This week, we take you back to the "Before Time" - specifically 2011 - to trace the toxic road that led us to where we are today. We revisit the birther movement, explore how "Conservatism cannot fail; conservatism can only be failed" evolved into "Trump cannot fail; Trump can only be failed," and examine what happens when an entire political movement becomes nothing more than loyalty to one man.

We discuss the courts blocking Trump's tariffs (and then unblocking them), judges using 26 exclamation points to strike down executive orders, Harvard losing a quarter of its student body overnight, and the president's ongoing extortion and bribery schemes - from CBS settlements to Mar-a-Lago pardon purchases.

Plus, we cover Chris Cillizza's traumatic encounter with a mean note on his Tesla, Trump's potential pardons for would-be kidnappers, and why the meatheads will always find someone else to blame when their dear leader inevitably fails them.

It's another episode in which we boldly venture into a place where others fear to tread—recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.

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• Website: proleftpod.com
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• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

Not safe for work. Available wherever you get your podcasts, or at proleftpod.com

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This week, we’re diagnosing a political condition we’re all feeling — what we’re calling Political Cabin Fever. It’s not hopelessness, it’s exhaustion, and if you're part of the Democratic Base, we bet you know exactly what we mean. We remember before-time examples of MAGA from Archie Bunker to Bill Hicks to RoboCop, and we talk about how liberals like us have been sounding the alarm for decades while elite opinion-havers closed their eyes. Plus, we take a look at the Rahmbo revival tour (Why are you doing this, Rahm? We think we know.), corporate media’s dangerous dance with Trump, and why the Democratic Party keeps punching hippies when it should be listening to the very people who saw this coming. Buckle up — it’s Episode 903 of The Professional Left Podcast.

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• Email: [email protected]
• Website: proleftpod.com
• Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod
• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

Not safe for work. Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.

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We're serving up some hard-won advice about winning elections - and it's not pretty. While our Never Trump allies and high-paid consultants keep screaming the same tired strategies at Democratic politicians, we're here with a bolder approach inspired by David Bowie's wisdom about language and a certain scene from "Better Call Saul."

We dive deep into what undecided and independent voters actually want (spoiler: it's not what you think), examine the post-election interviews that reveal the uncomfortable truth about swing voters, and explore why policy substance keeps losing to vibes, farts, and other distractions.

In local news, we have some upsetting tornado recovery updates from St. Louis, where FEMA showed up five days after the storm, and it was not to provide immediate help. 

Stay in Touch! 

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: proleftpod.com
• Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod
• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

Not safe for work. Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.

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This week on The Professional Left:

• Weather woes! Driftglass and Blue Gal welcome some special guests - tornado refugees (the two younger kids!) - as severe weather interrupts podcast preparations.
• A "No Fair Remembering Stuff" segment takes us back to 2008's bizarre tire pressure inflation controversy - and why it matters as a "telling detail" in the trajectory of Republican politics.
• Science Fiction University returns with a look at a particular time travel novel and its eerie parallels to current events involving South African connections to the Trump administration.
• How has the GOP's disinformation playbook evolved but remains unchanged, and what is its real purpose? 
• Former President Biden's health news and the media's selective memory.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at proleftpod.com

Support the show through PayPal at our website or mail contributions to:

The Professional Left Podcast
PO Box 9133
Springfield, IL 62791

Not safe for work. Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.

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Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea! Flash! Those audio chatterboxes they call "The Professional Left Podcast" are taking to the airwaves tonight with a retrospective that'll curl your permanent wave!

From the swanky studios of downtown Springfield, Illinois, to your very own listening device comes "Nine Hundred Episodes in Sixty Minutes" — a piping hot sample platter of American political whoop-de-do spanning fifteen years of ballot box bedlam and legacy media failures that put the most corrupt man in American history in the White House!  Twice!

To mark this 900th episode of their award-ready podcast, today, the Professional Left kids will be sampling every episode from the past 15 years that ends in a double-zero.  A little something from 100th, 200th, 300th et cetera

Flashback to 2010! When the Fake Tea Party stormed Capitol Hill while President Obama's healthcare hullabaloo had Republicans reaching for the smelling salts! The midterms dealt the Democrats a shellacking that made the '29 crash look like a slight dip!

Also, 2011 saw wedding bells for our intrepid podcasters.  But did they let their nuptials interrupt their podcasting?  No, they did not!

The audio oracles take you through Mitt Romney taking a beating worse than Joe Lewis' punching bag! Obama's second inauguration had champagne corks popping in blue states while red states nursed their bourbons neat!

But – hold the presses!  A corrupt, racist New York real estate crook with a coiffure that defied gravity and a former First Lady squared off in a campaign brawl that would make the Thrilla in Manila look like a Sunday school picnic! Donald Trump's November surprise left the pollsters with egg on their faces and their crystal balls in the repair shop!

