Left Anchor

In this preview we discuss the history of McCarthyism and why conservatives are trying to re-created with their fake version of CRT. Subscribe now to hear the rest!

In this episode we talked to Professor Harvey Kaye to talk about his book Thomas Paine and the Promise of America . We discuss how Paine ended up in America, his role in the French Revolution, and how he is likely the author of the hottest and most powerful take in American history. Enjoy!

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Today we've got historian Eric Rauchway on talk about his new book Why the New Deal Matters . We discuss how New Deal projects and programs shape our everyday life for good and ill to this day, how Eleanor Roosevelt was such a badass, why a Green New Deal is so relevant and necessary, the political value of activist government, and more. Enjoy!

Today we've got historian Chelsea Chamberlain on to talk about her recent paper " Challenging Custodialism ," about the history of an institution for disabled folks called Elwyn (still in operation). The Nursing Clio article mentioned in the episode can be found here . Also reach out if you'd like to read a copy of the paper. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Today we've got Astra Taylor on to talk about her new essay collection, Remake the World: Essays, Reflections, Rebellions . We talk about the student debt crisis, the politics of refugees, what she calls "fauxtomation," and more! Links to things we discussed: the Debt Collective (which has so far erased some $2 billion in student debt!), Astra's short documentary You Are Not a Loan , and her previ...

In this excerpt, we discuss the strange trajectory of The Intercept's co-founder. Subscribe now to listen to the rest of the episode ! 

We've got some requests to unlock this episode, so here you go! It's a briefer discussion just from Ryan on two articles about the history and current state of the American semiconductor industry, why understanding the details of the production process matter for socialists, and then some talk about the bad state of diplomatic relations between China and the US. Enjoy!

Franklin D. Roosevelt: America's first social justice warrior?? Subscribe now to hear the full episode !

Pete Davis comes on the show to talk about his book Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing . We talk about the value of committing to social institutions, Pink Floyd, whether tradition is really conservative, the devious politics of the self-help industry, and more. Enjoy!

How did an English corset-maker end up writing the most powerful take of all time? Subscribe now to find out!

Austin has seen a major campaign away from the criminalization of homelessness over the last two years. But that effort is running into a backlash , and there will be a city referendum on May 1st to determine if the reforms will be overturned. We've got organizer Chris Harris on to talk about the fight for homeless justice, how the reform efforts have played out, and the state of the referendum ca...

Today we've got historian Gabe Raeburn to discuss his recent article The Rise and Fall of Marxist Perspectives: Eugene Genovese and the Fight for Hegemony in Radical American Historiography . This was an ambitious left-wing historical journal that aimed to unite various warring factions on the left and push Marx-inflected history, but collapsed after just two years thanks to Genovese's compulsive...

Friend of the pod David Kaib has been conducting multiple reading groups of the classic book Poor People's Movements: Why They Succeed and How They Fail , by Francis Fox Piven and Richard Cloward, over the past year. The book has perhaps never been more relevant given the the historic protests over police brutality, the coronavirus pandemic, and economic inequality of late. We talk about what less...

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Today we've got Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Dr. Micah Johnson on to talk about their new book Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide . We talk about what the pandemic revealed about the broken American health care system, and how universal Medicare could fix both the immediate problem and help us be more prepared for future heath disasters. Abdul's newsletter The Incision can be found here .

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Why did the Texas electricity system collapse during the recent cold snap? We've got Kate Aronoff, co-author of A Planet to Win and sole author of the forthcoming book Overheated , on to discuss what went wrong. It turns out that carbon power is screwing up human society in basically every imaginable way, who knew? Enjoy!

Today we've got writer John Ganz on to discuss what relationship fascism has to Trump and the U.S. far right, and the bizarre spectacle of people trying to work up a red-brown alliance. (This has not worked out well in the past!) Check out John's Substack here .

Thanks to popular demand, we are unlocking this one. We've got Doug Henwood , author of the excellent book Wall Street , on to talk about GAMESTONK and what it all means. While it may be funny to see a couple hedge funds getting pantsed by Reddit, the fact is that financial speculation is no way to provide material security to the working class.

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We've got Mike on to discuss Freedom from the Market , a great book that examines how the "free" market has in fact been a source of tyranny and oppression throughout American history, and how Americans have mobilized in many since-forgotten ways to expand their freedom by protecting themselves from the market. Enjoy!

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Today we are hoisting up an episode from the archives in celebration of MLK Day. We discuss King's advocacy of democratic socialism and his argument that civil rights were inadequate without an equal share of economic production. Then we turn to his foreign policy views, including his speech attacking the Vietnam War , and how his argument for a brotherhood of nations is more vital than ever in th...

Today we're bringing back Peter Cole to talk about the second edition of his book Ben Fletcher: The Life and Times of a Black Wobbly . Fletcher was one of the most impressive labor organizers of the early 20th century -- a guy who successfully organized the very diverse workforce of the Philadelphia docks into one of the keystone unions of the IWW. If you've heard of Fred Hampton, you should know...