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  • Air Date 12/20/2024

    There's no denying that things are about to get bad, Trump and company have had years to prepare for their next turn in office, but those preparing to resist also have the benefit of past experience resulting in a response to Trumpism that looks very different this time around.

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    Full Show Notes | Transcript

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    KEY POINTS

    KP 1: The Shallow, Power-Flattering Appeal of High Status #Resistance Historians - Citations Needed - Air Date 12-3-24

    KP 2: Can Trump Really End Birthright Citizenship? - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 12-12-24

    KP 3: Rep. Delia Ramirez- Trump's Immigration Plans Are -Un-American, Unconstitutional & Undemocratic - Democracy Now! - Air Table 12-11-24

    KP 4: Can Trump Really End Birthright Citizenship? Part 2 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 12-12-24

    KP 5: Centrists Signal Capitulation After Trump's Victory - The Majority Report - Air Date 12-16-24

    KP 6: Trumps Rage at FBI Takes Dark Turn as GOPers Signal They Wont Resist - The Daily Blast - Air Date 12-13-24

    (53:43) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

    On the importance of scheduled maintenance for democracy

    Reference article:

    Reviving the American Tradition of Fusion Voting

    DEEPER DIVES

    (1:00:59) SECTION A - IMMIGRATION INTIMIDATION

    (1:19:46) SECTION B - BENDING THE KNEE

    (1:40:16) SECTION C - RESISTANCE

    SHOW IMAGE

    Description: Composite image of Trump with his arm out admiring a lit match in his hand in front of a burning U.S. Constitution.

    Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman using multiple images from Pixabay | License: Pixabay

  • Air Date 12/17/2024

    Changing the direction of a political party doesn't happen overnight and it usually takes a major disrupting event to shake it out of its well-wore groove. The loss of the Harris campaign to Trump and the evident desperation people have for a new economics that works for people might finally be enough to put Democrats on track to a more full-throated support of economic populism.

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    KEY POINTS

    KP 1: Jon Stewart On What Went Wrong For Democrats - The Daily Show - Air Date 11-11-24

    KP 2: The Democratic Party Is A Rudderless Ship - The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder - Air Date 11-21-24

    KP 3: ‘BERNIE WAS RIGHT!’: Corporate Democrat ADMITS DEFEAT - The Kyle Kulinski Show - Air Date 11-18-24

    KP 4: Assad Ousted From Syria - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 12-10-24

    KP 5: Can Ben Wikler Fix The Democratic Party? - The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder - Air Date 12-4-24

    KP 6: “Get These Incels to Work” (feat. Hasan Piker) Part 1 - Pod Save America - Air Date 11-27-24

    (49:33) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

    On the Democrats perception gap and Ben Wikler for the DNC

    DEEPER DIVES

    (1:00:11) SECTION A - WHY DEMOCRATS LOST

    (1:32:40) SECTION B - TIME TO FIGHT

    (1:56:05) SECTION C - MOVING FORWARD

    SHOW IMAGE

    Description: Photo of billionaire Mark Cuban speaking into a microphone at a Harris Walz campaign event.

    Credit: “Mark Cuban” by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped

    Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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    Air Date: 12-15-24
    Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon (Erin was missed) discuss:
    - Why many people want a village, but most don't act like they do
    - Some proposed solutions to loneliness and building community
    - How politicians on both sides lack vision on how to improve peoples lives

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    REFERENCES:
    I’m Starting to Think You Guys Don’t Really Want a “Village”

    Stephanie Harrison - The New Happy: To build the communities that we long for, we must change our worldview

    Stephanie Harrison - The New Happy: How to stop being lonely

    Americans Are Hoarding Their Friends

    On Family Policy, Neither Party Has a Vision of the Good Life

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    Jay! Tomlinson
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  • Air Date 12/13/2024

    The most important thing to understand about authoritarian and dictatorial governance is that it is neither efficient nor competent, contrary to the myth. The problem lies with the need to hire people based on their unquestioning loyalty rather than any kind of demonstrated ability to do the jobs they're tasked with. The results are, unsurprisingly, chaos.

