back! Topics: Cliff offers advice on the best kind of messaging for No Kings rally attendees; Vance does not have the charisma donald has, and Cliff weighs in on Vance taking over if donald is no longer POTUS; the races in NY & VA look good for Democrats, and we talk about the urgency of...
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Start Me Up: Jared Yates Sexton
Jared Yates Sexton: Political Analyst, author of The Midnight Kingdom: A History of Power, Paranoia, and the Coming Crisis, Co-Host Muckrake Podcast, newsletter Dispatches From A Collapsing State, Board: The Change Campaign. Topics: Is the tide turning against fascism? Posting defeatist comments...
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Start Me Up: Writer, Sarah Wood
Sarah Wood is back, and she's started a new social media consulting business! Relevate Strategies Topics: Capitalism trumped fascism; the Epstein scandal isn't going away; signs that the tides against donald are turning; and why it's important to not declare that democracy is dead if you're…
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Start Me Up: Jody Hamilton
Topics: Jody had brunch with Martin Sheen and that got us talking about the Charlie Sheen documentary. We also talked about her new podcast, The Politics Bar; cosmetic surgery; what it was like in Malibu in the '70s...and then we launched some political talk about trump, JD, their stupid, fascist...
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Start Me Up: Jody Hamilton
Topics: Jody had brunch with Martin Sheen and that got us talking about the Charlie Sheen documentary. We also talked about her new podcast, The Politics Bar; cosmetic surgery; what it was like in Malibu in the '70s...and then we launched some political talk about trump, JD, their stupid, fascist...
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Start Me Up: Stephanie Dominguez Walton
Steph is back! Just two best friends talking about politics and life: The latest COVID vaccine; weight loss/menopause; Newsom is killing it; donald's poor health and much more!
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Start Me Up: Actor Jon Cryer
Actor Jon Cryer of Two and a Half Men & Pretty In Pink joins me to talk about acting, politics and Hollywood parties! Oh my! Topics: We chatted a little about Hollywood parties, his career, “his famousness,” and then we discussed our current political nightmare: how Americans--including political...
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Start Me Up: Brian J. Karem
Brian Karem is a White House Columnist and his latest book is titled Free the Press: The Death of American Journalism and How to Revive It. He's a political analyst for CNN and hosts the "Just Ask The Question" podcast. Topics: How legacy media has eroded over the decades, Gavin Newsom's strategy...
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Start Me Up: Brian J. Karem
Brian Karem is a White House Columnist and his latest book is titled Free the Press: The Death of American Journalism and How to Revive It. He's a political analyst for CNN and hosts the "Just Ask The Question" podcast. Topics: How legacy media has eroded over the decades, Gavin Newsom's strategy...
About this show
Hosted by blogger and author Kimberley A. Johnson.'Start Me Up' isn't just any other podcast. I'm willing to call BS when I see it and I don't care if it's coming from a rightwinger or a self-professed bleedingheart liberal. I'm not always politically correct and I'm a huge fan of loose talk and salty language. Sarcasm is guaranteed and political correctness will be at a minimum. This podcast is for anyone who wants to listen to compelling conversations with a variety of guests about current events and controversial topics.
Hosted by
Kimberley A. Johnson
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