Unf*cking The Republic
278 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 618 ratingsUnf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is a series of audio essays on the grand American experiment lovingly curated and presented by a quasi-anonymous political writer.
Each essay reflects on a singular topic that is generally misunderstood or purposely obfuscated by the so-called “powers that be.” As we know, history is written by the victors and can be perilously manufactured to favor destructive world views. These views become intractably ingrained in the public consciousness and pervert public policy, oftentimes with horrific results.
As of this podcast’s founding, we find ourselves living in a true kakistocracy. The disconnect between what we believe and what is actually happening below the surface or in plain sight is where this podcast lives.
Together we’ll upend conventional wisdom, blow up narratives on the left, right and center and use magical devices like facts, logic and reason to explain how exactly we arrived in bizarro America, the funhouse mirror version of what was originally intended. #UNFTR
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
RFK Jr.’s Trojan Horse Campaign: On the Ballot in Michigan.
April 22, 2024 20:06 - 13 minutes - 12.1 MBFor months we’ve said that RFK Jr. is the biggest threat to Biden’s re-election. Now that he’s gained ballot access in Michigan, it’s time to go beyond the vaccine headlines to examine Kennedy the nascent politician and what his candidacy means to this election cycle. Just as the pollsters missed several important cues during the 2016 election, we might be underestimating the impact Kennedy has beyond his loyal environmental and anti-vaccine followers the media focuses on. Resources FiveTh...
The Evolution of AOC and Behind the Trump Bump.
April 20, 2024 04:00 - 1 hour - 70.5 MBDistracted Max reached new heights this week so instead of releasing the third installment of the Over the Borderline series, he mashed up two shorter Topical Creams from YouTube into an episode. Both cover familiar ground to keep a focus on what matters politically. The “silly season” is when narratives harden so sometimes it’s important to reassert certain claims. The first segment is about AOC’s recent decision to fund the Democratic Party in the upcoming election for the first time in he...
Over the Borderline: Part Two. The Politics of Migration.
April 13, 2024 04:00 - 1 hour - 85.1 MBIn today’s episode, we head to the border and below to examine the root causes and circumstances that factor into immigration patterns, from economic opportunity to asylum. Max speaks with Maureen Meyer from The Washington Office on Latin America, known as WOLA, a D.C. based organization that advocates for human rights in the Americas. Meyer serves as WOLA’s Vice President for Programs, working with senior staff to develop policy priorities and strategies to advance human rights and social j...
Show Notes [SPACtacular Bullsh*t.]
April 06, 2024 18:07 - 1 hour - 62.5 MBMax and 99 are back today to talk "SPACtacular Bullsh*t" feedback, catch up with the Unf*ckers and get into numerous tangents, of course. Enjoy! Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:07:13 Facebook Shout Outs: 00:52:14 YouTube Shout Outs: 00:59:51 Members + Outro: 01:05:39 Resources Deep Blue Something: Breakfast At Tiffany's Project 2025 YouTube Video Unf*cker Recommendations McFleshman's Brewing Co: Respecting the Beer Podcast UNFTR Episode Resources Immigration Nation: A Crisis...
SPACtacular Bullsh*t: Inside Trump’s Multi-Billion Dollar Sham.
March 30, 2024 04:00 - 36 minutes - 33.7 MBHe did it again. The Donald pulled off yet another miracle by taking his (failing) social media platform public. The deal had been in the works for a while and looked DOA last year. But it was revived recently and when it hit the Nasdaq this week it added billions to Trump's net worth and gave him an immediate cash infusion that will likely prevent him having to sell assets to make the (reduced) bond in his civil fraud case. The wealthy in this country truly operate under different rules. Th...
Show Notes [“Project 2025.”]
March 28, 2024 22:10 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBMax and 99 are back together in the studio to discuss Project 2025 Feedback, share Over the Borderline updates, and of course, tell a silly story or two. Enjoy! Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:31:51 Instagram Shoutouts: 00:39:19 YouTube Shoutouts: 00:40:05 New Members: 01:02:16 Outro: 01:04:02 Resources Become a UNFTR Member UNFTR Series The Kosh Podcast: Episode 121: Bob Knudsen - County Board Supervisor Candidate District #16 Unf*cker Recommendations Rutger Bregman: Human...
