Episode 40: Holding the Line Against MAGA Extremism

HoosLeft Podcast

0:00

-1:16:39

Episode 40: Holding the Line Against MAGA Extremism

Scott Aaron Rogers

Jun 21, 2024

Welcome to the HoosLeft podcast, a show about Indiana politics, history, and culture from the unapologetic perspective of the Hoosier left. My name is Scott Aaron Rogers and I’m recording from Bloomington.

So, a fun fact that doesn’t mean anything: I reached out to all nine Indiana Democratic Congressional candidates after the primary, hoping to set up interviews. At this time, I’ve heard back from ALL of the even-numbered district candidates, but only one from an odd-numbered district. Just a quirky coincidence I imagine, but c’mon you oddballs - get with the program. Anyway, after talking with 2nd District candidate Lori Camp last week, we continue our tour of Indiana’s even-numbered congressional districts this week with Derrick Holder, running in the 4th.

The 4th congressional district is located in western Indiana, including Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clinton, Hendricks, Jasper, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Putnam, Tippecanoe, Warren, and White counties in full, as well as parts of Cass and Fountain counties, and one township from Howard County. The sprawling, largely rural district includes includes points as far south as Martinsville and Crawfordsville, covers the West Suburbs of Indianapolis, the Lafayette area, Logansport in the north central part of the state all the way up to the big dairy farm and the nudists is Newton County in Northwest Indiana.

This biography of Holder from his campaign website,

“Derrick’s life journey is a testament to resilience and commitment. Serving in the Marines right after graduating from Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, he faced a pivotal moment with an injury that brought him back home. Undeterred, Derrick pursued higher education, earning a bachelor’s degree in history and religious studies from IU, reflecting his deep-rooted intellectual curiosity and desire to understand the world.
His professional path, marked by versatility and a strong work ethic, has seen him in roles from cashier to paralegal. These experiences, coupled with his personal story of overcoming financial hardships alongside his family during the 2008 downturn, have endowed him with a unique perspective and empathy towards the struggles of everyday Hoosiers.
Derrick’s life was further enriched in 2013 when he met his wife, leading to a loving marriage in 2014. Together, they share a daughter and are expanding their family through the adoption of two more children, while also giving back as foster parents. This deep familial connection and commitment to nurturing others illustrate Derrick’s profound understanding and value of community and family ties.
Derrick Holder’s candidacy is more than a political ambition; it’s a pledge to be the voice of his constituents, driven by a sincere desire to effect meaningful change. His blend of personal experiences and professional diversity make him a relatable, compassionate, and competent candidate. Voting for Derrick Holder means choosing a representative committed to the betterment of Indiana’s 4th Congressional District, ready to lead with heart and determination for a brighter future for all.”

In this interview, Derrick and I talked about his diverse background & how it prepared him to serve Hoosiers in Washington. We spoke at length about the economy, including healthcare and education, which are economic issues in their own right. We also got into immigration, abortion rights, and the far-right attack on American democracy itself. Finally, we talked about pressing current events like Isreael’s genocide in Gaza, and our openly corrupt Supreme Court, before turning to the election-denier incumbent who stands in his way.

Before we turn to the interview, I want to remind you that HoosLeft is a pro-democracy, organizing project. I might be the guy with the microphone, but I want everybody within earshot to think of themselves as participants. What’s going on in your part of the Hoosier State? Are there topics you’d like to see me cover? Folks I should reach out to? I want your input, feedback, and advice.

Remember the 3 P’s of organizing: PEOPLE coming together to exercise POWER - which Dr. MLK defined as “the ability to achieve PURPOSE” - a specific concrete goal.

That’s us, you and I, and everybody we know, doing whatever we can, and then reaching deep to find more, to build a more just, equitable, and compassionate Indiana, and America.

That’s why I invite the guests I do. When we speak with candidates and elected officials, we have a direct line to those who do, or might, exercise the legitimate power of government on our behalf. When we speak with activists, we have opportunities to join with them and/or learn from their activism. When we speak with academics and experts, we broaden our knowledge base so we can better understand the larger forces at work. I’m so excited to bring you this summer lineup already in the works, with multiple Congressional candidates and some big, nationally-renowned authors sprinkled in amongst Hoosiers working at the state and local level to help their neighbors.

I’m constantly working to bring more and more elected officials, activists, organizers, authors, and experts, into our community so we - and OUR PEOPLE, our extended networks - can more effectively come together to exercise our POWER for our PURPOSE of building a better Indiana.

