PLAY PODCASTS
Jacobin Radio

Jacobin Radio

1,869 episodes — Page 16 of 38

Long Reads: Esther Leslie on Walter Benjamin's Messianic Marxism

Esther Leslie joins Long Reads for a discussion about Walter Benjamin, one of the most influential cultural theorists of the last century. His unorthodox Marxism and ideas about culture and history have inspired several generations of critical thought about the world made by capitalism. Esther is a leading authority on Benjamin’s life and work who teaches at Birkbeck University in London.Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s longform writers. Hosted by Features Editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies, music by Knxwledge.

Jun 18, 202248 min

Jacobin Show: Crime and Punishment w/ Ana Kasparian & Nando Vila

Jen Pan interviews Will Sommer on the Capitol riots, QAnon, and the influence of far right extremist groups on Republican party. Then we turn to Gustavo Petro and the upcoming presidential election in Colombia. And finally, we bring back our old hosts Ana and Nando to discuss what the Left can learn from the recent California elections. Subscribe to Jacobin for just $10: https://jacobinmag.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINYTMusic provided by Zonkey: https://linktr.ee/zonkeyThe Jacobin Show offers socialist perspectives on class and capitalism in the twenty-first century, the failures of liberalism, and the prospects of rebuilding a left labor movement in the US. This is the podcast version of the show from June 15, 2022.

Jun 17, 20221h 10m

A World to Win: Half-Earth Socialism w/ Troy Vettese and Drew Pendergrass

This week, Grace speaks to Troy Vettese and Drew Pendergrass about their book Half-Earth Socialism. They discuss the problems with proposed solutions to climate breakdown like geoengineering, how neoliberals are coping with the recognition that state planning will be necessary to tackle climate breakdown, and how we can build coalitions to make sure that planning is democratic. You can support our work on the show by becoming a patron. Thanks to producer Sarah Hurd for filling in this week and to Left Book Club for making this episode possible.

Jun 16, 202250 min

Jacobin Radio w/ Suzi Weissman: Failures of the New Democrats w/ Lily Geismer

Suzi talks to historian Lily Geismer about her new book, Left Behind: The Democrats’ Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality, which explores the Democratic Party’s promotion of market-based solutions to social problems. We get the origin and development of the Democratic Leadership Council or DLC, the ways Bill Clinton came to personify it, and how their politics changed the Democratic Party: running away from the politics of The New Deal and the Great Society to embrace essentially Republican ideas dressed up with the language of empowerment. No wonder Clinton was so hated by the Republicans, who saw him stealing their program. Geismer takes us through the various applications of the 'new thinking' defining the New Democrats, which they characterized as “doing well by doing good.” In area after area, from community development banking, market based healthcare reform, charter schools, empowerment zones, microenterprise, and free trade, the neoliberal market fundamentalist credo left disasters in its wake. We see the way figures like Jesse Jackson, Al Gore, Robert Reich, Barack Obama, and Joseph Biden ‘develop’ in this narrative with great import for today as we head to the midterms, and the DLC is busy blaming the left for the Democrats' poor showing to come. Lily Geismer makes the connections.

Jun 15, 202249 min

The Dig: Gunpower Death Drive w/ Patrick Blanchfield

Patrick Blanchfield analyzes the long history of US gun violence and the American death drive.  Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TheDig and get our weekly newsletter by email. Check out our most recent newsletter on the Progressive Era roots of Clintonism's conception of the "deserving poor" thedigradio.com/newsletter32 Register for Socialism 2022 socialismconference.org 

Jun 10, 20222h 29m

Jacobin Show: Elites Are Lying About Inflation w/ Samir Sonti

Samir Sonti argues that the causes of current inflation are supply side issues and if the Fed chooses to fight it by raising interest rates, it will only hurt workers. Jen explores the world of "anticapitalist investing". Jared Abbott comes on to talk about what makes the US public transportation system exceptionally bad. Samir Sonti's article in the latest issue: https://jacobin.com/2022/06/what-you-... Jared Abbott's article: https://jacobin.com/2022/06/american-exceptionalism-off-the-rails 0:00 interview with Samir 21:12 Jen's segment on "anticapitalist investing" 27:21 interview with Jared Subscribe to Jacobin for just $10: https://jacobinmag.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINYT Music provided by Zonkey: https://linktr.ee/zonkey The Jacobin Show offers socialist perspectives on class and capitalism in the twenty-first century, the failures of liberalism, and the prospects of rebuilding a left labor movement in the US. This is the podcast version of the show from June 8, 2022.