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    KEY POINTS

    KP 1: Fight Trump With Everything You Have! Shocking Warning From Hungarian Democracy Movement - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 11-25-24

    KP 2: MAGA 2.0 w Quinn Slobodian & Wendy Brown - The Dig - Air Date 11-29-24

    KP 3: A Slew Of A$$hole Nominations...- The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 11-15-24

    KP 4: What Pete Hegseth Has Said About Civil War and Whiteness - Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast - Air Date 11-27-24

    KP 5: Trump goes off the deep end with Cabinet pick - No Lie w Brian Tyler Cohen - Air Date 12-1-24

    KP 6: The Trump Trials... Cases Closed - Americast - Air Date 11-29-24

    KP 7: MAGA 2.0 w Quinn Slobodian & Wendy Brown - The Dig - Air Date 11-29-24

    (54:37) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

    On why it's important to stay engaged

    Don’t Let Donald Trump Drive You Into Internal Exile - NYTimes

    DEEPER DIVES

    (58:44) SECTION A: THE LINEUP

    (1:27:56) SECTION B: THE PLAYBOOK

    (1:52:28) SECTION C: GLOBAL REFERENCE

    (2:12:50) SECTION D: CRACKS IN AUTHORITY

    SHOW IMAGE

    Description: Composite graphic of Trump giving the double thumbs up over black silhouettes of people in suits with the clown face emoji on their heads and “MAGA” on their chests.

    Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman. Various images via Pixabay.

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  • Air Date: 12-12-24
    Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss:
    - What the orcas are up to
    - Confronting the truth about eating meat
    - How to not let grief destroy leftist movements
    - Living a better life by accepting our own mortality

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    REFERENCES:

    Confessions of a Former Carnivore

    For Our Movements to Win, We Must Learn How Not to Let Our Grief Destroy Us

    You Are Going to Die

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  • Air Date 12/10/2024

    In a moment of darkness, it's important to not only look for light but also understand how to create your own. Today we're exploring the philosophy of Tragic Optimism, the differing frameworks of freedom-from and freedom-to, and the slow progress of democracy but also the organizing strategies that are themselves the best coping mechanisms and path to progress.

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    KEY POINTS

    KP 1: The Tragic Optimist's Guide to Surviving Capitalistic Nihilism - Dasia Sade Part 1 - Air Date 11-29-24

    KP 2: Where Do We Go From Here? Featuring Kali Akuno - Millennials Are Killing Capitalism - Air Date 11-10-24

    KP 3: How To Fight Fascism In America - Why, America? with Leeja Miller - Air Date 11-20-24

    KP 4: Timothy Snyder: Is Freedom Misunderstood? - The Agenda - Air Date 10-9-24

    KP 5: Neoliberalism Borrowed From Lenin, Why Can’t We? - Unf*cking The Republic - Air Date 11-22-24

    KP 6: The Tragic Optimist's Guide to Surviving Capitalistic Nihilism - Dasia Sade Part 2 - Air Date 11-29-24

    (49:55) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

    On holiday memberships

    DEEPER DIVES

    (52:31) SECTION A - ORGANZING

    A1: Organizing in Rural America (w/ Luke Mayville) - Know Your Enemy - Air Date 11-27-24

    A2: The Quest for the Offline Left with Cecilia Guerrero: Organizing the South - Fucking Cancelled - Air Date 11-3-24

    (1:11:16) SECTION B - COPING

    MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

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  • Original Air Date: 11/29/2023

    The movement for universal health care is still underway, though it rarely gets recognized in mainstream discourse. The murder of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson is an occasion worth using to look at the progress being made to improve our system of promoting the health of all people in the United States as well as efforts to rein in the power of big Pharma that's used to gouge the American people with exorbitant prices. So, that's what we're doing.

