Left Anchor

Episode 261 - Casablanca and Inside Llewyn Davis Jan 15, 2023

This time we're doing a movie review episode talking about two classics: Casablanca and Inside Llewyn Davis, discussing both their politics and their merits as films. Enjoy! (And pardon Ryan for repeatedly pronouncing it "Llewelyn".)

Episode 236 UNLOCKED - Towards a Better Identity Politics with Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò Jan 09, 2023

This time we've got Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò on to discuss his book Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else). We talk about how this cooption process has happened, how to counter it without falling victim to irritable knee-jerk anti-"wokeness," what identity politics originally meant, and more. Enjoy!

Episode 260 PREVIEW - Opening the Mailbag Dec 31, 2022

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Episode 170 RERUN - America Is Pottersville Dec 24, 2022

We're off this week for vacation, so we're reposting one of our favorite episodes about one of our favorite movies. Happy holidays everyone!

The essay by Clare Coffey about Mary Bailey that we mention can be found here.

Episode 259 PREVIEW - America’s Lithium Bonanza? Dec 15, 2022

In this preview of our latest bonus episode, David Dayen talks about the Sam-Bankman Fried prosecution. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Episode 258 - The Crypto Shill Brigade Dec 06, 2022

Today we've got Marshall Steinbaum, professor of economics at the University of Utah, and The Nation's Jeet Heer on to talk about crypto shills--who they are, how they got like that, why there are so many of them among cultural and political elites, and more. Enjoy!

Episode 257 PREVIEW - Alaska, Iran, and Freight Rail Nov 29, 2022

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Episode 256 - Capital’s Terrorists Nov 19, 2022

Today we've got historian Chad Pearson on to talk about his book Capital's Terrorists: Klansmen, Lawmen, and Employers in the Long Nineteenth Century. We discuss how racism is heavily rooted in the need to control Black labor in the South before and after the Civil War, how the KKK was a kind of employer's association, how the civil liberties of workers were systematically violated by corporations and the government in the Gilded Age, and more. Enjoy!

Episode 255 PREVIEW - The 2022 Midterms Nov 12, 2022

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Episode 243 UNLOCKED - Stealing America Back from the Right with Jamelle Bouie Nov 02, 2022

This time we've got New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie on to talk about reclaiming American traditions and institutions from conservative Republicans who want to destroy them.

Items mentioned in the discussion: Jamelle's columns on the Supreme Court, the Senate, and Andrew Yang's dumb third party; his newsletter and podcast; and Ryan's article "Will no one defend the American Republic?"

Episode 254 PREVIEW - Ukraine, the Midterms, and Brazil Oct 26, 2022

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Episode 253 - The British Marxist Historians Oct 19, 2022

Today we've got Professor Harvey Kaye back on to talk about a new edition of his book The British Marxist Historians, which tells the story of Maurice Dobb, Rodney Hilton, Christopher Hill, E.P. Thompson, and Eric Hobsbawm. We discuss how these guys used Marxism in their work, what light it sheds on politics today, why they still matter, and more. Enjoy!

Episode 252 PREVIEW: Pining for the Fjords Oct 14, 2022

This time Ryan calls in to tell Alexi about the Faroe Islands. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Episode 251 - UBI and a Socialist Work Ethic Oct 04, 2022

This time we are talking utopian futures. Somewhat by accident we ended up reading two different Catalyst articles by Alex Gourevitch: Alexi read "Post-Work Socialism?" while Ryan read "The Basic Income Illusion" (co-authored with Lucas Stanczyk). We discuss the practicalities of UBI, the case for collective ownership of all national wealth, and how to get the crummy jobs done without relying on the threat of poverty. Enjoy!

Episode 250 PREVIEW - DeSantis, the Queen, and Omicron Boosters Sep 26, 2022

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Episode 249 - The State of the War in Ukraine Sep 22, 2022

Today we've got Volodymyr Artiukh, a postdoc at the University of Oxford and native of Ukraine, on to talk about what's going on in his country. We discuss the balance of forces on the ground, why the war happened, why the left has struggled to analyze the situation, what effect Western support has had on the conflict, and what Ukraine needs in the future.

