RevolutionZ

Latest Episodes:

Ep 312 Life With and After Trump Nov 24, 2024

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Episode 312 of RevolutionZ: I wanted to change topic but couldn't. Like it or not, Trump and Trumpism matter. They are our present and they must be stopped lest they become our future. We take up five compelling reasons to stand firm against Trump from preventing harm to fostering hope and community. To not give up. To not back down. To not stick to old ways. To find new ways. We address the logic and the dangers posed by Trump's appointees. We highlight the need to raise social costs for Trump and his elite supporters, not to change their minds, but to force them to change their agenda. We consider the role of envisioning a future that transcends pre-Trump normalcy. And we address the role of the Democratic Party, Harris's voters, Trump's voters, non voters, and left activists. Forget placing blame. Figure how to win against Trump and then beyond Trump.

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Ep 311 Dear Donald, It's Our Turn Now Nov 17, 2024

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Episode 311 of RevolutionZ is not an election post-mortem. It is not about what went wrong. It is about what Trump is likely to do and what we can do to prevent his success. The episode takes up border policies, deportations, gender and reproductive rights, homelessness, healthcare, labor, ecology, repression, schools, media, military, and international relations--and a lot more. In each case, the episode considers what Trump is likely to pursue and what kinds of resistance can block his efforts. Succinct summaries are meant to assist and fuel thinking about actions to undertake in the coming months. Put bluntly, the overarching message is that we can certainly do this, but if we don't, there will be hell to pay. Resignation and even angry by-standing are therefore not options. The kinds of activities described in the episode, however, are worthy options to consider.

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Ep 310 Rethink, Reach Out, and Resist Nov 10, 2024

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Episode 310 of RevolutionZ asks what drove millions of Americans to rally behind a figure as vile as Donald Trump? What attracted and held them despite so much that ought to have repulsed them? What can now stop Trump from implementing full-on fascist outcomes? Wtih Immigration policy as an example, how might activism subvert Trump's plans? And is there a way to simultaneously effectively communicate with the over half the voting electorate that supported Trump without compromising values and denying reality?

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Ep 309: Palestinian Voices, Fascist Images, and Shilling for Democrats Nov 03, 2024

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Ep 309 of RevolutionZ offers insights from an essay by over a hundred Palestinian, Arab American, Muslim, and progressive leaders in Arizona, takes a historical detour into the emergence of Nazism in Germany and its then U.S. echoes, considers the meaning of the label shill for the Democratic Party, considers Trump's voters, and post election communications.
This is my last pre-election episode. Hopefully my next one, recorded once the tallies are tallied, will offer some comments on what happened and, dare I say it, on what (I think) is to be done.
So what am I expecting from the election? I'd rather not speculate, but if I must, I would put 40% Trump will win a very close race, 40% Harris will win a very close race, and 20% and honestly, I think maybe more than that, that Harris will win quite comfortably, at least as these things go.

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Ep 308 Norman Solomon on Trump, Voting, Morality, and Political Divides Oct 27, 2024

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Episode 308 of RevolutionZ has as guest Norman Solomon to talk about election 2024. Does who is in the White House matter in general, and in this election? Is there contradiction or synergy between personal conscience and the broader ethical responsibilities of electoral decisions? Is voting for Harris in swing states not only how to beat Trump but also how to advance progressive post-election prospects in coming months and years and thus compatible with conscience for organizers--or is the better choice third party voting or abstention? What are the diverse motivations and thoughts of Trump supporters? How might organizers relate effectively with Trump's half of the voting population, and, for that matter, with Harris's half.

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Ep 307 Bill Fletcher Jr. The Election and Strategies for Change Oct 20, 2024

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Episode 307 of RevolutionZ has Bill Fletcher Jr. applying lessons from his extensive labor and general activist organizing to discuss the real origins of Trumpism, conflicting approaches to the coming election, diverse broader strategies for change, how to address critics and who to not address at all, and much more. The exchange is passionate and also pointed at times. It emphasizes what is at stake in our current world and what people might most usefully do to make serious progress in these difficult times.

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Ep 306 Peter Bohmer on U.S./Israeli war on Palestine, the U.S. election, vision, and more Oct 13, 2024

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Episode 306 of RevolutionZ has as its guest Peter Bohmer to discuss Israeli and U.S. motives in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and more widely as well. It addresses past history and the present prospects, and particularly the global outrage genocidal policies have provoked and calls for meaningful actions to effect real change via an arms embargo. The discussion carries into questions about the coming election, both party's strategies, and diverse voter sentiments. The episode is a call to remain engaged and offers a cautious optimism for the future while urging listeners to navigate the current political landscape thoughtfully.

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Ep 305 More Confusions and Some Resolutions Oct 06, 2024

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Episode 305 continues, reacts to, and adds to episode 304 to again address the MIdeast and Israeli and U.S. motivations, the U.S. election and Democratic and Republican Party motivations, plus popular reactions to all that, and also rampant escalating ubiquitous dishonesty plus AI's dangers and finally a personal AI experience in podcast creation's larger implications. Why again with confusions? Partly because these matters are incredibly important. Partly because I suspect I am not alone in feeling as I do. And partly because the confusions that I discussed last time left some listeners confused about why I am confused, so I clarify and also raise the stakes this time.

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Ep 304 Confusing State Agendas, Genocide Ethics, Clickbait Culture, Voting Strategy, and Left Program Sep 29, 2024

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Episode 304 of RevolutionZ is a bit unusual. Most of it poses more questions than answers. It moans "I don't get that," more than it proclaims "here is what is right about that." And what "thats' does it take up. Israeli and U.S. war making. Ecological suicide. Empathetic caring individuals supporting or turning a blind eye to genocide. The pervasive nature of deceit in our society from the normalization of "clickbait" culture in digital media to collective tolerance for and involvement in deception in daily life. Voting Green in contested states, or abstaining altogether, or supporting Trump. But then the episode ends with a dreamy positive formulation of of program.

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Ep 303 - Election 2024 and Beyond with Max Elbaum Sep 29, 2024

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Episode 303 of RevolutionZ again addresses the complex web of issues, and contending responses that have arisen regarding this coming presidential election in the U.S. How do we understand emerging views of various constituencies? What priorities in dealing with voting and organizing options until November and then after November make most sense or even any sense at all for those seeking a better society and world?

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