Unf*cking Flashback: Corporate (Ir)Responsibility: Parts One and Two.
March 23, 2024 04:00 - 58 minutes - 53.4 MBSilly season is in full swing so politicians take center stage. But it's important to remember who really pulls the strings and runs the show. This week is an overdue flashback to our Corporate (Ir)Responsibility episodes that have been combined for the first time by the great Manny Faces for your listening pleasure. It's a good refresh on the bad actors that came together to rig the system. We'll be back next week with more original content as we plug away at the border crisis and other pre...
“Project 2025.” Republicans With Time.
March 16, 2024 04:00 - 38 minutes - 35.7 MBThere are few things in this world as dangerous as Republicans with time on their hands. When Republicans find themselves out of office, they stay busy hatching evil plans in undisclosed lairs somewhere. Actually, they do it in think tanks. What’s impressive is how many plans they concoct during these periods that actually wind up as legislative public policy when they’re re-elected. The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 playbook is one of the more devastating handbooks ever written and it’...
Show Notes [Over the Borderline: Part One.]
March 15, 2024 22:40 - 43 minutes - 40.3 MBToday is a Max solo adventure; join him as he covers feedback from the new Over the Borderline series, as well as some Unf*cker comments from the recent Phone A Friends. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:02:31 Outro: 00:42:34 Resources Over the Borderline: Part One. Phone A Friend: George Laws García, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Statehood Council. Phone A Friend: Briahna Joy Gray of the Bad Faith Podcast. -- If you like the pod version of #UNFTR, make sure to check out...
Over the Borderline: Part One. New York’s Migrant Crisis.
March 09, 2024 05:00 - 1 hour - 76.6 MBWe kick off the first installment in our series “Over the Borderline” where we examine the plight of immigrant families, the socioeconomic and political conditions that drive people to migrate to the United States and the current crisis that has become a central talking point in the 2024 election. This first episode is a spotlight on New York City, which has been overwhelmed by a surge in migrant families being bused from border states as part of a political maneuver to deposit the immigrati...
Show Notes [Phone A Friend: George Laws García + Briahna Joy Gray.]
March 08, 2024 18:41 - 39 minutes - 36.6 MBMax and 99 are apart this week but meet up ~virtually~ to discuss feedback from the two recent Phone A Friends! Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Email: 00:10:43 Outro: 00:33:19 Resources Phone A Friend: George Laws García, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Statehood Council. Phone A Friend: Briahna Joy Gray of the Bad Faith Podcast. -- If you like the pod version of #UNFTR, make sure to check out the video version on YouTube where Max shows his beautiful face! www.youtube.com/@UNFTR P...
Over the Borderline: An Introduction.
March 07, 2024 22:51 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBThis is the brief introduction to our series “Over the Borderline” where we update our reporting on immigration and the border crisis to examine the myriad moving parts of this hot button topic. The series kicks off this weekend with a look at the current crisis facing New York City with busloads of migrants continually flowing into the city on a daily basis and stretching city services to their limits. Then we’ll head south of the border to examine the root causes of mass migration from eco...
Phone A Friend: George Laws García, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Statehood Council.
March 02, 2024 05:00 - 59 minutes - 54.7 MBOur guest this week is George Laws-García, the Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Statehood Council. A longtime policy advocate and consultant and native of San Juan, Laws-García was tapped to be the organization’s first executive director to increase the engagement of Puerto Rico statehood supporters. George and I have a great conversation about the hows and whys of statehood, roadblocks and resistance the movement faces and the tension between advocates for statehood versus full indepen...
Phone A Friend: Briahna Joy Gray of the Bad Faith Podcast.
February 28, 2024 23:22 - 1 hour - 70.2 MBOn this week’s UNFTR Phone a Friend we’re speaking with the incomparable Briahna Joy Gray. Briahna is the host of the popular politics podcast and YouTube channel Bad Faith and co-host of The Hill’s Rising. Prior to this she was the National Press Secretary for the Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign, was senior politics editor at The Intercept and has written for The Guardian, Rolling Stone, New York Magazine and for our friends over at Current Affairs Magazine. She has a B.A. and a law degree fro...
