On the Gist, importing walkie-talkies into Myanmar.
In the Interview, we’re coming into a new constitutional cycle, and it means Democrats could take quite a bit of power. Well, if they don’t blow it. We’ve been in the same Republican-dominated cycle for decades, according to Jack Balkin, author of The Constitutional Cycles of Time. Balkin and Mike talk about the extreme political polarization not seen since the Civil War, constitutional rot, and, just for fun, delve into conservative complaints about de-platforming and free speech. Balkin is a Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment and Director for The Information Society Project at Yale Law School.
In the spiel, delving into the Trump files ahead of the Impeachment trial.
Have liberals finally had enough? Are they going to break discipline once they get the vaccine and stop insisting everyone wear three masks? And why does the Biden administration not want to participate in legal action against racial discrimination? Give a listen.
In the Interview, it’s part two of a conversation with historian Jill Lepore about her latest book:If Then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future. Jill discusses that with data mining and analysis there is greater potential for the demeaning of democratic processes, and why in 2021, accepting social media and twitter as a proxy for public opinion and polling could be risky. Lepore is an author, a New Yorker writer, and historian. She is also host of a podcast calledThe Last Archive from Pushkin.
The podcast says Joe Biden's choice of negotiating with Republicans or ramming his own COVID deal through represents a hinge moment for his presidency only 13 days in! And the impeachment trial and what Donald Trump will require of Senate Republicans may be the historical hinge moment for the GOP. Give a listen.
Good snowy morning from Andy and Tammy, while Jay wears shorts!
This week, we talk about cultures of luck, public schools, tankieism, Myanmar, and Corky Lee.
2:15 – Andy explains the freaky, punny “Bling Empire.”
12:12 – Our inevitable takes on GameStop, Robinhood, and the global, neoliberal casino of our financial system. For more: stories by Noah Kulwin, Kate Aronoff, and Doug Henwood. Andy recommends this episode of Slate Money podcast.
46:58 – David Brooks gives us hives, but so does most of the coverage of school reopenings. Why this anti-union, anti-parent campaign—and in the name of “Black and brown kids”? For more: a sharp analysis by Rachel Cohen; NYT’s recompense for Brooks’s editorial.
1:07:10 – We respond to listeners who think we’re too dismissive of pro-China takes as tankieism.
1:16:11 – In Tammy’s sad news corner: What’s happening in Myanmar?
1:21:31 – Another preventable COVID-19 death hits close to home. Rest in peace and power, Corky Lee! For more: Hua Hsu’s tribute and the NYT obit.
** 1:24:43 – A way to help us keep going—and with better sound: We’re launching a TTSG Patreon! Please sign on as a supporter, and tell all your friends! **
Quick plug: Andy helped organize a series of talks this month by professional historians but intended for public audiences. The theme is “decolonizing decolonization”: extending discussions about decolonization from Euro-America to looking at experiences in the “rest” of the world.
Tomorrow (2/3) at lunchtime (ET) is Adom Getachew from U. Chicago, talking about Black internationalism from the 50s to 70s (apropos Black history month). Register and check it out!
Ben and Palma from Seeking Derangements stop by to discuss online harassment from Lincoln Project member John Weaver, Marjorie Taylor Green and the growing political power of Women Who Get Kicked Out of Places, and finally a reading series on the Bernie’s mitten privilege.
Check out Seeking Derangements here: https://soundcloud.com/seeking-derangements
And their Patreon here:
https://www.patreon.com/seekingderangements
On the Gist, once a Nobel Peace Prize winner, now a war criminal.
In the Interview, writer Jill Lepore joins Mike for part one of their conversation on her latest book:If Then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future, a precursor to data and polling companies. If Then is an account on the mid-century boom in the advertising industry and its overlap with political marketing. Lepore articulates the deep prejudice in polling at the time, the rise of awareness of computers, and how Simulmatics' people machine's duplicity was made legible.
In the spiel, the GameStop/Wall Street debacle starring the usual suspects.
Republicans make Joe Biden an offer he can refuse, the race to vaccinate America is on, and the new face of the GOP is a QAnon school shooting truther who believes that wildfires are caused by Jewish laser beams. Then Congresswoman Katie Porter talks to Jon Lovett about getting people access to mental health care during the pandemic and why the GameStop drama should lead to tougher Wall Street regulation.
On this episode, Dana Gioia joins contributing editor Mark Bauerlein to discuss his recent memoir “Studying with Miss Bishop: Memoirs from a Young Writer’s Life.”
Today's podcast raises the specter of a negotiation between the new president and ten Republicans who offer the possibility of a bipartisan deal on COVID relief. Will he take it as an opportunity to prove he can work across the aisle or view it as a political trap? Also, more on Andrew Cuomo's perfidy and Donald Trump's GOP blackmail. Give a listen.
