Choosing Democracy with Direct Action Organizer Eileen Flanagan

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In our latest episode, we have a lively discussion with Eileen Flanagan (@eileenflanagan) of Choose Democracy about mass organizing efforts to defend democracy from Trump.

Listen here: https://bit.ly/DemocracyGandR

We discuss their efforts to recruit and prepare thousands to hit the streets, taking advantage of “cracks” in ruling class institutions, like Wall Street and the military, and turning anxiety about Trump remaining in power into action.  We also discussed longer term organizing efforts around climate justice and challenging white supremacy.

Andrew Bacevich on the Military and Trump, the current crisis, and what to expect from Biden’s foreign policy

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In  this episode, Bob interviews Professor Andrew Bacevich (@AndrewBacevich) about the extraordinary involvement in electoral  politics by Trump and the military, the military public repudiation of  the president, racial and hate group problems in the armed forces,  civil-military relations, the appoint of General Lloyd Austin as Defense  Secretary, what to expect from Biden’s foreign policy team–essentially  putting the Obama band back together–the nuclear deal with Iran, the  insane attacks on Cuba, and a new Cold War between the U.S. and China.

Listen in: https://bit.ly/MilitaryTrumpGandR

Andrew Bacevich is an emeritus  professor at Boston University and President of the Quincy Institute for  Responsible Statecraft.  He’s also the author of several books on U.S.  foreign policy and one of the foremost critics of America’s war and  interventionism for decades now.  He is also a retired colonel in the  U.S. Army, armored cavalry.  And he’s a frequent columnist in The  Nation, as well as many other publications.

Capitol Hill Riots and The Ruling Class

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And we thought 2020 was bumpy. In this fresh episode, we talk about the shocks happening in the liberal democratic capitalist system–How the ruling class is destabilized by Trump and the far right actions at Capitol Hill this week, and how they are responding to maintain order and their own power as quickly as possible.  It’s an analysis you won’t find in many other place, if anywhere.

Listen: https://bit.ly/RiotsRulingClassGandR

This Is Not a Coup

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cross-posted from Afflict the Comfortable

The Treachery of (Words and) Images

Wednesday’s events were horrible, dangerous, infuriating, and predictable.  People with weapons easily breached the Capitol, gallows were hung (perhaps performative, perhaps not), and people were attacked and some died.  The country was stunned, and both establishment and social media have been deeming this Trump’s “coup” or an “insurrection” from the first.  It’s hard to talk about this. Trump is horrid, detestable, and dangerous, and any time you try to reel the rhetoric back, you can be accused of being an apologist for a cruel, racist, inhuman bigot who happens to be president—which all makes sense. But doing awful things doesn’t mean we have fascism, and vandals and thugs breaking into a sacred public building doesn’t mean we’ve had a coup. There’s no saving grace to any of this, but it needs to be viewed clearheaded and coldblooded.

As Trump’s Attempts to Undo Election Fail, Fears of “Coup” Prove Unfounded

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MEDIA ADVISORY

As Trump’s Attempts to Undo Election Fail, Fears of “Coup” Prove Unfounded

(Erin Schaff/The New York Times)

“Georgia and Michigan Deliver Blows to Trump’s Efforts to Undo the Election”

“Business and World Leaders Move On As Trump Fights to Reverse Election”

–New York Times online headline, 20 November 2020

******

Donald Trump’s plans to overturn the 2020 election results hit a huge barrier today as legislators in Georgia and Michigan affirmed that they would designate Joe Biden’s electors as the official representatives to the Electoral College.

On Green and Red Podcast and elsewhere, Scott Parkin and Bob Buzzanco have been discussing this issue frequently over the past two months and, contrary to most media analyses, have made it clear that Trump was not going to stage a “coup” or otherwise remain in office.

Ruling Class 101 and the Coup That Wasn’t

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We’re not ones to subscribe to popular world views, even those held on  the left. So, in our latest episode, Green and Red dive deep into the  history and politics of the American Ruling Class, coups at other points  in history,  and the great coup of 2020 (that wasn’t).

Listen here: https://bit.ly/RulingClassGandR

We start off with a conversation about what is a coup and not a coup. We  talk about coups in places like Indonesia in 1965, Chile in 1973, and  in other points of history; and how the end of the Trump regime has yet to constitute what is considered “coup.”    

Is Your Outrage Pure?

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cross-posted from Afflict the Comfortable

by Prof. Bob Buzzanco

Planned Election Protests Shouldn’t Have Been Postponed

First, there’s not going to be a “coup” or any other type of stolen election.  The hysterics surrounding this issue have frankly become embarrassing on the Left.  No reason to go into the particulars here (though I did in a lengthy piece a few weeks ago), but it’s not going to happen.  Trump won’t be president after January 20th, 2021.

But coup-or-no-coup is a pretty weak line on gauging political success. The standard for Pass/Fail shouldn’t be the worst possible outcome—the actual theft of government power.  The way some people are sizing this up, anything short of tanks rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue flying Confederate flags with the Proud Boys and Q him- or her-self leading the attack with Kid Rock providing the marching music would be a victory.

The Big Five-Oh Pt 2. “Where Does the Left Go From Here?”

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Our fiftieth episode was such a BFD, that we made it a two parter.

Listen here: https://apple.co/3krciyK

In part two, we get into the aftermath of the election and discuss where do we go from here when 70 million Americans voted for the racist and right-wing policies of Donald Trump, the Democrats’ “Misleadership Class” that continues to fail masses of people, the Coup That Wasn’t and how grassroots organizers saved the day.