Show Notes [The Banality of Violence.]
February 28, 2024 00:58 - 1 hour - 82.6 MBIn today's Show Notes Max and 99 catch up on the last few weeks, discussing 'The Banality of Violence,' 'Unf*cking Healthcare,' the 'Palestine' series + more. Enjoy! Chapters Intro: 00:00:40 Housekeeping: 00:08:07 Emails: 00:38:18 Memberships: 01:24:10 Outro: 01:27:23 Resources Become a UNFTR Member Bobby McD's new book: The Occulting Light Manny Faces Online -- If you like the pod version of #UNFTR, make sure to check out the video version on YouTube where Max shows his beautifu...
Immigration Nation A Crisis of Our Own Design.
February 24, 2024 05:00 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBThis week is a flashback. Yes, that means re-run but there’s a good reason for it as we covered in Show Notes. We’re bringing back our episode titled Immigration Nation to refresh crucial misconceptions around migration so we can update certain data points and troubling trends. In the weeks to come we’re digging back into the border crisis as it has become one of the central talking points in the upcoming election. Plus, a great deal has changed south of the U.S. border that needs to be inco...
The Banality of Violence: Our troubling indifference to suffering.
February 17, 2024 05:00 - 40 minutes - 37.1 MBWatching Sean Hannity casually ask Curtis Sliwa to turn the cameras toward Sliwa’s Guardian Angels crew “taking down” a person they perceived to be an undocumented migrant in the streets of New York stuck with me. This particular moment falls so far down on the list of horrifying takes from Hannity and Fox News but for some reason it hit a nerve. The detached indifference of the brief affair prompted me to revisit the writings of Hannah Arendt, one of the great 20th Century philosophers who ...
Phone A Friend: Ben Burgis, author, journalist and podcaster.
February 10, 2024 17:28 - 1 hour - 67.9 MBToday we get to all live tuition free inside the head of one of the most prominent intellectuals on the left, Ben Burgis. Ben is a Jacobin columnist, an adjunct philosophy professor at Rutgers University, and the host of the YouTube show and podcast Give Them An Argument. He’s also the author of several books including Give Them an Argument: Logic for the Left, Canceling Comedians While the World Burns, and Christopher Hitchens: What He Got Right, How He Went Wrong, and Why it Matters. Ben j...
Show Notes [Don’t sweat the election. We already lost.]
February 08, 2024 23:12 - 1 hour - 92.9 MBIn today's episode of Show Notes, Max & 99 talk 'Don't Sweat The Election' + 'Mental Health Care in America' feedback, and spend plenty of time lightening the mood with pop culture tangents. Enjoy! Resources To access the Premium Newsletter, become a member today! The Ringer: Dewey Cox Ain’t Dead: An Oral History of ‘Walk Hard’ -- If you like the pod version of #UNFTR, make sure to check out the video version on YouTube where Max shows his beautiful face! www.youtube.com/@UNFTR Please ...
Don’t sweat the election. We already lost: A progressive meditation on the 2024 election.
February 03, 2024 05:00 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MBSome of you are upset that I’ve targeted Biden so much lately given the threat of another Trump term. We’ve hashed and rehashed this on Show Notes but I did a little soul searching on my own to address this situation. We’re off to a strong start this year in terms of our editorial calendar but I’ve been finding it difficult to dig further into several topics knowing that there’s a growing sense of frustration with my intransigence. So I thought this was as good a time as any to work through ...
Show Notes [Mental Health Care in America.]
January 30, 2024 20:07 - 1 hour - 70.9 MBMax and 99 take some time to read feedback from the mental health episode. Unf*ckers were very gracious with their submissions and openness. Thank you all! Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:10:21 Social Shout Outs: 01:07:46 Memberships + Donations: 01:13:21 Reviews: 01:15:18 Outro: 01:16:33 This Episode Online Show Notes Essay Resources Video Resources Snopes: Is PETA Stealing and Killing Pets? Green Eco Friend: Why Do So Many People Hate PETA? Un*cker Recommendations Sec...
