Barack Obama was the greatest Republican president of my lifetime—a statement sure to fire up establishment liberals and conservatives alike. But for progressives in the United States, this is what the Obama years felt like. Today’s episode examines the seminal policy achievements of the Obama years from the Affordable Care Act and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to DACA and the response to the Global Financial Crisis. We offer the liberal and conservative views of the same issues, then finish with the progressive perspective on all. 

Resources

Migration Policy Institute: The Obama Record on Deportations: Deporter in Chief or Not?

TBIJ: Obama’s covert drone war in numbers: ten times more strikes…

NPR: Pledging To End Two Wars, Obama Finds Himself Entangled In Three

Video: Cornel West's Note to Obama

Obama Library

UNFTR Resources

Video: Barack Obama: The BEST REPUBLICAN President Ever

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If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

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Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently pledged $20 billion of support to Argentina to prevent its currency from sliding further and to backstop Javier Milei’s Trump-like economic agenda. Then, Argentina turned around and lowered its export tariffs and dumped its soybean crop on the market. They found a willing buyer in China, who has ceased purchasing U.S. agriculture due to the Trump tariff war. The whole affair boiled over when an AP photographer snapped a picture of a text thread on Bessent’s phone from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Collins who said U.S. soybean farmers were livid because their market collapsed. It’s another example of the Trump administration putting ideology and pettiness ahead of his own constituents. But there’s a larger game afoot that no one is talking about that this situation perfectly illustrates: We’re playing checkers and China is playing chess.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:36

Post Show Musings: 00:25:22

Outro: 00:27:43

Resources

Americas Quarterly: A Key Pending Challenge for Milei’s Argentina

New York Times: Milei Vowed to Fix Argentina’s Economy. Then Came a New Crisis

Newsweek: Trump’s Argentina bailout sparks fury among farmers, Republicans

Paul Krugman: Why Is Trump Bailing Out Argentina?

Federal Reserve: Dollarization in Argentina

The Observatory of Economic Complexity: United States (USA) and Argentina (ARG) Trade

International Trade Administration: Argentina - Market Overview

MercoPress: Argentina records 21st straight trade surplus

CEIC Data: Argentina Consolidated Fiscal Balance, 1993 – 2025

Americas Quarterly: Milei’s Path to Dollarization: Riddled with Doubts

J.P. Morgan: De-dollarization: The end of dollar dominance?

Become a UNFTR Member

Book Love

Carol Wise: Dragonomics: How Latin America Is Maximizing (or Missing Out On) China's International Development Strategy

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If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Max and 99 are back to discuss headlines (AI, government shutdown, Hegseth speech + more) and recent Unf*cker feedback. Enjoy!

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:20

Emails: 00:46:56

Memberships: 01:40:10

Outro: 01:40:37

Resources

Wired: Palantir Wants to Be a Lifestyle Brand

Ed Zitron's Where's Your Ed At

Track Star: Pete Alonso

"Department of War:" Pete Hegseth FULL REMARKS at the WAR DEPARTMENT ADDRESS

New York Times: Text of the Email That Pete Hegseth’s Mother Sent Him

How I Built This: Bob's Red Mill: Bob Moore

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If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We continue to build on the idea that white Christian nationalism is, was and has always been the foundation of this country. To suggest otherwise is to be both ahistorical and absent in our politics today. The violent response to a concept so utterly innocuous such as “Black lives matter” should tell us everything. Before it was a movement (of sorts) it was a simple statement. But the reality is that they don’t. We need to stop calling it “Trump’s America” and just call it what it is. America. 

Resources

The Ezra Klein Show: Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ezra Klein Hash Out Their Charlie Kirk Disagreement

New York Times: Charlie Kirk Was Practicing Politics the Right Way

Democracy Now!: Project 2025 Co-Author Lays Out "Radical Agenda" for Next Trump Term in Undercover Video

Hudson Bay Capital: A User’s Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System

Manhattan Institute: Reform the Federal Reserve’s Governance to Deliver Better Monetary Outcomes

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If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s evident now that the alt-right figures in charge of this administration are quickly realizing the vision set forth in Project 2025. But it’s also clear that they are moving just as quickly to implement the vision of Project Esther, the Project 2025 companion and follow-up from the Heritage Foundation. The two visions work in tandem to destroy the institutions that barely held Donald Trump in check during his first term and to undermine free speech of anyone opposed to their radical agenda. The combined projects are so well coordinated and overwhelming that we may be living through the end of the American experiment.