Jun 10, 202249 min

A World to Win: The TikTok-ification of Colombia's Election w/ David Adler

This week, Grace talks to David Adler, General Coordinator of the Progressive International, about the ongoing Colombian presidential election and what the results of its first round say about the role of social media platforms like TikTok in the global political discourse.Thanks to producer Sarah Hurd for filling in this week and to the Socialism Conference for making this episode possible.

Jun 9, 202236 min

Michael and Us: Pieces of Flair

Our Superdelegate patron tier has voted for us to discuss Mike Judge's workplace satire OFFICE SPACE (1999), and it leads us down a long rabbit hole of remembering bad work experiences. PLUS: We take a fond look back on the all-time classic Man of the Year (2006)Michael and Us is a podcast about political cinema and our crumbling world hosted by Will Sloan and Luke Savage.

Jun 9, 202250 min

Behind the News: The Colombian Presidential Election w/ Forrest Hylton

Doug interviews Forrest Hylton on the first round of the Colombian presidential election and why it was bad news for the leftist candidate Gustavo Petro. Plus:  Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, author of Elite Capture, on how the ruling class has debased identity politics, and how we could reconstitute it. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive here: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html

Jun 7, 202253 min

The Dig: The New Democrats w/ Lily Geismer

Dan's second episode with historian Lily Geismer, who he interviewed in 2019 about Don't Blame Us: Suburban Liberals and the Transformation of the Democratic Party. This interview is on Left Behind: The Democrats' Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality, which details the long history of Clintonism and the Democrats’ neoliberal turn.Read the latest newsletter. It's on what Ruthie meant when she said abolition was another word for communism: thedigradio.com/newsletter31Listen to Geismer's first Dig interview: thedigradio.com/podcast/race-and-class-in-the-liberal-suburbs-with-lily-geismerSupport The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig

Jun 5, 20222h 9m

Jacobin Show: What's the Matter with California? w/ Catherine Liu

Catherine Liu, author of Virtue Hoarders, joins The Jacobin Show for a discussion about the multicultural neoliberalism of California. Daniel Bessner also joins the podcast to discuss NATO and recent bids by Finland and Sweden to join the military alliance.0:00 Jen's segment on guns and gun reform25:00 interview with Danny40:45 interview with CatherineSubscribe to Jacobin for just $10: https://jacobinmag.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINYTMusic provided by Zonkey: https://linktr.ee/zonkeyThe Jacobin Show offers socialist perspectives on class and capitalism in the twenty-first century, the failures of liberalism, and the prospects of rebuilding a left labor movement in the US. This is the podcast version of the show from June 1, 2022.

Jun 5, 20221h 34m

Michael and Us: Trust the Plan

What is a quickly-made, low-effort documentary like ONE NATION UNDER TRUMP (2016) good for? Not a lot. But one thing that this ridiculous pro-Trump hagiography provided us with was a chance to marinate for long, unbroken stretches of time in the 45th president's rhetorical style. We made some unexpected discoveries about how his distinctive way of speaking led him to the presidency.Michael and Us is a podcast about political cinema and our crumbling world hosted by Will Sloan and Luke Savage.

