The Left Opposition Podcast

If you caught the debate between Kamala and Trump earlier this week this should already be obvious, that as socialists, Marxists, communists we do not support neither the Republican Party nor the Democrat party, each with their violently reactionary or inaction toward key issues that affect the working class. Both are puppets for imperialism, war, genocide, strike breaking and will do nothing to halt climate change. So what do we do? What is the Marxist position on bourgeois elections? We are joined by Mark Jay of Firebrand to discuss his recent article "Why Socialists Don't Vote For 0ur Enemies." We then get into the A"C"P Patzi position on immigration regarding the debunked and slanderous Haitian migrant rumors about pet eating. https://firebrand.red/2024/08/why-socialists-dont-vote-for-our-enemies/ To watch us live record every Thursday at 730 EST https://twitch.tv/marxistarchaeologist Doug's latest article: https://firebrand.red/2024/09/wandering-in-the-void-the-dead-end-of-national-bolshevism/

Conditions are grim in Gaza as doctors, physicians, nurses and aid workers describe the scene that is hundreds of times worse than what we see on alternative media like X and TikTok. The death toll at this point is in the hundreds of thousands with no apparent help coming nor the bombing to be let up with the looming US election of Harris, who vows to continue the weapons faucet to Israel. Their other ally, Germany, is experiencing a resurgence in the far right party AfD as they climb in the polls as the crisis for the working class gets worse and worse with no viable Left option. The second half of the program, Aaron explores an article by the ISR and Matzpen on the problems of the Israeli proletariat. Are they even capable of breaking with Zionism? What would a revolution in Palestine look like and who would lead it? These are not easy questions and frankly I hope I can be convinced otherwise but I see no help coming from the Israeli proletariat either. https://www.marxist.com/explosion-of-anger-against-netanyahu-in-israel-hostages-blood-is-on-his-hands.htm https://isreview.org/issue/110/whats-matter-israeli-working-class/index.html https://youtu.be/xwsq3PIQmSI

Israel invades the West Bank, JD Vance gets boo'd by firefighters, and the American Communist Party keep doing incredible things like posting wonderful takes and then deleting them before we have a chance to dunk on them.

The boys are back together again to discuss the race riots in the UK, Venezuela, Israel, Elon Musk and Trump. It's a packed episode folks, glad we got this one out!

Apologies folks, some technical glitches with Audacity and scheduling conflicts delayed the release of this episode in which we go over the current state of the Venezuela election, our first impressions of Tim Walz. Kamala Harris girlbosses her way around. Rathbone releases another banger. Right wingers believe in magic. All this and more on this episode! Edit: Fixed a glitch that resulted in a pause in the audio 30 min in. This episode is two shorter episodes stitched together.

On the program today we have on three former members of the US military who each found their way to Marxism. Matthew you already know as a regular but we also hosted Tyler and Ben of the Denver Communists to discuss their experience in joining and serving in the military as pawns of the imperialist war machine and coming out of it as radicalized Marxists. Tyler recently had his article published on Firebrand reflecting on what potential for socialist organizing in the military and what Aaron Bushnell has to teach us about anti-imperialist resistance. The episode opens with a clip of Mike Prysner protesting Bush, and Aaron Bushnell's final words of rebellion, closing with Woody Guthrie's "So Long It's Been Good to Know You" war song. https://firebrand.red/2024/03/a-communist-military-veteran-on-aaron-bushnell-imperialist-war-and-resistance/ https://denvercommunists.org/ https://www.youtube.com/@denvercommunists Recommended reading this week is Alexandra Kollontai's "Who Needs the War?" https://www.marxists.org/archive/kollonta/1915/whoneeds.htm If you like what you hear why not throw $5 our way on our Patreon? Doug needs a new computer and we are literally useless without him. https://www.patreon.com/TheLeftOP/posts

Chris shares his thoughts on his visit to Venezuela back in the day in which he witnessed first hand the incredible potential of worker's control of the means of production and the current election contest of Maduro against a Trump clone. Chavez instituted an incredible amount of reforms for the working class and laid a foundation for the Bolivarian revolution. Unfortunately under Maduro and the crippling sanctions put forth by US imperialism, the country caved to capitalist restoration. As Marxists we defend the gains made by the Bolivarian Revolution while decrying the limits of bourgeois democracy, and using Trotsky's Permanent Revolution to understand how to fight for something better. Sign up for the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLeftOP https://twitch.tv/radicalizeme https://twitch.tv/marxistarchaeologist Further Reading https://www.marxist.com/urgent-note-on-venezuela-how-did-we-reach-this-dead-end.htm https://www.marxist.com/presidential-elections-in-venezuela-between-death-by-asphyxiation-and-decapitation.htm https://socialistrevolution.org/supreme-court-approves-assault-on-communist-party-of-venezuela/

You think you're a coconut? Or something like that I don't fucking know any more. We discuss the ongoing endless american bourgeois election cycle, some hot gossip surrounding it, and ultimately why these elections are essentially a waste of time and deeply unserious. There is still a genocide happening folks! Solidarity with those on the ground who stood up against police repression at Netanyahu's speech in Congress, across the country, and to all those facing oppression around the world. Speaking of unserious, this week saw the launch of yet another MAGAcommunist scam in the form of a new party, the American Communist Party. We talk a bit about what it is and the shady links behind it. Support the show on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/TheLeftOP Doug's new book on Kautsky https://bit.ly/4bW2Q12 Join Chris at the Socialist Party conference this weekend https://socialistorganizing.org/index.html Check out Joe's new music video on the Chiquita Death Squads! https://youtu.be/3l2pduEJSg4 Follow Aaron at https://twitch.tv/marxistarchaeologist and on twitter https://twitter.com/ArchaeoMarxist

The boys are back in town after a hiatus of holidays with families and loved ones. I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July in which you eat a bald eagle or whatever you Americans do. The news is as dumb as ever as we take a dive into Biden's post-debate interviews and clean up after the disastrous performance at the debate. The Labour Party in the UK won a decisive victory over the Tories only to implement Tory policies, while a Popular Front in France defeated Marine Le Pen's fascist party, and what this might mean for the working class going forward. Check out Doug's new book on Karl Kautsky! https://www.routledge.com/The-New-Reformism-and-the-Revival-of-Karl-Kautsky-The-Renegades-Revenge/Greene/p/book/9781032758787 Please support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/TheLeftOP/posts

We catch up with our good MAGA communist friends to see what they're up to, where one of them likes a Nazi Fancam on Twitter, Alex Jones has to liquidate InfoWars to pay off his settlement with the Sandy Hook families, and the launch of the Freedom Institute for A Free American Freedom led by a coalition of Infrared, Midwestern Marx and Jackson Hinkle. AOC platforms some renowned Zionists to combat anti-semitism. That expensive pier was used in a raid that killed 270 people while rescuing 4 well fed and taken care of hostages, while a shocking new report comes from an Israeli prison and treatment of palestinian prisoners. We close off discussing the 34th anniversary of Thomas Sankara's assasination and his legacy in Burkina Faso. Don't forget to subscribe to our Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/TheLeftOP/posts