I currently work as an independent craftsman during the day and work on this project on evenings and weekends. There are so many more things I want to do with this project if I could do this work full-time, but I need your help to get there. If you can, help me out with a paid subscription at scottaaronrogers.substack.com. For five dollars a month or $50 a year, you can help me push our state in a better direction, and maybe if we reach critical mass, I can put down my tool belt and devote my full time to you, to this project, and to Indiana’s future. So, if you have the means, pause right now, go to scottaaronrogers.substack.com and subscribe at the paid level.

And while the best way to help this project is a financial contribution, if you can’t afford it at this time, you can still help. Subscribe at the free level over on Substack. Set your favorite podcast player to auto-download new episodes of the show. Rate and review the show on whatever platform you use - this is the most important thing you can do to help new listeners find us. Follow me on social media at facebook.com/hoosleft (spell); I’m also on Bluesky at the same handle. On Instagram, Threads, and Twitter, I’m at scottrog78 (spell) and on Mastodon at scottrog78@hoosier.social. Full video episodes of the pod are now available on YouTube, with clips on TikTok: the handle on both of those is @hoosleft. Please subscribe on whichever platforms you use, and make judicious use of the comment function. The DM’s are always open to discuss ideas for the project.

But, most importantly, share our message. Forward the articles to friends, family, and colleagues; don’t just like, but share, share, share on social media; invite others to this community of Indiana leftists. Nobody is coming to save us - we’ve gotta do it ourselves. To those who have joined this community already, especially those paid subscribers, thank you SO much - I truly am honored and humbled. And to everybody, thanks for listening.

Here’s my interview with Derrick Holder.

Once again, that was Derick Holder, Democratic candidate for United States Congress from Indiana’s 4th District.

First things first. As I was listening to this interview, taking notes, thinking about how I wanted to frame our conversation, I noticed a thing Derrick and I both did. Maybe you noticed; maybe you didn’t, but I want to acknowledge it. See, we both let our privilege slip out.

Very early in the interview, Derrick told me he was the child of immigrants and I, inside my societally-conditioned head, was like, “hey, white guy, you don’t look like an immigrant,” and I couldn’t wait to ask, “where from?” You can hear me chomping at the bit. This is implicit bias rearing its head.

A short time later, we discussed illegal immigration. I asked Holder if illegal immigration was actually having deleterious effects on West Central Indiana, and he transitioned to talking about the Hispanic population in the district. I hear politicians and talking heads do this all the time, and it’s wrong on a couple levels. First, it could be taken to imply that the Latino population in Indiana is FULL of undocumented individuals and that ‘s just not the case. The overwhelming majority of foreign-born citizens living in this country are here legally. Second, we should acknowledge that immigrant does not equal Hispanic or Latinx. Immigration is not strictly a Spanish-speaking phenomenon, and we have legal AND illegal immigrants of all origins spread throughout the country.

Finally, as we discussed the benefits of immigrant populations replacing outflow from rural areas, I’m over here offering abandoned, dilapidated, potentially unsafe housing to our new neighbors. I don’t actually suggest doing this, and was doing so to illustrate a point, but I think it’s still important to acknowledge my privilege and state that safe shelter should be a human right.

Now, I could have memory-holed the entire exchange, but I thought it could be a useful teaching moment. So, I reached back out to Derrick during the editing process to discuss our mutual blind spots and asked him if I could do so. He agreed and had the following to say, “I have been kicking myself for the past week because of what I said. Please do mention it as I feel really bad about it. But also mention, if you would, that growing up in southern California brought me up to love that we are seeing a larger Latino population in Indiana and we are only the better for it.”

Anyway, not our best moment. Thought it was important to point that out. But let’s talk about everything else Derrick had to say in this interview.

Number one, I totally relate to this guy. Religious studies and history at IU? My favorite areas to study. Jack of all trades, knows a little bit about everything? Literally me. Call me biased, but it is my firm belief we need more people in Congress who didn’t follow traditional paths into politics.

Holder understands the dynamics of the key issues. On the economy, he sees the overwhelming effects of corporate greed. On healthcare, he sees universal healthcare as the goal. On education, Derrick might not push the envelope as far as some on the left might like, but his proposals would move the ball forward.

For all of our blind spots on the issue of immigration, and there are many, Holder does have first-hand knowledge of the immigrant experience, gets to the real root of the problem, and like so many whose parents came here seeking a better life, values the unique freedom America offers more than many native-born citizens. You can hear this as he described his horror on January 6th, 2021.

Derrick, a foster parent, understands the importance of women’s reproductive freedom better than most men and sees the cycles of poverty that forced birth leads to, and the way the ruling class benefits from our desperation.