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    SHOW NOTES

    Ch. 1: Healthcare Activist Ady Barkan Dies of ALS; Watch His 2021 Interview on Demanding Medicare for All - Democracy Now! - Air Date 11-27-23

    Healthcare activist Ady Barkan has died at the age of 39 of the neurodegenerative disease ALS. His story is told in the documentary Not Going Quietly. In 2021, Democracy Now! spoke with Ady Barkan just ahead of the film’s premiere.

    Ch. 2: Why your health insurance is tied to work - The Weeds - Air Date 10-18-23

    The wartime policy that changed health insurance forever

    Ch. 3: Rethinking the path to winning single payer - Code WACK! - Air Date 4-10-23

    Winning Medicare for All in the U.S. may be at a standstill at the federal level, but it's a different story In the states. In 2021 alone, 18 single-payer bills were introduced in states such as Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, and Oregon.

    Ch. 4: How Can This Predatory Exploitation Be Considered Health Care - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 11-15-23

    If Medicare Advantage, the profit-driven entity that is decidedly NOT part of REAL Medicare, could be summed up in three words, they might be: deny, deny, deny.

    Ch. 5: Biden vs. Big Pharma Medicare to Begin Negotiations to Lower Price of 10 Costly Drugs & Insulin - Democracy Now! - Air Date 8-30-23

    Peter Maybarduk joins us to discuss how the new negotiation process aims to break up drug monopolies and disband the pharmaceutical industry’s profit incentive.

    Ch. 6: Inequality Undermines Health & Healthcare in the U.S. - Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff - Air Date 11-14-23

    Ch. 7: Big Pharma Explained Why Are Meds So Expensive [& The Solution] - The Laura Flanders Show - Air Date 6-12-23

    Ch. 8: The Challenge of Caring for Our Elders - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 11-15-23

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    Air Date: 12-6-24
    Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss:
    - The political origins of SimCity and how capitalism warps our choices
    - A new video game offering a very different vision of societal management
    - Naomi Klein's insights on the Left's missteps responding to the Mirror World
    - Applying cynicism and skepticism in moderation

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    REFERENCES:
    SimCity Isn’t a Model of Reality. It’s a Libertarian Toy Land

    Build-a-Brrr

    Naomi Klein on her doppelganger (and yours)

    Be Like Claud Cockburn: Tell Truths to the Masses

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    Thanks for listening!

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  • Air Date 12/3/2024

    At a time when there are very legitimate concerns about men's place in society, the Manosphere has stepped in to fill the gap in the cultural discussion to give an answer, not a good answer but an answer, to young men about modern masculinity which included a strong push to vote Trump.

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    KEY POINTS

    KP 1: The Role of the Press in This Moment with Matt Pearce - Why Is This Happening - Air Date 11-19-24

    KP 2: The #MenToo Election Catholics, Latinos, and the Manosphere - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 11-11-24

    KP 3: Inside Elon's Twitter Takeover with Ryan Mac and Kate Conger - Factually! with Adam Conover - Air Date 11-13-24

    KP 4: The #MenToo Election Catholics, Latinos, and the Manosphere Part 2 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 11-11-24

    KP 5: Make America Male Again Fifteen years of aggrieved men - It's Been a Minute - Air Date 11-19-24

    KP 6: Misinformation, Disinformation, Malinformation ( Feat Esosa Osa)- Gettin' Grown - Air Date 11-12-24

    KP 7: How the Fediverse can make social fun again - WordPress - Air Date 8-12-24

    (56:23) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

    On the slow process of fixing our broken internet

    DEEPER DIVES

    (1:02:00) SECTION A - MEDIA LANDSCAPE

    (1:22:06) SECTION B - MEN ARE NOT OKAY

    (1:52:03) SECTION C - WHAT WE CAN DO

    SHOW IMAGE

    Description: Photo of the back of a young man standing on a subway platform putting headphones on as a silver train whizzes past.

    Credit: “People guy man sound music” by StockSnap, Pixabay | License: Pixabay

    Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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  • Air Date 11/29/2024

    Today’s episode is a remix of a 5-part series of episodes we did several years ago about telling native stories beyond what the US tends to share about its history. The series stretched all the way from Columbus to modern day and today we’re sharing the highlights reel of what stuck out to us looking back.

