The Ben Joravsky Show

Miles Kamp-Lassin covers it all. The oligarchy of Musk. The kakistocracy of Trump. And the gerontocracy in the Democratic Party who launched a counter attack against Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, apparently cause she has the audacity to want to win future elections and use government to help ordinary people. The Democrats seem determined to keep making the same old mistakes. Miles is an...

David Faris tells you everything you need to know about last week's congressional budget debacle--a spectacle of madness starring Elon Musk as the president and Donald Trump as Musk's loyal sidekick. Trump has the constitutional authority but Musk has the megaphone. Listen and learn about continuing resolutions, debt ceilings, and budget hawks. Also, a few words about lawsuits and self censorship....

It turns out MAGA doesn’t want to deport all immigrants. Or build a wall to keep all immigrants out. Oh, no, it turns out that President Musk and his sidekick Donny like “smart” immigrants. Cause they think Americans—especially the ones who voted for them—are too dumb to be workers in the Tech Bro universe. You were duped again, MAGA voters. Rummana Hussain tries to make sense of it all. Rummana i...

Christmas was a day of peace—well, that’s over. Ben riffs. Antonio Correa returns to talk immigration, illogical voters, the Hispanic vote and Luigi Mangione. Bill Burr joins show. Sorta. As does Trump, the grifter. And a dairy farmer in South Dakota. Antonio reveals his back-of-the-class theory. Ben says—dang, wish I’d thought of that. Antonio is a digital strategist for Heartland Signal, a Marin...

Ben hits the old interwebs to offer listeners a quick message of peace and love this Christmas! It's been a tumultuous year in Chicago, America and around the world. And Ben offers his three wishes for the future. The full show returns on Thursday, with special guest; Senior Digital Strategist at Heartland Signal, and Chicago radio veteran, Antonio Correa. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/p...

Corporate Chicago hates unionized teachers so much that they fell in love with Pedro Martinez. And they’ll stay in love with him as long as he’s a useful tool to bash the union. Ben riffs. Monroe wonders why the mainstreams weren’t this upset at mayoral power plays when Daley sold the parking meters. Or Rahm gave billions in property tax dollars to developers. Trump fires up MAGA over the Panama C...

Thom Clark is one of the few who has been around long enough to distinguish reformers from deformers. And so he contemplates the current state of the city council, filled with aldermen and women who swear up and down they're looking out for the taxpayers. Don't laugh, listeners--you elected them. Also, a few words about standing up to Trump. Thom Clark is, among other things, a writer, editor, pho...

The Sun-Times fantasizes about the awesome wonderfulness of Mayor Rahm—a thing that never existed. Ben riffs. Denali turns Ben’s attention to health care in the age of Trump. MAGA wants agency over their care. Meaning they want the freedom to take any old horse pill that any old grifter promotes. But they don’t care if they have the agency to pay for their medical bills. How is this populism? And...

Trump says there's little he can do about the price of groceries after all. Ben riffs. Delmarie Cobb says she told you so about American voters being incapable of electing a Black woman as president. Or any woman for that matter. And that the first woman elected president will be one of the MAGA persuasion. Ben challenges Delmarie to find eight Black women who voted for Trump. Good luck, Delmarie....

Elon Musk uses X to pull the plug on funding the government. Ben riffs. Scott Waguespack riffs on the riff, reminding Ben about Musk’s bromance with Mayor Rahm. Bullet train to O’Hare. Then Scott tells the tale of the fast one Mayor Johnson pulled with a zoning proposal in Lincoln Park. Looks like Mayor Johnson learned a thing or two from Mayors Daley and Rahm. They wrap it up with some TIF and ta...

Trump forces Disney to its knees. Ben riffs. Monroe says I told you so. Trump is the emperor-elect, the media better get in line. A word or two about the Des Moines Register case. And Trump greeting Daniel Penny at the Army-Navy game. Finally, a few thoughts about why white people embrace Mayor Eric Adams but turned on Mayors Brandon Johnson and Lori Lightfoot. See Privacy Policy at https://art19....

The city council passes a budget and instead of praising Mayor Johnson, everyone’s hating on him. Ben riffs. Perri Small riffs on Ben’s riff. Explaining what’s going in words that north siders know is true even if they’d never admit it. A few words about pardoning Jesse Jackson Jr. And reflections on San Fran in ‘84. Perri is the retired host of the Perri Small Show on WVON. See Privacy Policy at...

