Dead Pundits Society

Joining me this week is Virginia’s Absolute Boy, Del. Lee Carter, who was recently sworn in to represent the 50th District in Virginia’s House of Delegates. Carter is a member of Democratic Socialists of America and a tireless advocate for the working class. We open the interview by talking about his background and electoral strategy, followed by a discussion about governing the capitalist state from the radical left. “OHHHH DEL-E-GATE CAAAAAARRRRRTER” See this interview for more background on his Lee's electoral success: -“Meet Lee Carter,” Interview by Meagan Day, https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/11/lee-carter-interview-virginia-election-socialist
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Joining me this week is Leigh Phillips, author of Austerity Ecology and Collapse Porn Addicts. We talk about global warming, science and socialism, the debate between the “anthropocene” vs. the “capitalocene,” socialist planning, Naomi Klein’s vision of ecosocialism, and much, much more. The B-side to this week will be dropping soon. We’ll be extending the conversation into a discussion of socialist planning. Don’t miss it! Hear it all by joining the Dead Pundits Society today at: www.patreon.com/deadpundits 

Read some of Leigh’s latest writing on socialist planning here: 
-“Planning the Good Anthropocene,” https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/08/planning-the-good-anthropocene/

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***This is teaser of the Patrons-only B-Side for this week. Join the Dead Pundits Society for $5/month to get access to this episode and all of the other subscriber-only content*** Joining me for this B-Side is Heidi Matthews. We outline a principled socialist position on sex, and discuss the complexities of law and consent. It's sex, people -- try to enjoy it.

Joining me this week to talk about the recent wave of celebrity sexual misconduct allegations is Heidi Matthews, Assistant Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. We discuss the #MeToo moment and assess its potential pitfalls. 

 *** The B-Side will be dropping in a few days time on the topic of sex and the left: a socialist vision of sex, consent and justice. To support the show and get access to all of the subscriber-only content head over to www.patreon.com/deadpundits and subscribe for $5/month *** ——————————- Soundcloud: @deadpundits Twitter: @deadpundits Facebook: www.facebook.com/deadpunditssociety iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1212081214 Patreon: www.patreon.com/deadpundits

Joining me for a special segment of the Very Bad Leftists Club is Irish author Frankie Gaffney. We talk about MMA superstar Connor Mcgregor, identity politics and socialist strategy, and Frankie’s education in the school of hard knocks. Check out Frankie’s latest work of fiction, DUBLIN SEVEN, which is receiving rave reviews from the critics: https://www.amazon.com/Dublin-Seven-Frankie-Gaffney/dp/1910742112 

Read some of Gaffney’s political writings here: 
-https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/identity-politics-is-utterly-ineffective-at-anything-other-than-dividing-people-1.3087639 -http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/known-to-gardai-2716572-Dec2016/

 ——————————— Join the Dead Pundits Society for $5 per month to get access to the B-Sides and all the other member’s only content: www.patreon.com/deadpundits 
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Joining me this week to talk about whiteness, racism, and the left is Jesse Singal. Jesse is a contributing writer for New York Magazine and the Daily Intelligencer Blog. Continuing DPS’s longstanding theme of anti-essentialism, we discuss the way in which a homogeneous “whiteness” is used to poorly explain the outbreak of mass shootings. In the latter half of the interview, we discuss the themes in Jesse’s upcoming book, namely the intersection of social psychology, TED Talk culture, and social justice. Find some of Jesse’s relevant writings here: 

-“Whiteness Doesn’t Cause Mass Shootings,” http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/11/whiteness-mass-shootings.html

 -“Psychology’s Favorite Tool for Measuring Racism Isn’t Up to the Job,” http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2017/01/psychologys-racism-measuring-tool-isnt-up-to-the-job.html ***Join the Dead Pundits Society to support the new left agenda and gain access to all of the subscriber-only content: www.patreon.com/deadpundits*** ——————————- Soundcloud:

***The following is a free preview of this week's B-Side with Adam Hilton. For full access, join the Dead Pundits Society at $5/month at: www.patreon.com.deadpundits*** Joining me on the B-Side is Adam Hilton to continue our discussion of the Democratic Party and its relationship to the socialist and progressive left. Adam Hilton assesses the Donna Brazile allegations and outlines the appropriate relationship that the left should have with the Dems. Lay back and listen to the B-Side. ---------------- Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/deadpundits Twitter: @deadpundits Facebook: facebook.com/deadpunditssociety iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1212081214

