The California Dream

The California Dream

By Darin BrownSociety & CultureGovernmentHistoryPlaces & Travel
Download on the App Store

The California Dream episodes

  • Weekly roundup for April 2, 2022
    Weekly roundup for April 2, 2022
    A month ago, Stephanie Kelton and Rohan Grey appeared on Jon Stewart's podcast. I think everyone should listen to this interview, as well as another interview with Fadhel Kaboub on the Scotonomics podcast. Links are provided in the notes below.
    Today I focus on the narratives and stories we tell ourselves to justify the decisions we've made -- whether personal decisions about our lives or political decisions we make collectively. Many times these stories distract us from seeing the world around us and recognizing mistakes we may have made. What stories are we telling ourselves in California as we watch American democracy in crisis? Are we being honest with ourselves, or are we doubling down on old comfortable ideas?
    NOTES:
    1. "Jon Referees an Economist Battle", The Problem with Jon Stewart, February 24, 2022; https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jon-referees-an-economist-battle/id1583132133?i=1000552086865
    2. "How Do We Fix The Economy? Modern Monetary Theory, Explained", The Problem with Jon Stewart, February 24, 2022; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G6obeUKWmw
    3. Scotonomics podcast homepage, accessed April 1, 2022; https://scotonomics.scot/
    4. "SCOTONOMICS. Ep one. Economic Sovereignty", IndependenceLive, June 9, 2021; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF3mRrwQqb0
    MUSIC CREDIT:
    "Angry Bass Line", by Adigold; elements.envato.com
    IMAGE CREDIT:
    "Kelton classroom photo", by Paul Thomas, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kelton_classroom_photo.png
    39 min
  • Weekly roundup for March 5, 2022
    Weekly roundup for March 5, 2022
    Some comments on the war in Ukraine.
    NOTES:
    1. "Jan 6th: The Real Threat is Christian Nationalism in the Military - Mikey Weinstein", by Paul Jay, theAnalysis.news, January 11, 2022; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXb5IJiEeIE
    2. "The antisemitism animating Putin’s claim to ‘denazify’ Ukraine", by Jason Stanely, The Guardian, February 26, 2022; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/vladimir-putin-ukraine-attack-antisemitism-denazify
    3. "A letter to the Western Left from Kyiv", by Taras Bilous, openDemocracy.net, February 25, 2022; https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/a-letter-to-the-western-left-from-kyiv/
    4. "Don’t Be a Tankie: How the Left Should Respond to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine", by Roane Carey, The Intercept, March 1, 2022; https://theintercept.com/2022/03/01/ukraine-russia-leftists-tankie/
    MUSIC CREDIT:
    "Angry Bass Line", by Adigold; elements.envato.com
    IMAGE CREDIT:
    "A banned image of Vladimir Putin", by Gijemag3, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_banned_image_of_Vladimir_Putin._%D0%92%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80_%D0%92%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87_%D0%9F%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD.png
    14 min
  • Interview with Hannah Miyamoto (part 2)
    In the second half of my two-part interview with Hannah Miyamoto, we discuss another recent Supreme Court ruling on Texas Senate Bill 8, which bans most abortions after six weeks and authorizes private citizens to enforce it. This leads to a wide-ranging conversation about how the issue of reproductive rights could put the country on a collision course similar to how the slavery issue led to the Civil War.
    This interview was recorded on February 14, 2022.
    NOTES:
    1. Pacifico Studios YouTube channel; https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCodOnpgLp1-Hfv50JBSLLPA
    2. "The new Georgia Abortion Ban could start a new Civil War. — Not that that’s a bad thing.", by Hannah Miyamoto, Medium, May 26, 2019; https://medium.com/@FreeCalifornia/the-new-georgia-abortion-ban-could-start-a-new-civil-war-ea76e9003c7f
    MUSIC CREDITS:
    1. "Sexy Sneaky Cool Groove", by PhilLarson; elements.envato.com
    2. "Vastness", by Andrew Ev; https://mixkit.co/
    IMAGE CREDIT:
    1. Hannah Miyamoto, used with permission
    45 min
  • Interview with Hannah Miyamoto
    In this first of a two-part interview, Hannah Miyamoto and I discuss the recent Supreme Court "shadow docket" decision concerning Alabama's recently gerrymandered Congressional districts and the crisis in confidence this poses for the federal system.
    This interview was recorded on February 14, 2022.
    NOTES:
    1. Pacifico Studios YouTube channel; https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCodOnpgLp1-Hfv50JBSLLPA
    MUSIC CREDITS:
    1. "Sexy Sneaky Cool Groove", by PhilLarson; elements.envato.com
    2. "Vastness", by Andrew Ev; https://mixkit.co/
    IMAGE CREDIT:
    1. Hannah Miyamoto, used with permission
    43 min
  • Interview with Hal Lohr of Red Star Report
    I'm happy to welcome Hal Lohr back to the show. Hal is the co-host of the Red Star Report podcast.
    A lot has happened since I talked to Hal and Shankar last summer. We discuss current events in California, the United States, and the California independence movement, including the recent failure of AB 1400 in the state assembly. Hal also offers us a preview of what to expect during the upcoming season 2 of RSR.
    This interview was recorded on February 7, 2022.
    NOTES:
    1. "About Us", Red Star Report; https://redstarreport.com/about-us/
    2. Red Star Report YouTube channel; https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsn4e5uimQQGu1sALUvjXcw
    MUSIC CREDITS:
