In this urgent and unfiltered episode, Rich and Kevin lay out the real story behind the government shutdown—and why it’s just the tip of the iceberg. From TSA agents working without pay to the Supreme Court quietly gutting voting rights behind the scenes, the guys expose the coordinated strategy unfolding in plain sight.

They break down the Louisiana redistricting case that could eliminate nearly a third of Black congressional seats, the long game Republicans have been playing for decades, and the Democratic Party’s repeated failure to wield power when it matters most. It’s not just a political episode—it’s a call to arms.

📍 (07:00) — Shutdown Theater & Real-Life Chaos
They break down how government workers, service members, and TSA agents are navigating unpaid labor—and why this shutdown is less about budgets and more about distraction.

📍 (13:17) — Supreme Court’s Sneak Attack on Voting Rights
The crew unpacks the terrifying potential of Louisiana v. Callais, a case that could gut Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and erase decades of Black and Latino political representation.

📍 (24:52) — Checkers vs. Chess: Democrats Keep Losing the Long Game
Kevin and Rich reflect on how the right has coordinated for decades—through courts, legislatures, and billionaires—while the left has played defense and vibes.

📍 (44:04) — If We Win, We Can’t Waste It
They outline a bold and unapologetic roadmap for what Democrats should do with power, including passing federal voting protections, banning gerrymandering, and reforming the Supreme Court.

📍 (58:03) — D’Angelo, Joe Biden, and Matching Energy
From the brilliance of D’Angelo’s Voodoo to Biden’s underappreciated judicial appointments, the episode closes with some unexpected flowers—and one clear reminder to stay focused on the long game.

🏆 Mamba Mentality Award
This week’s Mamba Mentality Award goes to the everyday workers still showing up without pay—TSA agents, military service members, federal employees—who keep the country running despite Washington’s chaos.

Special recognition also goes to President Joe Biden, who matched energy in the judicial arena and reshaped the courts while no one was paying attention.

In this week’s episode, Rich and Kevin tackle the big headlines and deeper implications behind the looming federal government shutdown and what it means for Georgians. They break down how health care subsidies hang in the balance, why Senator Jon Ossoff is more vulnerable than people realize, and how Republicans are quietly playing the long game. Beyond the Beltway drama, the duo zooms out to talk about the bigger picture for Democrats in the South—the organizing challenges, the messaging missteps, and the urgent need for smarter strategy if real power is ever going to be built below the Mason-Dixon.

📍 (01:36) — Federal Shutdown & the Southern Ripple Effect
Rich and Kevin break down what’s at stake if Congress doesn’t fund the government—including the real-world consequences for working-class Southerners and why it’s not just a DC problem.

📍 (08:22) — Ossoff's Seat Ain’t Safe
They sound the alarm on Senator Jon Ossoff’s upcoming re-election, explaining why Democrats shouldn’t assume he’s safe—and how underestimating the GOP’s strategy could backfire.

📍 (14:57) — Health Care Subsidies on the Chopping Block
The crew discusses how federal subsidies keep health insurance affordable for thousands in Georgia—and how the shutdown could jeopardize access just as enrollment ramps up.

📍 (21:44) — Georgia’s Not Blue, It’s Just Loud
Rich and Kevin dissect the myth of Georgia’s “purple” status and why national Democrats need to stop campaigning like they’ve already won the state. Hint: They haven’t.

📍 (30:12) — Playing Chess, Not Checkers: Organize or Fade
The episode wraps with a hard truth: Republicans are playing the long game with local and judicial power, while Dems still treat the South like a one-night stand. That has to change.

🏆 Mamba Mentality Award
This week’s Mamba Mentality Award goes to the frontline organizers in the South who keep showing up, even when the cameras are off and the budgets are tight. And to the voters who stay informed, engaged, and involved—because y’all are the ones holding this democracy together while Congress plays games.

In a long-overdue full-circle moment, the boys of Maroon Bison welcome their third musketeer—producer Stewart Cornelius—from behind the scenes to behind the mic. What follows is an honest, hilarious, and deeply personal conversation about brotherhood, HBCUs, resilience, and showing up for each other as Black men.

