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The Rick Smith Show

Rick Smith
Donald Trump
Labor Unions
Trump Administration
Labor Movement
Healthcare
Iran
Labor Rights
Republican Party
Working Class
Affordable Care Act
Artificial Intelligence
Social Security
United States
Democratic Party
ICE
Venezuela
Minimum Wage
Government Shutdown
Unions
Billionaires

By working people. For working people. Welcome to The Rick Smith Show.Working Americans are tired of listening to think tank approved corporate news and commentary. They want a direct, honest approach to the issues that matter, so this is what The Rick Smith Show provides. No puppets. No focus groups. No talking points.Want more #RickShow? Go to www.thericksmithshow.comThe Rick Smith Show ... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes2016Founded19 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
PoliticsNewsNews Commentary

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Artwork for The Rick Smith Show

Latest Episodes

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show, Rick talks with Andrew Miller, Senior Fellow for National Security at the Center for American Progress, to break down Trump's war with Iran and his diesel deal with Vladimir Putin, and what both mean for workin... more

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show, Can anything still bring a divided America back together? Rick talks with Tim Stretton, director of the Congressional Oversight Initiative at the Project On Government Oversight, about the issues that could act... more

On this edition of The Rick Smith Show, Trump cut a diesel deal with Vladimir Putin, and Beijing is cheering. Rick talks with Emily de La Bruyère, co-founder of Horizon Advisory, about why waiving sanctions on Russian diesel is a gift to China and wh... more

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Recent Guests

Laurel Kilgour
Policy Analyst at the American Liberties Project
American Liberties Project
Episode: The Rick Smith Show 10-5-2026
Bruce Kluger
Satirist, former journalist
Bruce Kluger (artist, writer)
Episode: The Rick Smith Show 10-2-2026
Daniel Costa
Director of Immigration Law and Policy Research Program at the Economic Policy Institute
Economic Policy Institute
Episode: The Rick Smith Show 9-30-2026
Keith Pochick
Author of Tickled Soul, educator, and recovering ER doctor
Self/Substack (Keith Pochick)
Episode: The Rick Smith Show 9-30-2026
John Hanson
Author of Fight & Win, Minneapolis Teamsters Strike, 1934
Hardball Press
Episode: The Rick Smith Show 9-29-2026
Jill Rosenthal
Director of Public Health Policy at the Center for American Progress
Center for American Progress
Episode: The Rick Smith Show 9-28-2026
Tony Cardwell
President of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of the IBT
bmwe.org / IBT
Episode: The Rick Smith Show 9-25-2026
Matt Hinkel
Assistant professor of economics (Alma College)
Alma College / governing.org
Episode: The Rick Smith Show 9-25-2026
Larissa Petrucci
Colleague of Matt Hinkel (researcher)
California / academia
Episode: The Rick Smith Show 9-25-2026

Host

Rick Smith
Lead host guiding conversations and interviews; engages on policy, labor, and democracy themes

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 135 ratings
  • 5 star podcast

    5 Star podcast right here! Thanks for your voice for the working people! Richard Ojeda- love to hear the outrage that I feel-finally!!

    Alex Lawson thanks for all your hard work for the people!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Stardust 9
    United Statesa year ago
  • Half the story

    I caught your show by accident. I think when you tell a story, you need to tell the whole story. Yes, DeSantis originally voted against the Katrina bill. It was jam packed with Democrat PORK. JAM PACKED. So smart Congress persons voted NO. That FORCED the radical left wing fools to take the PORK out of the bill. DeSantis and all the Republicans voted for the bill. Is half a story,where you PURPOSELY left out the “rest of the story” HONEST JOURNALISM? I call FAKE NEWS.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Gugir
    United States4 years ago
  • Label on the back of your computer.

