Best Democracynow Podcasts (2025)

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#1375 The Militia Movement is Having a Moment (Throwback) 1:09:48

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6h ago1:09:48

1:09:48

Original Air Date: 10–16-2020 Transcript Today we take a look at the history and origins of the American militia movement right up to the recent plot to kidnap the Governor of Michigan, the likelihood of more violence and the high probability that they will show up at polling places on Election Day. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text a…

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#1723 Scam Nation: Trumpism is the Art of Screwing You Over in Every Way Possible 4:39:27

2d ago4:39:27

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Air Date 7/16/2025 It increasingly feels like we are completely past the era of legitimate differences in political philosophy and policy preferences. Now that the Republican governing style has been completely consumed by Trumpism, we've entered the era of scam politics which fits nicely with Trump's traditional retail scams, capitalism's continua…

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SOLVED! #15 - This is Propaganda Country: The Grotesque, Cruel, & Artificial Aesthetics of Modern Fascism 19:11

2d ago19:11

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Air Date: 7–13-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: ⁃ The calculated, propaganda motives behind “Mar-a-Lago face” and bizarre MAGA hyper-femininity ⁃ How MAGA uses Kristi Noem’s “Border Barbie” vibes to attempt to soften its vicious immigration policy, and project victimization ⁃ How bad AI imagery is now the look of modern fascism ⁃ The…

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#1722 Imbalance of Powers: The Supreme Court and Executive Branch Collude for Unchecked Power Grab 3:18:29

4d ago3:18:29

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Air Date 7/12/2025 The idea of the founders was to separate and balance the powers of the federal government and that, as Madison wrote, that ambition would counteract ambition. The problem we face now is that the ambition of the Supreme Court is to give as much power as possible to the executive branch because, ironically, they seem to be nostalgi…

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#1721 The Evolution of the Military Industrial Complex: Now with AI! 3:10:12

7d ago3:10:12

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Air Date 7/9/2025 It's an old joke that "military intelligence" is a good example of an oxymoron so I just asked an AI chatbot to finish a joke about what a military becomes when they implement artificial intelligence. It said, "an oxymoron squared - or as the generals call it, "strategically enhanced stupidity with a confidence interval of 95%" wh…

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SOLVED! #14 - How to Be An Imperfectionist: Fighting the infighting and building a resilient Left movement 20:41

8d ago20:41

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Air Date: 7–7-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Some advice on understanding how to identify imperfect allies vs. true opponents Good-faith critiques of (and agreements with) socialist NYU Professor Vivek Chibber’s views on identity politics on the Left Working Families Party head Maurice Mitchell’s ideas on “neoliberal identity” poli…

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#1376 Tell Stories, Not Myths- America is a Force But Not Always For Good (Throwback) 1:01:36

16d ago1:01:36

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Original Air Date: 10-21-20 Today we take a look at some of the many zany foreign misadventures the United States has had over the past 100 years. And by "zany misadventures" I mean the naked pursuit of capitalism at any cost, the support of military coups and other undemocratic overthrows of foreign governments and wars for oil and resources in an…

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#1720 Building an Organized Left, the Eternal Oxymoron 4:01:42

18d ago4:01:42

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Air Date 7/2/2025 The militarization of Trump's deportation regime and response to protesters is the clearest example of his desire to implement a fully authoritarian government. Pure and simple. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on the infamous Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheL…

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#13 - How to Make Enemies and Influence People 21:56

20d ago21:56

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Air Date: 6–30-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Shifting the way we think and talk about the benefits of peaceful nonviolence at anti-fascist protests The unlimited patience for capitalism vs. the knee-jerk “Impossible!” for left-wing ideas The centrists Democrats (and their consultants) missing the forest for the trees An antidote t…

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#1719 The Fascist Playbook: Immigrants, Brown Shirts, and the Backlash 4:12:04

18d ago4:12:04

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Air Date 6/28/2025 The militarization of Trump's deportation regime and response to protesters is the clearest example of his desire to implement a fully authoritarian government. Pure and simple. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on the infamous Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfThe…

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#1718 On the Path to Destruction: Israel Attacks Iran as Support for War on Gaza Drops 3:56:42

25d ago3:56:42

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Air Date: 6-25-2025 We thought we were going to have an episode about the war Israel is conducting ready for you last week but then they started another war. So, it would have felt odd to release an Israel episode without the latest major updates including Iran. I can only imagine what will happen between the time I speak these words and when you h…

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SOLVED! #12 - Back to the…1980s? The Power of Nostalgia and Trump’s Reaganitis 20:30

23d ago20:30

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Air Date: 6–23-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: The long history of nostalgia in politics as we find ourselves reliving the 1980s How MAGA Youth have a lot in common with Reagan Youth (a la Alex P. Keaton) without the context Trump’s Reaganitis: All the ways Trump is just straight up copying Reagan and how he could fail like him too …

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#1717 Monthly-Ish Mix: Wealth Concentration, Knowledge Suppression, and Identity Exploitation: The Systems of Control of the Authoritarian Playbook 3:11:29

29d ago3:11:29

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Air Date 6/21/2025 The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month, we're focusing on the way authoritarian movements operate across multiple fronts simultaneously to reshape society. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on the infamous Signal at the hand…

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#1716 The Fight for Workers: Oligarchy and its Bipartisan Enablers 3:26:08

28d ago3:26:08

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Air Date 6/18/2025 Critics of capitalism like us often advocate for the system to come to an end and be replaced with another that aligns better with human needs and continued existence. Well, it's possible that the system is close to having run its course and will be making way for something different. Unfortunately, the natural course of capitali…

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#1612 New Tech and the New Luddite Movement; Inequitable Distribution of Benefits from New Technology Always Sparks Demands from Labor and AI is Rekindling the Old Arguments (Throwback) 58:19

1M ago58:19

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Original Air Date: 2-20-2024 "Luddite" should never have become the epithet that it is as the Luddites were never afraid of or opposed to technological advancement, they only opposed the exploitation of workers and the degradation to society that came with the unfair distribution of the benefits of the targeted technology. Be part of the show! Leav…

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#1715 The Weaponization of Antisemitism and Counterproductive Violence 2:36:28

1M ago2:36:28

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Air Date: 6-11-2025 Following the 2023 attack and counterattack between Israel and Hamas which brought the simmering conflict into the mainstream of American politics, we're now living with the opportunistic weaponization of antisemitism being used as a pretext to crack down on anti-Israel protests and universities that just aren't teaching a Trump…

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SOLVED! #11 - Culture War Distractions While the Oligarchs Rob You Blind 24:25

1M ago24:25

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Air Date: 6-8-25 BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: The right’s attack on free speech and academic freedom Trumponomics, men, and tradwives The lessons to learn about culture wars from the fight for gay marriage How the internet and Trump force us to live in…