The crew takes listeners through their Morehouse journeys, their academic and financial hurdles, the identity-building power of HBCU culture, and what it means to be “the only one” in corporate spaces. If you’ve ever had to fight for your education, take the long way to success, or been kept afloat by mentors who saw something in you—you’ll feel this one.

📍 (04:07) — Suit & Socks: How Rich Became a Freshman Legend at Morehouse
Stew recalls his first encounter with Big Rich during orientation—chewing out freshmen for wearing white socks with suits—and how those intense traditions built a lifelong brotherhood.

📍 (10:56) — Morehouse, Mentors & Magical Negroes: How We Got Here
From Maryland and New York to the AUC, the trio recounts how they ended up at Morehouse, and the unexpected people (including a school counselor) who pushed them toward purpose.

📍 (18:59) — Training to Be the Only One
Kevin and Stew share stories of being the lone Black man—or the lone straight Black man—in grad school, media, and corporate jobs, and how HBCUs trained them to walk into rooms with purpose, even when they were alone.

📍 (26:41) — Sears, Schedules & Struggle: How We Made It Work
From working at Sears and cleaning hotels to juggling internships and long commutes, they break down the unglamorous grind behind their college years—and why Gen Z needs to toughen up.

📍 (34:36) — Give Back, Then Pass It On
Whether it’s paying tuition gaps, mentoring younger students, or just showing up on campus, the guys reflect on the cycle of care within the HBCU community and why they’re committed to keeping it going for the next generation.

🏆 Mamba Mentality Award
This week’s Mamba Mentality Award goes to the teachers who saw our potential before we saw it ourselves—those who gave hard advice, opened hidden doors, and helped plant the seeds that made this episode possible.

And shoutout to Black men everywhere who carry the weight, show up for each other, and keep pushing—even when no one sees the grind. This one’s for you.

Rich and Kevin dive into a culture-meets-politics episode that celebrates Southern legends while exposing political cowardice from Capitol Hill to Georgia’s gold dome. They kick things off with Outkast’s long-overdue Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, then shift into a blistering breakdown of recent political headlines—calling out silence on Gaza, speculating on control of Congress, and analyzing what’s shaping up to be a wild 2026 Georgia Governor’s race.

From Jeff Duncan’s party switch to Keisha Lance Bottoms’ quiet moves, to Michael Thurman’s latent power base, the boys map the chessboard and ask who’s got the brand, the coalition, and the guts to actually win.

📍 (02:05) — “The South Got Something to Say”: Outkast Heads to the Hall
Rich and Kevin celebrate Outkast’s Rock Hall induction and unpack how the duo redefined what it means to be Black, Southern, and genreless in music—and why their influence reaches far beyond hip-hop.

📍 (08:45) — Congressional Cowardice & Gaza Silence
They call out the lack of moral leadership in Congress, especially from Black elected leaders, on the genocide in Gaza—and why history will remember who stayed quiet.

📍 (16:29) — Who Flips What? House & Senate 2026 Forecast
From razor-thin margins in Congress to the races that could reshape everything, the hosts game out which chambers are in play, where Dems could win big—or fumble—and why party control may come down to candidate quality.

📍 (24:17) — Jeff Duncan’s Party Breakup: Can a Moderate Republican Win in Georgia?
Former Lt. Gov. Jeff Duncan renounces the GOP. Is he really independent? Is Georgia ready for a third option? The crew debates his viability and the branding challenges of running outside the red-blue binary.

📍 (34:01) — GA Governor’s Race 2026: Keisha, Thurman, or Somebody New?
The boys break down the early power players in the open governor’s race: Keisha Lance Bottoms (with her White House polish), Michael Thurman (the most underrated Black political leader in the state), and what it would take for a wild-card contender to break through.

🏆 Mamba Mentality Award
Michael Thurman earns this episode’s Mamba Mentality Award. Though not flashy, his long-standing credibility, leadership in DeKalb, and deep community ties make him one of Georgia’s most serious, strategic, and slept-on political forces. Whether he runs or not, his influence is undeniable.