Episode 248 EXCERPT - Lessons from American Labor History Sep 12, 2022

In this preview of our latest bonus episode, Harold Meyerson talks about the state of the union movement in 2022. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Episode 247 - Working in a Pandemic Sep 05, 2022

Happy Labor Day! Today we've got Maximillian Alvarez and Rebecca Garelli on to talk about Max's new book The Work of Living: Working People Talk About Their Lives and the Year the World Broke. It's a collection of interviews of various working-class folks, from a gravedigger, to a sheet metal worker, to a nurse, and many more. Rebecca is one of those interviewees; she speaks about her work as a teacher and organizer in the Phoenix area, and how they've fought to keep themselves and their students safe from both the pandemic and right-wing austerity.

Episode 246 PREVIEW - Dark Brandon Rises Aug 29, 2022

In this preview, we review the Democrats' record of accomplishments over the last few weeks. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Episode 245 - Saving American Democracy through the States Aug 19, 2022

Today we've got Aaron Kleinman, director of research for The States Project, on to talk about his work helping Democrats fight for control of state legislatures. We discuss how Republicans are plotting to use gerrymandered state legislatures as a springboard to turn America into a right-wing dictatorship, how campaign money stretches much farther in a state race as compared to a national one, conservatives' vulnerability on abortion, and more. Enjoy!

Check out their "give smart" page of featured candidates here.

Episode 244 - The Inflation Reduction Act Aug 12, 2022

Today we've got David Dayen on to discuss just what is in the monster Inflation Reduction Act--the gobs of tax credits, new regulations, tax hikes, and so on. Then we discuss what it reveals about the state of the Democratic coalition and what it might bode for the future.

Check out Lee Harris's Prospect articles on the IRA and energy investment, and how corn ethanol producers might benefit; along with David's backgrounder on it. Evergreen Action also has a useful summary of the bill here.

How Are You Going to Pay for That? Introduction: The Case Against Saving Scolds Aug 11, 2022

This is a sample of Ryan's book where he discusses how the pandemic's economic collapse disproves saving scold ideology.

You can check out the whole thing on Audible, Barnes & Noble, or Audiobooks.com, or you can see a selection of outlets where you can get a print copy here as well. Much obliged for any purchase or review!

Episode 243 EXCERPT: Stealing America Back from the Right with Jamelle Bouie Aug 01, 2022

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Episode 242 - Lessons from Legislating with Nikil Saval Jul 25, 2022

Today we've got Pennsylvania state Senator Nikil Saval on to talk about the remarkable fact that he got a climate and affordable housing bill through a Republican-controlled legislature. What's up with that??

Other stuff mentioned in the episode: our previous episode with Nikil, his writing at n+1, and a run-down of Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano.

Episode 241 - The Ethics of Socialism with William Clare Roberts Jul 16, 2022

Today we've got Professor Roberts, author of Marx's Inferno: The Political Theory of Capital, on to discuss his debate with Martin Hägglund regarding Hägglund's book This Life: Secular Faith and Spiritual Freedom. We discuss the proper foundation of a socialist movement, the origins of capitalism, what American leftists should be doing in practice, and more.

Check out our previous episode on This Life here: Part I, Part II.

Episode 240 PREVIEW - The January 6 Hearings Jul 06, 2022

In this preview, we discuss why the left should be taking the threat of Trump and the January 6 hearings more seriously. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Episode 239 - The State of American Socialism with David Duhalde Jul 01, 2022

This time we've got David Duhalde, chair of the Democratic Socialists of America Fund and former DSA staffer, on to talk about his chapter in a new book Power Concedes Nothing: How Grassroots Organizing Wins Elections, which discusses the debate around DSA endorsing Biden and the problems the organization suffered during the 2020 campaign against Trump. We talk about the state of the socialist movement, why the left seems to have lost some of its broader cultural purchase, and what it should focus on going forward. Enjoy!

Episode 238 PREVIEW - American School Financing Is a Disaster Jun 23, 2022

In this preview, Professor David I. Backer explains how school financing works in this country. Subscribe now to hear the full thing!

Episode 59 RERUN - The Case for Student Debt Cancellation Jun 14, 2022

In this episode from the archives, we've got economist Marshall Steinbaum on to discuss his research on why it's necessary to cancel student debt, how to end segregation in higher education, and why the theory of "human capital" is a bunch of nonsense. Enjoy!

