A political podcast for people who know politics isn’t polite. We talk about who holds power, how it’s used, and why the process can make even reasonable people swear. Serious conversations with real-world stakes.<hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Balance of Power
Claim This Podcastby Annalise Klingbeil, Leah Ward, Shannon Phillips
19 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇨🇦
Podcast Overview
A political podcast for people who know politics isn’t polite. We talk about who holds power, how it’s used, and why the process can make even reasonable people swear. Serious conversations with real-world stakes.<hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
2/11/2026
1 verified contact email on file for Balance of Power
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Recent Episodes
June 24, 2026
Punch-Back Politics
<p><strong>What happens when conservatives pick a fight with someone who knows exactly how to fight back?</strong></p><br><p>This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil and Shannon Phillips dig into Calgary’s Stampede noise war, Jeromy Farkas’s escalating feud with Danielle Smith and Pierre Poilievre, and what happens when conservative messaging gets turned back on the people who invented it.</p><br><p>First: the fun police. Why did federal and provincial Conservatives decide to go to war over Cowboys, noise bylaws, and late-night Stampede parties? And did they badly misread both Calgary and the mayor they were attacking?</p><br><p>Then: the punch back. Farkas names the antagonist, speaks plainly, moves quickly, and refuses to retreat into process language. Annalise and Shannon break down why his response worked, what the left could learn from it, and why there may be more room to oppose Danielle Smith than many politicians seem to think.</p><br><p>Plus, for Patreon subscribers: Annalise and Shannon debate the Governor General’s clothing allowance, the gendered expectations placed on women in public life, and whether politicians should get help paying for the uniforms their jobs demand. Producer Haxim joins the conversation to provide the underrepresented white male perspective, and mansplain what female politicians should be wearing.</p><br><p><strong>Stampede politics, culture wars, conservative infighting, noise complaints, political uniforms, and the strategic value of punching back.</strong></p><br><p>Welcome to Balance of Power.</p><br><p>Have a comment or idea? Email us at suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.ca</p><br><p>Join the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for ad-free episodes and access to our exclusive Discord:</p><p>https://www.patreon.com/c/strategistspod</p><br><p>Mentioned in this Episode:</p><p>Playboy meets country at the Calgary Stampede</p><p>https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/playboy-meets-country-at-the-calgary-stampede/article18268605/</p><br><p>Bell: Farkas on fire, Danielle Smith pushes back — the Stampede tent brawl</p><p>https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/bell-jeromy-farkas-danielle-smith-stampede-tent-noise-brawl</p><br><p>Farkas: No, Calgary is not cancelling Stampede. We are standing up for neighbours</p><p>https://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/comments/1ud8j5h/no_calgary_is_not_cancelling_stampede_we_are/</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
June 20, 2026
Talking to Americans
<p><strong>What happens when stepping away from politics creates room to think differently about art, fear, community, and the work still left to do?</strong></p><br><p>This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil, Leah Ward, and Shannon Phillips unpack Shannon’s recent trip to Patmos, Greece, where she joined artists, writers, and musicians including Ani DiFranco, Neko Case, Anaïs Mitchell, and Ann Powers for a ten-day creative salon.</p><br><p>First: art in dark times. What does it mean to create while authoritarianism is rising, politics feels exhausting, and people are searching for beauty, joy, and respite without simply looking away?</p><br><p>Then: finding the side door into a story. Shannon reflects on her own unfinished writing project, the fear that comes with telling political stories, and why image, structure, and metaphor may offer a better path than straightforward journalism.</p><br><p>Plus, for Patreon subscribers: fear, cancellation, and the limits of progressive communication. When inclusion becomes a demand to say everything at once, does it make art and politics less effective? The panel digs into plain language, difficult questions, the trans debate, and whether fear of saying the wrong thing is pushing people away instead of bringing them in.</p><br><p>Art, politics, rage, religion, long COVID, summer camp for grown-ups, Americans with a lot of feelings, and why sometimes the answer is simply to become a cloud.</p><br><p>Welcome to Balance of Power.</p><br><p>Have a comment or idea? Email us at suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.ca</p><br><p>Join the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus segments, and access to our exclusive Discord:</p><p>https://www.patreon.com/c/strategistspod</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
June 12, 2026
Too Many Ballots, Too Much Internet
<p><strong>How many ballots is too many ballots?</strong></p><br><p>This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil and Leah Ward unpack the staggering logistics behind Alberta’s October referendum vote. With Elections Alberta preparing to print 45 million ballots and recruit 60,000 workers, they explore what happens when direct democracy collides with administrative reality.</p><br><p>First: the ballot problem. The hosts break down Elections Alberta’s largest recruitment drive ever, the challenge of hand-counting tens of millions of ballots, and why a referendum featuring ten questions — and potentially eleven — could test the limits of the province’s electoral machinery.</p><br><p>Then: the federal government’s new Online Harms Act. Can governments protect young people online without cutting them off from community and connection? And are policymakers focusing on the platforms, the algorithms, or the wrong problem entirely?</p><br><p>Plus, for Patreon subscribers: environmental politics and persuasion. From Water Not Coal to Don’t Go Breaking My Parks, Annalise and Leah dig into why some campaigns break through with audiences who don’t see themselves as environmentalists, and why “this, not that” can be more powerful than another campaign built around “no.”</p><br><p>Referendums, ballot chaos, water politics, online harms, political organizing, and the challenge of governing in an age of overload.</p><br><p>Welcome to Balance of Power.</p><br><p>Mentioned in this episode:</p><p>Shannon's thread on Social Media</p><p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sphillipsab.bsky.social/post/3mnwfgkbm4k2f" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bsky.app/profile/sphillipsab.bsky.social/post/3mnwfgkbm4k2f</a></p><br><p>Have a comment or idea? Email us at <a href="mailto:suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.ca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.ca</a></p><br><p>Join the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for extended ad-free episodes and access to our exclusive Discord:</p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/strategistspod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.patreon.com/c/strategistspod</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
19 total episodes available
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- What is Balance of Power?
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This podcast updates daily.
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This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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