thebruenigs

Baby Tips

We (really just Liz) get a lot of requests to spell out our advice and experiences with babies. So here you go!

Subscribe to the Bruletter

Greetings podcast patrons. I just wanted to let you know that I (Matt Bruenig) have started a paid newsletter called the Bruletter. Yes, I know. So has everyone else. But my takes are the best in the game.

I've got three posts up at the moment and plan to post my non-policy musings up there...

Matt's Dad Comes on to Discuss Qanon and Warehouse Laboring Conditions

Matt's dad joins the podcast via the telephone to discuss HBO's six-hour documentary on Q and in the process discusses his 45 years of working in a distribution warehouse.

Socialism Series Episode 6: John Francis Bray

In this episode, Matt covers the American-born John Francis Bray whose 1839 magnum opus Labour’s Wrongs and Labour’s Remedy lucidly outlined basic socialist concepts later drawn upon by the heavy hitters like Marx and offered a unique alternative involving tens of thousands of collec...

Lil Nas X; Mileage/Gas Tax; Superheroes??; Whites

The gang is back with this truly one of a kind meandering episode.

Unhinged Child Benefit Haters; Joe Fires All the Potheads

The gang is back. The episode features an extended discussion of Linda Hirschman's deranged response to Liz's latest defense of child benefits in the NYT. In the last ten minutes, amusing banter is had about Joe Biden sweeping out any white house staffer who admitted to "smoking a j" at some poin...

y'all want merch

yanno. merch. t-shirts...toting bags...stickers for your vehicles and "lap tops," this manner of thing

IRS Child Benefit Problem; Teen Vogue Scandal; NFTs

The gang is back, discussing the news that the IRS says it probably can't pull off the child tax credit we've talked so much about, potentially vindicating Matt. The gang moves on to the Teen Vogue scandal involving the ousted editor in chief, which appears to have been the usual cynical BS. Then...

New COVID Bill; Oren Cass Debate Recap; Substack Hate

The gang is back, talking about the new COVID bill, which as with most things has received a slightly confused reaction, a coach-style analysis of the Oren Cass debate, and then some discussion of the recent weird trend of saying substack, patreon, and all popular left content creators are secret...

Matt Debates Oren Cass About Child Benefits (Coughs Removed)

Matt went onto the Solidarity Policy Center's podcast to debate Oren Cass on the question of providing cash child benefits to all kids (including the very poor!). I'm cross-posting the whole thing here in case you are a big enough sicko to do 103 minutes of this.

My first post of this had c...

🚨🚨Emergency Pod: Neera Tanden Gone But Not Forgotten 🚨🚨

The gang is back with an emergency pod about today's big news. Around 40 min or so, they also go into the minimum wage / budget reconciliation debacle and close the show with a discussion of attractiveness, a topic of much interest to people who like to talk about us, good and bad.

Neera Tanden and Listener Call-in Questions

The gang has delivered on their listener call-in show, answering voicemail questions from the Bruheads. Before then, we briefly touch on the Tanden implosion.

Call In Your Question or Comment for the Next Episode

Hey everyone. It's been many months since we did a listener question episode. So we are gearing up to do another one. Previously we had listeners submit questions via text. But since this is an audio product, we thought it might be more fun to take submissions in our voicemail box.

Call ‪...

The Texas Snow and Energy Debacle ft. DFW Correspondent TC Fleming

The gang is back talking about what's going on in Texas and various other musings.  Joining the gang for today's episode is Dallas's own TC Fleming of the hit podcast It's Just Banter, which you can subscribe to here --> 2021-02-18 18:46:19 +0000 UTC View Post

The Rules Episode

The gang is back with a high-concept episode about the idea of rules. Are rules important? What purpose do they serve and for whom? When it comes to policing, admissions, and employment, are rules better than discretion? Why do people sometimes get mad when you ask for rules?

Tune in to...

Child Benefit Update; Larry Flynt's Death; Music Reviews

The gang is back, discussing the most recent child benefit developments, including the shameful behavior of CBPP's Chuck Marr on the topic. Then they shift towards a discussion of Larry Flynt's death. Lastly we review a few songs at the end of the pod to see if the fans like it or not (sound off)...

Bitches Whom Brunch; Checks Update; Jessica Krug

The gang is back with an old-style potpourri episode.

Socialism Series Episode Five: Robert Owen

Matt is back with a new socialism series episode, this time about famous British socialist Robert Owen.

Works Cited:

A New View of Society 

2021-02-01 04:16:53 +0000 UTC View Post

Inauguration Recap and Child Tax Credit Update

An illness has befallen the Bruenig household resulting in a Matt solo episode about the inauguration and developments in the CTC. 

The Child Tax Credit Battles and the Death Penalty

The gang is back. The first half of the episode is about Matt's ongoing freakout about child benefits and the Biden child tax credit proposal. The second half is about Liz's ongoing work on the death penalty, which Trump continues to dispense with frightening intensity in his last days in office....

Chaos at the Capitol; Trump B&

The gang is back after a slight delay, talking about the news of the day.

Socialism Series Episode 4: Charles Hall

In this episode, we cover English socialist Charles Hall and his 1805 magnum opus The Effects of Civilisation on the People in European States. Hall is, in my view, the best socialist we have covered so far. Thirteen years before Marx's birth, Hall provides lucid accounts of the concepts of wage ...

Socialism Series Episode 3: Charles Fourier

Today's episode is about French socialist Charles Fourier. Fourier was a lunatic but he also came up with the idea of a socialist commune, which had real influence in the world.

Works Cited:

2021-01-03 20:20:05 +0000 UTC View Post

Hilaria and Dr. Phil

The gang is back with a new year's special.

Socialism Series Episode 2: Henri de Saint-Simon

This is episode two of the much-celebrated socialism series, in which Matt embarks upon the possibly never-ending task of re-reading the socialist canon and then explaining to you what it says and what he thinks about it. Today's episode is Henri de Saint-Simon, the first so-called utopian social...

The Christmas Episode: Disgusting Kwanzaa Cake and Other Christmas Ls

The gang is back with a Christmas themed episode. The episode starts with a discussion of Sarah Lee's Kwanzaa Cake video, one of the most disgusting cooking videos of all time. It moves on to some of our own Christmas failures and then ends with some holiday wisdom from Matt and the story of why ...

Socialism Series Episode 1: The Conspiracy of Equals

Hello gang.

This is a new bonus series that aims to walk through the history of socialist thought one podcast episode at a time. It is quite an ambitious project and who knows at what point it will be completed if ever. But if you are interested in socialism -- including those who know noth...

The Death Penalty

Liz and Matt discuss Liz's latest article about the federal execution of Alfred Bourgeois.

The Man I Saw Them Kill: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/17/opinion/federa...

Compiled Wisdom of Matt and The Best Christmas Movie of All Time, the Santa Clause

The gang is back with some beloved midweek content.

Guest Matt Yglesias Talks Child Benefits and Their Opponents

Good episode.  Check it out!