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    Ch 1: Historian Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz on Thanksgiving: "It Has Never Been About Honoring Native Americans" - @DemocracyNow - Air Date: 11-29-16

    Ch 2: American expansion and violence against Native Americans - @BackStory - Air Date: 01-19-2018

    Ch 3: The legal structures that uphold violence against Indigenous people #MMIW - Let's Talk Native... with John Kane - Air Date 2-14-19

    Ch 4: Doctrine of Christian Discovery Part 1 - Let’s Talk Native - Air Date 3-18-19

    Ch 5: Beyond Tragedy: The Living History of Native America - Ideas from CBC Radio - Air Date 2-20-19

    Ch 6: Hawaiian Indigeneity and the theft of Aloha with W. Gerry Ebalaroza - Breakdances With Wolves - Air Date 8-21-18

    Ch 7: Confederacy Inc. Donald Trump, Racist Police, and the Whitewashing of History Part 1 - Intercepted with Jeremy Scahill - Air Date 7-1-20

    Ch 8: Indigenous historian Nick Estes discusses the trivializing of native people - @Intercepted w @JeremyScahill - Air Date 10-23-18

    Ch 9: Sexual Violence and Native American Genocide - @Making_Contact - Air Date 11-26-13

    Ch 10: ’Reel' Indians and the invention of Hollywood Indian English - Backstory - Air Date 11-22-14

    Ch 11: The moral narratives of colonization as relates to the Western Frontier and Israel - Citations Needed (@CitationsPod) - Air Date 8-22-17

    Ch 12: Confederacy Inc. Donald Trump, Racist Police, and the Whitewashing of History Part 2 - Intercepted with Jeremy Scahill - Air Date 7-1-20

    Ch 13: What we inherit: Explaining intergenerational trauma - Code Switch - Air Date 6-6-18

    MORE CLIPS IN FULL SHOW NOTES

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  • Air Date 11/26/2024

    In a world of infinite information but a finite amount of time to check your facts, we're living the logical conclusion of an online environment that favors false information over truth and the most popular online media reflects that reality perfectly.

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    KEY POINTS

    KP 1: Aaron Rodgers moment perfectly sums up how fake information spreads - All In with Chris Hayes - 11-14-24

    KP 2: Why is everyone suddenly an expert? (Even when they’re not) - The Bunker - Air Date 5-20-24

    KP 3: How Right-Wing Media Took Over America Part 1 - Why America? with Leeja Miller - Air Date 11-18-24

    KP 4: The Manosphere Celebrates a Win. Plus, M. Gessen on How to Survive an Autocracy - On The Media - Air Date 11-8-24

    KP 5: We DON'T need a LEFTIST Joe Rogan - The Kavernacle - Air Date 11-14-24

    KP 6: Stop Having an "Open Mind" - Breaking In The Habit - Air Date 5-31-24

    KP 7: Birds Aren’t Real? How a Conspiracy Takes Flight | Peter McIndoe - TED - Air Date 9-13-23

    (49:25) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

    On the nature of skepticism and open-mindedness

    DEEPER DIVES

    (55:48) SECTION A - THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE AND THE MEDIA

    (1:27:00) SECTION B - TRUST AND BELIEF

    (1:53:40) SECTION C - CENTRISM

    (2:23:47) SECTION D - ROOTS

    SHOW IMAGE

    Description: A graphic depicting a silhouette of the Thinking Man statue with a chaotic swarm of letters coming from the top of his head. The word “Heterodoxy” is written along the curve of his back.

    Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman | “thinker words thoughts mind white” image by Convegni_Ancisa via Pixabay (Pixabay license)

    Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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  • Air Date: 11-24-24
    Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Erin discuss:
    - A few sort of fun-ish news things because it's very necessary right now
    - A clear-eyed but concise take on why people voted the way they did
    - Why the hard right political philosophy and their lies are catching on, and what the left can do to stop the appeal

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    REFERENCES:
    Here’s Why I Decided To Buy ‘InfoWars’

    Alex Jones Is Trying to Halt the Sale of Infowars. Elon Musk’s X Just Got Involved in the Case.