Revenge of the “Strongman.” Lessons from around the globe.
January 27, 2024 06:51 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MBBack-to-back wins in Iowa and New Hampshire have the nation bracing for a rematch between Trump and Biden. This episode explores how other nations are dealing with the ‘strongman’ wannabe dictator phenomenon. Maybe there are lessons to glean from the experiences of other countries. So in that spirit we’re going to do some globetrotting to look at three countries in two states of authoritarianism at present and one in recovery like the U.S. Chapters Sketch: 00:00:00 Intro: 00:04:33 Subjec...
Mental Health Care in America: Capitalism’s Invisible Blight on the American Mind.
January 20, 2024 22:06 - 1 hour - 69.7 MBThis week’s episode examines the connection between capitalism and declining mental health in the United States. From the pressure the system places on workers to its ruthless manner of discarding those who suffer from mental illness, capitalism has become a central figure in the mental health narrative in frightening ways. This Episode Online Essay Resources Video Resources National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): Mental Illness National Library of Medicine: António Egas Moniz (18...
Show Notes [2024: Welcome to Another Year in Bizarro America.]
January 19, 2024 21:36 - 1 hour - 104 MBIn today's Show Notes Max and 99 catch up and discuss the most recent two episodes. Enjoy! Resources UNFTR Memberships UNFTR Resource Directory NPR: The pope wants surrogacy banned. Here's why one advocate says that's misguided Unf*cker Recommendations David Fleming: Lean Logic: A Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It -- If you like the pod version of #UNFTR, make sure to check out the video version on YouTube where Max shows his beautiful face! www.youtube.com/@UNFTR Plea...
Phone A Friend: Reverend Roger C. Williams.
January 13, 2024 05:00 - 1 hour - 88 MBIn response to a number of listeners suggesting that Max be less dismissive of religion and pay attention to the UNFTR creed of meeting people where they are, Max invited his friend Reverend Roger Williams on the show. The wide ranging discussion covers fundamentalist interpretations of the Bible, the struggle Black Americans have aligning with political parties, and how the next generation of voters will shape the country moving forward. This Episode Online Transcript (Coming Soon) Show ...
2024: Welcome to Another Year in Bizarro America. Max Unfiltered.
January 06, 2024 19:28 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBMax shakes off the cobwebs to take stock of where the country is as we head into 2024. In this “Max Unfiltered” take to start the year he examines the tension between the past and present. Has the arc of history bent toward progress? Sure. But it's maddening to know that there is still so much unnecessary suffering in the world when the U.S. has the capacity to solve so much of it both at home and abroad. Chapters Intro: 00:01:27 Post Show Musings: 00:24:08 Outro: 00:37:15 This Episode ...
Show Notes [The Carter Years One–Three.]
December 23, 2023 05:00 - 1 hour - 99.3 MBIn this episode, the team winds down 2023 with a very special edition of Show Notes. Max and 99 experience peak silliness as they discuss the new UNFTR website, headlines, and hear from a special guest. Happy holidays Unf*ckers! Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Hold Fast Theme: 00:11:39 Headlines: 00:26:41 Emails: 00:37:03 Social Shout Outs: 01:23:01 YouTube Shout Outs: 01:28:41 Buy Me A Coffee Memberships + Donations: 01:30:20 Special Guest: 01:31:48 Headlines The Guardian: US child pove...
The Carter Years: Part One, Two, Three + Epilogue.
December 16, 2023 06:26 - 1 hour - 106 MBOur series on The Carter Years looks back at the brief but remarkable tenure of President Jimmy Carter. In Part One we cover Carter's rise to the Presidency. Part Two peers into the first half of the White House years to understand the challenges that faced the new administration. In Part Three, trouble brews from within the Democratic ranks, and the global economy plus several bad actors abroad coalesce seemingly overnight to challenge the president. And lastly, the final installment of the...
The Montreal Protocol: When we listened to science.
December 09, 2023 07:55 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBThere was a time when we listened to scientists. Believe it or not, it actually happened in the 1980s. Under Ronald Reagan. (Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a quasi-villain in this story.) When set against the backdrop of Cop28 being run by an oil and gas executive, that time we banned a whole bunch of products and chemicals in the 80s will make you wistful. When scientists discovered a hole in the ozone layer, the world came together to pass the Montreal Protocol and then something even more...
