The Professional Left Podcast with Driftglass and Blue Gal

GOP rats are slowly but surely abandoning the sinking Trump ship, and we have to ask:Will "Republican Lifeboats" once again successfully allow the MAGA/Tea Party faithful to escape accountability?We analyze Marjorie Taylor Greene's masterful deployment of the "Magic Words" to blame "both sides of the aisle," framing her slow-motion exit from the Trump pandemonium bandwagon as an act of high principle. She's the first and possibly best lifeboat builder of the post-Trump era, claiming victimhood to elevate herself into the media's "Serious Women with Powerful Voices."How does the media's insistence on the "Both Sides Do It" lie enable this political evasion, even when the stakes are life-and-death (see the US Healthcare system)?Join us as we connect the dots from ancient trauma to modern political evasion, and in the end have a laugh at David Brooks' ludicrous attempt to diagnose—and "Somehow" cure—Christian Nationalism with his own big, dumb, Both Sides Do It meatgrinder.All this and more on this week's Professional Left podcast.Warning: This episode is not safe for work.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

This week, we're talking about the Epstein Files, the shutdown that wasn't really about the shutdown, and why six words might just end a presidency.Meanwhile, some privileged podcasters are dismissing angry "online" Democrats as if losing our healthcare is just a theoretical concern.  Plus:  The increasingly evident mental decline of a president: Trump goes from "inventing" the word "affordability" to *not wanting to hear about it.* George Orwell's question—"Was he, then, alone, in the possession of a memory?"—has never been more relevant.All this and more on this week's Professional Left podcast.Warning: This episode is not safe for work.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

This week, we're celebrating our first post-Blue Tsunami show! Democrats won across the board on Tuesday, and we're sleeping a little better. To quote Churchill: "This is not the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."Happy 21st blogiversary to the amazing Fran Blue Gal!Zohran Mamdani won NYC mayor with over 50% of the vote. And yet the Wall Street Journal immediately declared, "Election Wins Won't Ease Democratic Party's Troubles." And hoo boy Tucker Carlson just released a friendly interview with Holocaust-denying, Hitler-praising white nationalist Nick Fuentes. Why would THIS tear the Republican party apart?  It's The Heritage Foundation versus Ted Cruz, Mitch McConnell, Ben Shapiro, and Mark Levin?  Everyone in these circles is complaining about "thought police"—so much for the tolerant Right!Here's the sublime comedy: Never Trumpers who swore they never knew their party was full of bigots are now telling Ben Shapiro exactly what we told them. "You lying assholes! You built this thing."High comedy, indeed.Links for this episode: Driftglass and Blue Gal on the Bob Cesca Show https://www.bobcesca.com/the-bob-cesca-interview-driftglass-and-blue-gal-11-5-25/ Driftglass on the Nicole Sandler Show  https://nicolesandler.com/11-5-25/ Driftglass on the BradCast (with Brad Friedman, Digby, and Desi Doyen) https://bradblog.com/?p=15554 Not safe for work. Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

This week, we're recording on election day while awaiting results to find out which version of "Democrats are doing it wrong!" the pundits will run with tomorrow.We open with words of wisdom from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to the American Federation of Teachers. Then we come to bury Dick Cheney, not to praise him.We'll explore our "12 Rules for Staying Fing Sane," which we redefine as a playbook for Democratic victories.  And then we dive deep into Three Days of the Condor (RIP Robert Redford).  MAGA voters simultaneously demand government protection for their economic interests while raging against assistance for "undeserving" others.  What does Cliff Robertson's character Higgins teach us about "paternalistic authoritarianism" and the fascist bargain? Plus: Why getting rid of Citizens United, child tax credits, and taxing the rich all poll very well—but you'd never know it from the consultant class.Not safe for work. Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

On Driftglass's birthday, the hosts tackle the pressing need for Democrats to stop caving to Republican demands. They question why it's always up to Democrats to accommodate the whims of fragile egos. The critique of mainstream narratives includes a deep dive into voter perceptions and the failure of centrist strategies. They highlight strong public support for anti-corruption initiatives. The idea of letting Republicans suffer the consequences of their actions sparks an intriguing debate about accountability.