Join them as the Blue Wave of 2018 washed over the House of Representatives like high tide at Coney Island!  2020 impeachment dramas hotter than a Broadway opening night, followed by an election showdown during a pandemic panic! Biden and Trump traded verbal haymakers while mail-in ballots flew faster than V-mail to the troops overseas!

Flash! January 6th, 2021 – the Capitol steps saw more action than the Normandy beaches with protesters storming the rotunda! The podcasters recall congressional hearings that made the Kefauver crime committee look like a bridge party!

The audio oracles highlight Supreme Court confirmations with more drama than a soap opera, and a 2024 campaign rematch that had Trump returning to Pennsylvania Avenue after Biden stepped aside and Harris stepped up!

That's a 15-year political roundup, as jam-packed with excitement as a three-ring circus.  900 episodes in the books, 900 more to go!

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• Email: [email protected]
• Website: proleftpod.com
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• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

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This week on The Professional Left, we're asking the question that's suddenly on everyone's mind: "Does motivated reasoning have any limits?" When a president accepts a $400 million jet as a "gift" from Qatar and his administration floats suspending habeas corpus, are we finally reaching a tipping point?

We'll explore why even some of the most devoted right-wing voices are squirming uncomfortably as Trump's corruption moves from the shadows into broad daylight. Is this his "Katrina moment," or just another Tuesday in America's descent into authoritarianism?

Join us for a deep dive into cults, corruption, and the Constitution as we continue broadcasting from the Cornfield Resistance. Plus, what a little-known DC Comics villain can teach us about the emotional spectrum of greed in politics today.

Links for this episode: 

Oxford Research Encyclopedias, 'Motivated Reasoning and Politics' https://oxfordre.com/politics/politics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228637-e-923

Capitol Fax, Former Gov. Jim Edgar: Last hundred days ’scariest of my life’. https://capitolfax.com/2025/05/08/former-gov-jim-edgar-last-hundred-days-scariest-of-my-life/ 

Stay in Touch! 

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: proleftpod.com
• Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod
• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

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In our 898th episode, we examine a puzzling question: why has political persuasion become seemingly impossible in America today? We explore how the landscape has fundamentally shifted beyond mere policy disagreements into something that looks surprisingly like religious conflict.

We connect historical patterns of how religious movements evolve and rewrite their narratives to what we're witnessing in contemporary politics. Drawing parallels between ancient religious transformations and today's political climate reveals why facts and evidence no longer seem to matter in public discourse.

Plus, we share two surprisingly uplifting stories from Salt Lake City and our hometown of Springfield, Illinois, where communities are finding creative ways to stand their ground against political extremism.

Join us for a thoughtful conversation about the religious dimensions of today's politics and what this means for the future of compromise in our democracy.

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• Email: [email protected]
• Website: proleftpod.com
• Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod
• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

This is episode 898, recorded May 8th, 2025. As always, it's not safe for work!

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In this episode of The Professional Left Podcast, we return from our break to tackle the media's misuse of political vocabulary and how a certain pundit twists language to avoid placing blame where it belongs. We break down a prominent columnist's appearance on PBS that perfectly illustrates this problem, while examining how his myth of the "Sensible Center" continues to poison our discourse. Our news roundup covers troubling developments from the Trump administration alongside a few rays of hope from recent local elections and court decisions.  Join us for vocabulary lessons, media criticism, and proof that in America's partisan divide, one side is clearly the problem.

Stay in Touch! 

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: proleftpod.com
• Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod
• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

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We discuss Chicago politics as 26-year-old progressive influencer Kat Abughazaleh challenges veteran Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who may be announcing her retirement after 14 terms in Congress.  Then we take a look at Trump's latest projection scheme as his DOJ targets ActBlue while conveniently ignoring WinRed's shady operations.  Both sides don't!  Only one for-profit fundraising platform skims millions off donations; we connect the dots on how money flows through our political system—and who's really pulling the strings. This episode might be shorter than usual as we prepare for a brief break, but we're packing in the analysis you won't hear anywhere else!

Driftglass will be on the Bob Cesca Show AND the Bradcast on Wednesday 4/30, and we'll be back on the air next week! 

Stay in Touch! 

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: proleftpod.com
• Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod
• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

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Today’s episode is going to be a little more unstructured than usual because we have a very special guest.  He is a renowned political journalist and staff writer for Esquire, where he writes the popular blog "Politics with Charles P. Pierce." He's known for his sharp political commentary, incisive humor, and encyclopedic knowledge of American politics and history. He previously wrote for outlets including The Boston Globe, Grantland, and Sports Illustrated.  He is also the author of "Idiot America," an indispensable book on American politics and culture.

You know him, you love him, and if you don't, we can’t be friends. Welcome to the Professional Left Podcast, Mr. Charlie Pierce!

Stay in Touch! 

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: proleftpod.com
• Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod
• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

Not safe for work.  

Support the show