Unf*cking The Republic

This week we focus on a thin slice of the energy pie to disabuse the notion of “energy independence.” When politicians reference this concept they speak narrowly in terms of oil and gas production in the United States. As though if we could somehow pump enough of our own oil specifically, we could break our dependence on foreign nations, especially those villainous bad actors like Russia and Iran....

Worker cooperatives are often viewed as part of the solution to beating back capitalism. Yet there are more than 33 million small businesses in the U.S. and less than a thousand worker co-operatives. This week’s episode looks at the different co-op models and the barriers to the growth and success of worker cooperatives in the U.S. as opposed to Europe. We take a look at iconic cooperatives such a...

While Max puts the finishing touches on the forthcoming Worker Cooperative episode, we’re replaying an oldie but a goodie called The American Propaganda Machine. We chose this as a complement to our recent discussions surrounding news literacy. We think it holds up pretty well, actually.  -- On this episode of Unf*cking the Republic we do a deep dive into the American system of propaganda and pull...

Time for a Quickie. It’s been months since we put together a quick take on three seemingly unrelated issues. What do a wider Middle East war, U.S. manufacturing as the answer to climate change and dock worker strikes all have to do with one another? Both sides of the political aisle have all the wrong answers and the media are asking all the wrong questions. Max breaks it all down. Chapters Intro:...

In this week’s Show Notes Max and 99 catch up in studio to touch on the Libya episode and catch up on recent feedback from Unf*ckers. Plus, they had a therapy session about the state of podcasting and feelings around the election as well. Enjoy! Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Libya Chat: 00:19:44 Email + YouTube Feedback: 00:24:21 Memberships: 01:18:03 Reviews: 01:18:28 Outro: 01:19:22 UNFTR Episode Res...

The Great Man-Made River in Libya was once considered the 8th Wonder of the World. Water was first discovered in the 1960s when oil and gas drilling companies discovered enormous aquifers beneath the desert sands of Libya. 20 years after these discoveries, Libya was under the brutal dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi who had overthrown the monarchy in 1969. Gaddafi embarked on an ambitious plan to pu...

Because it’s silly season, we interrupt our regularly scheduled programming once again to provide blow-by-excruciating-blow coverage of the (apparently only) debate between Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump. While most observers called it a clear victory for Harris who was composed and on message, as opposed to a meanspirited and meandering Trump, the debate was more remarkab...

Have you ever wondered what oligarchs talk about when they think no one is listening? Wonder no more. This week we dissect Eric Schmidt’s recent Q&A at Stanford University where he talks about remote work culture, the future of AI and how big tech intervenes at the highest levels of government. The kicker is…he thought it was private and didn’t realize it was being recorded. Some of his commen...

In today’s Show Notes, Max & 99 cover trending headlines, discuss the recent Krugman episode, and hear from a few Unf*ckers with general feedback. Enjoy! Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:04:15 YouTube: 00:43:09 Emails: 00:56:54 Memberships: 01:18:33 Outro: 01:18:39 Resources Shiny Happy People AP: GOP network props up liberal third-party candidates in key states, hoping to siphon off Har...

I’ve long been an admirer of Paul Krugman of The New York Times as he’s a rational and accessible liberal economist who genuinely seems to have the best interests of the public at heart. But a recent column smacked of establishment rhetoric that bordered on gaslighting. Democrats ignore economic realities at their own peril and while most leftists expect little from sources like The New York Times...

Max and 99 are back to discuss Harris v. Trump episode feedback, and catch up a bit. A regular episode is coming early this week, so stay tuned! Chapters Intro: 00:00:19 Emails: 00:03:17 Memberships: 00:43:52 Outro: 00:44:11 -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at...

UNFTR is back in the swing of things with a snapshot of where the election stands just 80 days from decision time. We look at trends in each of the swing states, how Congressional races are stacking up and which presidential candidate has the advantage in the swing states and on key issues. Max also tackles the media’s breathless pursuit to portray the Harris/Walz ticket as progressive despite the...

In October of 2022, we released this episode on Peter Thiel. The last line of the story is that he’s a monster. At the time, we were focused on his personal selections and funding of Congressional candidates, one of whom was none other than JD Vance. Far from his purported hillbilly roots, the country quickly came to know that JD is little more than a huckster who grew up pretty well and became a...

