The Regrettable Century

A sweeping electoral repudiation of MAGA sparks debate over whether Democrats can capitalize or squander the moment. The discussion covers class-based populism, pressure for Medicare for All and antiwar action, Democratic leadership battles, corruption and Epstein investigations, Texas’s political shift, and local fights over water and education.

Why has the anti-war movement vanished? Two longtime activists examine the failures of protest politics, digital outrage, sectarianism, and short-lived mobilizations. They explore what it would take to build a broad coalition rooted in workers, veterans, unions, communities, and durable institutions, while opposing U.S. imperialism without defending authoritarian regimes.

A lively book-club discussion explores the collision between technology, work, and capitalism. The conversation revisits Luddite resistance, Marxist critiques of progress, the utopian promise of machines, and how class struggle shapes technological design. It also examines community, living labor, alienation, and the historical shift from water to steam power.

A sharp tour through escalating geopolitical turmoil: disrupted shipping and rising oil costs, covert CIA support for Ukraine, Starlink disputes, and the agency’s long record of intervention. The discussion also examines Israel’s fractured politics, anti-Arab election messaging, Netanyahu’s shaky coalition, and Washington’s reluctance to pursue accountability.

This week we are joined by our official France correspondent, Matthew to discuss the ongoing protests across Europe.   The ‘Total Strike’ Has Come for France https://tribunemag.co.uk/2026/10/the-total-strike-has-come-for-france    “Can We Be Angry About the Vandalism and Still Take Certain High School Students’ Complaints Seriously?” https://www.lefigaro.fr/en/france/madeleine-de-jessey-can-we-be-angry-about-the-vandalism-and-still-take-certain-high-school-students-complaints-seriously-20261008    Are student protests being manipulated ahead of France's presidential election? https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8zxlyg965r3o    France is facing crisis after crisis. Here's what's happening https://www.axios.com/2026/10/14/france-crises-fires-hackers-protests-debt

This week, Ben and Jason sat down for a free flowing discussion about the current state of things and how to experience the world around us without being aloof or carried away by the ever shifting and fickle political currents of time. Join the Regrettable Century Patreon Visit the NEW IMPROVED Regrettable Century merch store

This week the boys finish up the last section of Kritikpunkt's article Fascism? For What? We deal with the age old question, is fascism on the rise and if so why? From the article: "Hitler and his associates ruled by perverted means because they were evil, and with their malice they were able to win over their masses. Today there are evil people again, and they must not be allowed to take power, because then one would once again have to submit to non-democracy. Such is the theory of bourgeois anti-fascism. We consider this formula wrong, and we ask instead: what would a fascist regime actually have to offer the economy it would have to administer today?" https://kritikpunkt.com/fascism-for-what/

The Five Year Fuel Crisis, US Fails to Care for Iran War Wounded, Israel at Risk of Civil War and Collapse, Cartels Training in Ukraine, No Russia is not Losing the War...   Join the Regrettable Century Patreon Visit the NEW IMPROVED Regrettable Century merch store

This week the boys sat down to do their second close reading of an article by the Kritikpunkt Team titled Fascism? For What? We deal with the age old question, is fascism on the rise and if so why? From the article: "Hitler and his associates ruled by perverted means because they were evil, and with their malice they were able to win over their masses. Today there are evil people again, and they must not be allowed to take power, because then one would once again have to submit to non-democracy. Such is the theory of bourgeois anti-fascism. We consider this formula wrong, and we ask instead: what would a fascist regime actually have to offer the economy it would have to administer today?" https://kritikpunkt.com/fascism-for-what/

The boys are back with another Q and A. We cover how to relate to anti-imperial struggles, the legacy of the American Revolution, super profits, the Frankfurt School, and the ever lowering horizons of the socialist movement. Join the Regrettable Century Patreon Visit the NEW IMPROVED Regrettable Century merch store