Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Expertly-curated progressive politics, news, and culture produced by leftist humans, not algorithms or AI. This is an award-winning podcast that dives deeply into a wide range of national and international issues facing society and governments. We draw from hundreds of sources of progressive news and commentary. Est. 2006.
Save time by listening to a range of perspectives on a focused topic in each episode and be introduced to new sources you will not have come across on your own!
- Update frequency
- every 2 days
- Average duration
- 75 minutes
- Episodes
- 579
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
#1417 Afghanistan, The 20-year War
Air Date 5/18/2021
Today we take a look at the potential of the end of American involvement in the war in Afghanistan as well as some of our recent actions related to Yemen and Syria as well as our r…
#1358 How A System Of Power Defends Itself, A Case Study (Repost)
Air Date 7/20/2020
Systems maintain themselves through the efforts of many moving parts that need not understand their roles in maintaining the system as a whole, only their specialized task. Today, …
Sample Bonus Edition: Just don't make me think, I have to get to work.
Air Date: 5-11-21
Today, I am joined by Amanda, Erin and Deon to discuss: #NotAllEngineers Hoping to remake the culture with the power of government is optimistic Corporate virtue signaling while up…
#1416 The Disneyfication of Our Past, Present and Future
Air Date 5/8/2021
Today we take a look at the culture that Disney has helped create and how they did it, using cuteness as a weapon to push ideas from racist stereotypes and segregation to the master…
#1415 Accountability Not Justice, Continuing the Fight After the Chauvin Trial
Air Date 5/5/2021
Today we take a look briefly at the trial of Derek Chauvin itself before moving on to various responses, a wide-angle lens on some of the forces at play in policing and the work sti…
#1362 Politics is Pointillism, Stand Back to See It Clearly (Voter Suppression) (Repost)
Air Date 8/22/2020
Today we take a look at the long history and motivations for voter suppression, explain why it tends to help one party over the other and why vote-by-mail is the best solution to t…
#1414 Go Home and Go Big (Infrastructure Investment, Jobs and Climate Mitigation)
Air Date 4/24/2021
Today we take a look at the major infrastructure investment plan proposed by the Biden administration, progressive perspectives arguing to make it better and the need to democratiz…
#1413 Reflection on Insurrection (Police, White Supremacy and their Champions)
Air Date 4/21/2021
Today we take a look at the insurrection and police violence through the lens of White Supremacy and the rise of the likes of Tucker Carlson who has become the leading spokesman fo…
#1412 Trans People as Disposable Chess Pieces in a Despicable Political Game
Air Date 4/17/2021
Today we take a look at the surge of anti-trans legislation coming from Republican-controlled state legislatures. Being concerned that suppressing voter turnout by targeting Black …
ACTIVISM: Tell the Senate to Pass the #EqualityAct to Protect LGBTQ+ Rights, and More
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PasstheEqualityAct.com: *Lobby Day April 21st & #EqualityTime Phone Banking*
Learn about end-the-filibuster pressure campaigns in BOTL Episode #1411
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#1411 Our Democracy is Filibusted, Time to Kill the Filibuster
Air Date 4/14/2021
Today we take a look at the one element of our government that, above all others, has contributed to the absolute disfunction of our democracy. The filibuster was never intended by…
#1410 Anti-Monopoly Activism for a New Era
Air Date 4/10/2021
Today we take a look at the need for a modern assessment of the corporate monopolies who dominate our online and offline experiences, including seeing the negative consequences of …
Sample Bonus Edition: Vertical Shenanigans
#1353 Uprising, George Floyd was the spark that ignited the world (Repost)
Air Date 6/17/2020
Today we take a look at the uprising sparked by the killing of George Floyd in the context of a world in which that event was just the last straw in an innumerable series of straws…
#1409 The Change We Want and Deserve (Gun Violence)
Air Date 4/03/2021
Today we take a look at the need for reform to our gun laws through the lens of the recent mass shootings. Support for various reform measures reaches as high as 90% approval in th…
#1408 Anti-Asian Hate and White Ignorance
Air Date 3/31/2021
Today we take a look at the history of anti-Asian hate in America dating back to the very first racially discriminatory immigration law, the ramifications of our imperial exploits …
#1407 Reclaiming the Streets (Defunding the Police and the Sarah Everard Outcry)
Air Date 3/28/2021
Today we take a look at the progress being made on the effort to reform and defund the police in America as well as the reignited campaign to make society safe for women in the wak…
Sample Bonus Edition: Surviving the future while paying to ache for the past
Air Date: 3-26-21
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Today, I am joined by Amanda, Erin and Deon to discuss: - Traumatizing Nick from CA's child - The unfounded universal expertise of en…
#1406 RIP Austerity, the American Rescue Plan and the End of Reaganism
Air Date 3/23/2021
Today we take a look at the American Rescue Plan and discuss what it does, where it falls short and whether it could signal the end of an era.
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#1405 Biden Takes the Helm of Our Inhumane Immigration System
Air Date 3/19/2021
Today we take a look at the decades-old problems with our immigration system, what changes are being made under the new administration, and some of the underlying causes for the ma…