Better Future with Michael Mezz 004 - Elizabeth Booker Houston on Race, Class, and the Future of the Left
My guest today is Elizabeth Booker Houston – lawyer, comedian, and political commentator based in Washington DC. We discuss white supremacy in US politics, how to integrate class consciousness with anti-racism, the false myth of “rugged individualism,” and how to build a bridge between identity politics and class politics within the progressive movement.
Follow Elizabeth Booker Houston on social media:
Substack: https://bookersquared.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookersquared
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bookersquared
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.booker.houston
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bookersquared
Support the Better Future podcast by subscribing:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelmezz
Substack: https://substack.com/@michaelmezzatesta
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16K0dkbk35q0mTslKJJ7z0
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-future-with-michael-mezz/id1823942833
Note: This conversation was recorded before the recent Wired article about Chorus – a liberal content creator incubator program, of which Elizabeth is a member – so I didn’t ask about it during this interview.
00:00 Introduction: leftism & whiteness
03:18 White supremacy in MAGA & US politics
07:23 Bridging the gap between race & class politics
13:57 Intersections between race & other leftist issues
17:20 Black leadership in the history of US leftism
20:43 The politics of disability & neurodivergence
23:43 The myth of rugged individualism
30:42 Elizabeth is MAGA-coded?
32:08 Do souls exist?
34:08 Raw milk and micro-aggressions
36:36 Politician lightning round: RFK & Elon Musk
38:49 Politician lightning round: Newsom, Harris, Booker
41:42 AOC, Mamdani, Buttigieg, Crockett
45:26 The progressive movement needs leaders
48:32 What a better future looks like
50:03 Conclusion
Host/Creator: Michael Mezzatesta
Guest: Elizabeth Booker Houston
Video editor: Nuria Salgado
Sound editor: Andre Corea
Designer: Amea Wadsworth
Thanks for watching episode 004. Lots more on the way :)