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.

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• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

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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
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• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

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We missed the rapture! This week we're diving deep into the political machine playbook - because understanding the past is the only way to make sense of the insanity we're witnessing today.

Why are Republicans frantically trying to turn a dead podcaster into the next Confederate monument? And what does it mean when your political strategy depends on keeping your base at a "full boil" 24/7?

Plus, we examine how history is rewritten in real time, why the "people of influence" keep enabling strongmen, and what happens when a political movement runs out of deliverable promises.

Why does Trump's administration feel so familiar yet so different from classic American political corruption? What can the iron grip of Chicago's Mayor Daley teach us about how power really works? And how did we get from neighborhood patronage politics to fascist spectacles complete with rolling crosses and martyr-making? Because if we don't remember this stuff, who will?

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

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• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

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A wide-ranging conversation with the incomparable Charlie Pierce of Esquire Magazine. What should the Democratic base be doing now? What should Democrats in Congress be doing now? And what for which NFL team should Blue Gal and her daughter go all in? (Driftglass has an opinion, and it starts with Da and ends with Bears.)

More at proleftpod.com.

Charlie Pierce image is a screenshot from, YES, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Forever, Jimmy!

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We look at how the crazy stuff happening in national politics is playing out right here in our hometown of Springfield, Illinois, by checking out what local radio, TV, and newspapers are saying about recent events. Why do big-name media people like Chuck Todd come to small-town radio shows to push their "both sides are equally bad" message, and how does this lazy reporting help cover up dangerous political talk? What happens when local MAGA politicians turn tragedy into a political show, and why do news outlets keep giving them airtime? We break down how the same media problems that are messing up national news are happening in Middle America too, and why paying attention to local politics helps us understand the bigger mess in American government.

Audio clip in this episode is from Burke’s Law (ABC-TV, 1960's) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWffko5T_xo

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• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

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How did the late Charlie Kirk build his multi-million dollar empire, and what role did billionaire oligarchs play in funding his operation? And why was it so worth it to them to dump millions on this right-wing demagogue?

What critical facts does Ezra Klein conveniently leave out when praising Kirk's "moxie and fearlessness"?

There's a huge difference between democratic discourse/debate and Kirk's actual legacy. And today, at least, too many pundits appear to have Stockholm Syndrome, terrified to tell the truth about white nationalism, right-wing lies, and how projects based on the same get lavishly funded.

The difference between persuasion and demagoguing, and why mainstream pundits can't tell them apart… Also, being a racist ahole because hey, the money is great, on today’s Professional Left Podcast…

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Alt Title: What 'Road House' Can Teach Democrats

What is the hidden wisdom in Patrick Swayze's movie Road House (MST3K IYKYK) that Democrats desperately need to understand?

Answers to this and more, in this week's episode!

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