Show Notes [Quickie 15: The 3 Men Who Will Defeat Biden.]
December 08, 2023 21:18 - 1 hour - 81.7 MBIn today’s Show Notes Max and 99 review the schedule for the rest of December and trade some stories on the heels of the (thankfully) lighter Quickie episode. Enjoy! Listen to the corresponding episode. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:03:41 Emails: 00:30:30 Facebook Shout Outs: 01:25:20 YouTube Shout Outs: 01:26:55 Buy Me A Coffee Memberships + Donations: 01:28:27 Outro: 01:28:43 Headlines The Guardian: White House warns it is ‘out of money and nearly out of time’ to aid Uk...
The 3 Men Who Will Defeat Biden: A UNFTR Quickie.
December 02, 2023 05:00 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MBToday’s Quickie predicts the three men who will combine to beat Joe Biden next November. Can you guess any one of them? Chapters Intro: 00:00:12 Subject One: 00:01:12 Subject Two: 00:06:35 Subject Three: 00:11:30 Outro: 00:17:51 Sketch: 00:19:54 Post Show Musings: 00:22:26 Resources The Guardian: ‘Steve Bannon is watching us closely’: Naomi Klein on populists, conspiracists and real-world activism Esquire: In the War Room with Steve Bannon The Conference Board: Economic Forecast ...
Show Notes [Palestine: Part Three + Epilogue, and Phone A Friend: Rashid Khalidi.]
December 01, 2023 17:06 - 1 hour - 68.3 MBThis week's Show Notes has Max and 99 catching up on the last three episodes; they cover more Palestine series feedback from the Unf*ckers, and announced some exciting holiday merch! Resources Holiday Merch Shop Coffee UNFTR Bookshop.org Shop UNFTR Episode Resources Palestine: An Introduction. The Land Imperialism Left Behind. Palestine: Part One. The Jewish Question. Palestine: Part Two. The Palestinian Cause. Palestine: Part Three. Two states, one state, none. Phone A Friend: Ras...
Palestine: Epilogue. “Never Forget.”
November 24, 2023 21:00 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBThe epilogue to the Palestine series is an essay from Max that draws upon personal experience and reveals what he learned from putting together these episodes. The conclusions are far from uplifting. In fact, they’re dire. Resources Marxists.org: Leon Trotsky on Zionism Council on Foreign Relations: What to Know About the Arab Citizens of Israel PBS: Parallel Realities - Resolution 242 And The Aftermath Of 1967 | Shattered Dreams Of Peace Wikipedia: Six-Day War Opinio Juris: The Biden...
Phone A Friend: Rashid Khalidi, author of The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine.
November 22, 2023 16:14 - 53 minutes - 49.3 MBRashid Khalidi is the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University. Professor Khalidi received his BA from Yale in 1970, and Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford in 1974. He's co-editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies and was president of the Middle East Studies Association, and an advisor to the Palestinian delegation to the Madrid and Washington Arab-Israeli Peace negotiations from October, 1991 until June of 1993. He's the author of eight books, including most recen...
Palestine: Part Three. Two states, one state, none.
November 18, 2023 19:09 - 58 minutes - 53.5 MBThe final installment of our series on Israel/Palestine covers the Arab Revolts of the late 1930s through present day, highlighting the agreements, wars, uprisings and accords that explain how the chasm widened between Jews and Palestinians, and why every attempt at reconciling the two sides has failed. It’s a sweeping narrative that involves generational actors, imperial interests of neighboring countries and acts of violence, bravery and betrayal. Chapters Intro: 00:00:23 Chapter One: O...
Show Notes [Palestine: Part Two.]
November 16, 2023 21:19 - 1 hour - 65.7 MBToday's Show Notes features more Palestine Series feedback, some punch ins from Manny Faces, and a smattering of Max and 99 tangents. Enjoy! Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:17:00 Emails: 00:31:02 Instagram Shout Outs: 01:06:50 Buy Me A Coffee Memberships + Donations: 01:08:37 Outro: 01:09:56 Resources Fall Fund-Friend-Hell-Raiser: Leave us a review. It really helps people find the podcast! Subscribe to the YouTube channel and share the videos when they’re released. Consi...
