It’s March 4th. This day in 2004, Pat Toomey is challenging Republican Senator Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania senate race — trying to outflank him from the right in the state’s primary.
Jody, Niki, and Kellie look back at the moment where “to primary someone” became a political phenomenon, and talk to Nick Troiano of Unite America about why the primary system has been weaponized.
Nick’s new book is “The Primary Solution” — it’s out now!
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Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Brittani Brown, Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia
The Woman Behind The New Deal (1933) w/ Jenny Kaplan
Mixing at Mardi Gras (1992) w/ Oliver Thomas
Lincoln At Cooper Union, The Speech That Changed Everything (1860)
Our Favorite "Making Trouble" Stories
Birth of The Peace Symbol (1958) w/ Ian Chillag
The Long Telegram (1946)
Black History Month Week: Baldwin v Buckley (1965) w/ Nick Buccola
Black History Month Week: Capital B w/ Jelani Cobb
Black History Month Week: Where BHM Came From (1924)
The Anarchist Soup Plot (1916)
"Birth Of A Nation" (1915) w/ Tyler Parry
The Smoking Section (1987) w/ Sarah Milov
The SPAM Strike (1986) w/ Julia Longoria
McDonald's Comes to Moscow (1990)
Here Come the AKAs (1908)
Early Prohibition and The Rise of Weird Liquor Laws (1838)
The U.S. Almost Nukes Itself (1961)
Carter Pardons Draft Dodgers (1977)
Lurleen Wallace, Proxy Governor (1967)
Silver Shenanigans (1980) w/ Bijan Stephen
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