Episode 72: Democrats at All Levels Failing to Meet the Moment

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Episode 72: Democrats at All Levels Failing to Meet the Moment

Guest: Indianapolis Activist Clif Marsiglio

Scott Aaron Rogers

Mar 14, 2025

Transcript

Episode 72: Democrats at All Levels Failing to Meet the Moment

Guest: Indianapolis Activist Clif Marsiglio

Full show notes at https://hoosleft.us/

Find Clif at https://clifmars.com/

Welcome to the HoosLeft Podcast, a show about Indiana politics, history, and culture from the unapologetic perspective of the social democratic left. My name is Scott Aaron Rogers, and I’m recording from Bloomington, where it’s been too long since we’ve had a traditional interview episode. Let’s correct that.

Since November’s election, and even more-so since Trump’s January inauguration, Democrats in Washington have struggled to respond. Faced with a daily onslaught of illegal executive overreach, the highest levels of Democratic leadership have been unable coalesce around a coherent message or strategy. Some old-guard consultant-types want Democrats to play possum, letting the Trump regime crash the economy and shred the Constitution, thinking they can sweep back into power in the next election. Fine idea if you can withstand the collapse, if your basic rights and freedoms don’t come under threat, and if we even have free and fair elections going forward. Some, but far too few, of their party mates, are building a real opposition.

Here in the Hoosier State, Indiana Democrats face a similar dynamic. From city councils to state party headquarters, a faction of establishment leaders stifle internal dissent, chase an imaginary center while alienating their base, and freeze out new people with new ideas.

My guest today is someone who has clashed with the party repeatedly while trying to push Democrats in Indianapolis and Marion County to live up to their own stated values. Clif Marsiglio is an educator, activist, and community advocate. By training, Clif is a mental health clinician with a masters degree in Community Psychology. He is passionate about public safety, sitting on the board of directors for both NESCO — the Near Eastside Community Organization — and the Citizen’s Alliance for Public Safety (CAPS), where he has sought to repair the relationship between the community and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Additionally, he is the president of the Quality of Life Public Safety Community Action Team and a partner with Overdose Lifeline, focusing on harm reduction strategies.

In our conversation, we’ll talk about scandal and dysfunction in the Circle City mayor’s office, the insular culture of establishment elites, and the way this effects the whole state. Then, we’ll zoom out to look at Democrats on the national level, their disjointed response to Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress, and the failure of leadership that produced such feeble pushback. We’ll conclude by looking at a high-profile Democratic leader and his insidious effort to boost his national profile by sacrificing one particularly marginalized group.

Before we get to my discussion with Clif, I’d like to take a minute to thank you all for your support - for liking and sharing on social media, for forwarding our articles and podcast episodes, for commenting, leaving reviews, and providing feedback - and especially for the financial support paid subscriptions provide. Your contributions have helped me make meaningful connections with fascinating people from across Indiana, and beyond. We are building a network of Hoosiers dedicated to making this state, and its government, work for all of us, not just the elite few. I would like to dedicate my full time to you, this community, and Indiana’s future; but I need your financial support to do so. All I’m asking is $5 a month, or $50 a year, to help me write more, research more, organize more, and keep improving HoosLeft.

Improvements like our own website, where it’s now much easier to find us. Visit HoosLeft.US for all of our articles, episodes, archives, and again, please consider a paid subscription while you’re there. We’re also on Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube, and TikTok at HoosLeft, and I’m still on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter at scottrog78 and scottrog78@hoosier.social on Mastodon. Tell the others. Let’s build a radically-democratic Indiana together. Thanks again.

Now, here is my conversation with Clif Marsiglio.

Cited in the Interview

Majority of Indiana Elections Uncontested: https://news.ballotpedia.org/2024/11/01/63-of-elections-in-indiana-are-uncontested/

Indy Star’s James Briggs on Hogsett’s recent scandals: https://www.indystar.com/story/opinion/columnists/james-briggs/2024/09/09/indianapolis-mayor-joe-hogsett-joke-mike-epps-concert-raises-leadership-questions-james-briggs/75143468007/

Hogsett “Constantly… Drunk at Black Events”: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=488526293993645

Hogsett Hires Former City Attorney in Potential Conflict of Interest: https://mirrorindy.org/indianapolis-mayor-joe-hogsett-former-city-attorney-matt-giffin-harassment-investigation-thomas-cook/

Indiana University’s VERY Thorough Sexual Harassment Policies: https://policies.iu.edu/policies/ua-03-discrimination-harassment-and-sexual-misconduct/index.html