From dodging a Deloitte firing to navigating grief, genocide, and the Georgia General Assembly, Rep. Ruwa Romman returns to finish the story she started. In this follow-up episode, Ruwa opens up about her time at Deloitte, her work defending the census, and the chaos that followed when her campaign was leaked to the press. The trio delves deeply into Georgia politics, organizational philosophy, coalition-building, messaging strategy, and the personal toll of being a Palestinian-American woman in elected office. A masterclass in resilience, message discipline, and finding power in spite.

📍 (02:12) — From Deloitte to the Census Bureau: Government Work and the Fight Against Misinformation

Ruwa shares her journey through Deloitte’s public sector arm and how she ended up combating misinformation for the U.S. Census—connecting data collection to hospital planning, political power, and Jamal Bowman's seat.

📍 (11:41) — From “No Way” to Election Day: How a Leaked Article Sparked Her Campaign

A surprise AJC article about Ruwa “entertaining a run” becomes the unofficial launch of her campaign—setting off panic, purpose, and overwhelming grassroots support that forced her to say yes.

📍 (20:14) — Beating the Odds: Governor Opposition, Donor Doubt, and Winning Anyway

Ruwa unpacks the skepticism she faced, including donors who doubted her chances, and how she won her general election by a larger margin even after the governor endorsed against her.

📍 (30:40) — Carrying Grief and Fighting Back: Palestine, Policy, and Political Pressure

Ruwa discusses the emotional weight of being the only Palestinian-American legislator in the South during the war in Gaza, navigating trauma while fulfilling her duties, and resisting resignation.

📍 (36:03) — Common Sense or “Progressive”? Ruwa’s Politics and the Southern Strategy for Change

She pushes back on political labels, calls for a broader southern strategy that centers overlooked voters, and breaks down why Georgia isn’t backwards—it’s the future.

🏆 Mamba Mentality Award:
This episode’s Mamba Mentality Award goes to Representative Ruwa Romman for embodying passion, fearlessness, and relentlessness. From community cookouts to statehouse floor votes, Ruwa consistently shows up with discipline, dignity, and deep commitment to her people. As Kevin puts it, “you make us ask ourselves if we’re doing enough.”

In their first-ever interview with a sitting elected official, Rich and Kevin sit down with Georgia State Representative Ruwa Romman for a powerful and personal conversation. From escaping anti-Arab racism in Forsyth County to canvassing during the Michelle Nunn campaign, Ruwa shares how her lived experience as a Palestinian-Muslim woman in the Deep South shaped her political awakening.

This episode is part origin story, part political analysis, and part cultural reckoning—covering identity, mentorship, college activism, and how small moments (like a random Google Form) can spark lifelong civic engagement. The boys of Maroon Bison are building something different—and this one’s for the organizers, the immigrants, and everyone who's ever been “othered” but showed up anyway.

📍(05:30) - From Palestine to Forsyth: Growing Up “Other” in Georgia
Ruwa shares her family’s journey from Jordan to Georgia, the culture shock of arriving just before 9/11, and how Forsyth County’s racist history shaped her childhood—including bullying, isolation, and being one of the only non-white students in her class.

📍 (10:32) - MLK Cartoons, Civil Rights, and the Roots of Political Curiosity
How a time-traveling MLK cartoon ignited her fascination with social justice, and how volunteering at the Center for Civil and Human Rights introduced her to icons like John Lewis and the logistics behind real movement building.

📍 (17:16) - Tea, Terrorist Slurs, and Third Culture Life in the South
Ruwa reflects on navigating identity as a visibly Muslim Palestinian girl in the South, the trauma of childhood racism, and how her mom worked to preserve their culture while shielding her from harm.

📍 (24:44) - How One Canvassing Shift Changed Everything
From an invite on campus to canvassing for Michelle Nunn in 2014, Ruwa describes falling in love with organizing and realizing how many voters and volunteers were being overlooked—especially in communities that looked like hers.

📍 (37:09) - Mentors, Movement, and Building Something Bigger
Ruwa honors the mentors who shaped her—from college leaders to fellow trailblazers—and shares how movements are seeded through seemingly small efforts, even in campaigns that don’t win.

🏆 Mamba Mentality Award
Rep. Tanya Miller earns the Mamba Mentality Award for her powerful leadership during Georgia’s tort reform battle. Ruwa praises her tenacity and clarity in navigating one of the session’s toughest fights, calling her an example of what happens when the right person is trusted to lead.

