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.
Save time by listening to a range of perspectives on a focused topic in each episode and be introduced to new sources you will not have come across on your own!
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get 20% Off Membership in July!)
Original Air Date: 1/2/2018
Today we take a look at a few different visions of what the future holds for our labor market and some policies we should be putting in place to set the scene for the coming evolution of work
Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Show NotesAct 1: The future of work in a world of artificial intelligence - Ideas - Air Date 9-12-17
Act 2: Robots Causing Wealth Inequality? - @DavidPakmanShow - Air Date: 04-28-17
Act 3: A 15 Hour Work Week Would Save the Planet - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date: 07-26-17
Act 4: Demanding a future of full automation and a post-work world - Ideas - Air Date 9-26-17
Act 5: Designing the future of jobs and economics - Freakonomics - Air Date 4-20-17
Act 6: Ai-jen Poo on the caretaker jobs of the future - The Ezra Klein Show - Air Date 11-13-17
(Additional music from Blue Dot Sessions & Free Music Archive)
Action Resources/Further Reading
Public Predictions for the Future of Workforce Automation (Pew Research Center, 2016)
A World Without Work (The Atlantic, 2015)
Written by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Thanks for listening!
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Check out the BotL iOS/Android App in the App Stores!
Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft
Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft
Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get 20% Off Membership in July!)
Air Date 7/4/2023
Today, we take a look at the difference between the kind of political messaging that feels like the right thing to say and the reframed messages that actually get political results that allow for progressive policies to get passed.
Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Why Behind The What with Gretchen Barton - How We Win - Air Date 6-21-23
Gretchen Barton, founder of Worthy Strategy Group, is a researcher and strategist who spends most of her time going inside the minds of American voters, and shares her unique perspective and insights with us!
Ch. 2: Winning a Trifecta with Mike Lux - How We Win - Air Date 5-31-23
And joining us for our interview to urge us all into action to win in 2024, is a democratic campaign veteran and progressive media trailblazer, the one and only Mike Lux!
Ch. 3: Winning Messages Anat Shenker-Osorio - Future Hindsight - Air Date 4-13-23
Anat Shenker-Osorio is a renowned communications researcher and campaign advisor, the host of Words to Win By, and the Principal of ASO Communications.
Why can't the Democratic Party message as well as the Republican Party? Ken Weber and his son Daryl Weber explain how the left can finally win if they use these rules on messaging that the GOP uses every single time.
Ch. 5: A Dmitri Rebuttal by Messaging Expert Anat Shenker-Osorio - Deconstructed - Air Date 6-2-23
Grim and Shenker-Osorio discuss why certain messages do well and others fail, why reframing the debate is essential, and how to craft messages that resonate and win.
Ch. 6: How Democrats can win Working-Class Voters - Start Making Sense - Air Date 6-21-23
Katie Rader joins the Start Making Sense podcast to discuss the issues that are most likely to mobilize them.
Ch. 7: Winning Messages Anat Shenker-Osorio - Future Hindsight - Air Date 4-13-23
Anat Shenker-Osorio is a renowned communications researcher and campaign advisor, the host of Words to Win By, and the Principal of ASO Communications.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 8: Why Behind The What with Gretchen Barton Part 2 - How We Win - Air Date 6-21-23
Discussing the politics of Florida
Ch. 9: Why Behind The What with Gretchen Barton Part 3 - How We Win - Air Date 6-21-23
Looking at the messaging hurdles women face when running for president
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 12: Final comments launching our overdue membership drive
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Photo of a three-dimensional museum sign hanging on a wrought iron bracket that reads "The People's Story." A sculpted person holding a rolled-up newspaper and calling out with one hand cupped to his mouth sits above the words.
Credit: "People's Story" by Alan Levine, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere!
Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft
Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft
Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Original Air Date 6/11/2022
Today we take a look at the reasons why Democrats lost rural America and why it's important to make gains outside urban centers through working-class coalitions and a focus on the policy failures of unchecked Republicanism.
Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content)
SHOW NOTES
Democrats used to win elections in rural areas, but that seems like a distant memory now. This week, Zach is joined by Bill Hogseth, a political organizer from rural Wisconsin, to talk about the difference between making promises and delivering change
Ch. 2: Can Democrats Win in Rural America? - Deconstructed - Air Date 6-4-22
Maine state Sen. Chloe Maxmin tackles one of the most pressing problems confronting the modern Democratic Party: how to reverse its decades-long backslide in rural support. Maxmin and her co-author and campaign manager Canyon Woodward join Ryan Grim
Ch. 3: How Democrats Lost Rural America w/ Anthony Flaccavento Part 1 - Jacobin Radio - Air Date 3-24-22
Anthony Flaccavento, Virginia-based farmer, author, and co-founder of the Rural-Urban Bridge Initiative, joins the Jacobin Show to discuss rural America—and why the Democrats lose so consistently in rural elections.
