Left Anchor

This time we bring on special guest Mehdi Hasan, a columnist at The Intercept where he also hosts the fantastic " Deconstructed " podcast. We discuss the media circus around the Mueller report, and what to do about the worldwide plague of white supremacist terrorism. (Mehdi also gives us a lesson in how a real radio pro sounds, enjoy!) 

In this excerpt from our latest bonus episode , we talk the imperial politics of the film Black Panther.

This time we bring on Pat Garofalo to talk about his new book The Billionaire Boondoggle: How Our Politicians Let Corporations and Bigwigs Steal Our Money and Jobs . It's a great read, digging into the wretched practice of corporations extracting bribes to move factories to communities -- which surprisingly doesn't even change the business decision most of the time. Enjoy! Remember if you'd like a...

This time we bring on Jon aka " The Lit Crit Guy " to talk about the concept of Gothic Marxism, how horror can reveal underlying social pathologies, and the use (or lack thereof) of theory in politics writ large. You can find his Horror Vanguard podcast here . We had a couple unfortunate technical snags, but the audio is mostly fine. Enjoy!

This time we explore the differences between neoliberalism, Brandeisianism, social democracy, and democratic socialism, and which presidential candidates represent each tradition (if any). In the process we inexpertly riff on Jeff Foxworthy's signature comedy bit , so send in your submissions if you can think of better examples. The FDR biography Ryan mentions is this two - part work by Roger Dani...

This time we bring on activist and scholar David Kaib to discuss Martin Luther King's famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail , and Iris Marion Young's essay " Activist Challenges to Deliberative Democracy ." We talk about the intersection between democratic theory and practice, and the conditions under which it may become necessary to set aside debate and break the law to achieve justice. (Also note...

We're taking this one out from behind the paywall for a special occasion (and a sample of what you can find as a paying customer ). This time we continue our discussion from the last episode with Cornell Law professor Robert Hockett , Green New Deal adviser to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. We talk more broadly about climate change, politics, and moral philosophy.

This time we talk about the Green New Deal with Robert Hockett, a Cornell law professor and policy adviser of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. We discuss the basic objectives of aggressive climate policy, the policy mechanics thereof, and the political foundations of climate policy. This interview went long, so we'll be breaking it up into two parts -- stay tuned for the next episode!

Here's a preview of our latest episode -- available now on Patreon !

This time we bring on Peter Cole , a historian at Western Illinois University, to talk about his new book Dockworker Power: Race and Activism in Durban and the San Francisco Bay Area . We discuss the fascinating history of militant dockworker labor unions in the U.S. and South Africa, and how they have pushed for a truly international and egalitarian politics. (Unfortunately due to a technical gli...

For the second episode in our Black History Month series, we look at W.E.B. Du Bois, and especially his groundbreaking history of Reconstruction.

This time we bring on Patrick Iber , a historian specializing in Latin America. We discuss the dismal internal situation in Venezuela, Trump's proposed imperialist aggression, and how the American left should think about it all. It's a tricky but still worthwhile topic.

Here's an excerpt of our latest bonus episode, available now on Patreon!    

This time we have on Vanessa Bee , a writer, editor, and podcaster for Current Affairs . We discuss the contrasting perspectives of the nature of white privilege with Martin Luther King, Jr and James Baldwin on one side, and Ta-Nehisi Coates on the other. Then we turn to the presidential candidacy of Kamala Harris, and her checkered record as both a fierce prosecutor of small-time criminals (even...

Here's a quick excerpt of our latest bonus episode, available right now on Patreon !

This time we talk to longtime Democratic Party activist, political writer, and current congressional staffer Dante Atkins. We discuss the evolution of the party's internal thinking, how it actually functions on the inside, whether or not the new crop of Democratic lefty freshmen are learning the ins and outs of congressional procedure. He also teaches us how to speak the first line of the Odyssey...

In this episode we discuss how profitable America's imperial machinery really is for the average American schlub (using import statistics from the Federal Reserve and the Census , h/t Matt Bruenig), related articles on the myth of the labor aristocracy, and finally AOC's amusing tax policy weekend.  

In our holiday special, we delve into Judith Butler's Adorno Prize Lecture from September 11, 2012 entitled "Can One Lead a Good Life in a Bad Life?" as a framework for better understanding the significance and political function of social movements such as the Yellow Vests, #BlackLivesMatter, and Occupy.  

In this episode, we bring back world champion guest Jeff Spross to discuss Ross Douthat's argument against meritocracy , Bernard Yack's review of Bernard Manin's book The Principles of Representative Government, and finally Helen Andrews' case for aristocracy .

This time we interview the Washington Post columnist Greg Sargent, who has a new book out called An Uncivil War . We discuss how to save American democracy, the fecklessness of Democratic Party elites, and much more. [Also, check out Ryan's review of Greg's new book] 

Folks have been asking about this, and here it is: patreon.com/leftanchor . We'll be publishing two episodes per week, one for patrons and one for free. If you feel like that's worth $5 a month, or want to support ad-free lefty media in a dark time for journalism, we'd be much obliged if you could pitch in to support the show. The first Patreon episode is already here , so you can check it out rig...

In the second part of our interview with University of Bath philosopher Brad Evans (don't miss part I !) we discuss the characteristics and functions of fascism, and how it may or may not apply to current political developments.

This is the first of a two-part interview of Brad Evans , a philosopher and critical theorist who specializes in violence at the University of Bath. We discuss the politics and the spectacle of violence, and how they have evolved under neoliberalism. Stay tuned for the second part, coming soon!

In this episode from the archive, we discuss dueling takes on whether the rise of democratic socialism in DSA and elsewhere is Taking Democracy Too Far (from friend of the pod Conor Friedersdorf ) or is Actually, Harming Democracy (from other friend of the pod Sheri Berman ). Apologies for the holiday break, but we've got another special interview coming up this weekend, keep your eyes peeled!

Today we have a very special episode! It's entirely dedicated to an interview with Franklin Bynum, the Judge-elect of Harris County Criminal Court #8, a Houston DSA member who walloped his Republican opponent in the 2018 midterms. We discuss how he came to run for the office, what it's like being a socialist in Houston, how leftists can use elected office to improve the country, and his tips for p...