Finally, I think it is incredibly important that Derrick Holder, a proud Jewish man, calls the far-right ethno-nationalist Israeli government’s genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza WHAT IT IS.

Derrick has my full support and I encourage anybody in the 4th Congressional district to get involved. Vote! Yes, of course, and… donate if you are able. Those recurring donations, even $5 a month, make a huge difference. Martinsville, Mooresville, Cloverdale, Greencastle. Check your voter registration. Plainfield, Avon, Brownsburg, Danville, make sure your friends, neighbors, and anyone you know who values democracy does the same. Crawfordsville, Frankfurt, Lebanon, Delphi, commit to making sure your people vote on or before election day, November 5. Lafayette, Purdue students, faculty and staff, remind everyone you know constantly; early voting starts October 8. Encourage them to vote early and then use the remaining time to bring their people into the fold. When those of us committed to democracy vote, we win. The wealthy and powerful have set many hurdles in front of us, so we have to work extra hard, and we have to start now.

Thank you for listening. Thanks again my guest today, Derrick Holder, who can be found at derrickholder.com. (spell) Please help him in whatever way you can, be it financially, by canvassing, by writing letters, whatever you can do. I managed to keep today’s interview to a decent length, but I’ve got deleted scenes from other recent guests available exclusively for paid subscribers over at scottaaronrogers.substack.com. A membership over there is the best way to help this project grow, but in addition to Substack, you can find me on Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube and TikTok at hoosleft and on most other social media sites at scottrog78. If you want send me a message, get in my DMs on social media or email me at scottrog78@gmail.com. Forward the show to a friend and tell them to forward it to another friend. Let’s keep this project growing. Until next time, this has been the HoosLeft podcast. I’m Scott Aaron Rogers. Love each other, Indiana.

HoosLeft Podcast, Episode 40: Holding the Line Against MAGA Extremism

Guest: Derrick Holder, Democrat for US House of Representatives (IN-04)

https://scottaaronrogers.substack.com/subscribe

https://www.derrickholder.com/

Marine Corps values: https://www.marines.com/life-as-a-marine/standards/values.html

Corporate greed causing inflation: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/jan/19/us-inflation-caused-by-corporate-profits

Student loan interest is unconscionable: https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2023/09/26/its-time-end-student-loan-interest-racket-opinion

Immigration in Indiana: https://map.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/locations/indiana/

Colbert on the “Take My Job” initiative:

Deep Dive on the Border Crisis from UNFTR: https://www.unftr.com/episodes/unftr116

3-year olds deposed in immigration court: https://www.texastribune.org/2018/06/27/immigrant-toddlers-ordered-appear-court-alone/

Immigration could stem rural population outflow: https://www.fwd.us/news/rural-decline/

GOP sets sights on contraception next: https://prospect.org/health/2024-06-06-republican-party-coming-for-birth-control/

Childcare costs as a barrier to work: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/child-care-crisis-keeping-women-workforce/

Voters still care about January 6: https://newjerseymonitor.com/2024/06/01/as-voters-consider-their-white-house-choice-is-jan-6-a-factor/

Meet Derrick and other Democratic candidates at Hendricks County Pride: https://www.facebook.com/HendricksCountyPride/

Israeli settlement in Gaza: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/01/04/in-israel-former-gush-katif-settlers-dream-of-returning-to-the-gaza-strip_6399897_4.html

Hamas would settle for 1967 borders: https://apnews.com/article/hamas-khalil-alhayya-qatar-ceasefire-1967-borders-4912532b11a9cec29464eab234045438

Religious sites literally on top of one another: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-05-18/ty-article-static/.premium/dome-of-contention-a-tour-of-temple-mount-al-aqsa-compound/00000188-19ec-d6ba-a9cf-bfee95510000

“Gee, Davey…” https://blog.catholicwritersguild.com/2011/09/gee-davey.html

US moves Israeli embassy to Jerusalem: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44120428

Jerusalem as UN headquarters and International city: https://mondoweiss.net/2014/11/jerusalem-moving-headquarters/

ProPublica on Supreme Court corruption: https://www.propublica.org/series/supreme-court-scotus

Congress is responsible for regulating the court: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/congress-has-authority-regulate-supreme-court-ethics-and-duty

Mike Braun thinks Loving v. Virginia was incorrect:🤦‍♂️ https://fox59.com/indiana-news/sen-mike-braun-said-interracial-marriage-ruling-should-be-left-to-states/

Ginni Thomas is an insurrectionist: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/who-is-ginni-thomas-and-why-is-she-important-to-the-jan-6-hearings

Jim Baird an election denier: https://electiondeniers.org/indiana