Ch. 4: Joe Shepherd of United Rural Democrats - The Rick Smith Show - Air Date 5-9-22
By working people. For working people. Welcome to The Rick Smith Show.
Ch. 5: How Democrats Lost Rural America w/ Anthony Flaccavento Part 2 - Jacobin Radio - Air Date 3-24-22
Anthony Flaccavento, Virginia-based farmer, author, and co-founder of the Rural-Urban Bridge Initiative, joins the Jacobin Show to discuss rural America—and why the Democrats lose so consistently in rural elections.
Former OHIO Democratic party chair David Pepper On Why We Need to Focus on State Capitols to Save Democracy, and why we all need to do our part to lift it up.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
On Reality Asserts Itself, Thomas Frank, author of "What's the Matter with Kansas" and "Listen, Liberal", tells host Paul Jay that the Democratic Party serves the professional class and the top 10% and no longer cares about the poor or working class.
Ch. 8: The New Democrats w/ Lily Geismer - The Dig - Air Date 6-5-22
Dan's second episode with historian Lily Geismer, who he interviewed in 2019 about Don't Blame Us: Suburban Liberals and the Transformation of the Democratic Party. This interview is on Left Behind: The Democrats' Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 9: Final comments on the ignoring the middle class and poor open the door to right-wing populism of the worst sort
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Photo of a blue, dented, and rusted mailbox on a spike leaning against an old wooden fence. Its flag is down, indicating no mail. Thick, golden tall grass grows behind it against a blue sky.
Credit: "Rural America" by Kris Notaro, Flickr | License CC by 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, slight increase in brightness and saturation
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere!
Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft
Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft
Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date 6/25/2023
Today, we take a look at the state of the religious right as declining religiosity and the looming 2024 election put a strain on the movement.
Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content)
SHOW NOTES
Brad and Dan being by discussing Trump's indictment on federal charges. They then break down the life and death of Pat Robertson - an architect of the Religious Right and someone whose influence resounds in American Christian nationalism today
Ch. 3: How Rapture Theology Shaped America (Part 2) - The Holy Post - Air Date 5-10-23
How did a theological system that rejected Christian participation in politics eventually give birth to the Religious Right? Phil talks to historian Daniel Hummel about the spread of rapture theology in the 20th century
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman discuss a rally Donald Trump hosted over the weekend, where he mixes the rapture of fervent religious followers with the QAnon conspiracy set to lure people with the sweet siren sounds of fascism.
Ch. 5: DeSantis Tries To Attack Trump on Abortion - The Damage Report - Air Date 6-19-23
Ron DeSantis attacks Trump on his abortion stance. John Iadarola and Brett Erlich break it down on The Damage Report.
About 20 years ago, 70 percent of Americans belonged to one of those houses of worship. Today, it's 47 percent. While that doesn't mean a majority of Americans are areligious, the share of religiously unaffiliated Americans has also been increasing
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 7: Is Religion Dead? - Wisecrack - Air Date 6-9-23
Philosophy and religion might seem as incompatible as peanut butter and raw garlic. But what if understanding religion from a philosophical perspective could actually illuminate some of our deepest cultural and social values?
Ch. 8: How My Christian Faith Fell Apart | A Case Study of DECONSTRUCTION - Sara Martin - Air Date 8-26-20
How does someone go from a faith-filled follower of Jesus to no longer identifying as a Christian? In this video, I share my personal story of how my faith fell apart and demonstrate how, step by step, a person's relationship with Jesus can unravel.
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 9: Final comments on the enduring support for Trump by the evangelical right
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
God's Playground - Nathanael Christy
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere!
Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft
Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft
Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Original Air Date 2-5-2019
Today we take a look at the history of FDR's "Four Freedoms" and "Economic Bill of Rights" that laid the groundwork for the fight for economic freedom for all that continues to this day.
Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content)
SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Harvey Kaye, "The Fight for the Four Freedoms" - Book TV - Air Date 5-11-14
Harvey Kaye examines the progressivism of the Roosevelt-era and argues that a reminder of the "four freedoms" could address today's political and social issues.
