Tue, 29 January 2019
Air Date: 1/29/2019 Today we take a look at the planned chaos and fever dream governing style cooked up by the radical, anti-government conservatives running the country, otherwise known as the shutdown Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors: Privacy.com/Best| Madison-Reed.com+ Promo Code: Left | WearPact.com+ Promo Code: BestoftheLeft Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Trump will take the blame - @offkiltershow - Air Date 1-9-19 We break down everything you need to know about the shutdown with Sam Berger It's not a "government shutdown", it's a liberal government shutdown––or, more precisely, a backdoor rightwing coup. Our words should reflect that. Ch. 3: The First Shutdown - Planet Money - Air Date 1-15-19 In 1879, Congress and the President were locked in a battle over the rights of African-Americans. It led to the first government shutdown. Ch. 4: Why the shutdown hits the poor the hardest - @tmbsfm with @_michaelbrooks - Air Date 1-14-19 We break down the government shutdown affects the working-class and how government welfare programs regulate the poor. We discuss how the discourse around the shutdown takes for granted that government functions like the military are sacrosanct, while government functions that provide services to the poor must constantly be justified and deliberately funded. Trump’s government shutdown is seriously impacting national parks, federal scientific research, public health and safety. Ch. 7: Fact-checking Trump’s Shutdown - Mother Jones - Air Date 1-22-19 Host Jamilah King is joined by Angie Drobnic Holan, the editor of Politifact, to help you separate fact from fiction as the shutdown continues. Ch. 8: The politics of government shutdowns - Past/Present - Air Date 1-29-18 The history of government shutdowns. Ch. 9: Norm Ornstein on the nihilism of the anti-government right - Diane Rehm Show - Air Date 1-17-19 The government shutdown, week four. Diane talks to longtime political analyst Norm Ornstein, one of the most prolific chroniclers of Washington's descent into partisan dysfunction. Ch.10: This is planned chaos - Gaslit Nation - Air Date 1-8-19 We discuss the cornered panicked criminal in the White House, the dangerous vulnerabilities of Trump’s shutdown and his American carnage TV ratings grab. FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 11: Final comments on idealism, pragmatism and chasms MUSIC(Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1245_Shutdown_Air_Date_1-29-19_-_1-29-19_11.25.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am EDT |
Fri, 25 January 2019
Air Date: 1/25/2019 Today we take a look at the past and present of our immigration system to understand the paradigms within which the entire debate takes place Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors: Privacy.com/Best| Blinkist.com/Best| Madison-Reed.com+ Promo Code: Left | WearPact.com+ Promo Code: BestoftheLeft Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon! SHOW NOTES “The United States is a nation of immigrants.” It’s a phrase we hear constantly – often said with the best of intentions and, in today’s increasingly cruel environment, meant as a strong rebuke of Donald Trump Ch. 2: Rethinking Migration with Aziz Rana Part 1 - The Dig from @jacobinmag - Air Date 1-8-19 To understand the origins of the immigration politics in general and the criminalization of Mexican immigrants in particular, we must explode these categories, identify their origins, and analyze the history that preceded them. Historian Greg Grandin lays out the nativist roots of the U.S. Border Patrol, its connection to CIA dirty wars in Latin America, and nearly 100-years of brutality and impunity. Jacqueline Bhabha joins Peter B. Collins for this week’s WhoWhatWhy podcast. Bhabha is a professor of health and human rights at the School of Public Health, research director at the FXB Center, and lectures at Harvard Law and the Kennedy School. She is an Ch. 5: Jeh Johnson speaks out on separating immigrant families - Cape Up - Air Date 6-25-18 As the Trump Administration grapples with a crisis of its own making Jeh Johnson, former Secretary of Homeland Security tells us about what happened when he faced separating children from their parents. As President Trump claims that he can end birthright citizenship in the United States, we speak with professor Martha Jones about the history of the 14th Amendment Ch. 7: Rethinking Migration with Aziz Rana Part 2 - The Dig from @jacobinmag - Air Date 1-8-19 To understand the origins of the immigration politics in general and the criminalization of Mexican immigrants in particular, we must explode these categories, identify their origins, and analyze the history that preceded them. VOICEMAILS Ch. 8: PostScript on America's policy on socialism and communism - Erin from Philadelphia FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 9: Final comments proposing a compromise between progressives and conservatives MUSIC(Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1244_Immigration_Air_Date_1-25-19_-_1-25-19_13.03.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00am EDT |
