Today we've got political philosopher Meena Krishnamurthy on to talk about her writings on Martin Luther King, Jr. We discuss distrust and solidarity, how individualism strangles American government, how his thought bears on the Black Lives Matter movement, and more. Enjoy! Her article on the democratic value of distrust can be found here . (PS: Apologies for the occasionally scratchy audio, there was an unnoticed problem during recording. Alas, bit of an occupational hazard for podcasters durin...
Aug 23, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep 140•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss Peter Beinart's argument that black politicians can't be as progressive as white ones in this preview. To hear the whole thing, subscribe here !
Aug 15, 2020•19 min•Ep 139•Transcript available on Metacast Today we've got Dave Dayen of The American Prospect on to talk about his new book Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power . Enjoy!
Aug 08, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep 138•Transcript available on Metacast Subscribe now to hear the full episode !
Aug 02, 2020•20 min•Ep 137•Transcript available on Metacast Here we've got Tobi Olowe , host of the Impressions of America podcast , on to talk about the life and legacy of Ayn Rand, and her eponymous institute's decision to get on the coronavirus welfare train. Enjoy! PS: The very funny Whittaker Chambers review of Atlas Shrugged can be found here ....
Jul 26, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep 136•Transcript available on Metacast Subscribe here to listen to our full discussion of Martin Hägglund's book This Life.
Jul 20, 2020•17 min•Ep 135•Transcript available on Metacast Today we've got an interview with Bill Humphrey , a city councilor for Newton, Massachusetts. We ask him about how he got into politics, how he ran his successful campaign, and what it's like being a leftist in government during pandemic times. Enjoy! You can find Bill's radio show Arsenal for Democracy here .
Jul 10, 2020•1 hr 19 min•Ep 134•Transcript available on Metacast Subscribe now to hear the full episode !
Jul 01, 2020•21 min•Ep 133•Transcript available on Metacast Today we've got Arati Kreibich , who is running in the Democratic primary for New Jersey's 5th District against Josh Gottheimer, one of the most pro-Trump Democrats in the House . (New Jersey voters take note, the primary is July 7.) Enjoy!
Jun 24, 2020•50 min•Ep 132•Transcript available on Metacast Today we continue our discussion of what a post-police society might look like with David Kaib , who has taught some DC DSA night school classes on the subject. Links to articles we mentioned: Ryan on the Nordic style of policing , Alex Vitale's book The End of Policing , and this Jacobin article on the abolition of police and prisons. Enjoy!...
Jun 17, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep 131•Transcript available on Metacast Subscribe here to listen to the whole episode!
Jun 06, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Ep 130•Transcript available on Metacast Today we've got Nikil Saval , candidate for the upcoming primary in the Pennsylvania First Senate District on June 2nd. We talk about how he got into organizing and politics, what it's like interacting with the Philadelphia Democratic machine, his advice for others considering a run for office, and more. Enjoy!
May 28, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep 129•Transcript available on Metacast We've got journalist Zach Carter on to talk about his new book The Price of Peace: Money, Democracy, and the Life of John Maynard Keynes -- an intellectual biography that he's been working on for years. We talk about Keynes' fascinating personal life, the development of Keynesian doctrine, and how "bastard Keynesianism" stripped of most of its interesting elements took root in American economics departments. Enjoy!...
May 23, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep 128•Transcript available on Metacast We've got David Dayen, the executive editor of the The American Prospect, on to discuss his latest coverage of the pandemic -- the utter failure of the national government response, the timidity of congressional Democrats, why monopolist agribusiness is spreading the virus, and more. Enjoy! Here are links to subscribe or donate to support the Prospect's excellent work....
May 19, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep 127•Transcript available on Metacast Subscribe now to hear the full episode! Also subscribe or donate to The American Prospect to support the great work of David and his colleagues!
May 11, 2020•12 min•Ep 126•Transcript available on Metacast We've got religion reporter Jack Jenkins on to talk about his forthcoming book American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country . We talk about the struggles of the religious left to counter the religious right, whether evangelical Christianity is really a cult of Mammon, why Jeremiah Wright was way ahead of his time, and more. Enjoy!...
May 06, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Ep 125•Transcript available on Metacast Subscribe here to listen to the whole thing!