Ch. 2: What Ted Cruz Doesn't Get About 'Freedom' - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date 7-21-16
Thom talks about Ted Cruz's speech at the Republican Convention and compares his definition of 'freedom' with the way it was described by Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Ch. 3: An Overdue Second Bill of Rights Part 1 - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 10-7-18
F.D.R. recognized that the original bill of rights would not be enough to make all American's truly free and proposed an economic bill of rights. Of the eight amendments he proposed in 1944, seven are still waiting to be implemented.
Ch. 4: Fighting for the Four Freedoms - @BillMoyersHQ And Company - Air Date 4-15-14
Historian Harvey J. Kaye talks about how FDR was able to mobilize Americans to create "the strongest and most prosperous country in human history."
Explaining that libertarian thinking doesn't incorporate the existence of economic coercion
Ch. 6: An Overdue Second Bill of Rights Part 2 - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 10-7-18
Ch. 7: Bernie Sanders & FDR's Second Bill of Rights - Berniementum - Air Date 8-12-15
President FDR's Second Bill of Rights speech - January 11, 1944 Sen. Bernie Sanders speech at the National Press Club - Mar. 9, 2015 Music - "There is Romance" by Imcompetech
University of Wisconsin Professor Harvey J Kaye author of Fight for the Four Freedoms: What Made FDR and the Greatest Generation Truly Great, explains Ronald Reagan and the great pushback against a progressive America
Ch. 9: An Overdue Second Bill of Rights Part 3 - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 10-7-18
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Thanks for listening!
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Support the show via Patreon
Listen on iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Alexa Devices | +more
Check out the BotL iOS/Android App in the App Stores!
Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft
Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft
Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Review the show on iTunes and Stitcher!
Air Date 6/20/2023
Today, we take a look at the story of how neoliberalism was born, how corporations were organized to help push it into the mainstream, and how the courts were reshaped to permanently tilt the rules in favor of corporate power.
Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content)
SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Chile, Neoliberalism and the CIA - AJ+ - Air Date 11-29-19
This is the story of how Chile came to be called the "neoliberal laboratory of the world' ... and it even involves the CIA.
Ch. 2: The Powell Memo. Corporate America's Call to Arms. - Unf*cking The Republic - Air Date 2-9-23
Today's episode discusses the nature of the memo, the inspiration for it and details its prescriptive elements.
Ch. 3: How the Corporate Takeover of American Politics Began - Robert Reich - Air Date 12-13-22
In 1976, I watched as thousands of corporate lobbyists descended on Washington. Fast forward to today, and lobbying has become a $3.7 billion dollar industry.
It all began with the Powell Memo.
Ch. 4: Greed Is Rotting America From The Inside Out - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 7-29-22
The GOP has become a rotting corpse, politically, infested with maggots & defended by wealthy vultures. It has only one true principle, greed, & is determined to reinvent America in greed's image
Ch. 5: Economic False Prophets Part 1 - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 6-10-23
Ralph welcomes New York Times reporter, Binyamin Applebaum, author of "The Economists' Hour: False Prophets, Free Markets, and the Fracture of Society"
Ch. 6: What has Greed Cost America - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 10-28-14
Thom Hartmann begins a conversation about how greed has destroyed the American economy.
Ch. 7: Economic False Prophets Part 2 - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 6-10-23
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 8: Wall Street's ESG Scam EXPLAINED - Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar - Air Date 6-16-22
Krystal and Saagar are joined by researcher and policy analyst Ron Ivey to better understand the wall street ESG scam being investigated by regulators for its deceptive practices
Ch. 9: Anti-Capitalist Investing Is... Absurd — Jen Pan - Jacobin - Air Date 6-11-22
Jen Pan explains why the new trend of "anti-capitalist investing" is just elite charity with another name, and only helps maintain the power of elites over everyone else's lives.
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 10: Final comments on the next revolution in values we need
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere!
Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft
Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft
Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date: 6-17-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon discuss: - Hoopy Froods - Other people with diarrhea - The lack of civil engineers to manage the waste water - Neoliberal pay scales of business professors - How billionaires became our gurus
REFERENCES: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The billionaire's guide to self-help
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!
Original Air Date 4/13/2022
Today we take a look at the mainstreaming of crypto and NFTs by celebrity endorsements, why they're terrible by nearly any metric and why they are emblematic of our broken culture.
Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content)
SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Line Goes Up – The Problem With NFTs - Folding Ideas - Air Date 1-21-22
If someone pitches you on a "great" Web3 project, ask them if it requires buying or selling crypto to do what they say it does.
Ch. 2: NFTS and Celebrities: A Match Made in Hell? - Wisecrack - Air Date 4-4-22
How did NFTs become the new Coca-Cola? NFTs are everywhere, nowhere more so than on the lips of celebrities. But why are celebrities getting into the world of crypto? And what can the rise of celebrities endorsing NFTs tell us about our society?