Tue, 22 January 2019
Air Date: 1/22/2019 Today we take a look at socialism in America from our often violent response to the concept in the wake of the Russian Revolution through the recent revival in interest driven primarily by the younger generation today Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors: Privacy.com/Best| Madison-Reed.com+ Promo Code: Left | WearPact.com+ Promo Code: BestoftheLeft Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Red Dawn Americans and the Bolshevik Revolution - @BackStory - Air Date 11-9-17 One hundred years ago, Vladimir Lenin and his Bolshevik Party seized power in a revolution that would change the world. Today we explore how that distant revolution had an immediate impact in the United States. Ch. 2: What the Russian Revolution Proved Possible - Empire Files - Air Date 12-18-17 To understand the context of this first socialist experiment, how it happened and what caused the many problems it faced, Abby Martin sits down with Brian Becker, a long-time socialist organizer. Ch. 3: America’s Unofficial Religion - The War On An Idea Part 1 - Empire Files - Air Date 11-27-17 Everyone in the United States knows that “socialist” or “communist” is considered a bad word. How did things get that way? Abby Martin explores the history of anti-communism in America and the heavy repression of an idea that became an unofficial religion Ch. 4: "Socialism" in the Air - On the Media - Air Date 7-27-18 The word "socialism" has been trending, appearing on op-ed pages, FOX News, ABC's The View and beyond. In this word watch, Bob speaks with another self-described socialist, Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan Robinson Ch. 5: Americans are ready for socialism - @ThisIsHellRadio - Air Date 3-13-18 Columnist Elizabeth Bruenig looks beyond the failures of liberalism, to the possibilities of socialism. Elizabeth wrote the op-ed “It’s time to give socialism a try” at the Washington Post. In this interview with Professor of Economics Emeritus (University of Massachusetts), Marxist economist and founder of Democracy at Work, Richard D. Wolff, we talk to him about Capitalism and Socialism. Ch. 7: Why Are People Talking About Socialism? with Paul Jay - @TheRealNews - Air Date 1-2-19 Explaining why socialisms time may have come - the failures of capitalism Prof. Richard Wolff explains some tenets of how a modern socialists system could work Ch. 9: America’s Unofficial Religion The War On An Idea Part 2 - Empire Files - Air Date 11-27-17 Capitalism can no longer compare itself with the dysfunctional Soviet Union but can only be compared to itself and it's failures Bonus Clips: Fox & Friends Have TOTAL Meltdown Over Socialism - Majority Report (@MajorityFM) - Air Date 8-6-18 FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 10: Final comments wrapping up conservative arguments against socialist programs MUSIC(Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1243_Socialism_Air_Date_1-22-19_-_1-22-19_11.14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT |
Fri, 18 January 2019
Air Date: 1/18/2019 Today we take a look at the groundwork for a Green New Deal as it's being laid and the fight that is heating up around the policies, not just between political parties but between the separate wings (and generations) of the Democratic Party Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors: Madison-Reed.com+ Promo Code: Left | WearPact.com+ Promo Code: BestoftheLeft Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Why We Need a Green New Deal, According to Robert Reich | Op-Ed - NowThis - Air Date 12-18-18 Here's one of the best arguments for why we need to invest in clean energy jobs now. We spoke with The Democracy Collaborative’s own Johanna Bozuwa, the Sierra Club’s Anthony Torres, and Sunrise Movement Co-Founder Evan Weber to explore the economic and social ramifications of a Green New Deal Ch. 3: The Green New Deal enjoys bipartisan support. For now. - @GreenNewsReport - Air Date 12-20-18 Polls show Americans waking up to climate change and the Green New Deal Ch. 4: The Green New Deal with Kate Aronoff - The Dig from @jacobinmag - Air Date 12-26-18 An ecologically sustainable response to the climate crisis must definitionally also be a socially and economically just one: something like a Green New Deal, a broad vision that climate activists and left insurgent politicians are uniting behind. Ch. 5: The Green New Deal and the shift to a new economy - @TheNextSystem Project - Air Date 12-11-18 We spoke with The Democracy Collaborative’s own Johanna Bozuwa, the Sierra Club’s Anthony Torres, and Sunrise