The Professional Left Podcast with Driftglass and Blue Gal

Republicans no longer have a quiet part.  Cutting Social Security, stopping 'feminazis' from voting, supporting a rapist and porn star bribe payer.  There is no more "quiet part" that they're hiding behind.  (Recorded before the State of the Union Address.)  More at proleftpod.com. Our podcast YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@ProfessionalLeft Support the show: Pa...

Alt Title:    No Fair Remembering who won the very first Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1966. We revisit our "Dune" Science Fiction University podcasts and also talk about the best epic movie ever (not kidding), Dune 2. There will be spoilers, and we don't even mention Christopher Walken! Who is great, by the way. Back to news on Thursday! More at proleftpod.com.  Our podcast YouTub...

It's up to us, Democrats. It’s just us now.  The courts will not save us.  The Republican House is a lunatic asylum.  The Senate can barely function.  And the media is broken beyond repair.  So let's win this thing!!! More at proleftpod.com.   Our podcast YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@ProfessionalLeft Support the show: PayPal |  https://paypal.me/proleftpodcast Patreon | htt...

We take a break from Science Fiction to dive into Film Noir and The Maltese Falcon, not only the 1941 classic starring Humphrey Bogart, but also the 1931 version of the same name, and the 1936 comedy (?) version, a Bette Davis vehicle called "Satan Met A Lady."  More at sciencefictionuniversity.com.  Our podcast YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@ProfessionalLeft Support the show...

Trump is fined, Republicans and Fox are complicit with Russian interference in our elections AGAIN.  Driftglass talks about the Republican's "Empty Refrigerator."  And more of the week's news.  More at proleftpod.com. Link for this episode:  The Smirnov Indictment https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24429120-240214-smirnov-indictment    Our podcast YouTube Channel:  https:/...

Republicans cut taxes for their rich donors when they're in the White House, and flip out about "the deficit" when a Democrat takes the presidency.   Join us in the latest episode of No Fair Remembering Stuff as we dive into the historical significance of the Clinton Surplus and the enduring trend of Republicans' unwavering love for tax cuts, regardless of their claim of concer...

Sorry Jon Stewart, both siderist nonsense when it Mango Mussolini versus Grandpa Joe just doesn't cut it in 2024.  We also celebrate an anniversary and a milestone.  This week marks when Driftglass and Blue Gal met face-to-face for the first time sixteen years ago (thanks, Shakespeare's Sister!) and this week will also bring our seven millionth download for this podcast.  Fran studies Di...

In this thought-provoking episode, join us as we, two admittedly white midwesterners who were Pre-K at the time of the event, nevertheless take a look back at a significant event in American history – the 1965 Watts Uprising.  This leads us to think about how technology, particularly cell phones, and demographic change have significantly changed how police brutality is experienced and confronted. ...

It's all lawyers all the time on the cable news networks.  So Driftglass dreams of...breath mints and Batman?  How are never Trumpers like the Whig Party?  And The GOP House is in a State of Fail.  More at proleftpod.com. Our podcast YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@ProfessionalLeft Support the show: PayPal |  https://paypal.me/proleftpodcast Patreon | https://patreon.com/proleftpod...

Everything old is new again, as we ask, why did Hillary sugarcoat it in 2016?  And why does the truth make pundits flip out?   More at proleftpod.com.   Support the show: PayPal |  https://paypal.me/proleftpodcast Patreon | https://patreon.com/proleftpod Our YouTube Channel Opening and Closing Music: Jumpin Boogie Woogie by Audionautix | http://audionautix.com/ | Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0...

Nikki Haley has to run against Trump, against Biden, and somehow be just as racist as the Trump cult without turning off the donor base?  And we have a long talk about literature and the stories we tell ourselves and each other.  More at proleftpod.com. Our podcast YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@ProfessionalLeft Support the show: PayPal |  https://paypal.me/proleftpodcast Patreon | htt...

Driftglass and Blue Gal share their stories of falling in love with science fiction.   More at sciencefictionuniversity.com .  Our podcast YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@ProfessionalLeft Support the show: PayPal |  https://paypal.me/proleftpodcast Patreon | https://patreon.com/proleftpod Support the show

We talk about the campaign ahead, including a quote from Ingrid Bergman in Hitchcock's "Notorious": "Don't be silly, the important drinking hasn't started yet." AND we remember what Rachel Maddow said post-election 2012.  Sweet summer child! More at proleftpod.com. Link for this episode:  Rachel Maddow Transcript, November 7, 2012:  https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbn...