Bennett and Cas are joined by Ben McKenzie and Jacob Silverman who discuss the ideas behind their upcoming book about cryptocurrency, their issues with celebrity shilling of speculative assets, and how it really feels like corporate greed
Ch. 4: Why Scams Are Inherent To Cryptocurrency - The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder - Air Date 3-27-22
Explaining the systemic reasons why the features of crypto are so amenable to scams
Ch. 5: Can Our Climate Survive Bitcoin? - Reveal - Air Date 3-25-22
Bitcoin's demand for electricity is so great that it's giving new life to the dirtiest type of power plants: ones that burn coal. In Hardin, Montana, the coal-fired power plant was on the verge of shutting down until bitcoin came to town.
Crypto specialist, Dan Olson, shares his takes on NFTs and explains pieces from his insanely popular video, "Line Goes Up – The Problem With NFTs." John Iadarola and Dan Olson break it down on The Damage Report.
Ch. 7: The Crypto Grift Descends on Ukraine - Scam Economy - Air Date 3-17-22
Matt Binder breaks down how grifting cryptocurrency founders, entrepreneurs, investors, and hustlers are trying to pump their money-making schemes for a profit and generate good PR for the crypto industry under the guise of charity for Ukraine.
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 12: Final comments on how people, myself included, get scammed
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere!
Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft
Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft
Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Original Air Date 2-2-2020
Today we take a look at the relationship between fear, anger and how to deal with the structural forces of harm in our society. To help us, we examine two of the greatest thinkers of the past 65 years, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mister Rogers, and go beyond the nonviolence of King and interrogate Mr. Roger's insistence on liking everyone just the way they are.
Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content)
SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: W. Kamau Bell on coming face to face with white supremacists - Finding Fred - Air Date 11-26-19
Empathy can be found when you understand what circumstances people came from
Reformed neo-Nazi and author Christian Picciolini explains how white nationalists target vulnerable online communities
Ch. 3: The dubious luxury of anger - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 6-24-17
Understanding the fear that underlies anger.
Ch. 4: Help the Helpers: Evil cannot withstand forgiveness - Finding Fred - Air Date 12-17-19
On being your best self. On the least of these. On the virtues of a cup of tea.
Ch. 5: Help the Helpers: But forgiveness can be complicated - Finding Fred - Air Date 12-17-19
You can't be nice to everyone because being nice to certain people is inherently cruel to others.
Ch. 6: Anger and forgiveness as a survival strategy - In The Thick - Air Date 10-4-19
Discussing the conviction and sentencing of Amber Guyger, the Dallas police officer who shot and killed her black neighbor, Botham Shem Jean
Ch. 7: Forgiveness in the #MeToo era - Interfaith Voices - Air Date 6-24-18
Many faith traditions emphasize the importance of forgiveness. But in the context of the #MeToo movement, can forgiveness silence women who have been abused?
Ch. 8: Why Do Black People Always Have to Forgive? - The Real News - Air Date 10-4-19
As Botham Jean's brother makes headlines for "forgiving" Amber Guyger, Real News hosts Jacqueline Luqman and Lisa Snowden-McCray to discuss what Christian forgiveness in the face of oppression means.
Ch. 9: Why accountability matters for faith-based forgiveness - Interfaith Voices - Air Date 7-13-18
Serene Jones says deep forgiveness is actually part of a larger process of seeking justice and accountability.
Ch. 10: The art and science of apologies and forgiveness Commentary - Best of the Left - Air Date 3-23-19
Final comments on strength, power, fragility, apologies, forgiveness and the legacy of the Confederacy
Ch. 11: Help the Helpers: Grace - Finding Fred - Air Date 12-17-19
Grace is to focus on the humanity of others than to see them as monsters.
Ch. 12: Help the Helpers: The fear and hurt that gets in the way - Finding Fred - Air Date 12-17-19
The difficulty of focusing on helping the needy rather than punishing the dangerous
Ch. 13: Van Jones: Why Casting "Bigots" Out Doesn't Move America Forward - Big Think - Air Date 12-6-17
There is a limit to empathy, you cannot tolerate the intolerant for too long—but having empathy for those who interpret change as scary, and understanding why they think that way, maybe the only inroad to untying this great mess.
Ch. 14: The birth of the Black Power Movement - King in the Wilderness (HBO) - Air Date 4-2-18
The story of King's reaction to the rise of the Black Power movement and the roles of anger, fear and sickness
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 15: Final comments on the various sicknesses infecting our society
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Thanks for listening!
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
