Charlie Sykes sits down with Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Independent Veterans of America, for a wide-ranging conversation about America’s mass shooting crisis, the culture of grievance fueling extremism, and the dangerous consolidation of presidential power. Rieckhoff highlights the role of isolation and disconnection among young men, the failures of political leadership, and the urgent need for new role models. It’s not all bad news though. The two also discuss the rise of independent veteran candidates as a possible antidote to partisan dysfunction.
To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes: Paul Rieckhoff – Grievance, Guns, and Power
The Brief
→ Four things from today’s episode
01
Why Danny enlisted instead of commissioning. and what soldier care taught her about leadership
02
The interdisciplinary path from philosophy to psychology to. The interdisciplinary path from philosophy to psychology to law to forensic psychology, and why a prosecutor needs all of it
03
Running an independent campaign while Spokane County burned. 800 structures gone, 60,000 displaced, voters still turning in ballots
04
The toxin exposure story national media missed. paints, insulation, fumes, and why recovery takes generations
Show Notes
Recent Episodes
Beating the machine. An independent veteran cracks Spokane's top two. Wildfires, ballots, and a movement. Meet the Independent Pod
Engine 65's 9/11. Five floors, a bad knee, and a May Day that saved their lives. Firefighter Al Barry tells all
"From blue sky into Armageddon." FDNY's Rich Naviasky on 9/11, Deutsche Bank, and the illness the job wouldn't cover
"They were waiting us out." The 9/11 kids Washington forgot. 50,000 students in the exposure zone.