Palestine: Part Two. The Palestinian Cause.
November 11, 2023 17:43 - 44 minutes - 40.8 MBPart Two of our series on Israel/Palestine turns back the clock to examine the time period from Part One but from the Palestinian perspective. By establishing the foundation of the conflict in parallel, it helps organize internal and external events that explain sympathies toward Jews and Palestinians alike. This episode digs into the cultural underpinnings of Arab society in the 19th and early 20th centuries and examines the fault lines that occur as a result of Jewish migration, industrial...
Show Notes [Palestine: Part One.]
November 10, 2023 18:04 - 1 hour - 77.4 MBToday’s Show Notes covers all the feedback Max and 99 received from the Palestine: Part One episode. Give it a listen, Unf*ckers! Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:05:18 Emails: 00:26:13 YouTube Shout Outs: 01:11:53 Reviews: 01:22:16 Buy Me A Coffee Memberships + Donations: 01:22:35 Outro: 01:23:07 UNFTR Episode Resources Palestine: An Introduction. The Land Imperialism Left Behind. Palestine: Part One. The Jewish Question. -- If you like the pod version of #UNFTR, make sur...
Palestine: Part One. The Jewish Question.
November 04, 2023 04:00 - 45 minutes - 41.5 MBEvery story has a beginning. Every conflict has its roots. For some, the Israel/Palestine conflict is rooted in scripture and written in blood. Others claim it boils down to a deadly dispute over real estate. There’s a reason why “peace in the Middle East” feels out of reach and why so many have thrown their hands up. It’s complicated. But it’s not impossible to understand. We begin our journey in earnest by tackling the so-called “Jewish Question” and uncovering the roots and motives of the...
Show Notes [Palestine.]
October 31, 2023 21:29 - 1 hour - 87.9 MBMax and 99 catch up in today's Show Notes, discussing Palestine intro feedback, why Boomers love their generation, and the canon of UNFTR songs. Enjoy! Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:23 Emails: 00:39:37 Facebook Shout Outs: 00:59:53 Instagram Shout Outs: 01:08:54 YouTube Shout Outs: 01:12:08 Buy Me A Coffee Memberships + Donations: 01:32:31 Reviews: 01:33:29 Outro: 01:34:52 Headlines The Intercept: Israel Warns Palestinians on Facebook — But Bombings Decimated Gaza Inter...
Phone A Friend: Manny Faces of Hip-Hop Can Save America!
October 28, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 74.1 MBYou've heard him on the pod. You know the magic of his sound design. But do you really know "Manny Faces?" Long-time, award winning Hip-Hop journalist and activist Manny Faces joins Max in studio to talk about Hip-Hop culture and its underreported influence on education, the criminal justice system and activism. If you listen/watch you’ll also be introduced to the coining of the phrase, “pimping off the Old Testament.” (Patent pending.) Resources Manny Faces Online Hip-Hop Can Save Americ...
Palestine: An Introduction. The Land Imperialism Left Behind.
October 21, 2023 04:01 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBMax finally takes aim at the Israel/Palestine conflict with an introduction that frames the approach for the mini-series and sets guardrails for what will undoubtedly be an emotional journey for many UNFTR listeners. This episode answers why we decided to tackle this issue and how we’re examining it through a socioeconomic lens and Marxist view of history. It also dismisses two foundational deceptions pertaining to the larger narrative surrounding the conflict. This introductory episode conc...
Show Notes [Phone A Friend: Nick Hanauer]
October 20, 2023 07:28 - 37 minutes - 34.6 MBMax flies solo while 99 goes on a long distance mission from god. Left to his own devices, Max dips his pinky toe into the Palestinian conflict to set the table for our upcoming series and responds to listener feedback from the last couple of episodes. Seems like Pitchfork Nick was particularly well received so cheers to the Pitchfork Economics crew for playing in our sandbox. -- If you like the pod version of #UNFTR, make sure to check out the video version on YouTube where Max shows his ...
