Ralph Nader Radio Hour — Staff Picks & Year-In-Review

Episode Date: January 4, 2026
Hosts: Steve Skrovan, David Feldman, Hannah Feldman
Special Guests (via clips, commentary, or interviews): Douglas Brinkley, Chris Hedges, Peter Beinart, John Bonifaz, Michael German, Steven Witt, John Merriman, Russell Mokhiber, plus team contributors Jimmy Lee Wirt, Francesco DeSantis, Matthew Marin

Episode Overview

This special episode of the Ralph Nader Radio Hour features the core show staff — Steve Skrovan, David Feldman, Hannah Feldman, Jimmy Lee Wirt, Francesco DeSantis, and Matthew Marin — each selecting and reflecting on their most memorable moments and impactful quotes from interviews conducted over the past year. With Ralph Nader not joining live, the team steps into the spotlight, sharing clips and commentary on themes ranging from politics, party failures, genocide, white supremacy, impeachment, AI’s dangers, and inspiring local activism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Democratic Party’s Legacy of Failure

Quote & Reflection (01:53–05:57)

• Clip: Douglas Brinkley on “The Legacy of Jimmy Carter” episode.
  • Ralph Nader: “The Democratic Party is an albatross around my neck... The Southern Democrats that voted for Carter in 1976 ... they abandoned him. They wanted nothing to do with him.” (02:25–02:42)
• Reflection:
  • Hannah Feldman (04:02): Highlights how the Democratic Party’s internal failures are not new and remain significant today, with younger generations focusing on local races and policy outcomes rather than relying on national “heroes.”
  • Steve Skrovan (04:42): Connects Ralph Nader’s longstanding warnings about Democratic Party complacency to the rise of Donald Trump, dubbing Nader a Cassandra figure: “We can very easily blame the Democratic Party more than anybody else for the rise of Donald Trump... Attila the Hun turns out to be Donald Trump.” (04:42–05:57)

2. Genocide in Gaza — Naming the Atrocity

Quote & Reflection (07:54–10:26)

• Clip: Chris Hedges, from “Genocide Foretold”
  • Chris Hedges: “It’s a bit like attacking somebody for writing about Auschwitz and not giving the SS guards enough play to voice their side... We’re writing about a genocide, and frankly, there isn’t a lot of nuance.” (08:25–08:41)
  • David Feldman: “Lifting up the voices of Palestinians within American society... is considered by the dominant media platforms and those within positions of power to be unacceptable.” (08:52–08:59)
• Reflection:
  • Hannah Feldman (09:59): Appreciates Hedges’ refusal to debate whether genocide is taking place. “Words mean things, and the word for the thing that is happening... it’s not hyperbole. It’s not outrageous to call something what it is.”
  • Steve Skrovan (10:26): Notes the show’s focus on underreported aspects of the genocide and Nader’s insistence on the “undercount” of casualties.

3. Jewish Identity and Moral Responsibility

Quote & Reflection (11:50–16:02)

• Clip: Peter Beinart on Israeli statehood and Jewish exceptionalism.
  • Ralph Nader: “Jews are no different, [than] many other people in terms of the justice and injustice that they produce. Could you expand on that?” (11:50–12:05)
  • Peter Beinart: “[Jews] have the capacity to be victims and victimizers, to act in beautiful ways and to act in cruel and horrifying ways...” (12:05–13:10)
• Reflection:
  • Steve Skrovan (13:15): Finds the perspective “sad and hard” to discuss; notes the conflation of Jewish identity with the state of Israel.
  • Hannah Feldman (13:44): Shares personal experience with American Jewish culture and discomfort with Birthright trips, calling the “insidious part of the settler colonial aspect of Zionism” troubling and pointing out a “heartening” generational shift.

4. Impeachment and Accountability: The Constitutional Crisis

Quote & Reflection (18:08–24:13)

• Clip: John Bonifaz on the urgency to impeach Donald Trump (selected by Francesco DeSantis).
  • “We either have a Constitution, or we don’t. We either have an impeachment clause, or we don’t... If we’re not going to invoke the impeachment power at this critical moment in our nation’s history, then we might as well say we’re giving up on the Constitution.” (18:08–18:41)
• Reflection:
  • Francesco DeSantis shares the evolution in Congressional attitudes: “We have Democratic offices telling us that if they retake the majority, they, quote, ‘cannot imagine a world where the Democrats don’t pursue impeachment.’” (21:08–21:35)
  • He discusses public pressure, activism, and lessons about overreach drawn from Nixon’s impeachment. Steve Skrovan calls it “very enlightening.”

5. White Supremacy, Law Enforcement, and American Democracy

Quote & Reflection (28:33–36:50)

• Clip: Michael German (ex-FBI, author of “Policing White Supremacy”)
  • “The white supremacist movement is quite fractured... But as a movement, essentially what they’re looking for is a return to a legally supported racial caste system where white people dominate without question and impunity to act violently towards anyone who would challenge that racial hierarchy.” (29:43–31:10)
• Reflection:
  • David Feldman (31:10): Notes the institutional obstacles to confronting white supremacy; prosecuting these groups is painted by the right as political persecution.
  • Again, the hosts connect the rise of white nationalism to both police forces and politics, noting both historical (Reconstruction) and contemporary failings.