Indianapolis’ Poor Voter Turnout: https://mirrorindy.org/indianapolis-indiana-election-2024-voter-turnout-marion-county/

Braun Administration Actively Harming Hoosiers: https://wishtv.com/news/i-team-8/braun-defends-medicaid-strategy-following-aba-cuts/

Braun’s Economic Ties to China: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/04/mike-braun-china-00156117

Marion County Democratic Leaders: https://www.indydemocrats.com/mcdp-leaders

Alexandra Roll’s Account of Marion County ReOrg Day: https://www.facebook.com/alexandra.rollo/posts/pfbid02uCW8CotD2dvnTVu6XmtMQd6zVFHCmknnGByob2kdGLWLvxF4HpzzqvBkmjYVKJhZl

A Journalist’s Account: https://www.facebook.com/pete.blanchard.3/posts/pfbid02PeEQKXotQpygBggLQP4koo5WpsVyyK6ZHxF4kG4tZ36JxUuLCapvp9GnkST89wPnl

Indy Democrats Only Recently Stopped ‘Slating’ Candidates: https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/marion-county-democrats-do-away-with-slating

HoosLeft’s Coverage of Trump’s Joint Address: https://www.hoosleft.us/p/special-livestream-tonight

Democrats’ Performative Kente Stunt: https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/08/politics/democrats-criticized-kente-cloth-trnd/index.html

Rep. Al Green Stands Up to President: https://www.democracynow.org/2025/3/7/impeachment_is_a_rremedy_for_a

Ten Democrats Join in Censuring Green: https://www.democracynow.org/2025/3/7/impeachment_is_a_rremedy_for_a

Gavin Newsom’s Podcast: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-this-is-gavin-newsom-268904129/

Newsom Agrees with Kirk on Trans Athletes: https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/03/newsom-transgender-athletes/

Clif Referenced Terry Goodin’s Conservative Record: https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/indiana/jennifer-mccormick-running-mate-terry-googin-has-conservative-past-says-he-reversed-ideas-on-abortion-marriage/531-0fe5aeec-4d5c-4c01-8042-38c9b321d7ed

Indiana Democratic Party Rules (Gender Equity is Rule #9): https://indems.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IDP-Rules-December-2024.pdf

Bad Movies We Referenced:

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/juwanna_mann

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/white_chicks

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/soul_man

Once again, that was Indianapolis activist, organizer, and rabble-rouser Clif Marsiglio.

I’ve seen a meme going around the last several days, originally from 2022 , which even caught a mention in Will Bunch’s latest Philadelphia Inquirer column. It says, Republicans are the mass shooter and Democrats are the Uvalde cops, and I don’t know if I’ve heard a more gruesome, yet accurate, metaphor to summarize our current situation.

I’m sure there are a lot of good, elected Democrats working at all levels of government to stop the authoritarian onslaught. And there must be countless others with their hearts in the right places, whose worldviews and strategies were formed in a completely different time. But far too many so-called leaders, especially as you move up in the party hierarchy, are unwilling to lay it on the line when the people actually need them. As MAGA fascists mow down our rights and freedoms while blowing massive holes in the social safety net, establishment Democrats say, “I’m not going in there. I might get killed.”

Gotta look out for number one, right? To hell with the elderly, the disabled, the persecuted. Wrong! We hired you to serve and protect. You said you would fight for us, for democracy. Well, fight! If the Trump administration and their compliant red-state cronies are the existential threat to the republic you say they are, then pull out all stops - acts like Al Green’s should be the bare minimum. And if you don’t believe they pose that serious a threat, you were either lying to us, oblivious to the danger they do indeed pose, or both. Either are disqualifying.

So, Democrats, you have weapons - parliamentary, financial, media - at your disposal. Either run toward the danger and use them, or surrender them to people who will.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments. Or holler at me on social media - on Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube and TikTok at hoosleft and on most other social media sites at scottrog78. You can also email me at scott@hoosleft.us.

Thanks again to my guest, Clif Marsiglio, who you can find at ClifMars.com, on most social media sites @MayorClif, and on Substack, where he writes the Clif Marsiglio Newsletter. And thank you for listening. If you can, head over to HoosLeft.US and help support this project with a paid subscription. Again, hit me up on social media with your feedback, tips, ideas, and concerns. Please forward the show to a friend and have them to forward it to another friend. Let’s keep building this project - and a truly democratic state - one conversation at a time. Until the next one, this has been the HoosLeft podcast. I’m Scott Aaron Rogers. Love each other, Indiana.