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 .
In this preview of our latest bonus episode, David Dayen talks about the Sam-Bankman Fried prosecution . Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!
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!
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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!...
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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? "...
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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!
This time Ryan calls in to tell Alexi about the Faroe Islands. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!
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!...
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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.
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 !
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 studen...
In this preview, we review the Democrats' record of accomplishments over the last few weeks. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing !
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 featur...
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 ....
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!...
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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 ....
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 ....
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!
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 f...
In this preview, Professor David I. Backer explains how school financing works in this country. Subscribe now to hear the full thing !
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!
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!...
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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 ....
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