Jun 3, 202238 min

Jacobin Radio w/ Suzi Weissman: 13 Jealous Republics w/ Mike Davis

Historian, urban theorist and activist Mike Davis is writing a new book called Star Spangled Leviathan: An Economic History of American Nationalism. On May Day he read from the chapter "13 Jealous Republics: The Myth of American Genesis" sponsored by Trinity College's Social Justice Initiative, organized by Jordan Camp and Christina Heatherton. A selected discussion follows. The talk was dedicated to Fred Pfeil, Trinity Professor, public intellectual on the street and the page, troublemaker and beloved collaborator with Mike on the Verso/Haymarket series called The Year Left. Fred Pfeil died in 2005. Check out his writings, including Another Tale to Tell and White Guys: Studies in Postmodern Domination and Difference.

Jun 2, 20221h 5m

Behind the News: Sex, Labor, and Capitalism w/ Heather Berg

Doug interviews Heather Berg, author of Porn Work, on relations of production in sex work. Plus: Kevin Young and Leonard Seabrooke, co-authors of a paper in the Socio-Economic Review, on the contrasting collegial styles of the Chicago and Charles River schools of economics.Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive here: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html

May 31, 202253 min

The Dig: Ruth Wilson Gilmore w/ Alberto Toscano and Brenna Bhandar

What role does mass incarceration play in American political economy? What does that reveal about what sort of politics are required to overcome it? Ruth Wilson Gilmore with Alberto Toscano and Brenna Bhandar, who edited the new collection Abolition Geography: Essays Towards Liberation.Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDigBuy Assata Taught Me: State Violence, Racial Capitalism, and the Movement for Black Lives by Donna Murch haymarketbooks.org/books/1650-assata-taught-me

May 28, 20222h 8m

Long Reads: Maya Goodfellow on Resisting Racism in Britain's 'Hostile Environment'

Maya Goodfellow joins Long Reads for a discussion about racism in Britain's "hostile environment" and resistance to the repressive migration policies put forth by both Tory and Labour governments. Maya is an academic and the author of Hostile Environment: How Immigrants Became Scapegoats.For more, see Maya's book as well as her article for Jacobin, "Borders Are the Problem, Not the People Crossing Them."Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s longform writers. Hosted by Features Editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies, music by Knxwledge.

May 28, 202252 min

A World to Win: Pandemic Political Economy w/ Sahil Dutta & Nick Taylor

This week, Grace talks to Nick Taylor and Sahil Dutta, two of the co-authors behind Unprecedented?: How COVID-19 Revealed the Politics of Our Economy. They discuss the politics behind the economics of COVID—from debt to care to the labor market—and how the pandemic and current cost-of-living crises are likely to reshape the world going forward.A World to Win is a podcast from Grace Blakeley and Tribune bringing you a weekly dose of socialist news, theory, and action with guests from around the world. Thanks to our producer Conor Gillies and to the Lipman-Miliband Trust for making this episode possible.

May 26, 202254 min

Jacobin Radio w/ Suzi Weissman: A Wave of Worker Organizing w/ Steven Greenhouse

Suzi talks to longtime labor reporter and author Steven Greenhouse about the exciting new moment for labor in the US. Steven says the unionizing victories at Amazon and now 81 Starbucks stores—as well as the spread of union drives to many other workplaces in retail, higher education, the media, and healthcare—signify a moment so promising for labor that we’d have to go back to the organizing in the 1930s to see anything comparable. Suzi and Ilya Matveev, of Openleft.ru and the Russian research group Public Sociology Laboratory, discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine twelve weeks in. We get Ilya’s analysis of the domestic situation at home, politically and economically, for the regime and for the population. While polls show widespread support for Putin’s “military operation,” reports note that support for the war is tepid, not enthusiastic. Most analysts say the country is evenly divided between support and dissent regarding the war, though propaganda and penalties for speaking out influence that figure, as Putin has taken an increasingly hard line against dissent. Ilya Matveev unpacks what the polling does or doesn’t show, and we get details of the impact of economic sanctions on the population, the state of industry and the economy, the divisions in the population and among the elite – and what losing the war might mean for Putin’s hold on power.

May 25, 20221h 1m

Behind the News: Crypto's Scam-Ridden World w/ Molly White

Doug speaks with Molly White, keeper of the "Web3 Is Going Just Great" blog, on the pointless and scam-ridden world of cryptocurrencies. Also on the pod: Kathleen Belew, a scholar of white power, discusses that movement’s obsessions and unusual organization.Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive here: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html

May 23, 202253 min

The Dig: Center and Periphery w/ Margarita Fajardo

Historian Margarita Fajardo on her book The World That Latin America Created: The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America in the Development Era. Fajardo discusses the Latin American economists at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL) who conceptualized the division of the global economy between center and periphery, and how that later gave rise to dependency theory and world systems theory. Plus Cuban Revolution and the Alliance for Progress, Allende's democratic road to socialism and right-wing coups in Chile and Brazil—and more. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig

May 21, 20222h 0m

Michael and Us: Just Asking Questions

Dinesh D'Souza believes he has uncovered shocking proof that the Democratic Party stole the 2020 election in 2000 MULES (2022), a documentary so shoddy that even right-wing media is hesitant to publicize it. We follow the trail of Dinesh's conspiracy theory to its inevitable endpoint: a contempt for democracy itself. PLUS: we discuss the billionaire whose name is on everyone's lips, Elon Musk.Michael and Us is a podcast about political cinema and our crumbling world hosted by Will Sloan and Luke Savage.

May 21, 202240 min

A World to Win: Roots of a 50-Year Drug War w/ Kojo Koram

As the London mayor plans to conduct a review on cannabis legalization, Grace speaks with Kojo Koram, lecturer in law at Birkbeck and author of several books, including The War on Drugs and the Global Colour Line, about drug policy and history. They discuss the roots of drugs criminalization, the neoliberal roots of the war on drugs in the UK and US, and prospects for reform.A World to Win is a podcast from Grace Blakeley and Tribune bringing you a weekly dose of socialist news, theory, and action with guests from around the world. Thanks to our producer Conor Gillies and to the Lipman-Miliband Trust for making this episode possible.

May 19, 202238 min

Behind the News: Climate Change Is Class Struggle w/ Matt Huber

Matthew Huber, author of Climate Change as Class War, explains why the environmental movement needs to take class and production more seriously. Next up, Adam Kotsko explores why evangelicals are so obsessed with abortionBehind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive here: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html

May 17, 202253 min

Michael and Us: The Futility Consensus

The documentary WHITE NOISE (2020) follows three very prominent members of the alt-right (you'll be familiar with all of them, folks) as their fortunes rise and fall during the Trump era. We discuss the ethics of interviewing/"platforming" ideological enemies, the differing aesthetic styles of various alt-right personalities, and what happens to political "scenes" during periods of eclipse. PLUS: Luke takes stock of the Canadian Conservative leadership race, and Liam Neeson makes a movie about the U.S./Mexico border.Michael and Us is a podcast about political cinema and our crumbling world hosted by Will Sloan and Luke Savage.

May 15, 202258 min

Long Reads: Tom Mills on the BBC's Partisan Politics

Tom Mills, lecturer in sociology at Aston University and the author of The BBC: Myth of a Public Service, joins Long Reads for a discussion about the history of the BBC, its ideological and soft-power functions, and the future of public broadcasting.Read Tom's article "The Left Should Stand for a Democratically Run BBC" here: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2022/02/defend-bbc-funding-public-broadcasting-license-fees-conservative-toriesLong Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s longform writers. Hosted by Features Editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies, music by Knxwledge.

May 14, 20221h 7m

The Dig: The Return of Labor Militancy

Live from New York: Dan interviews Amazon Labor Union president Chris Smalls, Jaz Brisack of Starbucks Workers United, SEIU Local 1199NE president Rob Baril, Jacobin writer Alex Press, and Labor Notes writer Luis Feliz Leon on the return of labor militancy that we see sweeping Amazon, Starbucks, and workplaces all around the US.Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig

May 13, 20221h 43m

A World to Win: Turning the Earth Into Money w/ John Bellamy Foster

This week, Grace talks to John Bellamy Foster, professor of sociology at the University of Oregon and editor of Monthly Review. They discuss Marx’s metabolic theory of nature and the "metabolic rift" that shapes the relationship between humanity and nature under capitalism, as well as the ongoing relevance of the theory of monopoly capital put forward by Monthly Review founders Paul Baran and Paul Sweezy. A World to Win is a podcast from Grace Blakeley and Tribune bringing you a weekly dose of socialist news, theory, and action with guests from around the world. Thanks to our producer Conor Gillies and to the Lipman-Miliband Trust for making this episode possible.

May 13, 202254 min

Jacobin Show: Corporations Won't Save Roe or the Climate w/ Natalie Shure & Matt Huber

This week on The Jacobin Show, Natalie Shure explains why she doesn't think the SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will turn out Dem voters in the midterms, Jen Pan pours some cold water on liberal excitement over corporations' sudden and newfound interest in reproductive rights, and Matt Huber discusses his new book Climate Change as Class War out this month from Verso, and why we have to put class struggle front in center in the fight against climate change. Subscribe to Jacobin for just $10: https://jacobinmag.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINYT Music provided by Zonkey: https://linktr.ee/zonkey The Jacobin Show offers socialist perspectives on class and capitalism in the twenty-first century, the failures of liberalism, and the prospects of rebuilding a left labor movement in the US. This is the audio version of the show from May 11, 2022.

May 12, 20221h 7m

Michael and Us: The Show About Nothing

THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998) is widely remembered as a prescient film that anticipates the rise of social media and reality TV. But how accurate was its forecast, really? And what, exactly, was it saying? And hey—did the audience watch Truman go to the bathroom? We investigate. "The Audience is Us" by Jonathan Rosenbaum: https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2021/07/the-audience-is-us/Michael and Us is a podcast about political cinema and our crumbling world hosted by Will Sloan and Luke Savage.

May 9, 202254 min

The Dig: SCOTUS, Politics, and the Law w/ Aziz Rana, Amna Akbar, & Marbre Stahly-Butts

A timely interview from the archives: legal scholars Aziz Rana and Amna Akbar, and Movement for Black Lives lawyer Marbre Stahly-Butts, on SCOTUS, liberal court veneration, and other big questions on the law and politics facing the left.Find Eslanda at haymarketbooks.org/books/1769-eslandaSupport The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig

May 7, 20221h 44m

Jacobin Show: Why Blue Cities Keep Failing the Homeless w/ Clayton Aldern

Jen Pan speaks with Ben Burgis about why the left should continue focusing on concrete organizing and policy and not the culture wars. She also speaks with Clay Aldern, co-author of the new book Homelessness is a Housing Problem, about how to solve the housing crisis in the US. Also on the show: a look at how private universities are making a killing while paying no taxes.Jacobin May Day sale: https://jacobinmag.com/subscribe/?code=MAYDAY2022Music provided by Zonkey: https://linktr.ee/zonkeyThe Jacobin Show offers socialist perspectives on class and capitalism in the twenty-first century, the failures of liberalism, and the prospects of rebuilding a left labor movement in the US. This is the podcast version of the show from May 4, 2022.

May 6, 20221h 17m

A World to Win: The Radicalism of Hope w/ Mikaela Loach

This week, Grace talks to brilliant young climate campaigner Mikaela Loach about her work trying to shut down oil production in the North Sea, taking the UK government to court over fossil fuel subsidies, and the best ways to organize among Gen Z! Mikaela has been involved with campaigns such as Stop Cambo, Stop Jackdaw, and Paid to Pollute.A World to Win is a podcast from Grace Blakeley and Tribune bringing you a weekly dose of socialist news, theory, and action with guests from around the world. Thanks to our producer Conor Gillies and to the Lipman-Miliband Trust for making this episode possible.

May 5, 202254 min

Michael and Us: Pleasant Valley Sunday

The Monkees were a prefabricated pop band who didn't play their own instruments and didn't get much respect. But in 1968, they teamed with director Bob Rafelson and a young writer named Jack Nicholson to take charge of their image with HEAD (1968), a corrosive satire that asks: what do the Monkees have in common with the Vietnam War?Donate to an abortion fund: https://www.thecut.com/article/donate-abortion-fund-roe-v-wade-how-to-help.htmlMichael and Us is a podcast about political cinema and our crumbling world hosted by Will Sloan and Luke Savage.

May 4, 202240 min

Behind the News: The Impending Debt Crisis w/ David Adler

Doug speaks with David Adler of the Progressive International on an impending debt crisis, with an emphasis on the role of the IMF. Plus: Sudip Bhattacharya on the Asian American population: its diversity, its unity, its politics.David's Guardian article about the IMF: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/apr/18/will-biden-ever-stand-up-to-the-imfs-abuses-of-powerBehind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive here: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html

May 2, 202253 min

The Dig: Before the West w/ Ayşe Zarakol

Ayşe Zarakol on her book Before the West: The Rise and Fall of Eastern World Orders. How centuries of Asian empires from Genghis Khan to Timur and the early Ming Dynasty through the Ottomans and Mughals built dominant world orders and, ultimately, shaped the rise of Europe—and how that all might shape how we think about the crisis in the world order today.Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDigCheck out phenomenalworld.org

Apr 28, 20222h 4m

A World to Win: War and Inter-Imperialism w/ Barnaby Raine

This week, Grace is joined by Barnaby Raine, co-author of a recent essay for Salvage magazine analyzing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine through the lens of rising nationalism, a feature of global politics especially since the 2008 financial crisis. They discuss this world-historic crisis of capitalism, how it is fueling the growth of nationalist and neo-fascist movements around the world, what that means for world politics, and how the left should respond.A World to Win is a podcast from Grace Blakeley and Tribune bringing you a weekly dose of socialist news, theory, and action with guests from around the world. Thanks to our producer Conor Gillies and to the Lipman-Miliband Trust for making this episode possible.

Apr 28, 202240 min

Jacobin Show: How We Broke the Supply Chain w/ David Dayen

Jen Pan speaks with Matt Bruenig on the terrible influence of corporate think tanks on our politics and David Dayen about how decades of pro-corporate policies have ruined our supply chains. Jen’s weekly segment focuses on why Joe Biden’s approval rating is lower among Latinos than any other group, and why so many mainstream explanations of this fact are off the mark.See coverage of supply chain issues in the American Prospect: https://prospect.org/supply-chainSubscribe to Jacobin for just $10: https://jacobinmag.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINYTMusic provided by Zonkey: https://linktr.ee/zonkeyThe Jacobin Show offers socialist perspectives on class and capitalism in the twenty-first century, the failures of liberalism, and the prospects of rebuilding a left labor movement in the US. This is the podcast version of the show from April 27, 2022.

Apr 28, 20221h 2m

Michael and Us: The Fatal Shore

Australian land and British institutions mix uncomfortably in Peter Weir's PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK (1975). We speculate from our Canadian vantage points why this story has become one of the iconic documents of Australia's national identity. PLUS: the boys cannot stop talking about Bob Dylan!"Picnic at Hanging Rock: What We See and What We Seem" by Megan Abbott - https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/3202-picnic-at-hanging-rock-what-we-see-and-what-we-seemMichael and Us is a podcast about political cinema and our crumbling world hosted by Will Sloan and Luke Savage.

Apr 27, 202241 min

Jacobin Radio w/ Suzi Weissman: A New Economic Bill of Rights?

Suzi talks to Alan Minsky and Harvey Kaye about the 21st Century Economic Bill of Rights, which they see as both a campaign platform and governing program to rescue and renew American democracy. This is more than a to-do or must-do list for progressives, but in their words, a compelling and transformative unifying project, a manifesto to advance democracy. We ask whether they think this program is feasible and realizable given the configuration of our political winner take all system?We then turn to the recent election in France, where incumbent Emmanuel Macron won with a 17% margin over Marine Le Pen. The period leading up to this election was far more uncertain. The contest had been narrowed from 12 parties in the first round, held April 10th, to the top two vote-getters, the centrist neoliberal Macron, and the far rightist Le Pen. Le Pen edged out the leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon by a very narrow margin. The day before the election, we spoke with Sebastian Budgen, author of a recent article in the New Left Review blog, about the big question leading up to the election: Where would Mélenchon’s votes go in the second round? Though a decisive number seemed to have held their noses to vote for Macron, 26% of the electorate stayed home—in effect abstaining. An insignificant 2% of voters either nullified or turned in a blank ballot. Budgen gives an analysis of the state of the French electorate that holds lessons and warnings for the future.

Apr 27, 20221h 6m

Behind the News: Lessons From Assata w/ Donna Murch

Doug interviews Donna Murch, author of Assata Taught Me, on Black radical politics from the Panthers to the Movement for Black Lives. Plus: Kyle Shybunko, author of a recent article on the New Left Review blog, discusses Hungary’s leader Viktor Orbán, a hero to many on the American right.Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive here: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html

Apr 26, 202253 min

Long Reads: Gilbert Achcar on the Second Wave of Arab Uprisings

Gilbert Achcar joins Long Reads for a conversation about the second wave of Arab uprisings—and the possibility of a third. Gilbert is professor of development studies at SOAS in London. The second edition of his book The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising has just been published.Read a 2020 interview with Gilbert in Catalyst, "The Arab Spring, a Decade Later" here: https://catalyst-journal.com/2020/12/the-arab-spring-a-decade-laterAnd his 2019 article "The Sudanese Revolution Enters a New Phase" here: https://jacobinmag.com/2019/08/sudanese-revolution-fdfc-constitutional-agreement-signedLong Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s longform writers. Hosted by Features Editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies, music by Knxwledge.

Apr 23, 202253 min

The Dig: Bonds of Inequality w/ Destin Jenkins

Destin Jenkins on his book The Bonds of Inequality: Debt and the Making of the American City, which makes a powerful argument about how the ubiquitous and in many ways invisible dependence of American cities on municipal debt to fund basic infrastructure has devastating consequences for democracy and entrenches spatial, racial, and wealth disparities.Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDigTickets for live NYC show on The Return of Labor Militancy: eventbrite.com/e/the-return-of-labor-militancy-with-the-dig-and-jacobin-tickets-320732338057

Apr 21, 20221h 43m

Jacobin Show: The Calamity of Clintonism

Jen Pan discusses why “cannabis equity” programs, which were designed to provide opportunities for victims of America’s decades-long drug war, have been a complete failure. Paul Prescod talks about the importance of forging electoral campaigns deeply rooted in the labor movement. And finally, Lily Geismer gives a history of the New Democrats' assault on labor and social programs. Her new book is Left Behind: The Democrats’ Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality. Subscribe to Jacobin for just $10: https://jacobinmag.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINYTMusic provided by Zonkey: https://linktr.ee/zonkeyThe Jacobin Show offers socialist perspectives on class and capitalism in the twenty-first century, the failures of liberalism, and the prospects of rebuilding a left labor movement in the US. This is the podcast version of the show from April 20, 2022.

Apr 21, 20221h 6m

A World to Win: Against Ecofascism w/ Sam Moore

This week, Grace talks to Sam Moore, co-author with Alex Roberts of The Rise of Ecofascism: Climate Change and the Far Right. Sam and Alex host their own podcast, 12 Rules for WHAT, which focuses on the rise of the far right. They discuss how far-right politicians are weaponizing the climate crisis to build support for an extremist, exclusionary politics based on "batteries, bombs, and borders," how this links to a longer history of right-wing environmentalism, and how the left should respond.A World to Win is a podcast from Grace Blakeley and Tribune bringing you a weekly dose of socialist news, theory, and action with guests from around the world. Thanks to our producer Conor Gillies and to the Lipman-Miliband Trust for making this episode possible.