6. The Dual Nature and Dangers of Artificial Intelligence

Quotes & Reflections (38:33–51:00)

• Clip: Steven Witt on AI risks and potential
  • “With AI, there is absolutely no consensus at all, even among the field’s most decorated scientists... but at some point they have to make money off of it. And when that happens, I am so worried that the same kind of corrosive degradation... that happened to social media... will start to appear in AI as well.” (39:24–40:22)
  • Ralph Nader: “You’re going down the usual pathway which says, gee, if this technology can be used for good, it would be spectacular. The point is, it can be used for good, but it can be used for such bad consequences as to override completely the good that it could be producing.” (43:46–44:56)
• Reflections:
  • Jimmy Lee Wirt (40:41): Relates personal trepidation and hope for AI, but greater concern the more he learns about its subversive uses.
  • David Feldman (42:17): Praises tools for civic engagement — “it can make for better civic engagement. It’s great for research.”
  • Steve Skrovan (43:46): Emphasizes Nader’s lifelong focus on regulation and the need for scenario planning, not just optimism.
  • Hannah Feldman (50:01): Warns the biggest issue may be “when will [AIs] stop needing us... taking the conversation away from the humans.”

7. Local Environmental Activism: The Power of Individual Action

Quote & Reflection (52:27–55:23)

• Clip: John Merriman, retired engineer turned tire-collector and environmental advocate.
  • “I know any time I see one [tire] I'm going to take care of it if I'm physically able to... They're everywhere and it's a problem.” (52:59–53:29)
• Reflection:
  • Matthew Marin (54:07): Finds inspiration in direct action — “He saw a problem... and he just decided to do it himself. He didn’t have to get permission...[It’s] a different side of creating change that we don’t see often.”
  • Steve Skrovan and David Feldman connect this to “think globally, act locally,” contrasting it with the often abstract activism of large organizations.

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “The Democratic Party is an albatross around my neck.”
  — Ralph Nader (voice clip), (02:25)
• “We can very easily blame the Democratic Party more than anybody else for the rise of Donald Trump.”
  — Steve Skrovan (04:42)
• “It’s a bit like attacking somebody for writing about Auschwitz and not giving the SS guards enough play to voice their side.”
  — Chris Hedges (08:25)
• “We either have a Constitution, or we don’t... If we’re not going to invoke the impeachment power at this critical moment in our nation’s history, then we might as well say we’re giving up on the Constitution.”
  — John Bonifaz (18:12)
• “If you think about other existential risks... with AI there is absolutely no consensus at all, even among the field’s most decorated scientists.”
  — Steven Witt (39:24)
• “It's basically an inherently out of control technology. Inherently, it's decentralized. It's like invisible.”
  — Ralph Nader (43:46)
• “He saw a problem... and he just decided to do it himself. He didn’t have to get permission.”
  — Matthew Marin (54:07)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:10 — Staff introduction, episode format explained
• 01:53–07:51 — Democratic Party critique, staff personal experiences
• 07:54–10:26 — Chris Hedges on Gaza genocide
• 11:50–16:02 — Being Jewish after Gaza: Beinart, American Jewish identity, Zionism
• 18:08–28:23 — Impeachment powers, Congressional activism, Francesco’s Capitol Hill experience
• 28:33–36:50 — White supremacy, FBI, law enforcement, January 6
• 38:33–51:00 — Artificial intelligence: hopes, risks, regulatory urgency
• 52:27–56:36 — John Merriman: environmental action, personal accountability

Memorable Moments

• Hannah Feldman’s fresh take (05:57): “If someone wants to be management, do a performance evaluation... And if they can’t do the job well, find someone else to do it or redefine the job.”
• Steve Skrovan’s historical parallel (04:42): “Ralph was the Cassandra... and this is where we are.”
• Jimmy Lee Wirt’s AI ambivalence (40:41): “...I'm starting to lean more towards the freakout side.”
• David Feldman on class and race (35:18): “I'm a class reductionist... but the older I get, I'm realizing it's two separate things.”
• Matthew Marin’s admiration for direct action (54:07): “He just decided to do it himself. He didn’t have to get permission...”

Conclusion

This episode serves both as a retrospective of a momentous year and a patchwork of uniquely personal reflections on democracy, justice, technology, and activism. The hosts foreground both large systemic crises — from failing parties and constitutional decay to white nationalism and apocalyptic technology — and spotlight the everyday heroism of individuals acting where they are. The result is a lively, varied, and insightful summation of the Ralph Nader Radio Hour’s mission and the passions of its dedicated team.

To catch full conversations and bonus commentary, visit the Ralph Nader Radio Hour’s website or substack for more details and transcripts.