The White Party in Iowa chooses the guy found liable for sexual assault.  Special!  Driftglass whips the NYT editorial board, and Blue Gal reads a letter from a looong time listener.  More at proleftpod.com. Link for this episode:  Rick Perlstein, "Metaphors Journalists Live By" in The American Prospect .  (Email required to read but no paywall).  https://prospect.org/politics/2024-01-17...

In this episode of "No Fair Remembering Stuff," we embark on a fascinating journey into the complex and evolving history of acceptance and resistance towards Martin Luther King Day as a state and national holiday. We remember the declaration of Martin Luther King Day as a state holiday in South Carolina and unravel the factors (really only one factor, ahem) that led it to become the last...

Our podcast is fourteen years old this week!  And Dems are organized and motivated to take Republicans to task for their lying.  Some of those takings are hilarious.  More at proleftpod.com. Our podcast YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@ProfessionalLeft Support the show: PayPal |  https://paypal.me/proleftpodcast Patreon | https://patreon.com/proleftpod Support the show

What does the witchhunt against Harvard President Claudine Gay have to do with the Obama Beer Summit?  Quite a lot.  More at proleftpod.com  Support the show: PayPal |  https://paypal.me/proleftpodcast Patreon | https://patreon.com/proleftpod Our YouTube Channel Opening and Closing Music: Jumpin Boogie Woogie by Audionautix | http://audionautix.com/ | Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported —...

Right wing media is masturbating (we said what we said) over their brain fantasy that Michelle Obama will run for President.  They also prefer "vibes" to "facts" whether talking about the Constitution or the economy.  How to talk to neighbors about the "bad" economy that let them go on that Disney cruise last month.  This and the week's news and politics...more a...

A time when pundits freaked out that Barack Obama had "thrown away" the election of 2012 against Mitt Romney.  Recommended.    Mitt Official Trailer #1 (2013) - Mitt Romney Documentary Blast from the Past:   Episode 149, Biden'd! from October 11, 2012 . More at proleftpod.com . Support the show: PayPal |  https://paypal.me/proleftpodcast Patreon | https://patreon.com/proleftpod Our...

We talk about our individual "big themes" for 2023 and then dive into a review of nearly everything we watched in 2023.  So it's a long podcast!  You can read the full list at our blogs -- just Google "Blue Gal" or "Driftglass" to find those websites.   More at proleftpod.com.. Our podcast YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@ProfessionalLeft Support the sh...

It's the time of the year when we celebrate Zappadan miracles.  Rudy is bankrupt, Trump won't be on the ballot in Colorado, and Fox isn't talking about any of that and also neglects to tell their audience about the missing Russia Intel Binder.  Which is a bfd.  The other things not talked about matter: Win Red and the Oath Keepers.  Because Trump invited those found guilty of Sediti...

We remember stuff that will be down the memory hole before you know it... from THIS year... More at proleftpod.com.  Support the show: PayPal |  https://paypal.me/proleftpodcast Patreon | https://patreon.com/proleftpod Our YouTube Channel Opening and Closing Music: Jumpin Boogie Woogie by Audionautix | http://audionautix.com/ | Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download...

Republicans vote for a fake impeachment inquiry and run away to Christmas vacay.  Paul Ryan and others in 2023 sound like Driftglass 2006.  Blue Gal has ideas about what to do about Trump trial fatigue.  More at proleftpod.com. Link for this episode:  Blue Gal (Fran Langum) appears on the trivia podcast Tangents: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3-fran-langum/id1718492290?i=1000638152535 Our...

We review certain facts you'll want to have on hand when talking to MAGA relatives regarding the history of immigration in America.  Special props to Maria Bartiromo, a grandchild of open-border immigrants.  More at proleftpod.com. Support the show: PayPal |  https://paypal.me/proleftpodcast Patreon | https://patreon.com/proleftpod Our YouTube Channel Opening and Closing Music: Jumpin Boogie...

The media goes from comatose to merely semi-comatose about the threat of a second Trump presidency.  Blue Gal writes to the HHS Secretary about her healthcare costs.  Another interesting analogy from Driftglass, this time about "TV mind."  Three people in the world (at least) say don't promote Liz Cheney to the helm.  More at proleftpod.com. LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:  Ana Marie Cox: ...