Episode 51 Audio: Freddie DeBoer

This episode finds us sitting down with political writer Freddie DeBoer to discuss his work and ideas, particularly a debate around the popularity of the Left’s platform. In a recent piece for the New York Times, Freddie argues that major leftist electoral losses (think the two defeats of the Sanders campaign) can’t be written off as election-rigging; they must be explained by the fact that socialists don’t command the support of the voting base as well as their opponents. From the article’s title — “Democratic Socialists Need to Take a Hard Look in the Mirror” — it’s clear that, for Freddie, these electoral losses demand that the Left re-evaluate the popularity of its policies.

We bring in another perspective, arguing that among other issues, the left has been hobbled by the inaccessible and insular rhetoric that has been adopted in its struggle for some key policies. Freddie brings an interesting and well-argued perspective, and we think you’ll enjoy the debate. Thanks for joining us — and if you want to listen to this episode as a podcast, you can find it on Pandora, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.