Stay ConnectedExpertly-curated progressive politics, news, and culture produced by leftist humans, not algorithms or AI. This is an award-winning podcast that dives deeply into a wide range of national and international issues facing society and governments. We draw from hundreds of sources of progressive news and commentary. Est. 2006.
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Air Date 11/15/2024
Today's episode is a remix of multiple past episodes but was inspired by one in particular from just back in July of this year, #1645, when we were making a point of demonstrating what a sham the idea of conservative economic populism is. Well, now that Trump has been reelected - seemingly because regular folks were hoping he'd fix the economy for them - we thought we'd take this moment to highlight the difference between right wing and left wing economic populism.
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CHAPTERS
5: Europe's Circular Economy Action Plan - euronews - Air Date 11-24-20
6: What is Economic Democracy? - The Next System Project - Air Date: 3-1-16
7: Responding to Tim Scott & J.D. Vance on Poverty - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 7-16-24
9: Dispelling some myths about worker coops - Economic Update w: @profwolff - Air Date 6-12-16
11: Amsterdam's "doughnut economy" puts climate ahead of GDP - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 4-24-21
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date 11/12/2024
It's easy enough to look into one industry at a time to see what's going wrong, but today we're looking at what is so often lurking in the background of higher prices, lower quality goods and services, and, ultimately, many failing businesses: Private Equity.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Why Does Everyone Hate Private Equity? - The Plain Bagel - Air Date 9-20-24
KP 2: How Private Equity Consumed America - Wendover Productions - Air Date 5-7-24
KP 3: How private equity conquered America - The Chris Hedges Report - Air Date 3-1-24
KP 5: BlackRock: The Conspiracies You Don't Know - More Perfect Union - Air Date 9-15-24
(48:16) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On getting through this together
DEEPER DIVES
(53:11) SECTION A - HOW IT WORKS
(1:30:42) SECTION B - POWER
(2:03:28) SECTION C - SOLUTIONS
SHOW IMAGE
Description: The words "Private Equity" are typed out on paper on a clipboard, surrounded by $20 and $100 bills and a pair of glasses.
Credit: "Private Equity" by Nick Youngson, Pix4free.org | License: CC BY-SA 3.0 | Changes: Slightly cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date 11/8/2024
The Best of the Left team holds a special post-election discussion available to all listeners to present the initial takes on the election as well as our own reactions and suggestions for how to move forward.
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A few worthwhile reads that gave inspiration for some of our discussion:
Democrats Blow Their Chance to Block Trump's Resurgence - The Intercept (Discussing the Genocide in Gaza)
Harris and the Democrats Committed to a Rightward Lurch — and Lost Big Time - Truthout (Courting moderate Republicans)
Donald Trump's Second Term Is Joe Biden's Real Legacy - The New Yorker
I'm a Gen Z man. Here's why so many of my peers supported Donald Trump - Fast Company (Revenge of the Bros)
This Time We Have to Hold the Democratic Party Elite Responsible for This Catastrophe - The Nation
10 Ways We Can Prepare for Another Trump Presidency - Truthout
Air Date 11/5/2024
There's big money in politics, and then there's 2024. The role and influence of billionaires have taken on new shapes and patterns as the threat of fascism has made itself undeniably known. From the candidate and campaigners to those acquiescing to the mere threat of power, billionaires are everywhere you look at this election season.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Why Elon Musk Went Full MAGA - Reveal - Air Date 10-30-24
KP 2: Elon Musks War on Workers - 5-4 - Air Date 10-29-24
KP 3: Elon Musk Is SO Bad At This - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-3-24
KP 7: How Trump could steal the election - Today, Explained - Air Date 10-29-24
(00:54:26.000) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On how to feel about the road ahead
DEEPER DIVES
(00:59:57.000) SECTION A - DEMOCRACY DYING IN DAYLIGHT
A2: TYT Explodes Over Calling Trump 'Fascist' - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-1-24
(01:17:32.000) SECTION B - ACTUAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE
(01:39:40.000) SECTION C - ELON MUSK THE BILLIONAIRE
(02:04:16.000) SECTION D - TRUMP THE FASCIST
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date 11/2/2024
The cult of Trump isn't just about Trump, it's religion and patriarchy reacting to a moment of global economic and climactic instability. But those organizing the religious right aren't just reacting to their environment, they've also been planning for a very long time.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation - Ideas - Air Date 10-18-24
KP 3: MAGA's 'Young Male Voter' Plan Hits Bottom Of The Barrel - The Majority Report - Air Date 10-22-24
KP 7: Unfcking Flashback The American Propaganda Machine. - UNFTR - Air Date 10-12-24
(54:31) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On susceptibility to manipulation
DEEPER DIVES
(59:43) SECTION A - THE MOVEMENT
(1:18:09) SECTION B - TRUMP AND ELECTION
(1:36:04) SECTION C - PATRIARCHY AND RACE
(1:55:36) SECTION D - AMERICAN CHRISTIAN
SHOW IMAGE
Description: A woman with blonde hair wears a Trump campaign flag as a cape while praying on her knees with both arms in the air.