    American Kakistocracy

    Yes, Trump's Defense Secretary Pick Pete Hegseth Once Said 'Germs Are Not a Real Thing'

    Americans Didn't Vote for What Donald Trump is About to Give Them

    A Modest Proposal: Let Trump Be Trump

    Steve Bannon Has Called His “Army” to Do Battle—No Matter Who Wins in November

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  • Air Date 11/20/2024

    We're in the phase where prejudice still exists but it has become socially unacceptable to openly express it - but to deny the impact on our politics just because people don't admit to their prejudice would be to completely misunderstand the nature of the issue.

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    KEY POINTS

    KP 1: The Racism of MAGA Is as American as Apple Pie Nina Turner on Trump & 2024 Election - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-31-24

    KP 2: Some Americans Are Already Living in Trump’s Purge - The New Abnormal - Air Date 10-1-24

    KP 3: Why You Shouldn't Buy the Election Narrative About Black Men - Reveal - Air Date 10-23-24

    KP 4: Trumps Nazi Rally at MSG Perfectly Reflected Republican Values - The New Abnormal - Air Date 10-29-24

    KP 5: “The Confederacy Won” Why Donald Trump’s Reelection Is a Win for White Supremacy, Xenophobia & Hate - Democracy Now! - Air Date 11-6-24

    KP 6: Trump campaign was built on 'hate' which has contributed to 'racial terror' NAACP exec - MSNBC - Air Date 11-8-24

    KP 7: The Hard Truth About Why Harris Was the Wrong Choice for America Part 1 - The New Abnormal - Air Date 11-6-24

    (51:52) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

    On the shifting landscape of social media

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    DEEPER DIVES

    (56:28) SECTION A - A MIRROR FOR AMERICA

    (1:25:17) SECTION B - WHITE SUPREMACY FOR THE WIN

    (1:49:19) SECTION C - REVERBERATION

    (2:09:22) SECTION D - WHAT NOW

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  • Air Date 11/15/2024

    Today’s episode is a remix of multiple past episodes but was inspired by one in particular from just back in July of this year, #1645, when we were making a point of demonstrating what a sham the idea of conservative economic populism is. Well, now that Trump has been reelected - seemingly because regular folks were hoping he’d fix the economy for them - we thought we’d take this moment to highlight the difference between right wing and left wing economic populism.

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    CHAPTERS

    1: How progressives need to frame their economic message - @theLFshow w: @GRITlaura Flanders - Air Date 12-29-14

    2: It’s time to stop relying on crisis legislation (with Lindsay Owens) - Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer - Air Date 8-4-20

    3: “He’s a Fake” Robert Kuttner on How J.D. Vance Disguises His Anti-Worker Views as Economic Populism - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-16-24

    4: JD Vance, Phony Populism on the Right, the Republican National Convention, and Democratic Party Messaging w Ben Burgis - Parallax Views - Air Date 7-22-24

    5: Europe's Circular Economy Action Plan - euronews - Air Date 11-24-20

    6: What is Economic Democracy? - The Next System Project - Air Date: 3-1-16

    7: Responding to Tim Scott & J.D. Vance on Poverty - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 7-16-24

    8: The Tragic Cost of American Child Poverty w: Jeff Madrick - The Majority Report w: Sam Seder - Air Date 10-7-20

    9: Dispelling some myths about worker coops - Economic Update w: @profwolff - Air Date 6-12-16

    10: Sean O'Brien faces criticism from Teamsters Vice President for RNC appearance - The Real News Network - Air Date 7-19-24

    11: Amsterdam's "doughnut economy" puts climate ahead of GDP - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 4-24-21

    MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

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  • Air Date 11/12/2024

    It's easy enough to look into one industry at a time to see what's going wrong, but today we're looking at what is so often lurking in the background of higher prices, lower quality goods and services, and, ultimately, many failing businesses: Private Equity.

