Episode 2: Bhaskar Sunkara

Was it an insurrection? Should the left cheer on impeachment?

Holy hell what a week. As we taped this episode, workers continued to clean up the wreckage of the riotous mob that stormed the Capitol building, Democrats drafted new articles of impeachment against the President for incitement, and Republicans hunkered down to decide where to go from here. This came on the heels of twin political upsets in Georgia which handed Democrats control of the Senate. And oh by the way covid deaths have reached new record highs.

Each of these events will have massive implications rippling for years and perhaps decades to come. The Georgia results put some new possibilities on the table both in terms of legislative action and potential left power. They also proved quite clearly the power of an economic populist message since Dems leaned hard into the promise of $2K checks.

Bhaskar Sunkara @sunraysunray

Now that this Ossoff guy is in office, there’s really no need for Beto to exist in US politics, right?

The continued spike in covid infections and deaths coupled with a halting vaccine rollout will only exacerbate the economic, health and inequality crises that have been crippling our nation for years.

But what this week will ultimately be remembered for is surely the army of Trump supporters who invaded the Capitol, at the suggestion of the President sending Senators and Members of Congress and the Vice President fleeing for their lives. 5 were left dead and many more injured. What are the origins of this rage? How should the left understand it and respond to it? Is it a working class rebellion, a racist insurrection or something else entirely?

Bhaskar Sunkara is the Founding Editor and Publisher of Jacobin Magazine and author of The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality. He’s been an integral part of building the modern American left and a profound influence on both of us. He offered insights into the coming era of left politics and some provocative reflections on how to think about this week and what to do next. Enjoy. We love you guys.