For seven years, Jim Coogan has been keeping track of the prosecution of Donald Trump for his various crimes. Now with MAGA having pardoned Trump by electing him president, it's time to consider Trump's revenge. Should President Biden anticipate the persecution with massive pardons? Jim Coogan is a trial lawyer with Coogan Gallagher. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California P...

Shooting of an insurance executive in New York exposes hatred of our privatized health-care system. Ben riffs. Heidi Henry riffs on Ben’s riff. Then she talks about running as a New Deal Democrat in Trump country. And some of the strange comments she heard from voters while going door-to-door. Also, the Dem’s failure to speak to rural voters. And the bias against women. Heidi hosts the Heartland M...

Rummana Hussain contemplates a universe where men want to smell like Trump. Hence, the prez elect is selling cologne. He’ll sell anything knowing that MAGA will buy it. Also, Rummana vigorously defends Chicago voters after Ben asserts—they’d jump into the lake, if Baby Daley told them it was a good idea. And a few thoughts about Pachinko. Rummana is a columnist and editorial writer for the Sun-Tim...

MAGA has a curious inconsistency when it comes to gun-toting vigilantes. Ben riffs. Kina Collins talks about MAGA messaging. They stay on message even if what they say today contradicts what they said yesterday. Which gets into their contradictory attitudes toward Luigi Mangione and Kyle Rittenhouse. Which gets into the Democratic retreat on health care. And how Bernie would have defeated Trump. F...

Alderman Vasquez and the Sun-Times suggest that Mayor Johnson and Governor Pritzker are being too belligerent in their anti-Trump rhetoric. And that the way to keep Trump and Homan from locking up Chicagoans or cutting off aid to Chicago is to be super nice. Like Blago. Or Mayor Adams in NYC. Ben riffs. Monroe joins in the riffing. With the north side going more conservative--or at least anti-John...

Trump’s Border Czar comes to the northwest side, but he’s not talking about Chicago’s border with Skokie. Ben riffs. Dave Glowacz returns to discuss the absurdity of the ongoing budget spectacle. Which is more of a pageantry staged by aldermen and mayor to fool Chicagoans into thinking their city is honest about its financial books. Specifically, Dave analyzes police allotment. The city will be co...

In an effort to prove that Albert Einstein was correct when he said stupidity was infinite, Americans elect Trump. That’s how much they hate, fear or envy powerful Black women. Now they awake to realize they’ve turned the country over to lunatics. Jack White discusses. Shoutout to Kareem Abdul Jabbar for your wisdom. Jack is a writer and journalist. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy...

Just as we were set to record, word breaks. Bears fire Coach Eberflus. After he awakes from passing out, Ben riffs. Then Rummana Hussain explains why she couldn’t care less. Then the discussion turns to politics. Rummana sees a Trump flag in Lincolnwood. Are Trump voters stupid? Rummana is an editorial writer/columnist for the Sun-Times. Her views are her own. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.c...

David Faris talks pardons. Including Hunter Biden and January 6 insurgents. And he offers advice to Democrats--stop the self-flagellation. It's embarrassing. And counter productive. A few words about Trump's nominees. David is a political science professor at Roosevelt University and a columnist for Slate and Newsweek. His views are his own. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Cali...

Mayor Johnson and his Board of Ed think it’s a good idea to fire Pedro Martinez. Ben riffs. Marc Sims talks race and politics in Chicago. Also explains why mainstreamers have turned him against the mayor. “They control his narrative.” So true. Marc sorta defends north side liberals. Key word being sorta. Marc is host of the podcast, Just A Few Questions. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pri...

The mainstreams rejoice over Mayor Rahm’s return from exile. Ben riffs. Monroe explains why mainstream journalists love Rahm so much. Sorry, Mayors Johnson and Lightfoot—you will never get that kind of love. Monroe defends President Biden’s Hunter pardon. Ben’s all over the map on that one. And a few words about the execution of Fred Hampton, which happened 55 years ago. See Privacy Policy at http...

The most popular movie in America is what you might call “politically correct”. Ben riffs. Alvin Tillery examines the Democratic outreach to Black voters. In short, Dems, you should consider a new strategy. Also, is the Democratic ceiling for white vote in prez elections at 45 percent? Will Marjorie Taylor Green be the first woman elected president? And more. Alvin is the co-founder and CEO of the...

Sergio Vicente explains how the rise of Jake Paul is a metaphor for the age of Trump. An age of women-hating white guys, entitled brats. Don't get him started. Also, a few words about the Black vote. And was the Mike Tyson fight rigged? And could he, Sergio, beat Jake Paul, if he had a year to get back into prime fight shape? And then a little icing on the cake--the great LeBron-MJ debate. Sergio...