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    KEY POINTS

    KP 1: Why Does Everyone Hate Private Equity? - The Plain Bagel - Air Date 9-20-24

    KP 2: How Private Equity Consumed America - Wendover Productions - Air Date 5-7-24

    KP 3: How private equity conquered America - The Chris Hedges Report - Air Date 3-1-24

    KP 4: Warren Calls for Ownership Transparency for Private Equity in Health Care - Senator Elizabeth Warren - Air Date 7-12-24

    KP 5: BlackRock: The Conspiracies You Don’t Know - More Perfect Union - Air Date 9-15-24

    (48:16) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

    On getting through this together

    DEEPER DIVES

    (53:11) SECTION A - HOW IT WORKS

    (1:30:42) SECTION B - POWER

    (2:03:28) SECTION C - SOLUTIONS

    SHOW IMAGE

    Description: The words “Private Equity” are typed out on paper on a clipboard, surrounded by $20 and $100 bills and a pair of glasses.

    Credit: “Private Equity” by Nick Youngson, Pix4free.org | License: CC BY-SA 3.0 | Changes: Slightly cropped

    Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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  • Air Date 11/8/2024

    The Best of the Left team holds a special post-election discussion available to all listeners to present the initial takes on the election as well as our own reactions and suggestions for how to move forward.

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    A few worthwhile reads that gave inspiration for some of our discussion:

    Democrats Blow Their Chance to Block Trump’s Resurgence - The Intercept (Discussing the Genocide in Gaza)

    Harris and the Democrats Committed to a Rightward Lurch — and Lost Big Time - Truthout (Courting moderate Republicans)

    Donald Trump’s Second Term Is Joe Biden’s Real Legacy - The New Yorker

    I’m a Gen Z man. Here’s why so many of my peers supported Donald Trump - Fast Company (Revenge of the Bros)

    This Time We Have to Hold the Democratic Party Elite Responsible for This Catastrophe - The Nation

    10 Ways We Can Prepare for Another Trump Presidency - Truthout

  • Air Date 11/5/2024

    There's big money in politics, and then there's 2024. The role and influence of billionaires have taken on new shapes and patterns as the threat of fascism has made itself undeniably known. From the candidate and campaigners to those acquiescing to the mere threat of power, billionaires are everywhere you look at this election season.

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    Full Show Notes | Transcript

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    KEY POINTS

    KP 1: Why Elon Musk Went Full MAGA - Reveal - Air Date 10-30-24

    KP 2: Elon Musks War on Workers - 5-4 - Air Date 10-29-24

    KP 3: Elon Musk Is SO Bad At This - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-3-24

    KP 4: The Trump White Supremacy Festival and Hootenanny - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 10-29-24

    KP 5: Ballots Burn in WA, OR; Billionaire WaPo, LATimes owners 'Obey in Advance - The BradCast - Air Date 10-28-24

    KP 6: The Trump White Supremacy Festival and Hootenanny Part 2 - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 10-29-24

    KP 7: How Trump could steal the election - Today, Explained - Air Date 10-29-24

    (00:54:26.000) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

    On how to feel about the road ahead

    DEEPER DIVES

    (00:59:57.000) SECTION A - DEMOCRACY DYING IN DAYLIGHT

    A1: Ballots Burn in WA, OR; Billionaire WaPo, LATimes owners 'Obey in Advance Part 2 - The BradCast - Air Date 10-28-24

    A2: TYT Explodes Over Calling Trump 'Fascist' - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-1-24

    (01:17:32.000) SECTION B - ACTUAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE

    (01:39:40.000) SECTION C - ELON MUSK THE BILLIONAIRE

    (02:04:16.000) SECTION D - TRUMP THE FASCIST

    MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

    Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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  • Air Date 11/2/2024

    The cult of Trump isn't just about Trump, it's religion and patriarchy reacting to a moment of global economic and climactic instability. But those organizing the religious right aren't just reacting to their environment, they've also been planning for a very long time.

