Author, journalist, & activist Cory Doctorow joins Bad Faith to discuss his latest novel Picks and Shovels, enshittification, the utility of fiction as a vehicle to expose scams and create urgency around political action, and why so many people misunderstand the threat of AI.
This abundance panel -- which been weeks in the making -- is well-timed: A new poll shows that voters prefer populist messaging to "abundance" messaging by a significant margin, throwing advocates of Abundance, a new book by Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson, into a tizzy. So what is "Abundance" anyway, & why has Left Twitter been so antagonistic to the ideology? Are pro-Abundance advocates like Klein, Thompson, and Matt Yglesias right when they say the left's critiques are only vibe-based, or is the left raising legitimate concerns about a corporate-backed, astro-turfed campaign intended to syphon off genuine populist anger? We've assembled the authors of three of the best abundance-critical op-eds to discuss: economist Isabella Weber, legal director at Open Markets Institute Sandeep Vaheesan, and former Rhode Island State Rep. Aaron Regunberg. It's the most comprehensive and specific explanation of why the left should reject the "abundance" framing you're likely to hear.
Political theorist and author of Legitimacy in Liberal Democracies and The Chronic Crisis of American Democracy Benjamin Studebaker returns to Bad Faithwith a wakeup call for the left: You've learned nothing from the Bernie 2020/2024 cycles. He criticizes the "Jacobin left" for not recognizing the need to overcome a key divide separating the erstwhile left coalition: The divide between college educated and not college educated voters. Can a Bernie-style candidate ever succeed in a world where about half of the electorate is susceptible to MSM critiques of the left as non-diverse because of their academic socialization? Will their more elite priorities (eg student loan debt cancellation, minority rights) ever alight with the economic priorities of working class voters? This became a healthy debate that gets to the core of what's next for the left.
Historian and founder of Palestine Nexus, an educational resource on Palestine, Zachary Foster joins Bad Faith to break down his viral article on the forgotten history of Jewish anti-zionism. By forensically examining the long history of Jewish opposition to Zionism, he disrupts mythology used to justify Israeli oppression of Palestinians in the present. Also, he weighs in on the recent shift in mainstream media coverage of Palestine, a new willingness to acknowledge the ongoing siege and starvation campaign, and what, if anything, it means for the fate of Palestinians.
The Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, ended its relationship with noted Brown University economist Glenn Loury after he was critical of Israel's actions in Gaza. The cancelation followed an appearance from fellow Brown professor and Israeli historian Omar Bartov on his podcast, during which Bartov offered an analysis of the Gaza genocide that reflected international consensus on Israeli violations of international law. Professor Loury joins Briahna Joy Gray for a must-watch two hour discussion in which Loury reflects on his career as a Black conservative, Ta-Nehesi Coates' book The Message, and the fact that his own Blackness informs his sympathetic attitude toward the Palestinian people. Does identity matter after all? As conservatives attempt to strip funding from the National African American History Museum and obstruct educators from teaching diverse histories, does Loury have any regrets about supporting attacks on "woke" pedagogy? Also, Loury debriefs on his viral interview with Tucker Carlson, and how his lefty wife has helped him to become more establishment in recent years.
Revolutionary Blackout Network co-founder Nick Cruse returns to Bad Faith to break down the liberal media meltdown over tepid efforts to push the party left. Not only are establishment politicians and commentators quick to decry the "message" of the AOC/Bernie rallies, David Hogg's efforts to primary old guard Democrats have been met with threats to oust him as DNC vice chair. Even James Carville is insisting that progressives leave the party. Broken clock-style, is Carville right? Also, Joe Biden joins The View and doubles down on his fitness to run while throwing Kamala under the bus, and Elizabeth Warren humiliates herself by refusing to admit that Biden hasn't been mentally fit since Rogue One was in theaters. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders repeats Zionist propaganda on the Senate floor. Is this a party that can be saved?
Director of Research at the American Economic Liberties Project Matt Stoller returns to Bad Faith to talk Facebook’s anti-trust case, why big tech is pushing AI, the surprising goodness of Trump’s FTC, and whether the worst impacts of Trump’s tariffs are still ahead.
ABrief History of Violence screenwriter & co-host of The Movies that Made Me Josh Olson and Struggle Session co-host Leslie Lee III join the show to discuss the movie everyone's talking about: Ryan Coogler's Jim Crow vampire film Sinners. In a spoiler-filled episode (you are warned), the trio debate what the movie is trying to say about race, freedom, religion, and vampirism before delving into the media controversy surrounding Variety's coverage of the film's box office earnings.
Semifor editor-in-chief and former EIC of Buzzfeed News Ben Smith joins Bad Faith to discuss his recent exposé on the private group chats in which tech billionaires like Marc Andreessen & Mark Cuban build consensus and debate ideas with handpicked "smart" men who are ideologically right-of-center -- all hidden from public eyes and public pushback. In theory, these chats were designed to be 'safe spaces' in which the Richard Hananias, Christopher Rufos, and even Thomas Chatterton Williamses could discuss ideas without censorship on liberal-leaning social media apps. But what purpose do they serve once Williams is booted for ideological consistency on free speech issues and even Hanania is outed for his willingness to question Trump denialism? The conversation broadens to a critique of mainstream media's handling of left politics, and Smith's editorial role as the head of several major media outlets.
