How We Do It

Joining us to talk about Trump's Council of Economic Advisor's ridiculous anti-socialism report is Matt Bruenig, founder of the People's Policy Project. We discuss the report titled, "The Opportunity Costs of Socialism," and address some of the rebuttals and cliches commonly wielded against broadly successful socialist societies.

Who's afraid of socialism and why? Tune in to find out.

Matt's latest response to the report can be found here: https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2018/11/05/the-white-houses-deceptive-pickup-truck-math/

Read the ridiculous report here (if you hate yourself): https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/cea-report-opportunity-costs-socialism/

*** If you like the show, please consider supporting us. We can't do this without the generous support of our patrons. We're asking our listeners to contribute one hour's wage per month to our project, and you'll get plenty of subscriber-only content as a reward: www.patreon.com/deadpundits ***

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Joining us this week to talk about the election of far right Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil is Alex Hochuli, who lives in São Paulo and hosts the Aufhebungabunga podcast. We discuss the ruling class conspiracy that led to the fall of both Lula and Dilma of the Worker's Party (PT) and the failures of the neoliberal centrists in containing the crisis that they, themselves, created. Finally, we develop "neoliberal authoritarianism" as the neo-fascism of the 21st century.

Check out some of Alex's recent writings on the topic here:

-"Bolsonaro Rising," https://thebaffler.com/latest/bolsonaro-rising-hochuli

-"Brazil presidential election: Who is Jair Bolsonaro and why is he more dangerous than Trump?" https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/brazil-presidential-election-who-jair-bolsonaro-popular-candidate-more-dangerous-ncna925011

-"The Ends of Lava Jato," https://jacobinmag.com/2017/04/brazil-lava-jato-corruption-dilma-rousseff-lula-temer-mani-pulite-italy

*** Please consider becoming a supporter of this podcast. We can't operate without the generous support of our listeners. Subscribe to our patreon at: www.patreon.com/deadpundits ***

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Joining us this week to break down Bernie Sanders' foreign policy speech is Daniel Bessner, Pyle Assistant Professor in American Foreign Policy at the University of Washington. We break down Bernie's speech delivered on October 9th and continue to build on the democratic socialist vision for foreign policy. What kind of platform should our candidates have going into 2020 and beyond? Tune in to find out.

Articles mentioned during the show:

-Daniel Bessner, "What Does Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Think About the South China Sea?" https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/17/opinion/democratic-party-cortez-foreign-policy.html

-Hal Brands, "On Foreign Policy, the Left Tries to Out-Trump Trump," https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-09-26/democrats-foreign-policy-is-at-risk-of-retreating-like-trump-has

Find out more about Daniel and his work: http://danielbessner.com

*** To support the new left agenda and gain access to our weekly B-Side and subscriber-only content, join the Dead Pundits Society: wwwpatreon.com/deadpundits ***

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Joining us this week to discuss the dynamics of neoliberal finance (without boring the shit out of you) is Grace Blakeley. We open the show by talking about The World Transformed conference that took place in Liverpool a few weeks ago. Next, Adam and Grace discuss the development of financialization and unpack some of the challenges it produces for a socialist transition. These topics have become far more relevant in the wake of an impending Corbyn government in Britain.

More finance for regular-ass people -- Finance for the Many.

Grace is a Research Fellow on IPPR’s Commission on Economic Justice. She is writing a book on finance that will be published by Repeater Books. You can find her on Twitter at @graceblakeley.

*** Join the Dead Pundits Society to support the new left agenda and receive an additional subscriber-only episode each week: www.patreon.com/deadpundits ***

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This week's DPS was a live show. Our guest is Heidi Matthews, assistant professor at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Ontario. We addressed the Kavanaugh hearings and assessed the general discussion around the Supreme Court by lefties over the past several weeks.