    1. "Sexy Sneaky Cool Groove", by PhilLarson; elements.envato.com
    2. "Vastness", by Andrew Ev; https://mixkit.co/
    IMAGE CREDIT:
    1. Hal Lohr, used with permission
    53 min
  • Weekly roundup for February 12, 2022
    Weekly roundup for February 12, 2022
    This past week, the Supreme Court stayed an injunction from a lower panel, allowing Alabama to proceed with its racially gerrymandered districts for the 2022 midterms. Also, a trucker protest in Ottawa has brought the capital city of Canada to a halt.
    At first glance, neither of these stories appear directly related to California issues or California independence. However, each of them has implications we need to consider as we define our movement.
    NOTES:
    1. "Supreme Court’s ruling on Alabama voting map could open the door to a new Wild West of state redistricting", by Henry L. Chambers Jr., The Conversation, February 11, 2022; https://theconversation.com/supreme-courts-ruling-on-alabama-voting-map-could-open-the-door-to-a-new-wild-west-of-state-redistricting-176950
    2. "The Canadian trucker convoy is an unpopular uprising", by Zack Beauchamp, Vox, February 11, 2022; https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22926134/canada-trucker-freedom-convoy-protest-ottawa
    MUSIC CREDIT:
    "Angry Bass Line", by Adigold; elements.envato.com
    IMAGE CREDIT:
    "2020 U.S. House elections in Alabama", by Politicsfan4, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2020_U.S._House_elections_in_Alabama.svg
    13 min
  • Interview with Jeremy Zogby of John Zogby Strategies
    Jeremy Zogby is a partner at John Zogby Strategies, a data analytics firm founded by his father, the famous pollster John Zogby. He is the editor of The Main St./K St. IntelligenSEER, a biweekly report, and co-host with his father of The Zogby Report: Real and Unscripted, a weekly podcast.
    Jeremy Zogby is our first official returning guest. It's been five months since I spoke to Jeremy last August. Recently, I caught up with Jeremy again, and we discussed the California recall election, recent polling results going into the 2022 midterms, the increasing division of the country into "parallel universes", and whether the topic of national divorce has really "gone viral".
    This interview was recorded on January 24, 2022.
    NOTES:
    1. "About Us", John Zogby Strategies; https://johnzogbystrategies.com/about-us/
    2. The Zogby Report podcast; https://johnzogbystrategies.com/zogby-podcast/
    MUSIC CREDITS:
    1. "Sexy Sneaky Cool Groove", by PhilLarson; elements.envato.com
    2. "Vastness", by Andrew Ev; https://mixkit.co/
    IMAGE CREDIT:
    1. Jeremy Zogby, used with permission
    1 hr 1 min
  • Weekly roundup for February 5, 2022
    Weekly roundup for February 5, 2022
    This past Monday, a single-payer health care bill died in the California state Assembly. In this week's roundup, I discuss the various political and economic aspects of obtaining universal health care for all Californians, and why such an achievement can always be taken away by Washington DC, as long as we remain in the federal union.
    NOTES:
    1. "Single-payer health care hits a roadblock: California bill doesn’t have the votes", by Sophia Bollag, January 31, 2022; https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article257908358.html
    2. "Why single payer died in the California Legislature, again", by Alexei Koseff, CalMatters, February 1, 2022; https://calmatters.org/politics/2022/02/california-single-payer-legislature
    MUSIC CREDIT:
    "Angry Bass Line", by Adigold; elements.envato.com
    IMAGE CREDIT:
    "Assembly Chamber at the California State Capitol", by BenFranske, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Assembly_Chamber_at_the_California_State_Capitol.JPG
    28 min
  • Interview with Matt Owen (part 2)
    Matt Owen is a longstanding and outspoken advocate for California independence. In this second half of a two-part interview, Matt and I discuss the current political situation in the United States, including the rising fascist threat in America, the failure of Joe Biden to meet this threat, how an independent California would move away from American imperialism, and how we can craft a message for California independence that appeals to the masses.
    This interview was recorded on January 17, 2022.
    MUSIC CREDITS:
    1. "Sexy Sneaky Cool Groove", by PhilLarson; elements.envato.com
    2. "Vastness", by Andrew Ev; https://mixkit.co/
    IMAGE CREDIT:
    Matt Owen, used with permission
    49 min
  • Interview with Matt Owen
    Matt Owen is a longstanding and outspoken advocate for California independence. In this first half of a two-part interview, Matt discusses California history, why California would not be "seceding" from the United States, the distinction between the Bear Flag and the Star Flag, the Baja California independence movement, and why returning federal lands to indigenous populations is central to California independence.
    This interview was recorded on January 17, 2022.
    MUSIC CREDITS:
    1. "Sexy Sneaky Cool Groove", by PhilLarson; elements.envato.com
    2. "Vastness", by Andrew Ev; https://mixkit.co/
    IMAGE CREDIT:
    Matt Owen, used with permission
    47 min

About The California Dream

From the publisher's feed

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a dream as “a cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal”. What is the California dream? And how does it compare and contrast to the American dream, or – as many now understand it – the American nightmare? Can California aspire to reach her dreams within an undemocratic and dysfunctional American system? Or should California chart her own course and determine her own destiny?