Movement Co-Founder Evan Weber to explore the economic and social ramifications of a Green New Deal Nancy Pelosi is facing criticism from some climate activists for failing to back a Green New Deal. Pelosi formed of a Select Committee on the Climate Crisis but the committee is far weaker than what backers of a Green New Deal had envisioned. Ch. 7: The Shift To Biosphere Consciousness - Sustainable Human - Air Date 5-26-18 We must begin to think, organize, and act from a biosphere consciousness if life as we know it will continue to exist. We are in the midst of the greatest transition upon which humanity has ever embarked. How will you respond? Ch. 8: Climate and Change in Congress - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 1-10-19 Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, discusses her group's opposition to fossil fuel financing and the effort to create a Green New Deal. VOICEMAILS Ch. 9: Understanding political correctness - Zach from Atlanta Ch. 10: A progressive foreign policy would be more trade-based - Abdul from DC FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 11: Final comments on how political correctness, by today’s definition, is really just another form of politeness and works in pretty much the same way FOR READING/SHARING: With A Green New Deal, Here's What the World Could Look Like For the Next Generation(The Intercept) The Democratic Party Wants to Make Climate Policy Exciting(The Atlantic) Green New Deal has overwhelming bipartisan support, poll finds. At least, for now.(Grist) The Green New Deal, explained(Vox) The Earth is in a death spiral. It will take radical action to save us(The Guardian) MUSIC(Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1242_Green_New_Deal_Air_Date_1-18-19_-_1-17-19_21.25.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT |
Tue, 15 January 2019
Air Date: 1/15/2019 Today we take a look at the history and mechanics of US empire and the military-industrial-congressional complex that gleefully perpetuates it. Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors: Madison-Reed.com+ Promo Code: Left Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Weapons industry lobbies for more weapons - CounterSpin (@FAIRmediawatch) - Air Date 3-9-18 Janine Jackson takes a quick look back at recent press, including coverage of Russia as an excuse for even more military spending. Nikhil Pal Singh sketches three arcs of U.S. history that have yielded the durable commitments to racism, militarism, and unequal class power that have sharpened over the past two decades. Ch. 3: Average US Taxpayer Spends $3,456 A Year On War - @theyoungturks - Air Date: 04-22-18 We’re being fleeced so our oligarchs can profit from murder. Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks, breaks it down. Ch. 4: John Michael Greer: Empires as a wealth pump - Extraenvironmentalist - Air Date 9-1-14 With its empire in decline, the United States is no longer the world’s dominant superpower. Stuck in the idea of international control, it continues to maintain military reach at the expense of long-term economic health. Guest: John Michael Greer Ch. 5: Pentagon FLUNKS Audit They Never Expected to Pass - @RingOfFireRadio - Air Date 12-1-18 Dave Lindorff, a contributor for The Nation, joins Ring of Fire’s Sam Seder, to talk about how the Pentagon failed an audit due to problems they weren't interested in fixing. Ch. 6: Pentagon: US Empire 'Collapsing,' So Give Us More Money - @TheRealNews - Air Date 7-29-17 A new Pentagon study says the U.S. may be losing its dominant position in world affairs and that the DoD needs a "wakeup call"--but Col. Lawrence Wilkerson says the report is really about using fear to drum up more money for the military Jeremy Scahill analyzes Trump’s U.N. speech and gives context to the seldom-discussed bipartisan support for much of Trump’s global agenda. VOICEMAILS Ch. 8: Thoughts on internationalism - Erin from Philadelphia Ch. 9: We don't honor anyone who we should - Marguerite from Fortuna, CA FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 10: Final comments on the honor we should but don’t show MUSIC:
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1241_Empire_Air_Date_1-15-19_-_1-14-19_13.31.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT |
Fri, 11 January 2019
Air Date: 1/11/2019 Today we take a look at the small-D anti-democratic power grabs implemented by many GOP-led legislatures during the lame-duck session with the explicit intention of subverting the will of the voters and the most significant democracy reform bill since the Watergate era meant to help restore eroded democratic norms that was introduced by the new Congress' House Democrats as their first order of business. Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors: Madison-Reed.com+ Promo Code: Left Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon!
