Left Anchor

This time we have on Vanessa Bee, a writer, editor, and podcaster for Current Affairs. We discuss the contrasting perspectives of the nature of white privilege with Martin Luther King, Jr and James Baldwin on one side, and Ta-Nehisi Coates on the other. Then we turn to the presidential candidacy of Kamala Harris, and her checkered record as both a fierce prosecutor of small-time criminals (even the parents of truant children) -- but who somehow lost her crusading spirit when it came to Trump Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's foreclosure fraud business. The Current Affairs crew is doing a live show this weekend in Washington DC, you can find details here! Apologies for being a bit behind schedule this time, we had to arrange this interview a bit later than usual. Onward!

Here's a quick excerpt of our latest bonus episode, available right now on Patreon!

This time we talk to longtime Democratic Party activist, political writer, and current congressional staffer Dante Atkins. We discuss the evolution of the party's internal thinking, how it actually functions on the inside, whether or not the new crop of Democratic lefty freshmen are learning the ins and outs of congressional procedure. He also teaches us how to speak the first line of the Odyssey in ancient Greek!

In this episode we discuss how profitable America's imperial machinery really is for the average American schlub (using import statistics from the Federal Reserve and the Census, h/t Matt Bruenig), related articles on the myth of the labor aristocracy, and finally AOC's amusing tax policy weekend.  

In our holiday special, we delve into Judith Butler's Adorno Prize Lecture from September 11, 2012 entitled "Can One Lead a Good Life in a Bad Life?" as a framework for better understanding the significance and political function of social movements such as the Yellow Vests, #BlackLivesMatter, and Occupy.  

In this episode, we bring back world champion guest Jeff Spross to discuss Ross Douthat's argument against meritocracy, Bernard Yack's review of Bernard Manin's book The Principles of Representative Government, and finally Helen Andrews' case for aristocracy.

This time we interview the Washington Post columnist Greg Sargent, who has a new book out called An Uncivil War. We discuss how to save American democracy, the fecklessness of Democratic Party elites, and much more. [Also, check out Ryan's review of Greg's new book] 

Folks have been asking about this, and here it is: patreon.com/leftanchor. We'll be publishing two episodes per week, one for patrons and one for free. If you feel like that's worth $5 a month, or want to support ad-free lefty media in a dark time for journalism, we'd be much obliged if you could pitch in to support the show. The first Patreon episode is already here, so you can check it out right now! Also feel free to send us feedback at leftanchorpodcast @ gmail, or on Twitter or Facebook. Again, thanks to everyone for listening and for the support!

In the second part of our interview with University of Bath philosopher Brad Evans (don't miss part I!) we discuss the characteristics and functions of fascism, and how it may or may not apply to current political developments.

This is the first of a two-part interview of Brad Evans, a philosopher and critical theorist who specializes in violence at the University of Bath. We discuss the politics and the spectacle of violence, and how they have evolved under neoliberalism. Stay tuned for the second part, coming soon!