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    KEY POINTS

    KP 1: Extremist White Christian Nationalists Prepping For War w Brad Onishi - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-16-24

    KP 2: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation - Ideas - Air Date 10-18-24

    KP 3: MAGA's 'Young Male Voter' Plan Hits Bottom Of The Barrel - The Majority Report - Air Date 10-22-24

    KP 4: JD Vance Joins Lance Wallnau in Spiritual Warfare - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 10-14-24

    KP 5: Ziklag Exposed Secretive Christian Nationalist Network Tries to Purge Voters in Battleground States - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-30-24

    KP 6: Spirit & Power Episode 4 Take Back that Which Was Stolen from Us The Charismatic Rituals of the Religious Right - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 10-17-24

    KP 7: Unfcking Flashback The American Propaganda Machine. - UNFTR - Air Date 10-12-24

    (54:31) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

    On susceptibility to manipulation

    DEEPER DIVES

    (59:43) SECTION A - THE MOVEMENT

    (1:18:09) SECTION B - TRUMP AND ELECTION

    (1:36:04) SECTION C - PATRIARCHY AND RACE

    (1:55:36) SECTION D - AMERICAN CHRISTIAN

    SHOW IMAGE

    Description: A woman with blonde hair wears a Trump campaign flag as a cape while praying on her knees with both arms in the air.

    Credit: “Fascism Worship”, 2016, by Johnny Silvercloud, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Increased brightness and contrast

    Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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  • Air Date: 10-31-24
    Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss:
    - How neoliberalism is fucking up renewable energy transitions
    - Marketing and why the viral Stanley Cup never should have gone viral
    - How big tech is heavily surveilling school kids without any oversight
    - How the fossil fuel industry has infiltrated higher education

    BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)

    REFERENCES:
    Germany’s Green Transition Is Faltering

    This $23 Stanley Cup Accessory Fixes Your Biggest Complaint About the Tumbler

    How the ex-marketing whiz behind Crocs helped turn Stanley into the "it" cup

    How the Stanley Cup Went Viral

    School Surveillance Earns Tech Companies Billions. Students Pay the Price.

    Here’s How the Fossil Fuel Industry Infiltrates and Influences Higher Education

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    Produced by:
    Jay! Tomlinson
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  • Air Date 10/29/2024

    Trump has only come close to perfecting the grift of the American conservative, he certainly didn't invent the strategy. Today we look at some current and past grifts and explore why they work.

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    KEY POINTS

    KP 1: GRIFT-GOBLIN Donald Trump is Selling HILARIOUSLY CRAPPY Gold Watches Now!!! - Jesse Dollemore - Air Date 9-27-24

    KP 2: The "Dirtbag of the Internet" and Trump's Crypto Project - Bloomberg Technology - Air Date 9-13-24

    KP 3: Controlling the Weather and Eating Pets: Expert Breaks Down Disinformation - Amanpour and Company - Air Date 10-18-24

    KP 4: Down the Rabbit Hole w/ Naomi Klein - The Dig - Air Date 10-8-24

    KP 5: Media Literacy Can't Save Us Part 1 - Dummy - Air Date 10-7-24

    KP 6: How did grifters like Trump take over the GOP? - The Bunker - Air Date 9-25-24

    (48:03) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

    On the scam of political fundraising

    DEEPER DIVES

    (56:06) SECTION A - GRIFT

    A1: Russell Brand Has A New Grift - Novara Media - Air Date 10-16-24

    A2: GRIFTER-CON Morons Did Not Disappoint - The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder - Air Date 10-1-24

    A3: Russell Brand And The Conspiracy Grift - Media Matters - Air Date 1-2-24

    A4: Some Grifters Who Finally Faced Consequences – SOME MORE NEWS -Air Date 9-25-24

    (1:28:27) SECTION B - SCAMS

    (1:50:18) SECTION C - CONSPIRACY

    (2:19:48) SECTION D - MISINFORMATION

    SHOW IMAGE

    Description: Graphic showing a large pile of triangular warning signs with the word “SCAM” inside.

    Credit: “traffic-signs-attention-notice” by Gerald, Pixabay | License: Pixabay

    Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

    Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com