SHOW NOTES Paul Rosenberg helps explain the naked, anti-Democratic power grabs by many GOP legislators in the wake of the 2018 election. They rely on a lack of public awareness, abetted by a lack of media sunlight. In Michigan, GOPers are jamming through last-minute legislation to block the reforms voters had adopted to expand voting rights. Jane, Ezra, and Matt talk about state-level GOP power grabs Ch. 4: Subversions of democracy are aimed at harming the poor - @offkiltershow - Air Date 12-5-18 The recent anti-democratic power grabs from the GOP aren't just reprehensible in principle but are especially horrific as they target the poor. In North Carolina, the GOP-controlled legislature is hypocritically ramming through new Photo ID voting restrictions, even with the state in the midst of a massive GOP absentee ballot election fraud scandal in the state’s 9th Congressional district. Ch. 6: The roots of America's democracy problem - Ezra Klein from Vox - Air Date 11-20-18 What happens when American politics just doesn’t seem fair? Voting rights activists are hailing a new House bill that aims to restore voting rights to millions, crack down on the influence of dark money in politics and restore the landmark Voting Rights Act. The bill has been dubbed the For the People Act. Ch. 8: HR 1: The Historic Bill No One Is Talking About - Equal Citizens - Air Date 12-31-18 Watch as Lessig invokes the memory of Doris "Granny D" Haddock to illustrate just how significant HR 1 (and the fight to get it passed) will be. VOICEMAILS Ch. 9: Gregorian calendar in use due to colonization - Anonymous Ch. 10: How do we facilitate the movement of people to the left? + The shutdown is a ripoff - Laura from Alameda, CA FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 11: Final comments MUSIC:
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1240_Subverting_Democracy_Air_Date_1-11-19_-_1-10-19_19.23.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT |
Tue, 8 January 2019
Air Date: 1/8/2019 Today we take a look at the burgeoning call for progressivism to look beyond national borders to create policies, solidarity and power that spans, unified, across the world. Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors: Madison-Reed.com+ Promo Code: Left Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Progressive International Progressives of the world unite; you have nothing to lose but your chains. Adam Tooze, a professor at Columbia University, on a reinterpretation of the 2008 financial crisis, explaining this was not just a problem that started in the US but was a global problem: the first real crisis of the global age. Michael Walzer argues that a foreign policy for the left has to begin with internationalism, and with the choice of comrades abroad. His new book is A Foreign Policy for the Left. Doug Henwood explains the bitcoin craze, and then ex-finance minister of Greece Yanis Varoufakis ties up some loose ends on Adults in the Room and discusses the need for a progressive internationalism. Right-wing authoritarians have been coordinating political campaigns and disrupting elections across national boundaries—a project masterminded by Steve Bannon. It’s time now for the left to reclaim its tradition of internationalism. Ch. 6: Naomi Klein: How shocking events can spark positive change - @TEDTalks - Air Date 3-7-18 Naomi Klein shares a few propositions from "The Leap" -- a manifesto which envisions a world after we've already made the transition to a clean economy and a much fairer society. VOICEMAILS Ch. 7: Learning from 2009 and shifting our focus to the local level - V from Central New York FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 8: Final comments on thinking globally and acting locally MUSIC:
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1239_Left_Internationalism_Air_Date_1-8-19_-_1-7-19_18.55.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT |
Fri, 4 January 2019
Air Date: 1/4/2018 Today we take a look back at the year 2009 in our annual 10-years-past retrospective to see what we may learn. Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
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SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: One last jab at Bush - Wait Wait Don't Tell Me
FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 33: Final comments on what happened to me and the show in 2009, plus what we used to call "Tweeting"
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1238_Retrospective_2009_Air_Date_1-4-19_-_1-4-19_19.20.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00pm EDT |
Wed, 2 January 2019
Air Date: 1/4/2012 Today, From WCPT Radio, Playwright W. C. Turk, producer Greg Alexander and the Occupy Players we hear a presentation of Occupy My Heart: A Revolutionary Christmas Carol Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Alexa Devices | +more Check out the BotL iOS/Android App in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: Rerun_562_Occupy_Air_Date_1-4-12_Ad_Free_-_1219_13.15.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT |