Hear the Bern

Is there any term more vilified on the right than "identity politics"? Supposedly, "IDpol" is all about creating hierarchies of oppression, and the lower down the ranks you fall, the less value your voice has.

On this episode, Briahna talks to Barbara Smith, who as part of the Combahee River Collective - a radical, black, feminist organization based in Boston - coined the term in the late 1970s. Barbara explains that, far from excluding people, her group meant to include everyone in a common struggle for liberation by recognizing the unique challenges that different groups face. "If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression," the group wrote.

Smith recently endorsed Bernie for president, saying that our campaign and movement carries on the structural, intersectional politics for which she has fought all her life.

Barbara Smith is an author, activist, independent scholar, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee. She lives in Albany.

Barbara Smith on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBarbaraSmith

With less than a week until Iowa caucuses, Briahna sits down with economist Jeffrey Sachs to talk about the decades-long project to ward off popular, commonsense policies like Medicare for All. Then, deputy campaign manager Ari Rabin-Havt offers a glimpse behind the scenes of a Bernie rally.

Jeffrey Sachs on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffdsachs

Ari's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onajourneywithbernie/

Pundits were left scratching their heads last fall when Foreign Policy reported that Bernie is the top recipient of donations from the military. But to supporters, it was no surprise: Bernie has a long record of fighting for the rights of US troops to health care, housing, and education - as well as keeping them out of endless, counterproductive wars in the first place.

In this week's episode, Briahna sits down with Kyle Bibby, co-founder of the Black Veterans Project and an organizer with progressive vets group Common Defense, to talk about how time spent in military service can bring someone to the left. Then, she talks to Hector Barajas, a veteran who was deported despite his years of service and who founded the Deported Veterans Support House in Tijuana, Mexico.

Common Defense: https://commondefense.us

Black Veterans Project: https://www.blackveteransproject.org

Deported Veterans Support House: https://www.deportedveteranssupporthouse.net

Briahna sits down with the Hill's Krystal Ball and filmmaker Josh Fox to dissect Joe Biden's record on criminal justice, climate change, foreign policy, trade, and more.

Rising at the Hill: https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising

Josh's show The Truth Has Changed: http://www.internationalwow.com/tthc.php

Briahna explores how Bernie's Jewish roots shaped his politics with Joel Rubin, the campaign's new director of Jewish outreach, and reporter, podcaster, and comedian Katie Halper. Briahna and Katie also dig into some of the anti-Semitic attacks that unscrupulous media types throw at Bernie.

Joel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoelMartinRubin

Katie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kthalps

On the eve of 2020, we're re-upping one of our favorite early episodes (number 11, "Bogeyman: Democratic Socialism"), which features a conversation between Bernie staffer Bianca Marquez and her father, Jaime, on whether we should embrace the term "democratic socialism" to describe Bernie's brand of people-first, progressive politics. We'll be back with fresh episodes next week!

A recent national poll found 52 percent of 18 to 34-year-old voters support Bernie in the Democratic primary, compared to just 2 percent for Pete Buttigieg, a millennial himself. Why do young people overwhelmingly support a 78-year-old Senator for president? To find out, Briahna spoke to some of the most politically engaged young people around, including the leadership of US Youth Climate Strike, the teenage masterminds of Mike Gravel's progressive presidential campaign, and Bernie 2020's own interns.

Then, the campaign’s Relational Organizing Director, Emily Isaac, gives us a rundown of BERN 2.0, the campaign’s secret weapon for organizing the people in your life.

US Youth Climate Strike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/usclimatestrike

Current Affairs editor Nathan J. Robinson stopped by the DC office for a conversation with Briahna about socialism and putting people back at the heart of politics.

Nathan's book, Why You Should Be a Socialist: us.macmillan.com/books/9781250200877

Belén Sisa, Latino Press Secretary for the campaign, talks to actor Kal Penn about his time in the White House, that time she got arrested in Chuck Schumer's office, and making the US immigration system funny on Kal's latest show, Sunnyside.

Then, Briahna sits down with the teenage leadership of US Youth Climate Strike for a quick conversation spanning TikTok, ASMR, and hot pickles.

Kal on Twitter: twitter.com/kalpenn

Sunnyside on NBC: www.nbc.com/sunnyside

Briahna talks to author Grace Blakeley about our era of hyper-capitalism, characterized by the growing dominance of the financial sector and weakened labor.

Then, Hear the Bern producer Ben Dalton interviews an anonymous Amazon worker, who describes the company's union busting, mandatory overtime, and relentless monitoring of workers.

Grace's book, Stolen: How to Save the World from Financialisation: https://repeaterbooks.com/product/stolen-how-to-save-the-world-from-financialisation