Does Driftglass with laryngitis sound like Brenda Vaccaro?  The podcasters disagree, YOU be the judge! (See you on Thursday, which is also Driftglass's 65th birthday!  Woot!) Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodDonate via PayPal:  https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/proleftpodcastor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

This week, we're examining the legacy media's desperate attempt to plug a 20-foot hole in their Both Sides narrative—and why their favorite solution won't work.The New York Times Editorial Board insists that "moving to the center is the way to win," but the data show that this strategy is already exhausted. Talking of compromise with an enemy who wants no reconciliation is absolutely ridiculous.Links for this episode:On Data And Democracy Substack: "The New York Times Argues 'Moving to the Center Is the Way to Win.' But the Data Shows the Strategy Is Tapped Out." https://data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-new-york-times-argues-movingRyan Wilkins at McSweeney's: "The Partisans Are Wrong: Holding No Sincere Beliefs Is The Way to Win" https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-partisans-are-wrong-holding-no-sincere-beliefs-is-the-way-to-winRobert Reich: "The Failures of Centrism" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQzG_TrhyrYNot safe for work. Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Find your No Kings Protest March/Rally at https://www.nokings.org/ This week, we're asking the only question that matters: Will what we do actually help?What does it mean to be "effective" in the fight to save democracy? Did throwing pies at Bill Kristol, Rupert Murdoch, or Newt Gingrich ever change anything? And why should we always ask ourselves the Bridge of Spies question: "Would it help?"We'll explore how the Irish Grapefruit Ladies fought apartheid and won, and why the Civil Rights movement succeeded—not just because of peaceful discipline, but because national media attention forced the federal government to act. What happens when the entire dynamic reverses and the racist thug is in the White House instead of standing in the schoolhouse door?This a voter problem—a "Vox Populi" problem—not just a Trump problem.The word of the day is "effective." Let's figure out what that means.Photo from Charlottesville protest by Ted Eytan via https://inkstickmedia.com/ (Creative Commons). Not safe for work. Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791(Please note: NO podcast next Tuesday; we'll be back Thursday 10/23)Support the show

This week, we're watching the media scramble for survival as tectonic forces fracture the landscape—and the billionaires are building lifeboats while Mount Vesuvius smokes overhead.Why is The Bulwark declaring itself "the future" while The Washington Post and CBS News die? And what does it mean that CBS just hired Bari Weiss to, let's face it, manage the death of broadcast TV news?We'll reveal the secret to understanding what's happening to media right now: how Rupert Murdoch bought respectability, why MSNBC invested everything in elevating Never Trump conservatives instead of the Left that was right all along, and what happens when your most valuable credential is an impressive job title from an important-sounding institution.Is Weiss's new job the worst "falling on the grenade" position ever, or is she protected by the Prince of Darkness (kinda like Bill Kristol!) destined to fail upward forever? Why can't anyone save CBS News? And what happens when your real job is to manage decline while pretending you can "win back younger audiences!" who've already checked out?The earthquakes are getting stronger. The mountain is smoking. And the legacy media is frantically building lifeboats—but only for people who agree never to mention The Before Trump Time.Not safe for work. Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

In this week's episode, we tackle the concept of "ethos"—what people actually stand for versus what they claim to believe. Drawing parallels from the Cornerstone Speech of 1861 to George Wallace's segregationist campaign, we explore how America's ugliest movements had clear, comprehensible (if abhorrent) belief systems. But what about today's MAGA movement? Beyond rage and resentment, what do they actually stand for? (Short answer: nothing!)In other news, we can't resist highlighting the week's most absurd moment: Kristi Noem's baffling claim that ICE arrested "the girlfriend of one of the founders of antifa" in Portland.As the hosts point out, we're apparently all Antifa's girlfriend now - a status that puts us in good company with many other "antifa girlfriends," including Blue Gal herself! Plus: Chicago's creative resistance tactics against ICE, and a game of "Pundit versus Pundit" you won't want to miss.Not safe for work. Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show