Boondoggle

In this episode, Chris, Sasha, and Jim explore the limits of their optimism regarding the election, discussing the significance of the high levels of early voting, the gratifying spectacle of Republicans beginning to distance themselves from Trump, and the prospects for the Senate. Follow us on Bluesky and Substack  

In this episode, Chris and Jim discuss some more general trends in US politics and culture that are feeding into the election cycle, and wonder how optimistic we should be about the deep cultural changes that societies around the world appear to be going through. They also spend a little bit of time talking about the impact of the Covid's sudden appearance at the White House. For a video that...

Recorded slightly later in the week than normal in order to allow for discussion of the first debate between Trump and Biden, this episode looks at the impact, if any, of that debate, the revelations from the New York Times about Trump's tax affairs (see the original article here ) and whether the imminent appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court will have the impact Trump appear...

With Sasha unable to make the recording (since he was busy writing this article ), Chris and Jim have a wide ranging discussion. The supreme court is on their minds, of course, with comparisons made  to previous nomination battles and potential reforms of the court canvassed (many of which mirrored in this interesting leader from the Washington Post ), but they also talk about Trump's unhinge...

In this episode, we begin by discussing the latest depredation or the post office, before moving on to the crazy week that has just transpired, culminating in Trump's illegal rally in Nevada. We finish with a slightly more abstract discussion about why people fall for conspiracy theories. Sasha's piece in the Nation this week can be found here - https://www.thenation.com/article/politics...

In this episode, Sasha, Chris, and Jim discuss Sasha's latest article for the Nation, which explains how activists are organising in response to prospective election chaos. They also discuss Trump's call for his followers to vote twice. Chris remembers what happened when they first proposed flouride in the water and Sasha thinks back to the late 80s rave scene. You can read Sasha's...

In this episode, with Sasha unable to make the recording, Chris and Jim discuss Watergate, the 1980 election, and other events from US political history with a view to their parallels to today's situation. Much of the discussion is prompted by Jim's reading Rick Perlstein's book The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan (available as an e-book here - https://www...

In this episode, Sasha, Chris, and Jim try their level best to avoid discussing the Republican National Convention, before moving on to discuss how the recent shenanigans at the USPS reveal the insidious role of big money interests in US politics. and the way in which American democracy is on a knife-edge. As Chris says at the end, 'We may already be living in the bardo'. (I had to look...

In this episode, recorded during and ongoing heatwave in Sacramento, Sasha, Chris, and Jim discuss media reactions in the UK and the US to Trump's attacks on the USPS, and their possible impact on the election. They then go on to discuss Republicans at the Democratic National Convention, and the chances of Biden implementing what is shaping up to be a surprisingly progressive platform. You ca...

In this episode, Chris, Jim, and Sasha discuss Trump's recent Covid-related executive orders, an analogy from the end of the Soviet Union, and some breaking news (from Tuesday!). There is also some brief discussion of Slavoj Zizek (not a sentence I ever expected to write) regarding his 2016 views on the electoral contest between Trump and Clinton. See this recent article in the Irish Times fo...

In this episode, Sasha, Chris and Jim discuss what the 2020 election might look like, the role of power in politics, and several colourful metaphors for the current moment. You can find the Steven Lukes book discussed by Sasha at  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Radical-View-Steven-Lukes/dp/0333420926 , and Lukes himself discuss these ideas at  https://philosophybites.libsyn.com/steven-lukes-on-pow...

The first in a series running weekly until November, Jim Driscoll, Sasha Abramsky, and Chris Floyd discuss the overlapping crises facing America in 2020 and the importance of the upcoming election. Chris Floyd has been a journalist and columnist for nearly forty years and has written for the Nation, the Moscow Times, and Il Manifesto (Italy), amongst others. He currently writes a monthly column fo...