The Professional Left Podcast with Driftglass and Blue Gal

We missed the rapture! This week we're diving deep into the political machine playbook - because understanding the past is the only way to make sense of the insanity we're witnessing today.Why are Republicans frantically trying to turn a dead podcaster into the next Confederate monument? And what does it mean when your political strategy depends on keeping your base at a "full boil" 24/7?Plus, we examine how history is rewritten in real time, why the "people of influence" keep enabling strongmen, and what happens when a political movement runs out of deliverable promises.Why does Trump's administration feel so familiar yet so different from classic American political corruption? What can the iron grip of Chicago's Mayor Daley teach us about how power really works? And how did we get from neighborhood patronage politics to fascist spectacles complete with rolling crosses and martyr-making?  Because if we don't remember this stuff, who will?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

A wide-ranging conversation with the incomparable Charlie Pierce of Esquire Magazine.  What should the Democratic base be doing now?  What should Democrats in Congress be doing now?  And what for which NFL team should Blue Gal and her daughter go all in?  (Driftglass has an opinion, and it starts with Da and ends with Bears.) More at proleftpod.com. Charlie Pierce image is a screenshot from, YES, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"  Forever, Jimmy! 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

We look at how the crazy stuff happening in national politics is playing out right here in our hometown of Springfield, Illinois, by checking out what local radio, TV, and newspapers are saying about recent events. Why do big-name media people like Chuck Todd come to small-town radio shows to push their "both sides are equally bad" message, and how does this lazy reporting help cover up dangerous political talk? What happens when local MAGA politicians turn tragedy into a political show, and why do news outlets keep giving them airtime? We break down how the same media problems that are messing up national news are happening in Middle America too, and why paying attention to local politics helps us understand the bigger mess in American government.Audio clip in this episode is from Burke’s Law (ABC-TV, 1960's)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWffko5T_xoStay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

How did the late Charlie Kirk build his multi-million dollar empire, and what role did billionaire oligarchs play in funding his operation?  And why was it so worth it to them to dump millions on this right-wing demagogue? What critical facts does Ezra Klein conveniently leave out when praising Kirk's "moxie and fearlessness"? There's a huge difference between democratic discourse/debate and Kirk's actual legacy.  And today, at least, too many pundits appear to have Stockholm Syndrome, terrified to tell the truth about white nationalism, right-wing lies, and how projects based on the same get lavishly funded.  The difference between persuasion and demagoguing, and why mainstream pundits can't tell them apart… Also, being a racist ahole because hey, the money is great, on today’s Professional Left Podcast…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

Alt Title:  What 'Road House' Can Teach DemocratsWhat is the hidden wisdom in Patrick Swayze's movie Road House (MST3K IYKYK) that Democrats desperately need to understand? Answers to this and more, in this week's episode! 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

Why do we keep lurching violently between Democrats and fascists if every election is supposedly a "change election"? What happens when the media's obsession with "disruption" as a political cure-all actually gets what it wished for?We examine the fundamental split in American politics: Do we want change that means progress toward a better tomorrow, or change that means a belligerent return to an imaginary past? What does it look like when white Christian conservatives view America as territory that's been stolen from them?And what happens when right-wing pundits discover their revanchist fantasies have real-world consequences? We trace one conservative's journey from "Never Trumper" to MAGA supporter to desperately trying to navigate the chaos he helped create.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

Kash Patel, Dan Bongino, Tulsi Gabbard, and Jeanine Pirro are in positions of power to finally bring justice to history's greatest villains?  So why are there still no indictments of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton?  We know why!  We trace the straight line from Bush's load-bearing lies about Iraq and Katrina to Trump's promises of revenge against Democrats, and examine what happens when the MAGA mob's expectations clash with the reality that their conspiracy theories can't survive 30 seconds in a real courtroom. From grand juries refusing to indict the "Sandwich Guy" to a federal judge calling "backpacking while Black" searches "the most illegal I've ever seen," we explore how TrumpWorld is discovering that putting people in charge based on loyalty to Fox News lies, rather than competence, has predictable consequences.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

Trump's approval ratings have crashed to 37% - that magical Sarah Palin floor where only the most delusional true believers remain loyal. What do chemical bonds and political loyalties have in common, and why are some Trump voters starting to break away while his hardcore base would happily be entombed with him in the afterlife? Looking back 20 years to Bush's catastrophic second term, we trace the eerily similar trajectory from election victory to underwater approval ratings. Is history preparing to rhyme again in ways that could reshape the midterm landscape?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

What happens when Democratic governors fight like they mean it? We dive into J.B. Pritzker's masterclass in political combat. He talks like a #%&$&! FDR Democrat! And here's the crucial question nobody wants to ask: if the majority of Americans already support what would be considered a progressive agenda, why do Democrats keep getting lectured to move right? Why do the punches of Pritzker, Newsom, and Walz hit so hard when it's really just saying what Liberal bloggers have been saying all along? 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

An entire industry profits from pumping out addictive political poison designed to make people angrier, more paranoid, and more stupid. But here's the twist: the carriers of democracy's most lethal disease aren't the red-faced bigots you'd expect.How did "Both Sides Do It" become the perfect shield for scoundrels and the eternal lament of suckers? Why are seasoned journalists finally catching up to where Liberal bloggers have been all along, but only after they've left positions where their epiphanies might have mattered?What happens when the very people who voted sixty-plus times to take away your healthcare become invisible, protected by a media ecosystem that refuses to connect cause and effect? Both sides don't, folks.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