Episode 237 - The Politics of Time Jun 07, 2022

Today we've got Professor Nomi Claire Lazar on to talk about her fascinating book Out of Joint: Power, Crisis, and the Rhetoric of Time. We discuss revolutionary leaders' habit of changing the calendar when they seize power (think Julius Caesar, the French Revolution, or the Bolshevik Revolution), what happens when someone locks themselves in a cave for weeks with no clocks, what time has to do with political legitimacy, and more. Enjoy!

Episode 236 PREVIEW - Towards a Better Identity Politics with Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò May 31, 2022

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Episode 235 - Speech in the Academy May 23, 2022

Today we've got Michael Bérubé and Jennifer Ruth on to discuss their book It's not Free Speech: Race, Democracy, and the Future of Academic Freedom. We talk about the key distinctions between free speech and academic freedom, why any defense of free speech on the merits must be rooted in democratic values, and why racist (or similarly bigoted) views have no place in today's universities. Enjoy! Also, check out Ryan's review of the book here.

Episode 234 - Shortages and Inflation with David Dayen May 18, 2022

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Episode 209 UNLOCKED - On Popularism, with Alex Pareene May 09, 2022

In this episode from the archive, we've got Alex Pareene on to discuss the recent controversy and articles about political theoretician David Shor and his "popularist" dogma. Then we move on to talk about subscription media, and the promises and pitfalls thereof for the left. Enjoy!

Make sure to subscribe to Alex's newsletter. He's pretty much the best lefty writer in the business.

Episode 233 - The Politics and Culture of Video Games May 02, 2022

Today we've got Trevor Strunk, host of the No Cartridge podcast, on to talk about his book Story Mode: Video Games and the Interplay Between Consoles and Culture. We discuss the political subtext of game genres, why Japanese games can be so different from American ones, how multiplayer games can build different kinds of community, and more. Enjoy!

Episode 232 UNLOCKED - The Amazon Union Struggle Apr 27, 2022

We've got Labor Notes staff writer Luis Feliz Leon on to talk about his coverage of the Amazon Labor Union there and at The American Prospect. We discuss the union's wildly unorthodox tactics, what leadership really means in a left-wing context, and what their prospects are for the future. Enjoy!

Episode 232 PREVIEW - The Union Struggle at Amazon Apr 23, 2022

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Episode 231 - Minneapolis Justice Reform with Mary Moriarty Apr 16, 2022

Mary Moriarty is running to be county attorney of Hennepin County, where she was formerly chief public defender. We talk about her history in the area, what's been going in Minneapolis since the George Floyd protests, the general state of criminal justice reform, and more. Enjoy!

Episode 230 PREVIEW - Jeff Bezos, Welfare Queen Apr 11, 2022

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Episode 229 - The Broken American Legal System, with Sparky Abraham Apr 02, 2022

We've got attorney and podcaster Sparky Abraham on to talk about the latest Supreme Court news, why many liberals are foolish to prioritize court cases, and how utterly despotic courts can be at the local level -- it turns out in some county courts, fully half of cases are about small-dollar debt collection.

Things mentioned in the episode: our episode with Brian Fallon, the Debt Collective, and "Do Courts Matter" by Stephen Carter.

Episode 228 - The Hapless Merrick Garland, with Jeff Hauser Mar 25, 2022

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Episode 63 REVENGEANCE: Corey Robin on Clarence Thomas Mar 23, 2022

Clarence Thomas is apparently in the hospital, so we thought we'd return to our old episode with political scientist Corey Robin. We first talked about how most workers experience a severe lack of freedom in the workplace, and then move on to discuss Clarence Thomas's history and peculiar brand of black nationalism. Check out Corey's book: The Enigma of Clarence Thomas.

Episode 227 - Lessons from Putin’s War on Ukraine, with John Ganz Mar 16, 2022

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Episode 226 - Giorgio Agamben’s Antivax Ravings Mar 05, 2022

Today we pose the question: how the heck did famed Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben turn into an anti-vaccine conspiracy nutcase? We've got Adam Kotsko, a leading Agamben scholar and translator of many of his works, on to discuss to what extent his goofball pandemic views emerge from his actual serious work. Enjoy!