Apr 20, 202242 min

Michael and Us: What's Left?

The 1969 documentary WHAT'S LEFT? captures the Canadian left (and more specifically, Canada's New Democratic Party) being pulled in two directions: by an emerging, student-led generation of radical activists, and an older political class that has either grown pragmatic or complacent depending on who you ask. We discuss the history of the Canadian left, and what has both changed and remained the same in the 50+ years since the film. PLUS: We catch an acute case of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them fever!!!Watch the documentary What's Left? here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRzNoaEw3xMMichael and Us is a podcast about political cinema and our crumbling world hosted by Will Sloan and Luke Savage.

Apr 18, 202247 min

Behind the News: The Population of Our Prisons w/ Wanda Bertram

Doug speaks with Wanda Bertram of the Prison Policy Initiative about the demographics of the million people in state prisons and the fight around cash bail in New York. Plus, Doug talks to historian James Chappel about his recent article "Inside the Postliberal Mind" which reviews a new book by reactionary Catholic law professor Adrian Vermeule. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive here: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html

Apr 15, 202253 min

The Dig: Police w/ Mariame Kaba and Geo Maher

Mariame Kaba and Geo Maher discuss police, the politics of policing, abolition, reform—and more.Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TheDig

Apr 15, 20221h 35m

Jacobin Show: The Downfall of Defund w/ Cedric Johnson

Jen Pan takes a look at the politics of the pentagon budget and Daniel Zamora discusses how American-style identity politics somehow found a way of suffusing the ideological debates around the French election. Then, Jen sits down with Cedric Johnson to discuss why the defund movement failed, and why the Left should prioritize a politics of increased social spending to eliminate the very basis of what Johnson terms "stress policing" of working-class communities. Subscribe to Jacobin for just $10: https://jacobinmag.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINYTMusic provided by Zonkey: https://linktr.ee/zonkeyThe Jacobin Show offers socialist perspectives on class and capitalism in the twenty-first century, the failures of liberalism, and the prospects of rebuilding a left labor movement in the US. This is the podcast version of the show from April 13, 2022.

Apr 14, 20221h 9m

A World to Win: Who Benefited from Britain's Empire? w/ Kojo Koram

Grace talks to Kojo Koram, who teaches in the School of Law at Birkbeck College and is the author of Uncommon Wealth: Britain and the Aftermath of Empire, about why the government is trying to change the curriculum to include a more 'balanced' perspective on Britain's empire. We ask who actually benefited from the days of formal empire, how imperialism continues to this day, and why the right are so keen to keep the culture wars alive.  A World to Win is a podcast from Grace Blakeley and Tribune bringing you a weekly dose of socialist news, theory and action with guests from around the world. Thanks to producer Sarah Hurd for filling in this week and to the Lipman-Miliband Trust for making this episode possible.

Apr 14, 202241 min

Jacobin Radio w/ Suzi Weissman: Russia’s War on Ukraine

Jacobin Radio features the recent UCLA colloquium, “The Political Economy of Russia’s War in Ukraine,” organized and moderated by the Center for Social Theory and Comparative History’s Robert Brenner. The panelists are Boris Kagarlitsky, Ilya Budraitskis, Ilya Matveev, and Suzi Weissman, followed by a lively Q and A.  The Russian decision to invade Ukraine was seen as an inevitability to some observers, but a surprise to many others. While the precise motivations are still subject to much debate, the current situation is highly dynamic and the future of the war remains uncertain. This panel examines the underlying political economy of Russia to better understand the reasons for war and its ramifications for the region and the wider world economy.  View the full video here:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1im2wU5nKZj-GFHorqk19_z7rsxqE9cBR/view?usp=sharing

Apr 13, 20221h 29m