In this second installment of the Free Game series, Rich and Kevin pull back the curtain on the communications and field operations that make or break a political campaign. From crafting a message that hits (and sticks), to building a data-driven ground game that actually turns out voters, this episode is a crash course in campaign mechanics—and a consultant-level education for free. With stories from Obama’s Iowa field operation to Bloomberg’s message meltdown, the Maroon Bison crew brings real receipts from the trail, complete with debate prep war stories, Chick-fil-A branding analogies, and a reminder that if your campaign doesn’t know its win number—you’re probably going to lose.

📍 (06:41) — Two Departments, One Mission: Communications & Field
Rich and Kevin explain why these two parts of a campaign must work in sync. Comms builds the message, field delivers it to voters—online, on the phones, and at the door. And if they’re not aligned? The whole campaign suffers.

📍 (10:35) — Who’s On Your Comms Team? Roles That Matter
They break down the communications hierarchy: director, press secretary, digital lead, creative director, and the all-important pollster. Messaging isn’t just writing good speeches—it’s science, branding, and strategy.

📍 (24:21) — Why Message Discipline Wins Elections
You may be tired of saying the same thing over and over, but voters need to hear it 13 times before it sticks. From Obama’s “community organizer” line to Trump’s MAGA branding, repetition = recognition.

📍 (34:27) — Field Game: Your Ground-and-Pound Strategy
A deep dive into voter ID, persuasion, and turnout—plus why the voter file is your Bible and your organizers better be building an army. The motto: organize yourself out of a job.

📍 (46:40) — Know Your Win Number—or You’re Toast
Rich and Kevin wrap up with a key principle: if your campaign doesn’t know how many votes it needs to win, you’re not serious. From contact rates to persuasion tracking, it's all about the numbers—and the numbers don’t lie.

🏆 Mamba Mentality Award
🐍 All the everyday candidates putting their names on the ballot and stepping into the arena. It takes guts to run.

🐍 And a special shoutout to Stew Cornelius, the behind-the-scenes MVP keeping the Maroon Bison team on point and ready for primetime.

In Part 2 of their deep-dive with strategist Jake Orvis, Rich and Kevin unpack the overlooked heart of modern campaigns: research, tracking, fundraising—and the politics of being a white dude in a Black campaign space. From tracking candidates with binoculars to dodging call time in the men’s room, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at campaign mechanics, racial dynamics in Southern politics, and why nobody really likes asking for money.

The trio blends real-world advice with hilarious personal stories—plus reflections on managing egos, getting cursed out at barbecues, and why campaign operatives are some of the closest people you’ll ever work with. It’s vulnerable, technical, and as always, Southern as hell.

📍(01:00) - The Research Game: Foyers, Memos & Receipts
Jake breaks down the vital role of political research—from digging up court records to vetting your own candidate before the opposition does. It’s about precision, receipts, and never mixing up “John Smith.”

📍(07:00) - Trackers, Camcorders & Binoculars
What happens when you’re the white intern who “looks Republican”? Jake tells the hilarious story of his first tracking gig (involving a canceled event and a parking garage stakeout), and how campaign surveillance has evolved in the TikTok era.

📍(18:30) - The Art of Call Time
No one likes it—but fundraising call time is the engine of modern campaigns. The crew discusses why it’s painful, who struggles with it the most, and why you'd better be ready to call your exes if you're serious about running.

📍(24:00) - Hardest Jobs on a Campaign
From body person to call time manager, the team explores the toughest campaign roles—the ones with all the responsibility and none of the power. Rich, Kevin, and Jake debate which position is the most grueling and underrated.

📍(31:00) - Race, Respect & Running in the South
Jake opens up about navigating race and privilege as a white campaign manager working for Black women candidates. They get real about the expectations, historical context, and the difference between “diversity” and empowerment.

🏆 Mamba Mentality Award
Campaign Body People win this week’s Mamba Mentality Award. These behind-the-scenes MVPs manage logistics, egos, schedules, and crisis control—often with no glory, no backup, and no sleep. Salute.