Apr 30, 2020•9 min•Ep 124•Transcript available on Metacast We've got former Bernie Sanders speechwriter David Sirota on to talk about why the Democratic establishment ultimately defeated Bernie Sanders. We ask whether he could have done anything differently, how much of it came down to luck, and what lessons the left can take away for the future. Enjoy! PS: We'll have an extended discussion of this question coming up soon for subscribers , so stay tuned!
Apr 25, 2020•40 min•Ep 123•Transcript available on Metacast Enjoy this preview of our latest bonus episode , where we talk with Jeff Spross about our previous episode with Rohan Grey . To hear the whole thing, subscribe here !
Apr 16, 2020•1 hr 29 min•Ep 122•Transcript available on Metacast Today we are talking with Harvey Kaye about his new book FDR on Democracy: The Greatest Speeches and Writings of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt . We discuss how Roosevelt's radical politics can be discerned well before he became president, his extraordinary political agility and boldness, how he used history to paint a new picture of America, and more. Enjoy!
Apr 13, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep 121•Transcript available on Metacast We've got author Tara Isabella Burton on to talk about her forthcoming book Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World , to talk about spirituality and belief in an age when traditional religious forms are collapsing. We discuss the faith-like activities and beliefs of the religious "nones," the blasphemous theology of the Prosperity Gospel, how people might discover collective moral views during the coronavirus pandemic, and more. Enjoy!...
Apr 07, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep 120•Transcript available on Metacast Subscribe now to hear the whole episode !
Apr 02, 2020•23 min•Ep 119•Transcript available on Metacast We're talking with Rohan Grey today about a proposal he worked on with Rep. Rashida Tlaib on funding massive cash aid to Americans funded with two $1 trillion platinum coins. We talk about the balance of power between the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department, what it would mean for the Treasury to reclaim the authority to print money, a UBI versus a job guarantee, and more. Enjoy! PS: This essay Ryan wrote on a similar idea might be useful background....
Mar 28, 2020•2 hr 30 min•Ep 118•Transcript available on Metacast This time we've got a bit of an off-beat interview, talking with Anne Orchier about the effort to stop Los Angeles from hosting the Olympic Games in 2028. It's not directly relevant to the coronavirus pandemic, but it does have a lot of the same themes, in that the Olympics have become a locus of disaster capitalism where rich elites wreak terrible social carnage to make a quick buck. Enjoy!
Mar 25, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep 117•Transcript available on Metacast Once again we're talking coronavirus, with returning guest Manu Saadia . We talk about what is to be learned from the various approaches different countries have taken, how Democrats are bungling the crisis, and how we might seize the moment to change prevailing ideological orthodoxy, and push through vital reforms. Enjoy! You can find Manu's book Trekonomics here .
Mar 19, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Ep 116•Transcript available on Metacast Today we've got A.C. Grayling on to talk about his book The Good State , which provides his model of how an ideal democratic system should be set up. It's a bit off the news but we thought it would be a nice break for people worried about the coronavirus pandemic. Enjoy!
Mar 17, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep 115•Transcript available on Metacast Today we do a deep dive into Joe Biden's terrible record in the Senate, and marginally-less terrible record as vice president. Then we turn to electability, and why a Biden nomination would screw up almost all of the strongest arguments against Trump -- on protecting Social Security and Medicare, on trade, on #MeToo, on abuse of immigrants, on corruption, and on mental fitness. Links to stuff mentioned in the discussion: Corey Robin on Clarence Thomas , Emma Caterine on bankruptcy , Ryan's episo...
Mar 08, 2020•2 hr 40 min•Ep 114•Transcript available on Metacast In this excerpt we discuss how to help Democratic voters realize that a Biden nomination is the risk it is. Subscribe here to hear the whole thing!
Mar 05, 2020•6 min•Ep 113•Transcript available on Metacast Today we've got Jeff Dempsey, who is running a progressive campaign in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 175th House district -- our first in-person interview and our first with a live audience! We discuss the characteristics of the 175th (which is part of Philadelphia), why he's running, and the troubles he has had with the local Democratic machine. Enjoy! You can find Jeff's campaign website here , a donation page here , and a page detailing apparently fishy signature collection-effort...
Feb 29, 2020•58 min•Ep 112•Transcript available on Metacast Subscribe now to hear the full episode!
Feb 24, 2020•10 min•Ep 111•Transcript available on Metacast 
