The Left Opposition Podcast

Here we discuss what building a genuine alternative to the Democrat Party might look like and what it takes to get there with recurring guest Jeffrey Booth and his article "Getting Past Sanders and Towards a Workers Party".https://independentsocialistgroup.org/2025/02/20/getting-past-sanders-and-towards-a-workers-party/

Lenin wrote: "the Social Democrat’s ideal should not be the trade union secretary, but the tribune of the people, who is able to react to every manifestation of tyranny and oppression, no matter where it appears, no matter what stratum or class of the people it affects". This means standing up for the most oppressed sections of the proletariat regardless if the banks and imperialists fly a Pride flag.

We get into the insane and stupid decisions of the Trump White house from the last few weeks and the response of the Left in gutting USAID, peace talks with Ukraine and Russia, relocating Palestinians, and the like. https://www.leftvoice.org/ceasefire-on-the-brink-trump-and-netanyahu-push-for-renewed-war-in-gaza/https://marxist.com/usaid-imperialist-trojan-horse-goes-in-the-woodchipper.htmCheck out the patreon for our latest dunks on the ACP https://www.patreon.com/c/TheLeftOP/postsClosing song: "Fucked Up" by Macklemore

Hope everyone is doing ok after these insane weeks. Before we get back to our regularly scheduled screaming we need to finish our examination of the high profile resignations at the ACP. If you are frustrated by capitalism this is the last organisation you should be joining.

This ended up being a long goddamn episode so we split it into two parts. The first part covers the helicopter crash into the jet liner along the Potomac river and then we get into the first of multiple resignations from the Executive board over at the so called American Communist Party. These people are deeply unserious clowns and its honestly mind boggling people willingly join this party run by toxic gym bro morons with extremely profoundly bad politics. Anyway S4A did a very good video on this same subject matter so go check them out too: https://youtu.be/sAEi0upaY2s Check out our Patreon for access to Part 2, or wait it out for the free release down the road.

Hey folks it's Aaron, Ben and Joe coming at you with a great episode about Elon Musk, Trump, and Fascism. Is America a fascist country? We dive into Marxist theory and a few articles from Left Voice and Firebrand to help us out because it determines our revolutionary strategy. Articles cited: https://firebrand.red/2024/10/everything-you-hate-isnt-fascism/ https://www.leftvoice.org/what-is-fascism/ https://www.leftvoice.org/thats-not-how-fascism-works/ Find us on Patreon to support the channel! https://www.patreon.com/c/TheLeftOP/posts

2025 opens in true capitalist fashion with horrific mass fires in Los Angeles in the Palisades, a liberal Prime Minister resigns, and the Tik Tok ban forcing millions of Americans to flee to Red Book where they interact with actual Chinese citizens dispelling many misconceptions the working class of both countries had about each other. Closing song: "If They Come in the Morning (No Time for Love) by The Men of No Property. 2004 Smithsonian Folkways Recordings / 1977 Paredon Records

The Canadian postal worker strike was busted, the NALC fights on for a VOTE NO campaign, the Amazon workers strike, and 500 Starbucks Stores walk off the job. What a week its been for class struggle and what a way to end 2024! We end off with a discussion on the class nature of Starbucks baristas. Are they proletarian heroes or petty bourgeois parasites? (Spoiler alert they are workers who deserve a union). The ACP once again launched the barista discourse because they hate starbucks workers for some reason and distort Marx to fit their narrow and bigoted worldview. Audio from Status Coup News https://youtu.be/8103Zq_kBaM?t=1047 Episode cover art (David Ryder / Bloomberg via Getty Images) https://www.marxistworker.ca/articles/interview-with-steve-wexler https://www.marxist.ca/article/postal-workers-strike-union-leadership-smothers-defiance https://labornotes.org/2024/12/amazon-workers-launch-largest-strike-yet-it-doesnt-feel-job-should-be-legal

Assad is an anti-communist murderous horrendous dictator and he has been overthrown by US backed Al-Qaeda and ISIS forces. There is nothing to celebrate. There are no progressive rebel forces in this situation, and things will go from bad to worse in Syria. Everywhere the US sticks its greedy claws things always get worse, to keep the Arab world divided and facilitate US imperialism and must be opposed in every situation. The main topic of the program is the right wing pearl clutching over the death of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson, and the arrest of suspected killer and thirst trap Luigi Mangione, a man with very confused politics. Nonetheless this killing has inspired a renewed hatred of the US healthcare system, a universal feeling across the divide and ever a reminder of the science of class struggle: not right vs left but the working class against the bourgeoise. This is also an example of the limitations of individual terrorism, it is no substitute for class struggle. Find us on Patreon, support the show! Interested in joining a reading group? Send us an email at theleftoppositionpodcast@gmail.com

Welcome to newcomer Ben as we cover some international news going on in the last couple of weeks as the president of South Korea institutes marshall law, attempts a coup and is resisted by the working class, followed by Assad's imminent deposition and ousting in Syria followed by Ukraine's inevitable surrender as it remains to be seen if Ukraine will be carved up as world capitalism divides and redivides national boundaries. Lastly we cover assassinated CEO of United Health, and what it means for the working class in the fight for universal healthcare. Closing folk song by Joe Devito Songs on TikTok Sources for this week's episode: https://marxist.com/south-korea-yoon-suk-yeol-s-desperate-martial-law-defeated-within-hours.htm https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/12/04/bzst-d04.html https://marxist.com/an-angry-old-man-a-deranged-ukrainian-and-world-war-iii.htm