This week, Max welcomes Ben Lorber and Shane Burley to the program, co-authors of Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism. Resources Melville House: Safety through SolidarityA Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism Bookshop: Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism Ben Lorber on Twitter Ben Lorber on Instagram BenLorber.com Shane Burley on Twi...

The Democratic Party finally took the all important step of convincing Joe Biden to drop his bid for re-election. In a matter of hours, the party elites, donors, elected officials and DNC members coalesced around Kamala Harris, and according to The New York Times, she has already secured the delegates required to run the table at the convention. Despite calls for an open convention process from fi...

This week I spoke with an old friend and inspiration—comedian, author, commentator and activist Lee Camp. We’re all over the place in a cathartic conversation about independent media, censorship, Supreme Court antics, Julian Assange, the presidential election and more. Resources Lee Camp Online Lee Camp on Twitter Lee Camp on Instagram Lee Camp on Facebook Dangerous Ideas with Lee Camp Bullet Poin...

Despite his assurances to the contrary, Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee is far from a lock. What happens if the DNC winds up hosting a contested convention? In this episode we delve into a brief history of contested conventions and draw upon prior examples to demonstrate how progressives can use a contested convention to their advantage and get the so-called progressive movement back on track....

After Joe Biden’s historically bad debate performance, many Americans were left wondering how the Democratic Party could allow him to remain in the race. The answer is a corrupt and wholly inept corporation called the DNC Services Corporation—Democratic National Committee or DNC for short. This episode looks at the DNC’s failures over time and how they’ve worked with the RNC to rig the system agai...

In this week's Show Notes Max and 99 catch up from a few episodes past, and dive into some news items. They also hatch a plan to celebrate 99's birthday month. Enjoy! Chapters Intro: 00:20:00 Emails: 00:23:39 Memberships: 00:58:29 Reviews: 00:59:17 Outro: 01:00:53 -- If you like the pod version of #UNFTR, make sure to check out the video version on YouTube where Max shows his beautiful face! www.y...

In this UNFTR Phone A Friend we speak with economist, political leader and bestselling author Yanis Varoufakis about his latest book Technofeudalism : What Killed Capitalism. Max and Yanis cover a wide array of topics from the release of Julian Assange, the thesis behind Technofeudalism , the future of labor and the post-capitalism reality we already live under. Watch the interview on YouTube. Res...

The United States Postal Service is one of the most derided institutions in the country. Also, it’s one of the most highly regarded according to every poll conducted on government agencies. This episode digs into our complicated relationship with the Postal Service and examines the historical challenges facing this institution. We cover the controversy surrounding Louis DeJoy, the current Postmast...

Parliamentary elections were held in the European Union last week. It did not go well. Check that. It went very well for the right-wing movement in Europe. Most Americans caught wind of some kind of election in the EU but it’s fair to say that few really understand what it was all about. And with good reason. This stuff is really confusing. Scores of parties under the umbrella of seven coalition p...

Max and 99 are back after a few week Show Notes hiatus. In this episode they catch up on the most recent episodes and the latest news. Enjoy! Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:27:35 Memberships: 01:21:50 Reviews: 01:22:16 Outro: 01:22:45 Resources UNFTR TikTok -- If you like the pod version of #UNFTR, make sure to check out the video version on YouTube where Max shows his beautiful face! www.you...

In this episode, Max breaks down the biggest scandal in the healthcare industry (and that’s saying a lot). We walk through how a bunch of pencil pushing pharmacy middlemen became so powerful they bought out the biggest health insurance companies and pharmacy chains, and did it through hiking up drug prices, kickbacks and taking advantage of government contracts. This is the story of pharmacy benef...

In celebration of Pride we're flashing back to an early Unf*cking: UNFTR on LGBTQ. Read the essay or visit the episode resources online . -- Today we begin a conversation about the LGBTQ movement in the United States, with a nod to our Canadian friends as well. In order to properly introduce issues facing LGBTQ people into the larger context of socio economic and political topics we cover on UNFTR...