Ep 86 - Bernardism-Sanderism w/ Shuja Haider
Added 2020-03-04 14:00:00 +0000 UTCThe gang is back with special guest Shuja Haider, @shujaxhaider, writer-at-large for Outline Magazine and contributing editor of Viewpoint.
We begin with an analysis of the political economy of coronavirus, then continue with a lengthy discussion of the Bernie Sanders campaign. (You know we had to talk electoral politics eventually!) What kind of social forces are being brought together? What potentials might the campaign bring? What are the limits of electoralism and how does a robust anti-capitalist movement relate to politics-at-large?
Coronavirus article: http://chuangcn.org/2020/02/social-contagion/
Shuja's superdelegates article: https://theoutline.com/post/8721/democratic-debaste-superdelegates-dnc-convention
Outro: Chumbawumba - The Wasteland
Comments
Glad to see the pod gang back to together
Cardboard
2020-03-07 23:20:48 +0000 UTCPocachu will have to endorse bernie soon for her endorsement to have any significant value, as endorsing now will offer a percentage point boost, win states for bernie, and change the current media narrative. Transferring delegates at a later stage won’t be as useful also because in most cases she isn’t winning delegates for all her votes because of not being able to cross the minimum vote threshold, resulting in those delegates being split proportionally among the winning candidates.But I think there is no point in waiting for her endorsement. It would be a bad idea for us to run as an independent as it would essentially splinter the vote base, so we have no choice but to convince the rest of the democratic base regarding the merits of our argument. But on the other hand, we wouldn’t have to worry of them splintering from us for the very same reasons. I think there is a larger chunk of the biden’s base which is soft and which must instead be our priority. Also, we can’t turn to the gillet jaunes as our response to this surge, because their primary argument against us and trump is to restore normalcy and a return to decency. And one cannot hope to counter the normalcy argument if one fails on the decency argument. And I won’t even be surprised if those protesters at the biden rally were paid actors meant to prove this point. I think bernie is quite right in his approach to counter the biden surge, and I think he will do fine as long as he is able to deliver those arguments confidently. But I also think he must not hesitate to stick them with the pointy end if the need arises. When he says, 'we don’t take money from millionaires and billionaires', he must also add, nor do we have our sons and daughters sit on the board of a Ukrainian Oil and gas company that we are currently having dealings with. When faced with, ‘but it would cost 60 trillion dollars’, he must reply with, ‘but that is what the existing system will cost us over ten years, our plan is the cost optimize it’, as Carl Beijer also mentioned on some podcast. And he must be prepared for standard counter answers like, ‘My son’ for Iraq War, and ‘But I am the only one here who has got things done’. In the end everyone is decent, and we must not forget the guy we are dealing with did once reply to our argument with ‘This is America’ with a broad grin across his face.
Karthik M
2020-03-05 16:08:34 +0000 UTCBernie is an imperialist...LockHeed Martin and Raytheon and Boeing workers actually mostly donated individually to him. He is not interested in loosening borders. Hes interested in expensive F35 Lightning Jets. I voted for him anyways instead of La Riva of PSL. BUT I was pretty happy to hear Everyone on a episode again!!!!! The Democratic party should fall. But we have to start awakening the masses... mao zedong and frantz fanon reading groups but done millenial style... because american society honestly is so right wing because our mass media is only right and far right. Lots of education and work sigh.. which would be way easier with bernie...sigh. ok BE SAFE EVERYONE.
luis
2020-03-05 12:03:51 +0000 UTCYou guys rule. Best Super Tuesday ever for socialists. We'll get the Bastards someday. Still in the infancy of a take over...
Turd Ferguson
2020-03-04 20:46:46 +0000 UTCStaying home from work today for having ‘flu like symptoms ‘ in Seattle. We’ve been told to practice ‘social distancing ‘ and avoid public gatherings, listening to you all makes me feel a little bit better, thanks all
peter c donahue
2020-03-04 20:37:28 +0000 UTC