Credit: "Fascism Worship", 2016, by Johnny Silvercloud, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Increased brightness and contrast
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date: 10-31-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - How neoliberalism is fucking up renewable energy transitions - Marketing and why the viral Stanley Cup never should have gone viral - How big tech is heavily surveilling school kids without any oversight - How the fossil fuel industry has infiltrated higher education
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REFERENCES: Germany's Green Transition Is Faltering
This $23 Stanley Cup Accessory Fixes Your Biggest Complaint About the Tumbler
How the ex-marketing whiz behind Crocs helped turn Stanley into the "it" cup
How the Stanley Cup Went Viral
School Surveillance Earns Tech Companies Billions. Students Pay the Price.
Here's How the Fossil Fuel Industry Infiltrates and Influences Higher Education
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Air Date 10/29/2024
Trump has only come close to perfecting the grift of the American conservative, he certainly didn't invent the strategy. Today we look at some current and past grifts and explore why they work.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: The "Dirtbag of the Internet" and Trump's Crypto Project - Bloomberg Technology - Air Date 9-13-24
KP 4: Down the Rabbit Hole w/ Naomi Klein - The Dig - Air Date 10-8-24
KP 5: Media Literacy Can't Save Us Part 1 - Dummy - Air Date 10-7-24
KP 6: How did grifters like Trump take over the GOP? - The Bunker - Air Date 9-25-24
(48:03) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the scam of political fundraising
DEEPER DIVES
(56:06) SECTION A - GRIFT
A1: Russell Brand Has A New Grift - Novara Media - Air Date 10-16-24
A2: GRIFTER-CON Morons Did Not Disappoint - The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder - Air Date 10-1-24
A3: Russell Brand And The Conspiracy Grift - Media Matters - Air Date 1-2-24
A4: Some Grifters Who Finally Faced Consequences – SOME MORE NEWS -Air Date 9-25-24
(1:28:27) SECTION B - SCAMS
(1:50:18) SECTION C - CONSPIRACY
(2:19:48) SECTION D - MISINFORMATION
SHOW IMAGE
Description: Graphic showing a large pile of triangular warning signs with the word "SCAM" inside.
Credit: "traffic-signs-attention-notice" by Gerald, Pixabay | License: Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Original Air Date: 2/14/20223
Today, we take a look at some origins, alternatives and misunderstandings of capitalism from the Dutch East India Company, to Adam Smith and up through the planned obsolescence and marketing that have tricked us all into working far harder than necessary while failing to make us happy.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Indigenous Economics with Tyson Yunkaporta (In Conversation) - Upstream - Air Date 11-10-21
Ch. 3: We don't understand Capitalism. Part One - UNFTR - Air Date 1-27-23
Ch. 4: Your Work Is Not Your Worth - OFF-KILTER with Rebecca Vallas - Air Date 10-21-22
Ch. 5: We don't understand Capitalism. Part Two. - UNFTR - Air Date 1-27-23
Ch. 6: Economics for a New Year - Economic Update with Richard Wolff - Air Date 1-19-23
Ch. 7: Indigenous Economics with Tyson Yunkaporta (In Conversation) Part 2 - Upstream - Air Date 11-10-21
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date 10/22/2024
This is your one-stop reference guide to every issue that is being wrongly blamed on immigrants as the Trump campaign rhetoric turns evermore fascist and xenophobic.
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KEY POINTS
KP 3: The Real Reason Trump Is Demonizing Immigrants - The Lever - Air Date 10-11-24
KP 4: 'Villains nor victims' Why immigration is good for our economy - Velshi - Air Date 6-2-24
KP 6: Prof Richard Wolff A FUTURE WITHOUT FEAR OF IMMIGRANTS - The Zero Hour - Air Date 10-12-24
(38:04) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Giving a quick list of immigration lies
DEEPER DIVES
(42:07) SECTION A - MIS/DISINFORMATION
A1: How is Trump winning the US immigration debate - Anywhere but Washington - Air Date 10-10-24
(50:26) SECTION B - REALITY CHECK
(1:08:30) SECTION C - OTHERING
(1:26:35) SECTION D - SOLUTIONS
SHOW IMAGE CREDIT
Description: Trump, with a serious expression, stands at a lectern and points out into the crowd.
Credit: "Donald Trump" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date: 10-20-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Yet another GOP animal abuse horror - Why weather machine conspiracy theories took off so easily - The questionable UAE organization trying to control rain with cloud seeding - Why more extreme weather isn't swaying certain voters on climate change - Talking about climate change through a patriotic lens - Bonus Segment: The surprising origins of Don't Mess with Texas
REFERENCES: New NRA Chief Once Tortured a Cat to Death
MTG Implies Dems Created Hurricane Helene: 'They Can Control the Weather'
The New Gods of Weather Can Make Rain on Demand—or So They Want You to Believe
Extreme Weather Has Had a Surprising Impact on Voters' Attitudes About Climate Change
Kamala Harris Framed Climate Action as a Patriotic Duty. New Research Shows Why That's Effective.
Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
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