Check out Adam's Slate article on the topic here, as well as his books Neoliberalism's Demons and Agamben's Philosophical Trajectory.

Episode 225 EXCERPT: Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine, with David Klion Feb 24, 2022

This is the first half of our episode with journalist David Klion on the background of the Ukraine crisis. Check out the full episode here!

Episode 224 PREVIEW - Normal World Much?? with Phil Christman Feb 22, 2022

In this excerpt Phil talks about the weirdness of the norms of chivalry. Subscribe here to hear the whole thing!

Also don't miss his book How to Be Normal.

Episode 223 - The Economy Is Wilding Out, with Rob Larson Feb 13, 2022

Today we've got economics professor Rob Larson back on the pod (see his previous episode here) to talk about the bizarre state of the economy. The labor market is red hot, inflation is higher than in almost 40 years, and there are calls from the capitalist class to strangle the boom. We discuss whether Jerome Powell is going to pull a Paul Volcker on the labor market and what might be done to ease price pressure. Then we discuss Facebook's hilarious "metaverse" faceplant in the context of Rob's great recent book Bit Tyrants. Enjoy!

Episode 222 PREVIEW: How Are You Going to Pay for That, Part II Feb 09, 2022

You can find the first part of the discussion with Jeff Spross here, or subscribe to hear the rest here, or check out Ryan's book here!

Episode 89 RERUN - Brian Fallon on Stomping out BigLaw Corruption Jan 30, 2022

With the news of Justice Stephen Breyer retiring (and Ryan on vacation for the next week), we thought it would be a good opportunity to post this 2019 interview of Brian Fallon about his organization Demand Justice.

Fallon is a longtime Democratic Party operative who nevertheless has become a pretty heated critic of the liberal legal establishment and an ardent advocate of Supreme Court reform. The current troubles the Biden administration is having with the courts proves much of what he said to be sadly prescient, alas.

Episode 221 - How Are You Going to Pay for That? Jan 23, 2022

Ryan's book is finally out on January 25!! Called How Are You Going to Pay for That? Smart Answers to the Dumbest Question in Politics, it's a book about political economy, how to break free of the mental stranglehold of neoliberalism, and how to fix up this jalopy country. (And then we've got a special guest at the end as well.)

Ryan's doing a book launch event with David Dayen that you can check out here, and you can pre-order the book if you like here.

Episode 220 PREVIEW - The Power of Propaganda with Hannah Arendt Jan 15, 2022

Subscribe now to hear the whole episode!

Or you can pre-order Ryan's book here, or check out the launch event on January 25 here.

Episode 219 - One Year After the Trump Putsch Jan 08, 2022

Today we are taking a look back at the January 6 putsch -- the total failure to prosecute any of the top organizers, above all Trump, how that has emboldened them to further extremism, how a segment of the left is weirdly naive about all this, and more. God help us all.

Check out Osita Nwanevu's article here and Corey Robin's article here.

Episode 218 PREVIEW - Rest in Power bell hooks Dec 31, 2021

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Episode 170 UNLOCKED: America Is Pottersville Dec 22, 2021

We're reposting our episode from last year discussing It's a Wonderful Life, one of our favorite films of all time, and one that has only grown in relevance compared to when we grew up watching it decades past. Enjoy, and we hope everyone has a nice holiday season!

Episode 217 PREVIEW - Fake Populism and the Right‘s New Hitler Apologia Dec 19, 2021

In this preview, Harvey Kaye discusses Josh Hawley's bizarre new book. Subscribe now to listen to the whole thing!

Episode 216 PREVIEW - Omicron of Solace Dec 09, 2021

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Episode 215 - Carceral Con with Kay Whitlock and Nancy A. Heitzeg Dec 05, 2021

Today we've got the authors of Carceral Con: The Deceptive Terrain of Criminal Justice Reform on to discuss their book. We discuss some of the downsides of how criminal justice reform has been portrayed in popular media, in particular the downsides of the austerian logic that doing so will save the government money. Enjoy!

Episode 214 PREVIEW - The Davos Climate Cuddle Puddle with Kate Aronoff Nov 28, 2021

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Also don't miss Kate's book here.