Resources

BBC: JD Vance hosts Charlie Kirk’s daily talk radio show

NPR: Trump files $15 billion defamation lawsuit against ‘New York Times’

Zeteo: The New McCarthyism: UC Berkeley Just Handed Over the Names of 160 Students and Faculty to the Trump Admin

Democracy Docket: Left-Leaning Nonprofits Push Back on Trump’s Crackdown Threats

PBS NewsHour: Economic fallout mounts as Trump halts near-finished wind power project

Truth Social: Donald Trump

The Chris Hedges Report: We Are All antifa Now

Just Security: The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers Are Domestic Terrorists, It’s Past Time to Call Them What They Are

PBS News: Elected officials, police officers and members of military on Oath Keepers membership list, report says

World Population Review: KKK Population by State 2025

Defense360: Bad Idea: Domestic Terrorist Organization Designations

The Nation: Barbara Lee’s Stand

Mondoweiss: From COINTELPRO to Project Esther: The evolution of domestic counterinsurgency in the U.S.

IISS: Iran’s nuclear programme after the strikes 

Book Love

Branko Milanovic: Visions of Inequality: From the French Revolution to the End of the Cold War

UNFTR Resources

The Carter Series: Reexamining Jimmy’s Time in Office.

The Clinton Years: The Most Neoliberal Presidency in U.S. History.

Video: The End of the American Experiment. 1776 to 2025.

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If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Max expands on his initial response to the murder of Charlie Kirk and reflects on the diseased state of the online American male. Gen Z gamers who came of age during “Gamergate” are still living more online than “IRL” and appear to be divorced from their consequences. From school shootings to the Kirk murder, the motivations of incels are becoming harder to divine and even more radicalized from their roots. How this evolves is anyone’s guess but don’t look to this administration to dig into the problem or provide clarity; not while the anger and confusion provides the perfect cover for their Project 2025 agenda. 

Resources

Mother Jones: The Key Missing Piece to the Megahit “Adolescence”

New York Times: Vance hosts Kirk’s podcast with a parade of Trump officials.

Britannica: Gamergate

UNFTR Resources

Video: Charlie Kirk Dead at 31.

It’s Like the Elites Want Us Raging Against Each Other.

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If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The “left” is a wide spectrum with ever deepening divides. This week’s essay highlights two newsworthy items that perfectly illustrate the fracture between leftists and liberals and how we’re willing to accept anything on the Democratic side that shows signs of life; even if those things are undemocratic in nature. Part one addresses the fallout from the Wired Magazine article uncovering the relationship between online creators and a group called Chorus. The second part addresses California’s move to neutralize Texas’ recent redistricting effort designed to pick up Republican House seats in the midterms.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:00

Part One: 00:00:56

Part Two: 00:14:01

Resources

Wired: A Dark Money Group Is Secretly Funding High-Profile Democratic Influencers

Chorus

Tucker Carlson: Ana Kasparian: Epstein Cover-Up, Israel Strikes Gaza Church, & the Great American Political Shift

TYT: Cenk Explains Why He’s REMOVING A Contributor From TYT Network

Sixteen Thirty Fund

270 to Win: 1964 Presidential Election

Yes on 50

New York Times: The Democratic Party Faces a Voter Registration Crisis

UNFTR Resources

Video: Journalist Exposes Dark Money on the Left

Video: Democrats fight back with California redistricting plan

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If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Max and 99 jump in for another edition of Show Notes, covering headlines and some recent Unf*cker feedback. Enjoy!