    Love your program, but please get rid of the Communism “ label on your computer. I envision someone tuning in and making the assumption you are for Communism.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Haary T
    United States4 years ago
  • I started listening to the Rick Smith Show when I first moved to Pennsylvania and Rick was in the early days of building his show. I frequently say that Rick taught me everything I needed to know about Pennsylvania politics. Since those days, the Rick Smith Show has grown national in scope, bringing unparalleled focus on the stories that matter to working-class Americans. Rick's slogan "the voice of the working-class" couldn't be more on the mark. There is no other show that brings the voices of... more

    Audible
    5
    Kevin Mahoney
    United States5 years ago
  • Simply no one else like Rick

    I started listening to the Rick Smith Show when I first moved to Pennsylvania and Rick was in the early days of building his show. I frequently say that Rick taught me everything I needed to know about Pennsylvania politics. Since those days, the Rick Smith Show has grown national in scope, bringing unparalleled focus on the stories that matter to working-class Americans. Rick's slogan "the voice of the working-class" couldn't be more on the mark. There is no other show that brings the voices of... more

    Audible
    5
    Kevin Mahoney
    United States5 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The show is valued for deep-dive policy analysis with practical campaigning insights.
Guests are often experts who connect policy to real-world impact.
Fans appreciate cross-cutting labor history and current event coverage.
Listeners praise the host's clarity and commitment to working people.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Rick Smith Show 9-28-2026
Q: What is at stake with a move to privatize or reduce Social Security benefits?
The guest argues it would drain essential protections from working people and could trigger a severe recession or depression, unless billionaires are taxed fairly to support the program.
The Rick Smith Show 9-22-2026
Q: What is the Clarity Act?
Patrick Moran explains that the Clarity Act was largely a framework with voluntary review options that could have been evaluated by agencies like the SEC, but its effectiveness was undermined by the administration pushing for looser oversight and by existing regulatory gaps; the act is now effectively dead in the Senate, raising concerns about protecting workers' pensions from crypto gambles.
The Rick Smith Show 9-18-2026
Q: What do you think should be Congress's first steps in addressing AI and surveillance concerns?
Congress should establish clear guardrails and oversight, begin by closing data-broker loopholes to stop government data purchases without warrants, and push for practical regulations on AI that protect privacy while allowing responsible innovation.
The Rick Smith Show 9-11-2026
Q: What should we be demanding of our political leaders to help working families?
Public policy must address immediate needs like affordable housing, affordable groceries and gas, healthcare, and livable wages, with legislation that reaches communities quickly and effectively.
The Rick Smith Show 8-14-2026
Q: What should we be doing to defend Social Security and workers' benefits in the lame duck?
The guest and host suggest opposing benefit cuts, supporting caps reform that includes taxing more income from the rich, defending earned benefits, and mobilizing unions and working-class activism to stop centrist, donor-driven proposals.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Rick Smith Show

What is The Rick Smith Show about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A values-driven show focused on labor, economic justice, and public policy that affects working people. Episodes typically center on wage growth, unions, health care affordability, public services, and anti-privatization critiques, with practical policy ideas, historical labor context, and accessible anecdotes from across industries. Notable strengths include a consistent emphasis on worker empowerment, clear calls to action, and guests who bring policy expertise, labor history, or frontline organizing perspectives. It's probably a good fit for listeners who want hard-edged analysis of how policy affects everyday workers and for sponsors aligned with labor, public services, and civic participation.

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How many listeners does The Rick Smith Show get?

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To see how many followers or subscribers The Rick Smith Show has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Rick Smith Show?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Rick Smith Show:

1. Stephanie Miller's Happy Hour Podcast
2. The John Fugelsang Podcast
3. The Bob Cesca Show | Politics Podcast, News & Commentary
4. Justice Matters with Glenn Kirschner
5. The Oath and The Office

How many episodes of The Rick Smith Show are there?

The Rick Smith Show launched 19 years ago and published 2016 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Rick Smith Show?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on The Rick Smith Show?

Recent guests on The Rick Smith Show include:

1. Laurel Kilgour
2. Bruce Kluger
3. Daniel Costa
4. Keith Pochick
5. John Hanson
6. Jill Rosenthal
7. Tony Cardwell
8. Matt Hinkel

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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