Episode 213 - Seeing Like an Activist with Erin Pineda Nov 18, 2021

Today we've got Smith College Assistant Professor of Government Erin Pineda on to talk about her book Seeing Like An Activist: Civil Disobedience and the Civil Rights Movement. We discuss how her work relates to the famous James Scott book Seeing Like a State, how civil disobedience really worked during the civil rights movement, how the movement against police brutality today has been sidetracked by fussy liberals, and more. Enjoy!

Episode 212 PREVIEW - The Grim Legacy of 2008 with David Sirota Nov 13, 2021

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And check out David's podcast series "Meltdown" here.

Episode 211 PREVIEW - Democrats in Disarray with David Dayen Nov 04, 2021

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Episode 210 - The American Gulag, with Ashley Lucas Oct 27, 2021

Today we have Ashley Lucas on to talk about her essay "The End of Rage" about a man named Russell "Maroon" Shoatz. He was a Black Panther and political radical in the 1970s who ended up in prison for killing a police officer, despite a lack of any direct evidence he was the culprit, and later served over 22 years in solitary confinement after attempting to escape. He is now old and has terminal cancer, and after recording the episode he was (remarkably enough, by American standards at least) released into hospice care.

Check out Maroon's book of essays here, and a piece on the horrid conditions in Riker's Island here.

Episode 209 PREVIEW - On Popularism with Alex Pareene Oct 22, 2021

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Also, don't miss Alex's newsletter.

Episode 207 - Making Monsters with David Livingstone Smith Oct 14, 2021

This time we've got philosopher David Livingstone Smith (last seen here on episode 165) to discuss his book Making Monsters: The Uncanny Power of Dehumanization. We talk about the sources of dehumanizing ideology, what purpose it can serve politically, why even Heinrich Himmler couldn't take witnessing a massacre of Jews during the Holocaust, and more. Enjoy!

Episode 206 PREVIEW - The Facebook Faceplant and the Sinema Syndrome Oct 05, 2021

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Episode 205 - The Fascism Question, Part II Sep 29, 2021

After unlocking our episode about the January 6 putsch, Ryan is doing a quick follow-up on our episode with John Ganz from February. This time we're talking about Robert Paxton's book The Anatomy of Fascism in the context of Trump lawyer John Eastman's coup memo, and various aspects of current right-wing culture. Enjoy!

Also check out the Adolph Reed essay mentioned here.

Episode 172 UNLOCKED - The Trump Putsch Sep 28, 2021

We're unfortunately delayed thanks to personal events so we're unlocking this one as a retrospective of our initial thoughts on the January 6 putsch. Tomorrow Ryan will have another episode on the fascism question, so stay tuned!

Episode 204 PREVIEW - America‘s 20-Year War Bender Sep 18, 2021

In this excerpt we make the case against sanctioning Afghanistan. To hear the full episode subscribe here!

Episode 203 - Socialism and Nature Sep 12, 2021

Today we are talking with Alex from the Providence Leftist Radio Podcast (also see their Patreon here) about Chapter 5 in Nikolai Bukharin's book Historical Materialism, "The Equilibrium between Society and Nature," as well as Friedrich Engels' essay "On Authority." Enjoy!

Episode 202 EXCERPT - The Afghanistan Withdrawal with Lyta Gold Sep 03, 2021

In this first half of this episode, we talk about the situation in Afghanistan with Lyta Gold, particularly the media freakout about America's imperial humiliation. To hear our following discussion of The Green Knight, subscribe here!

Episode 201 PREVIEW - Caught in the Gears of Capitalism with Nate Holdren Aug 28, 2021

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Episode 200 - Beholding Humanity with Brad Evans Aug 21, 2021

Today we've got Professor Brad Evans to talk about his recent book Ecce Humanitas: Beholding the Pain of Humanity. We discuss his arguments against privileging sacrifice, why liberalism is dead, and how to create something better. Enjoy!

Episode 199 PREVIEW - Climate Politics and Hungary Discourse Aug 12, 2021

In this preview we discuss the ways that America really is better than Hungary, and the ways that it is an international embarrassment. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Episode 198 - The Jersey Machine with Imani Oakley Aug 07, 2021

Today we've got an interview with Imani Oakley, who is running to represent New Jersey's 10th District in Congress next year. We talk about what the district is like, why she got into politics, the political splits in the Black community, and more. Enjoy!

