The Professional Left Podcast with Driftglass and Blue Gal

We look at how the crazy stuff happening in national politics is playing out right here in our hometown of Springfield, Illinois, by checking out what local radio, TV, and newspapers are saying about recent events. Why do big-name media people like Chuck Todd come to small-town radio shows to push their "both sides are equally bad" message, and how does this lazy reporting help cover up...

How did the late Charlie Kirk build his multi-million dollar empire, and what role did billionaire oligarchs play in funding his operation?  And why was it so worth it to them to dump millions on this right-wing demagogue?  What critical facts does Ezra Klein conveniently leave out when praising Kirk's "moxie and fearlessness"?  There's a huge difference between democratic disc...

Alt Title:  What 'Road House' Can Teach Democrats What is the hidden wisdom in Patrick Swayze's movie Road House (MST3K IYKYK) that Democrats desperately need to understand?  Answers to this and more, in this week's episode!  Stay in Touch!  Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 91...

Why do we keep lurching violently between Democrats and fascists if every election is supposedly a "change election"? What happens when the media's obsession with "disruption" as a political cure-all actually gets what it wished for? We examine the fundamental split in American politics: Do we want change that means progress toward a better tomorrow, or change that means a...

Kash Patel, Dan Bongino, Tulsi Gabbard, and Jeanine Pirro are in positions of power to finally bring justice to history's greatest villains?  So why are there still no indictments of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton?  We know why!   We trace the straight line from Bush's load-bearing lies about Iraq and Katrina to Trump's promises of revenge against Democrats, and examine what happe...

Trump's approval ratings have crashed to 37% - that magical Sarah Palin floor where only the most delusional true believers remain loyal.  What do chemical bonds and political loyalties have in common, and why are some Trump voters starting to break away while his hardcore base would happily be entombed with him in the afterlife?  Looking back 20 years to Bush's catastrophic second term,...

What happens when Democratic governors fight like they mean it? We dive into J.B. Pritzker's masterclass in political combat. He talks like a #%&$&! FDR Democrat!  And here's the crucial question nobody wants to ask: if the majority of Americans already support what would be considered a progressive agenda, why do Democrats keep getting lectured to move right?  Why do the punches...

An entire industry profits from pumping out addictive political poison designed to make people angrier, more paranoid, and more stupid. But here's the twist: the carriers of democracy's most lethal disease aren't the red-faced bigots you'd expect. How did "Both Sides Do It" become the perfect shield for scoundrels and the eternal lament of suckers? Why are seasoned jo...

How does a nineteenth-century Republican president, and a modern Republican vice president, handle low water levels? The answer may cost you taxpayer money! What drives Laura Loomer to call Marjorie Taylor Greene a "narcissistic witch" and "home-wrecking whore"?   Never mind!  Did you know Trump is all over the Epstein files?  Are we witnessing fascist purity tests tearing apar...

When the con man owns the sheriff, the judge, and the executioner, math becomes the enemy.  And Donald Trump and Gavin Newsom are making the same mistake regarding their respective political base voters.  More at proleftpod.com.  Oh, and Donald Trump is all over the Epstein Files.  It's a cover up.  Stay in Touch!  Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: p...

This week we cope with the ongoing political chaos by escaping to the movies - specifically The Fantastic Four: First Steps - and then diving deep into why ChatGPT won't help us redraw Illinois congressional districts to eliminate Republican seats entirely. We explore the curious moral programming of AI, question whether algorithmic neutrality is itself a form of partisanship. Oh, and Donald...

This week, we dive deep into the concept of justice and ask the hard question: where are the consequences? We break down the different flavors of justice—from retributive to restorative, distributive to procedural—and examine why none of them seem to be working when it comes to holding powerful people accountable. We explore how the Republican Party has spent decades teaching its voters that they...

We're asking the question everyone stopped asking: whatever happened to QAnon? And what does it mean when their cult leader starts calling his followers "stupid" and "foolish." What happens when people who believe JFK Jr and Sr are still alive find out their cult leader is renaming The Kennedy Center?   It's a "Whatever Happened To?" episode that reveals the...