Adam Hilton, visiting lecturer in Politics at Mount Holyoke College, is on the show to talk about the history of the Democratic Party and its interaction with the left. Can the Democratic Party be used as an instrument of socialist advance? And what is the nature of the Democratic Party, anyway? Tune in to find out. Find some of Adam's writings here: -"Bernie and the Search for New Politics," https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/06/bernie-president-unions-mcgovern -"Searching for New Politics," https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/02/bernie-sanders-new-politics-democratic-party-realignment-primary ***To get access to the B-Side of this week's episode, go to www.patreon.com/deadpundits and subscribe for $5 a month or more *** ------------------ Twitter: @deadpundits Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/deadpundits Facebook: www.facebook.com/deadpunditssociety iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1212081214 Patreon: www.patreon.com/deadpundits -----------------

****This is a teaser of the full B-Side, which is available to Dead Pundit Society Members. Join today at www.patreon.com/deadpundits for $5 to get full access to all the subscriber-only content.**** On this week’s B-Side, Steve Maher and I discuss the implications of the modern corporate structure on socialist political strategy. Check out some of Steve’s relevant writings here: -“G.E.’s Switch,” https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/07/ge-immelt-ceo-finance-capital-new-deal-great-recession-investors ————————— Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/deadpundits 
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Joining me this week to talk about corporations and the capitalist state is Steve Maher. Steve is a PhD Candidate at York University and Assistant Editor of the Socialist Register. We discuss the history of American capitalism and the transformations in the corporate structure. This is not merely an academic exercise — these transformations have tremendous impacts on the terrain of struggle for progressives and socialists, alike. Check out some of Steve’s relevant writings here: -“G.E.’s Switch,” https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/07/ge-immelt-ceo-finance-capital-new-deal-great-recession-investors

***Head over to patreon.com/deadpundits to listen to this week’s B-Side with Steve Maher. We talk about the contemporary implications of the corporate structure for political organizing. Subscribe at $5/month or higher and get access today*** ————————— Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/deadpundits iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1212081214 Twitter: @deadpundits Facebook: www.facebook.com/deadpunditsso

On this week's Dead Pundits Society Members-only B-Side, I ask Leo Panitch what it means to be a socialist intellectual. He reflects on his 50 years on the left, and shares stories about Ralph Miliband, Tony Benn, Jeremy Corbyn and many others. ***This episode is available to Patreon subscribers only. Subscribe at $5 or more per month to get access: www.patreon.com/deadpundits*** -------------------- Twitter: @deadpundits Facebook: www.facebook.com/deadpunditssociety Patreon: www.patreon.com/deadpundits

Joining me this week to talk about the pitfalls of social democracy and the Labour Party’s bid to transform the UK state is Leo Panitch. Leo has been the editor of the Socialist Register for over 35 years, and is the author of many books. We reflect on the role of socialist forces in the capitalist state, the failures of SYRIZA in Greece, and just what kind of force is necessary to usher in socialism for regular-ass people. Check out some of Leo’s books here: -Socialist Register, 2017: Rethinking Revolution (co-edited w/ Greg Albo): https://monthlyreview.org/product/socialist_register_2017/ -The Making of Global Capitalism (co-authored w/ Sam Gindin): https://www.amazon.com/Making-Global-Capitalism-Political-American/dp/1781681368


 ***Members of the Dead Pundit Society will have access to. B-side with Leo where we discuss the meaning of being a socialist intellectual and his life on the left. To get access to this subscriber-only content and more, head over to www.patreon.com/deadpundits and subscribe

Joining me for part two of our episode this week to talk about Marxian and Neo-Marxian State Theory is Rafael Khachaturian, a scholar and research associate at the University of Pittsburgh. We argue for the centrality of the capitalist state in our approach to achieving Socialism for Regular-Ass People, and we break down the concept of the state from Gramsci to present. What is the State? Why does it matter? What, exactly, was the Miliband-Poulantzas debate and why is it essential for building socialism for regular-ass people? Tune in to find out! Check out Rafael’s article that I mention early in the show here: “On Thinking With and Against the State,” logosjournal.com/2016/khachaturian-2/ ————————— Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/deadpundits iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1212081214
 Twitter: @deadpundits 
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Joining me this week to talk about Marxian and Neo-Marxian State Theory is Rafael Khachaturian, a scholar and research associate at the University of Pittsburgh. We argue for the centrality of the capitalist state in our approach to achieving Socialism for Regular-Ass People, and we break down the concept of the state from Marx to Gramsci. 