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:20

Headlines: 00:26:07

Emails: 00:33:02

Memberships: 00:53:09

Outro: 00:53:25

Resources

Sign the Petition To Stop the Senate From Passing These Bills

Max for MTN: Trump makes FATAL MOVE that Instantly RUINS LABOR DAY

The Guardian: Florida to end vaccine mandates for children as state’s surgeon general likens them to ‘slavery’

Politico: Poll: California Democrats like Gavin Newsom over Kamala Harris in 2028

Quinn Slobodian: Hayek's Bastards: Race, Gold, Iq, and the Capitalism of the Far Right

I Am Leg

Chloe Sorvino: Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed, and the Fight for the Future of Meat

Unf*cker Recommendations

Carlota Perez: Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital: The Dynamics of Bubbles and Golden Ages

UNFTR Resources

Video: Journalist Exposes Dark Money on the Left

Video: Democrats fight back with California redistricting plan

Californication: F*cking Around with our Biggest Economy.

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If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The U.S. is running out of options to service the national debt. Secretary Bessent announced that we will now use revenue from tariffs to pay down budget deficits, rather than reinvest them into the economy. Some are treating this as welcome news. At the same time, the GOP has formed a working group to draft up a “sequel” to the Big Beautiful Bill to deepen cuts to Medicaid and federal student aid. They’ll do anything other than raise taxes on those that can afford them. But tariffs and more cuts to vital programs will only hasten economic decline, so team Trump is running out of options to stop the bleeding. And that means only one thing: Printing more money. But that’s more complicated than it seems and will lead to disastrous results. It does explain, however, why Trump is so desperate to take over the Federal Reserve.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:57

Post Show Musings: 00:32:55

Outro: 00:47:04

Resources

UNFTR.com

Sign the Petition To Stop the Senate From Passing These Bills

Politico: House Republicans want another megabill. One GOP senator says it could be ‘damaging.’

X: Republican Study Committee

Republican Study Committee: One Big Beautiful Sequel: RSC Chairman Launches Working Group for Second Reconciliation Bill

Brookings: What is the repo market, and why does it matter? 

St. Louis Fed: What Is Yield Curve Control?

Treasury: Treasury Announces Marketable Borrowing Estimates

UNFTR Quickies

UNFTR Discord

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If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hustle Culture relies on the toxic myth of rugged individualism. Four out of every ten Americans rely on “side-hustles” in the gig economy to make ends meet. For many these side hustles are the only source of income. For decades our political leaders have sold the myth of self-reliance rather than bolstering worker protections. The result is a population that lives in economic precarity and without the benefits and peace of mind associated with steady labor guarantees. There’s nothing inherently wrong with entrepreneurism but our political economy takes advantage of this mindset to strip away safety nets and blame those who cannot fend for themselves.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:39

Chapter One: The Bipartisan Consensus on Self-Reliance. 00:04:01

Chapter Two: The Psychology of Rugged Individualism. 00:10:27

Chapter Three: The AI Acceleration: Nothing New Here. 00:16:52

Chapter Four: Reimagining Work. 00:24:37

Resources

Economic Policy Institute: National survey of gig workers paints a picture of poor working conditions, low pay

Upwork: Freelance Forward 2023

MBO Partners: Authentic and Intentional: State of Independence in America 2024

ADP Research: Illuminating the Shadow Workforce: Insights into the Gig Workforce in Businesses

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Union Membership (Annual) News Release

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Union Members Summary

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Civilian labor force participation rate

Axios: Behind the Curtain: A white-collar bloodbath

St. Louis Federal Reserve (FRED): Labor Force Participation Rate

Economic Policy Institute: 16 million workers were unionized in 2024

Book Love

Giovanni Arrighi: The Long Twentieth Century: Money, Power and the Origins of Our Times

UNFTR Resources

Un-Cooperative: Why Worker Co-Ops Don’t Work in America.

Strike! Reality checking the labor movement.

Understanding Socialism: A History of Socialist Thought from Beccaria to Trotsky.

Video: What They Don’t Tell You About Hustle Culture

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If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, TikTok and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join our Discord at unftr.com/discord.

Become a member at unftr.com/memberships.

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.

Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/memberships

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.