Episode 197 PREVIEW - Climate Hell Is Here Jul 31, 2021

In this excerpt, we discuss a (partial) list of one week's worth of climate disasters, and the recent Kim Stanley Robinson book The Ministry for the Future. Subscribe now to hear the full episode!

Episode 194 UNLOCKED - Critical Race Theory, Real and Imagined Jul 25, 2021

Ryan has been off on vacation for the past 2 weeks, so we are unlocking this one as a treat while we get the next one produced. This time we talk about both the fake smear campaign version of critical race theory as invented by professional conservative liars, and the actual body of thought. Enjoy!

Links to articles we mentioned: one by Sam Kriss, one by Damon Linker, and one by John Ganz.

Episode 196 - PREVIEW - The Coconut Revolution with Manu Saadia Jul 16, 2021

Enjoy this PREVIEW of our latest bonus episode with Trekonomics author and friend of the podcast Manu Saadia

Manu joins us to discuss the greatest eco-socialist revolution you've never heard of: "The Coconut Revolution."

Subscribe now to listen to the rest!

Episode 195 - Waiting on the Thunder with Matt Karp Jul 09, 2021

Today we've got historian Matt Karp on to talk about his recent article in Harper's on the 1619 Project and right-wing attempts to suppress anti-racism in the classroom. Items mentioned in the episode: John Ganz on the 1619 Project; Frederick Douglass on the 4th of July, America's composite nationality, and his eulogy for Lincoln, and John Mercer Langston on the world anti-slavery movement. Also don't forget to pre-order Ryan's book!

Episode 194 PREVIEW - Critical Race Theory, Real and Imagined Jul 03, 2021

In this preview we discuss the history of McCarthyism and why conservatives are trying to re-created with their fake version of CRT. Subscribe now to hear the rest!

Episode 187 UNLOCKED - Thomas Paine with Harvey Kaye Jul 01, 2021

In this episode we talked to Professor Harvey Kaye to talk about his book Thomas Paine and the Promise of America. We discuss how Paine ended up in America, his role in the French Revolution, and how he is likely the author of the hottest and most powerful take in American history. Enjoy!

Episode 193 PREVIEW - Thomas Piketty and Theories of Justice Jun 20, 2021

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Episode 189 UNLOCKED - The Legacy of the New Deal, with Eric Rauchway Jun 10, 2021

Today we've got historian Eric Rauchway on talk about his new book Why the New Deal Matters. We discuss how New Deal projects and programs shape our everyday life for good and ill to this day, how Eleanor Roosevelt was such a badass, why a Green New Deal is so relevant and necessary, the political value of activist government, and more. Enjoy!

Episode 192 PREVIEW - Disability History with Chelsea Chamberlain Jun 06, 2021

Today we've got historian Chelsea Chamberlain on to talk about her recent paper "Challenging Custodialism," about the history of an institution for disabled folks called Elwyn (still in operation). The Nursing Clio article mentioned in the episode can be found here. Also reach out if you'd like to read a copy of the paper.

Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Episode 191 - Remaking the World with Astra Taylor May 28, 2021

Today we've got Astra Taylor on to talk about her new essay collection, Remake the World: Essays, Reflections, Rebellions. We talk about the student debt crisis, the politics of refugees, what she calls "fauxtomation," and more!

Links to things we discussed: the Debt Collective (which has so far erased some $2 billion in student debt!), Astra's short documentary You Are Not a Loan, and her previous film What Is Democracy? (which she discussed on a previous episode).

Episode 190 PREVIEW - Glenn Greenwald's Right Turn May 22, 2021

In this excerpt, we discuss the strange trajectory of The Intercept's co-founder. Subscribe now to listen to the rest of the episode!

Episode 183 UNLOCKED - The Semiconductor Situation May 17, 2021

We've got some requests to unlock this episode, so here you go! It's a briefer discussion just from Ryan on two articles about the history and current state of the American semiconductor industry, why understanding the details of the production process matter for socialists, and then some talk about the bad state of diplomatic relations between China and the US. Enjoy!

Episode 189 PREVIEW - The Legacy of the New Deal, with Eric Rauchway May 12, 2021

Franklin D. Roosevelt: America's first social justice warrior?? Subscribe now to hear the full episode!