 What is the State? Why does it matter? What did Marx, Lenin, and others have to say about it? Tune in to find out. Check out Rafael’s article that I mention early in the show here: “On Thinking With and Against the State,” http://logosjournal.com/2016/khachaturian-2/

 ***In a couple of days, I will be posting the B-Side of this interview to the Patreon page. Get access to that content and much more for $5/month: www.patreon.com/deadpundits*** ————————— Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/deadpundits iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1212081214 Twitter: @deadpundits Facebook: www.facebook.com/deadpunditssociety Patreon: www.patreon.com/deadpundits

This is a teaser for my Patreon-only, Hot Takes & Field Notes after-show with Nando Vila. Subscribe at $5 per month or higher to get access today: www.patreon.com/deadpundits ----------- On this week’s patrons-only episode of Hot Takes & Field Notes, I talk with Nando Vila about the implications of the Catalonian independence movement on Spanish soccer league, La Liga -- and particularly on their premier clubs, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. We draw out the comparisons between the NFL and Colin Kaepernick and, finally, lay out the intersections of sports, politics, and economics.

Joining me this week to talk about Catalonian independence and Spanish state repression is Fusion host and producer, Nando Vila. Nando is an American with both Catalan and Castilian heritage, which makes him well-suited to lay out the divergent histories underlying the conflict in Spain. Nando lays out the history of Catalonia and its relationship to Spain as a whole. We talk about Spanish anti-austerity party, Podemos, and its leader, Pablo Iglesias’s ponytail. Finally, we assess the prospects of Catalonian independence and settle the dispute, once and for all (jk). You can find Nando’s recent writings on the topic here: -“Catalonia Explodes” - https://deadspin.com/catalonia-explodes-1819044747

 -“How the Spanish government is Pushing Catalans to Support Independence” - https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/10/05/how-the-spanish-government-is-pushing-catalans-to-support-independence/ ***Become a member of the Dead Pundits Society at $5/month or higher to access our post-show discuss

Joining me this week to talk about building socialism for regular-ass people is Michael Brooks, host of the Michael Brooks Show. We go deep -- Howard Stern style -- and talk about Michael's political and professional development; we assess the political terrain in the U.S.; finally, Michael provides us with an excellent narrative of Jamaican political history which should serve as a cautionary tale for socialist movements today. ***This is a shortened version of the interview -- to get the full version, subscribe to the Patreon: www.patreon.com/deadpundits*** Check out the BBC Documentary, "Blood and Fire" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL500iDEoXA View some of Michael's writings here: -https://www.opendemocracy.net/north-africa-west-asia/djene-bajalan-michael-brooks/Justice-turkey-opposition-Erdogan-CHP-AKP-Kurdish-Berberoglu-Kilicdaroglu -https://thebaffler.com/latest/resistance-slavick-brooks -https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/07/erdogan-washington-kurdish-protesters-trump-republican-party ------

In part two of this episode, Rania and I have an intense discussion about the hypocrisy of certain elements of the pundit class when it comes to the Syrian conflict and Middle Eastern politics. 

We talk about what would happen if fascists took over swaths of American territory, and clear up some false accusations coming from two recent pieces: 
1) Imogen Lambert, “The Case of Liberal Islamophobia,” https://muftah.org/case-liberal-islamophobia 2.) Mariam Elba, “Why White Nationalists Love Bashar al-Assad," https://theintercept.com/2017/09/08/syria-why-white-nationalists-love-bashar-al-assad-charlottesville/ 


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Joining me this week from Beirut to talk about her on-the-ground journalism in Iraq and Syria is journalist, Rania Khalek. In addition, Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad calls into the show to clear up some allegations, we unveil the Ramsey Bolton of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and, finally, we talk about Rania’s latest piece in Alternet which chronicles her time embedded with the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq — the fighters who beat back ISIS in Iraq. 

 Check out Rania's latest article here: https://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/free-syrian-army-unit-uncovered-rebels-israeli-connection-and-switched-sides ---------------- Please consider supporting the Dead Pundits Society on Patreon: www.patreon.com/deadpundits iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1212081214 Twitter: @deadpundits Facebook: www.facebook.com/deadpunditssociety

My final installment of "Classic DPS" this week comes from Cedric Johnson. This was a great interview and it's an even greater essay, which has since been made available for free on the Catalyst website: https://catalyst-journal.com/vol1/no1/panthers-cant-save-us-cedric-johnson ------------------------------ In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, the topic of "race and class" has been widely debated amongst socialists and progressives. Joining me this week to build on this discussion is Cedric Johnson, Associate Professor of African American Studies at University of Illinois-Chicago. He has an article in the first issue of Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy called "The Panthers Can't Save us now: Anti-Policing Struggle & The Limits of Black Power." We discuss the current fad of romanticizing the Black Power moment, and highlight the limitations of this era in terms of forging a political strategy for today. Cedric's book, Revolutionaries to Race Leaders can be found here: www.upress.umn.edu/