This week we dive into why platforming fascists is always a terrible idea, using Mehdi Hasan's recent Jubilee debate as our cautionary tale. We examine how these staged confrontations accomplish nothing except providing content for right-wing sites and turning wannabe fascists into MAGA heroes. We break down the employment reality behind Connor Estelle's firing (spoiler: it's called...

We're diving deep into some unexpected connections this week. What do a 425-year-old Shakespeare tragedy and James Gunn's new Superman movie have in common? More than you might think—especially regarding fathers, sons, and the weight of living up to impossible expectations. We'll also mark the 100th anniversary of the Scopes trial verdict and explore how little (and how much) has ch...

We're mad as hell, and we're not going to take it anymore. After 15 years of ringing alarm bells about the Republican party's dangers to our democracy, we find ourselves in the midst of what we're calling "Stupid Watergate Summer" – and it's cooking now. This week, we break down the eerie parallels between Nixon's original Watergate scandal and Trump's...

This week we're celebrating Blue Gal's birthday while diving deep into Trump's latest meltdown over the Epstein files. We break down how the former reality TV star is now turning his trademark attack style on his own MAGA base as they demand answers about his promised disclosures that never materialized. Remember: when MAGA tries to change the subject, there's only one question...

Join us this week as we explore the slow-motion collapse of expertise and institutions in America through the lens of Isaac Asimov's classic science fiction story "Nightfall." We examine how the MAGA mob's assault on knowledge mirrors the fictional planet Lagash, where civilization periodically burns itself down in fear of what it doesn't understand. We're witnessing...

We dive into the Republican party's latest identity crisis as their own media machine turns on itself. We explore how decades of conspiracy theories and manufactured outrage have created a base that demands their leaders deliver on impossible promises—and what happens when reality finally catches up. We examine the MAGA movement's relationship with truth, the cult-like devotion that prev...

We're visiting America in the ICU on her 249th birthday, hoping the old girl still has some fight left in her. A sad day as Trump's disastrous bill passes the House.  We are still fighting.   This week, we explore the dark matter of American politics - that invisible force that explains why so many voters can't see what's right in front of them. Spoiler alert: it's not rea...

Hat tip to John Fetter-Manchin (copyright Driftglass), we're grudgingly back from our beach vacation (okay, we never actually left the Cornfield Resistance) to bring you the political chaos that just won't quit. This week, we dive into the summer breakup season hitting Washington hard. From senators throwing tantrums and storming out over Trump's latest budget disaster... to billion...

We had severe technical difficulties with our audio with Charlie Pierce (thanks for your time, Charlie!) so that interview had to be scrapped.   But the show must go on!  So this evening we recorded a podcast just the two of us.   Bluegal's opinion of Republicans has changed.  Someone FINALLY says, "Liberals were right all along," buuuuut... Enjoy this more spontaneous-than-usual sh...

This week, we examine Trump's pathological relationship with Fox News and how his morning TV viewing sessions led directly to bombing Iran. We trace the disturbing line from Fox pundits praising Israeli strikes to Trump launching his own attacks—strikes that Rolling Stone reports were "based on vibes" rather than intelligence. We explore how a president who spent years tweeting that...

We're back from the Cornfield Resistance with another episode examining the eerie echoes of 2003 as familiar faces dust off their war-hungry talking points for another Middle Eastern adventure. We dive into the fascinating split happening in MAGA-land between isolationists and hawks, plus how certain unrepentant ghouls somehow found their way back onto our screens. There's also a delight...

Anyone else notice the growing cracks in the MAGA coalition as supporters openly question whether they've been played? We dive into the spectacular failures that defined this week in MAGA-land. From Trump's embarrassingly sparse tank parade that drew more protesters (Yay, No Kings Marches!) than supporters, to the horrific Minnesota political assassinations that exposed how quickly the r...