Left Reckoning

Get this full episode and all the Sunday Shows by becoming a member at Patreon.com/leftreckoning

David and Matt discuss the ethical implications of comedians performing in Saudi Arabia, the political landscape in Texas with Andrew White's gubernatorial campaign, and Megyn Kelly stares into the TPUSA abyss and doesn't like the way it talks about "billionaire jews."

Support the show at patreon.com/leftreckoning

What is going on with Your Party? Matt and David dive in the fallout from the Corbyn v. Sultana feud and what it means for what felt like a promising start for the UK left. Plus, Democratic socialism, the people like it. New poll show Democratic socialism is now mainstream. - https://jacobin.com/2025/09/new-poll-democratic-socialism-mainstream/

Agree? you can join DSA here: https://act.dsausa.org/donate/membership/

JOIN MATT & DAVE DSA's Phonebank! http://dsausa.us/LRPB

Matt Lech and Devin Thomas O'Shea delve into the works of Thomas Pynchon, particularly focusing on 'Vineland'. They explore Pynchon's unique narrative style, his historical context, and the political themes embedded in his literature. They dive into the relevance of Pynchon's themes in today's political landscape and concludes with reflections on his literary legacy.

get full access to the postgame at ⁠patreon.com/leftreckoning⁠

Huge episode tonight! David and Matt discuss the crackdown on free speech. Then we are joined by Dr. Tom Alter, who was let go of his tenured job as a history professor at Texas State University, for engaging in free speech. We talk about what that means for Texas and the country.

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-free-speech-reinstate-dr-tom-alter-now

TSEU petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/reinstate-dr-tom-alter-defend-free-speech-at-all-universities

Socialist Horizon statement and petition: https://www.puntorojomag.org/2025/09/13/defend-free-speech-no-to-fascists-reinstate-professor-dr-tom-alter-now/

READ TOM ALTER'S EXCELLENT BOOK ON TEXAS RADICALS: https://bookshop.org/p/books/toward-a-cooperative-commonwealth-the-transplanted-roots-of-farmer-labor-radicalism-in-texas-thomas-alter/e1f7347c5ee54043

Brian Mier (@BrianMteleSUR) join us to talk about Bolsonaro's imprisonment for his role in the attempted coup in Brazil.

Keep up with Brian's work here: https://bmier.substack.com/

Lastly, we are joined by Tamanisha J. John (@TamanishaJohn) to discuss Venezuela and the Trump administration's aggressive stance, as well as neocolonialism.

You can read the piece here: https://www.blackagendareport.com/historical-and-contemporary-role-neocolonial-caribbean-governments-supporting-us-militarism-and

get full access to the postgame at patreon.com/leftreckoning

David & Matt break down the latest assault on Gaza, the latest in TX Dem primary, Zohran's response to a bizarre Trump comparison and more!

PLUS Nilo Tabrizy (@NiloTabrizy) joins david to discuss the Women Life Freedom movement in Iran and the historical context of their fight.

Pick Up Nilo's book here: -the-sun-after-long-nights-by-fatemeh-jamalpour-and-nilo-tabrizy/

Get this full episode at patreon.com/leftreckoning

Matt and David talk Trump's strikes on a Venezuelan speedboat and an insane story from Wired (for the second week in a row).https://www.wired.com/story/the-baby-died-whose-fault-is-it-surrogate-pregnancy/

Learn more about how to get involved at https://www.labourforpalestine.com/Join David Griscom, Aminah Sheikh, and Kevin Levangie as they dive into the latest labor movements in Canada, focusing on the successful resolutions for a two-way arms embargo with Israel. Discover how grassroots organizing and cross-union solidarity are reshaping the conversation around international labor rights and moral responsibility.Then join us for a fun chat with comedian & Majority Report producer Brian Vokey as we dive into the comedy scene, Joe Rogan's influence, and political comics.

https://www.instagram.com/mrbryanvokey/And get full access to the postgame at patreon.com/leftreckoning

get this full Sunday Show and all previous and future ones by becoming a supporting member at patreon.com/leftreckoning

David and Matt react to the fallout from Taylor Lorenz's Wired article about the dark money subsidization of DNC democrat media.https://www.wired.com/story/dark-money-group-secret-funding-democrat-influencers/

Apologies for the mix-up with the previous upload!

LEFT RECKONING 235!!David speaks with Pelle Dragsted (@pelledragsted), a democratic socialist member of the Danish Parliament and leader of the Enhedslisten—the Red-Green Alliance—about his recently translated book, Nordic Socialism. They talk about what the Nordic countries have accomplished, the pitfalls of social democracy, and what is needed to fight for a better future. Find Nordic Socialism here: https://uwpress.wisc.edu/Books/N/Nordic-SocialismThen David speaks with Alexander Lemons, co-author of "Warbodies: A Marine Sniper and the Hidden Violence of Modern Warfare," to talk about the US military makes 'warbodies.'Pick Up Warbody here: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324066330Read Alexander's piece in High Country News:https://www.hcn.org/issues/57-2/a-veteran-transforms-a-legacy-of-violence-into-a-campaign-for-restoration/------------------------------------------Show notes: 00:00 Start 1:40 Intro 9:01 Nordic Socialism w/ Pelle Dragsted42:00 Warbody w/ Alexander Lemons

Hope that you enjoy this public version of the LR postgame. Catch it every week at patreon.com/leftreckoning

👉 Join us on Patreon for full access to bonus episodes and behind-the-scenes debriefs: https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning

Matt & Dave are back with a big one. We are joined by Kelsea Bond, who is running for city council in Atlanta. Kelsea explains how socialism can win in the South and the importance of being well-versed in a tradition. Then we are joined by two recently elected members of DSA National Political Committee, Ella Teevan (@EllaTeevan) and Cerena Ermitanio (@kasamangcerena) to talk about what is next for the largest socialist organization in the US.Learn more about Kelsea's campaign in Atlanta: https://kelseabond.com/David and Matt also talk about the return of the Texas democrats and the redistricting fight, and lessons from Bolivia's historic loss for the left, with MAS for the first time being out of government.