Phone A Friend: Nick Hanauer of Pitchfork Economics.
October 14, 2023 04:01 - 52 minutes - 48 MBMax interviews Nick Hanauer, co-host of the Pitchfork Economics podcast and founder of Civic Ventures. They discuss Nick’s work at Civic Ventures to promote the $15 minimum wage among other initiatives and have a wide ranging discussion about the power of neoliberal messaging, Bidenomics and the struggle to break through the “pack of lies” we’ve been sold by corporations to maintain the status quo. Resources Corporate Bullsh*t: Exposing the Lies and Half-Truths That Protect Profit, Power, ...
Show Notes [The House that Newt Built.]
October 13, 2023 19:19 - 1 hour - 69.7 MBIn this episode of Show Notes, Max and 99 lightly discuss Israel/Palestine in preparation for a future episode, continue with some Socialism feedback, and 99 makes an admission about shoelaces. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:26:43 Emails: 00:34:22 Facebook Shout Outs: 01:09:54 YouTube Shout Outs: 01:11:38 Buy Me A Coffee Memberships + Donations: 01:13:12 Reviews: 01:15:02 Outro: 01:15:44 Headlines The New York Times: In Search of Kamala Harris Jacobin: Left Politicians Ar...
The House that Newt Built: The Rise of Matt Gaetz.
October 07, 2023 04:01 - 20 minutes - 18.4 MBMax struggles to understand exactly what Matt Gaetz is after, but has his suspicions. Regardless of the right-wing endgame, this week’s fiasco was made possible by Newt Gingrich in the 1990s. Gingrich’s run marked not only the end of civility, but the beginning of a GOP hostile to anything that impedes the complete destruction of the welfare state. We look at how this came to pass and who is the current architect of the GOP meltdown. (Hint: It’s not Matt Gaetz.) Resources The New Yorker: T...
Show Notes [Understanding Socialism: Part Six.]
October 06, 2023 20:14 - 1 hour - 55.8 MBToday's Show Notes is brought to you by: Hip-Hop! Max and 99 get an assist from Manny Faces who responds to an Unf*cker, and DJs while Max and 99 sing. They also discuss capitalism, the working class and Max's new haircut. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:05:22 Emails: 00:10:02 Instagram Shout Outs: 00:46:09 YouTube Shout Outs: 00:49:59 Buy Me A Coffee Memberships + Donations: 00:51:56 Outro: 01:00:32 Headlines World Socialist Web Site: California Governor Newsom picks long-...
Understanding Socialism: Part Six. Epilogue.
October 02, 2023 15:20 - 56 minutes - 52 MBThe final, final (no really) installment in our series on socialism looks narrowly at the period between World War One and the Russian Revolution to identify factors that contributed to the Bolshevik departure from Marxist theory and how nationalism squashed any hope for an internationalist movement. We revisit the words of the theorists and activists we covered in the series from Jeremy Bentham to Eugene Debs and raise difficult questions about the future of socialist activity in the United...
Show Notes [Strike!]
September 29, 2023 17:53 - 1 hour - 84.2 MB99 is back in this episode of Show Notes; her and Max talk Taylor Swift, unions + strikes, and read some opposing view feedback from Unf*ckers. Enjoy! Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Headlines: 00:17:43 Emails: 00:42:42 Buy Me A Coffee Memberships + Donations: 01:28:04 Outro: 01:30:55 Headlines The Intercept: House Republicans Are Hurtling Toward the Most Pointless Shutdown Ever Resources UNFTR Facebook Group House Delegate: Matt Christman: The Founder and Capitalism Weiner UNFTR: Repu...
Strike! Reality checking the labor movement.
September 22, 2023 21:04 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBStrike! Union actions are everywhere. High profile work stoppages from the Screen Actors Guild to the United Auto Workers have put the labor movement front and center in ways we haven’t seen for decades. How powerful is the impact of these actions? You’re not going to like my take on it. But we need to have some authentic dialogue about the labor movement, the corporate class and new strategies required to stem the tide of increasing inequality. Chapters Intro: 00:01:15 Post Show Musings:...