Heidi's article, "Why the Kavanaugh hearings were a show trial gone bad," can be found here: https://theconversation.com/why-the-kavanaugh-hearings-were-a-show-trial-gone-bad-102025

Other relevant pieces:

-Sam Moyn, "Resisting the Juristocracy," https://bostonreview.net/law-justice/samuel-moyn-resisting-juristocracy

-Jedidiah Purdy (interviewed by Meagan Day) "The Courts Are Political," https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/10/supreme-court-brett-kavanaugh-partisan-jurisprudence

-Be sure to subscribe to the show on iTunes or your podcast catcher: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1212081214

-Join the Dead Pundits Society to receive weekly subscriber-only content: www.patreon.com/deadpundits

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Joining us this week to talk about the rise of public sector unions via militant strike activity is Joe Burns, life-long union organizer and contract negotiator. We discuss his latest book, Strike Back: Using the Militant Tactics of Labor’s Past to Reignite Public Sector Unionism Today, and outline how the unlawful strikes of the 1960s and 70s provide a lesson for trade union organizing today. 



-Find Joe’s latest book here: http://igpub.com/strike-back/



-“Can Labor Strike Back?” https://mronline.org/2015/03/28/scipes280315-html/



*** This week's B-Side features an in-depth discussion about law and politics as it relates to the Supreme Court confirmation hearings. It drops Thursday and you won't want to miss it. Join the Dead Pundits Society to support the new left agenda and to receive an additional subscriber-only episode each week: www.patreon.com/deadpundits ***




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Joining us this week to discuss the process around NYC DSA’s endorsement of Cynthia Nixon for the Democratic Party primary race in New York state are two members in NYC-DSA leadership, Susan Kang and Michael Cavadias. We discuss the various meanings of endorsement as well as the debates that emerged around these various and competing visions. Additionally, we discuss the role of accountability and the problematic relationship of the Democratic Party and socialist candidates. 

Whether you were in favor of this endorsement or not — and even whether you’re in favor of a socialist electoral strategy or not — there are many insights in this interview that will be beneficial for developing ou arguments.

Articles:

-"Building Power: A Rebuttal to the Case Against Nixon/Williams," by Susan Kang, Michael Cavadias, Danya Lagos, Cale Brooks, et al.

-"To Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s critics: This is no time for sloganeering," by Jamie Stern-Weiner, https://mondoweiss.net/2018/07/alexandria-cortezs-sloganeering/

Image credit: @volperchlorate

***The B-Side to this week's episode will be available for patrons in several days. Join the Dead Pundits Society to catch the second subscriber-only episode each week and to support the new left agenda: www.patreon.com/deadpundits***

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This episode continues and deepens our discussion with Ed Rooksby from last week. Although it was recorded as a B-Side for our patrons, we decided that it was too good to be parked behind a paywall, so we made it available for all. We open the episode by outlining the legacy of the Second International and the reformist road to socialism. Next, we contrast the pitfalls of that period with the strategies of dual power being offered by socialists today. Nicos Poulantzas's "The Democratic Road to Socialism" offers a roadmap for threading the needle in a way that avoids the traps of reformism and bureaucratism, on the one hand, and the reactionary-utopian visions of "base building" on the other.

What is dual power?

What is base building?

Why do we insist on the democratic road to socialism?

Tune in to find out! This episode is a great continuation of last week's discussion of actually-existing Leninism and dual power.

***This week's B-side will continue our chat on the legacy and efficacy of revolutionary socialism and it will be landing later this week. Join the society at www.patreon.com/deadpundits for access***

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Back on the Dead Pundits Society is Ed Rooksby, who teaches politics at Ruskin College. This behemoth of an episode tackles some of the most pressing questions facing socialists today: what do we mean by a socialist transition and what are some of the historical examples? We tackle the myth and reality of "dual power" and compare it with the prospects of a democratic road to socialism.

This episode is dense, but the pay-off is enormous. Listen up and take notes -- this is Rooksbyism for the 21st Century.

Ed's blog can be found here: https://edrooksby.wordpress.com

***The B-Side to this episode will be dropping early next week. To get access, subscribe today at www.patreon.com/deadpundits***

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[This is a free preview of our full-length Patreon episode for the week. Subscribe for $5/month at www.patreon.com/deadpundits for full access]

Adam and Aimee answer a number of questions from listeners on this week's B-Side. Are we optimistic or pessimistic about the chances of socialism? Why do vulgar socialists have better game? Who are our biggest influences? What can socialists with "real world" knowledge in capitalist industries do to further the cause?

All of your queries on life, love, and socialism will be addressed or your money back.*

***Join the Dead Pundits Society and get access to weekly subscriber-only episodes and our back catalog of B-Sides from Season 1 of the podcast: www.patreon.com/deadpundits ***

*You're not getting your money back.

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