Neon Liberalism

The reactionary right is in ascendance in the Trump administration. It's easy to dismiss them as a cabal of incoherent fools scrambling for Trump's ear. But there is a deeper philosophy animating their political project: one based on a longing for an imagined aristocratic past, a craving for hierarchy and certainty, and simultaneously a deeply ambivalent relation to modernity. Samantha is...

Are Trump's tariffs a personal madness, or a response to deeper dysfunctions in the world trade system? Yes. Join Samantha and guest Steven Randy Waldman as we talk about why global trade has become so imbalanced, what kinds of dysfunctions that creates, and why a tax on the flow of capital rather than goods is a policy to work towards. The takeaway: it's still John Maynard Keynes' wor...

Amidst escalating ICE raids, lawless deportations, and the horror of CECOT, immigration has moved to the center of American politics. Join Samantha and guest Adam Gurri, editor-in-chief of Liberal Currents, as we talk about the ground truth: policing immigrants requires restricting the freedoms of citizens. Authoritarianism for the out-group inevitably trends towards authoritarianism for the in-gr...

Join Samantha and guest Talia Bhatt as they discuss the state of feminism under Trump II, the enduring relevance of radical feminist ideas, and the uses and abuses of intersectionality in contemporary leftist thought.

Join Samantha and guest Kevin J. Elliott as we talk about the history of democracy as a form of government, why it has no longer has any competitors, and how the structure of our democracy has nevertheless become a site of political contestation. Elliott also swings for the fences and offers some deep reforms we need to restore fairness and competition to our system—a fascinating conversation!

Join Samantha and guest Ned Resnikoff as they discuss why Americans are so cynical about politics—and how a movement that began with the goal of returning control to the people has spiraled into the opposite outcome. Along the way they talk Robert Moses, "citizen voice" politics, how free markets and functional governments support each other—and why we have neither of them in America tod...

Join Samantha and guest Will Stancil as they talk the vexed question of whether politics is driven by merely material conditions, ask why tyrants are obsessed with their own popularity, and assess why the Democratic budget standoff fizzled while Chris Van Hollen's trip to El Salvador broke through—and shifted public opinion on Trump's immigration policies. Link to Stancil's essay, refe...

Join Samantha and guest Professor Anna Law as they talk about the exploding constitutional crisis over Donald Trump's deportation program, exemplified by the removal of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Along the way they address the importance of due process, the Fugitive Slave Crisis and the origins of birthright citizenship, and the meaning of American citizenship in the twenty-first century. Reference...

Content warning: rape, pedophilia, and historical atrocities. Join Samantha and guest Alan Elrod as they talk about the role of rape in conservative ideology, biopolitics as the Rosetta Stone of authoritarian reaction, and the pornographic fantasies that pervade the new right. Alan is the president and CEO of the Pulaski Institution, as well as a contributing editor at Liberal Currents. Links to e...

Samantha and guest David Vatz, founder of Pro-Housing Pittsburgh, discuss the meaning of the housing crisis, the death of the "asset economy," and what we liberals can do to fix housing despite Trump. References Pro-Housing Pittsburgh's website: https://www.prohousingpgh.org/ The Asset Economy: https://www.amazon.com/Asset-Economy-Lisa-Adkins/dp/1509543465 The Crisis of Democratic Go...

Samantha and guest Jamelle Bouie talk the present crisis, the many ages of the American Constitution, and how we might set about rebuilding what MAGA is breaking.

Samantha and guest Bret Devereaux talk the fall of the Roman Republic, Elon Musk's obsession with the dictator Sulla, and what it takes to make constitutional change stick. The posts on Musk's X mentioned in this episode can be found at: https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1873976624812876048 https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1883417427813499158 https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1756479393470226561 http...

Samantha and fellow Liberal Currents editor Paul Crider talk to Matt McManus, author of The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism , about a forgotten political tradition, the intellectual fallout of the Russian Revolution, and what this all means for how we think about the contemporary dangers of oligarchy and reaction.

Samantha and fellow Liberal Currents editors Caitlin Green and Trent Nelson talk the crisis of misinformation, taking responsibility for your own beliefs in the social media age, and their new podcast, Half the Answer .

Samantha and Professor Phillips O'Brien have a wide-ranging talk, including Trump's abandonment of Ukraine, the failures of "realism" as a theory of international politics, and the shape of the future in a Europe without American leadership.

Join Samantha and guest Toby Buckle of the Political Philosophy Podcast as they explore the foundations of Trump's enduring popular support, the legacy of the Southern Strategy, and the importance of taking people's beliefs seriously.

The Civil Rights Movement, which stretched across decades, caused big changes in society that persist today. As some of the gains it brought about are now threatened by racists in the White House, what can we learn from the tactics and, more importantly, the strategy pursued by the movement's leaders and activists? Samantha and Jason are joined by Liberal Currents editor-in-chief Adam Gurri.

Taiwan is a free country, a powerhouse in technology, and it has about one-twentieth the population of Europe less Russia. JD Vance talks about the U.S. possibly disengaging with Europe, but is such disengagement necessary for, and does it really herald, increased engagement with Asia, and particularly with China and Taiwan? Liberal Currents contributing editor Matthew Downhour joins Samantha and...

The chaos coming out of Washington, D.C., over the past week seems to be emanating from one man, and for once it's not Donald Trump—it's Elon Musk. Project 2025 is still happening, but Musk's seizure of government computer systems is happening more quickly. Samantha and Jason are joined by guest Adam Gurri to ask what this means for the country and the world.

Tariffs were central to mercantilist economic policy—deployed to generate funding for government, protection for industries, or pain for enemies. But can or will tariffs be put to a genuinely public-spirited use for today's United States? Samantha, Jason, and guest Maia Mindel talk about purposes and consequences of the Trump administration's proposed tariffs.

Trump II is upon us, and the administration has already taken aim to reduce citizenship rights and deport immigrants, despite the longstanding truth that arguments against immigration don't hold much water. Liberal Currents associate editor Paul Crider joins Samantha and Jason to describe the new Republican restrictionism and to give some of those arguments another drubbing.

Is Donald Trump going to give Americans an education in war on the homefront? Samantha, Jason, and guest Matthew Downhour evaluate new challenges to the liberal international order and assess the incoming administration's taste for territorial aggrandizement.

Samantha, Jason, and guest Vikas Valiveti talk the science, politics, and ethics of youth transition. Spoiler: there are a lot of people spreading lies about trans healthcare. What don't they want you to know?

Social media powered the Arab Spring, the George Floyd protests, and (seemingly) much of our politics for the last decade. Since Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, many liberals have hoped that Bluesky might become what Twitter once was. But is social media really always a tool of progress? Or is it more like radioactive waste, invisibly poisoning our minds and politics? Join Samantha, Jason, and gu...

Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham has dislodged the regime of Bashar al-Assad after a lightning offensive, raising new hopes for Syria's future. Having won on the battlefield, can HTS implant a successful government in Damascus? Liberal Currents contributing editor Matthew Downhour joins Samantha and Jason to talk about war, autocracy, and democracy.