Episode 188 - Collective Dedication, with Pete Davis May 06, 2021

Pete Davis comes on the show to talk about his book Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing. We talk about the value of committing to social institutions, Pink Floyd, whether tradition is really conservative, the devious politics of the self-help industry, and more. Enjoy!

Episode 187 PREVIEW - Thomas Paine with Harvey Kaye May 01, 2021

How did an English corset-maker end up writing the most powerful take of all time? Subscribe now to find out!

Episode 186 - The Fight for Homeless Justice in Austin, with Chris Harris Apr 19, 2021

Austin has seen a major campaign away from the criminalization of homelessness over the last two years. But that effort is running into a backlash, and there will be a city referendum on May 1st to determine if the reforms will be overturned. We've got organizer Chris Harris on to talk about the fight for homeless justice, how the reform efforts have played out, and the state of the referendum campaign.

The No on Prop B website can be found here. The story of Philly Mayor Jim Kenney's attempt to outlaw spitting is here.

Episode 184 - Jersey Shore Marxism, with Gabriel Raeburn Apr 02, 2021

Today we've got historian Gabe Raeburn to discuss his recent article The Rise and Fall of Marxist Perspectives: Eugene Genovese and the Fight for Hegemony in Radical American Historiography. This was an ambitious left-wing historical journal that aimed to unite various warring factions on the left and push Marx-inflected history, but collapsed after just two years thanks to Genovese's compulsive feuding and domineering personality. We talk Eric Foner, Gramsci, Christopher Lasch, the importance of personality in politics, and more. Enjoy!

Episode 182 - The Movements of 2020 with David Kaib Mar 23, 2021

Friend of the pod David Kaib has been conducting multiple reading groups of the classic book Poor People's Movements: Why They Succeed and How They Fail, by Francis Fox Piven and Richard Cloward, over the past year. The book has perhaps never been more relevant given the the historic protests over police brutality, the coronavirus pandemic, and economic inequality of late. We talk about what lessons might be drawn from the successes and failures of these protests, and how we should think about movement strategy going forward. Enjoy!

Episode 181 PREVIEW - The Year from Hell Mar 17, 2021

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Episode 180 - The Felt Blanket of M4A, with Abdul El-Sayed and Micah Johnson Mar 08, 2021

Today we've got Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Dr. Micah Johnson on to talk about their new book Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide. We talk about what the pandemic revealed about the broken American health care system, and how universal Medicare could fix both the immediate problem and help us be more prepared for future heath disasters.

Abdul's newsletter The Incision can be found here.

Episode 179 PREVIEW - The Austerity Debate and Gramsci's War of Position Mar 02, 2021

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Episode 178 - Messing with Texas, featuring Kate Aronoff Feb 23, 2021

Why did the Texas electricity system collapse during the recent cold snap? We've got Kate Aronoff, co-author of A Planet to Win and sole author of the forthcoming book Overheated, on to discuss what went wrong. It turns out that carbon power is screwing up human society in basically every imaginable way, who knew? Enjoy!

Episode 177 - The Fascism Question, with John Ganz Feb 12, 2021

Today we've got writer John Ganz on to discuss what relationship fascism has to Trump and the U.S. far right, and the bizarre spectacle of people trying to work up a red-brown alliance. (This has not worked out well in the past!)

Check out John's Substack here.

Episode 176 UNLOCKED - The Revolution Will not Be Monetized, with Doug Henwood Feb 08, 2021

Thanks to popular demand, we are unlocking this one. We've got Doug Henwood, author of the excellent book Wall Street, on to talk about GAMESTONK and what it all means. While it may be funny to see a couple hedge funds getting pantsed by Reddit, the fact is that financial speculation is no way to provide material security to the working class.

Episode 176 PREVIEW - Doug Henwood on GAMESTONK Feb 04, 2021

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Episode 175 - America's Tradition of Egalitarian Freedom, with Mike Konczal Jan 30, 2021

We've got Mike on to discuss Freedom from the Market, a great book that examines how the "free" market has in fact been a source of tyranny and oppression throughout American history, and how Americans have mobilized in many since-forgotten ways to expand their freedom by protecting themselves from the market. Enjoy!

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