This week, we're unpacking a tale of two shutdowns—and spoiler alert: they're both Trump's.

First, the government shutdown: Why are Republicans celebrating a government shutdown while simultaneously blaming Democrats for it? How can they claim it's the "Schumer Shutdown" when they control all three branches of government? And why can't they keep their messaging straight—celebrating the shutdown on Newsmax while condemning it in Congress?

We'll reveal what 71% (you read that right, seventy-one percent!) of Americans actually think about ACA subsidies (hint: they want them extended). And just over half want the Democrats to shut down the government to get those subsidies for them.

And then, the shutdown of norms and decency: From Newt Gingrich's revisionist history in the New York Times to Bari Weiss taking over CBS News, from "Kavanaugh stops" to flashbang grenades in residential hallways—we're connecting the dots on the authoritarian playbook in action. The jackboots aren't coming. They're already here.

All that and more in this edition of The Professional Left Podcast.

More at proleftpod.com.

Not safe for work. Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.

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This week, we're delving deep into a question that's been making the rounds on those very large political never-Trump websites: Why don't Democrats have their own Charlie Kirk network?

What's the real secret behind the conservative propaganda machine's success? Spoiler alert: it's not "moxie," fearlessness, or bootstraps. Surprise! It's billions in oligarch money—what many observers have coined 'the Patient Capital of Fascism,'—that built Kirk's empire and transformed American politics.

How did a "rinky-dink Twitter hashtag" become a multimillion-dollar media operation? Why can Republicans lie with impunity while facing zero accountability? And what happens when unlimited money meets unlimited power in the hands of fascists, grifters, and lunatics?

We'll explore the real-world consequences hitting farmers, construction workers, and disaster-torn communities. Why is FEMA paralyzed? How is Trump extorting Big Tech for millions? And what's behind the tasteless silver medallion grift that started before Kirk's body was even cold?

Join us as we connect the money, the propaganda, and the immunity Republicans have purchased over decades of patient investment.

More at proleftpod.com.

Not safe for work. Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.

Stay in Touch!

• Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com
• Website: proleftpod.com
• Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod
• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

Support the show

What does it mean when the government exists primarily to entertain the MAGA base rather than serve the people? We examine how Conservative media have adopted a "Tell, Don't Show" approach to cover Trump's increasingly erratic performances, particularly his rambling United Nations speech that foreign diplomats called "stark, raving mad." Everything is a show in Trump World, and the Trump administration has weaponized their activities and policies for Fox News content rather than actual (successful) governing. For instance, prosecutors are being pressured to bring cases they know will fail, but which satisfy MAGA and Trump's show trial bloodlust. Trump as primarily a Fox News producer leads directly to the corruption of democratic institutions.

More at proleftpod.com.

Not safe for work. Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.

Stay in Touch!

• Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com
• Website: proleftpod.com
• Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod
• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

Support the show