Gadfly

Hey, y'all! We are back from our holiday hiatus and due to the world just being a ball of chaos, we are focusing on something a bit more whimsical. In the late '90s, the town of Talkeetna, Alaska named a cat by the name of Stubbs as their mayor. Join us as we not only cover the life of Stubbs, but also look into the history of a town that didn't blink twice at naming a feline mayor.Note: Apologies for the echo on Dusty's audio. His mic was set to the wrong room recording setting.Support the show

Hey, y'all. Due to recent events in American politics, there has been an increased interest in finding residency and/or citizenship in other countries. Because of that, we did a whole episode that goes over the dozen or so ways Americans can attain long-term residency or outright citizenship in other nations. Also, I know we said this plenty in the episode, but neither of us are experts in the subject of immigration. If you plan on taking further steps, please consult an attorney or organization that is well versed in immigration to the country of your choice.Support the show

Hey, y'all! Despite the first Rage Against the War Machine rally having a less than stellar attendance, Angela McArdle and Nick Brana decided to run it back this year and now we have to talk about it. Join us as we discuss open mic decorum, the dumbest plan Lyndon LaRouche ever conceived, and the bizarre choice of having a self-proclaimed Secretary of Retribution close out an anti-war rally.Support the show

Hey, y'all! With the election around the corner it's time we close out our preview of the major third party candidates with the one and only Jill Stein. Many Americans have an extremely limited knowledge of Dr. Stein that seems to just start on November of 2016. So, join us as we go on a deep dive, debunk some myths, and discover some brand new frustrations.Support the show

Hey, y'all! Today we begin to end the third party convention season with part one about the Green Party. There is quite a bit to talk about, so join us as we dive into all the candidates that ran against the automatic favorite and eventual winner, Dr. Jill Stein.Support the show

Hey, y'all! This week we continue our dive into the major third party conventions, but this time around we needed some help. Joining us to make sense of the drama-filled Libertarian National Convention is journalist extraordinaire Jordan Willow Evans.Support the show

Hey, y'all! We are back to continue the tale of anti-abortion activist Randall Terry. Join us as we talk about Randy's rise to national notoriety, his fall into financial reckoning, and the ultimate divorced dad energy of his 2003 album Dark Sunglasses Day.Support the Show.

Hey, y'all! The Constitution Party selected Randall Terry to be their nominee for president this year, so we're stepping up to tell the packed history of the man who was the face of the anti-abortion movement in the late '80s.Support the Show.

Hey, y'all! After a long hiatus we are back and it only felt appropriate to check in on some folks who are running for president. So join us as we group therapy our way through an attempted assassination, a party's attempts to replace and/or keep their candidate, & the dumpster fire that is Cornel West's current campaign.

Hey, y'all! We are back on the 2024 election beat and this week we are talking about the presidential nominees for the Socialist Workers Party. Join us as we dive into the drama-filled, nonsensical, and outright infuriating history of the SWP & the people most appropriately suited to represent them in 2024.

Hey, y'all! This week we are doing something a little different. Oona is taking the lead to teach Dusty all about the musical extravaganza that is Eurovision. Stay tuned for random sports analogies that may or may not work, comparisons to the American electoral college, and the crushing realization that Benjamin Netanyahu absolutely played everyone in charge. It's a real douze point of an episode.

Hey, y'all! We are finally at the end of our Debs-a-thon and oooh lordy does it kind of sad. Join us as Eugene makes one last valiant attempt to bring Socialism to America only to be met with the most insurmountable odds possible.

Hey, y'all! Things sure haven't been easy for Gene Debs, huh? In this episode he is, yet again, forced to run for president, deal with theological splits in his own party, and become a repository for every old timey disease that doesn't kill people immediately. Lookin' at you, lumbago.

Hey, y'all! For part four of the Eugene Debs saga, Gene keeps doing the thing he is best at and the thing he desperately never wants to do again: starting a brand new union and running for president. Also, he gets to experience the joy of trying to keep a group of socialists from splitting into their own party. In this episode, Gene is not having a great time.

Hey, y'all! We are off onto part 3 of the Eugene Debs adventure. He's tried unionizing. He's tried having faith in the federal government. But what he hasn't done is create his own political party and get guilt tripped into running for president.

Hey, y'all! We return to the tale of Eugene Debs, his fight to unite all the rail jobs under one union, and his battle against George Pullman.

Hey, yall! After months of teasing, it's finally here. We are kicking off our long series on the most famous of American socialists, Eugene V. Debs. In part one we cover Gene's childhood, his Millennial-esque adolescence, and his all encompassing love for his mother. Oh, and also we talk about him leading a union and his first tenure in an elected position.

Hey, y'all! We kick off our newest season by diving deep into the philosophy and politics of living forever. Which also means we get to talk about Atlas Shrugged more than we would have liked.

The Democratic primaries and upon us, but what options are there for people not super excited to vote for Joe Biden, Marianne Williamson, or Dean Phillips? Well, lucky for you, there are four other candidates on quite a few state ballots that might just pique your interest. Join us as we look at the campaigns of Gabriel Cornejo, Stephen Lyons, Frankie Lozada, and Mando Perez-Serrato.

Hey, y'all! We are closing out the year with the most conspiracy laden episode to date, which is...saying something. When we last left Shiva he had lost his race for the Senate & ascended to peak Divorced Guy by suing any news outlet that didn't agree he solely invented email. Of course, this led him to a brand new world on the cutting edge of conspiracy theory stardom.

Hey, y'all! We are closing out the near year with a dude we've wanted to talk about since episode one and has recently road a wave of social media semi-fame into sort of relevance. We are talking about the one and only Shiva Ayyadurai.

Hey, y'all! This week we discuss the national convention held by the Socialist Party USA. Mostly we talk quite a bit about the platform, a little about ASMR soybean harvesting, and a medium amount about the radness of VP nominee Stephanie Cholensky.

Hey, y'all! This week is a somewhat part two of last week's episode where we cover a teenager that also sort of ran for Governor of Kansas in 2018. Aaron Coleman was one of the youngest state representatives in American history and to talk about him the episode needs a blanket trigger warning.

Hey, y'all! This week we return to Kansas to talk about a myriad of stories. We talk about Kansas election law, memes, but ultimately, this is the story of all the teens that entered to mostly run for Governor.

Hey, y'all! This week we are diving back into the 2024 Presidential election. The Party of Socialism & Liberation (PSL) announced their presidential ticket via a very well produced video that took leftist Twitter by storm. But who are Claudia De La Cruz & Karina Garcia? What does the PSL stand for? What secrets does the party hold?Partial answer to the last question: this episode does require a trigger warning for sexual violence and talk of suicidal ideation.

Hey, y'all! America is one of around a dozen countries to go all-in on the two-party system. But why? To figure this out, we are going international and looking at a few other nations that have found varying definitions of "success" rolling with only a pair of major parties. 

Hey, y'all! It has been a rough month of topics so, this week, we are taking a turn for the adorable. We are going all the way back to 2012 to discuss the Senatorial run of Hank O'Leary-Roberts or, as he is more commonly known, Hank the Cat.

Hey, y'all! After the dismal attendance at the Rage Against the War Machine rally, the folks in charge went and did a sequel in Manhattan. Humanity for Peace was an anti-war rally held on the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. It was also an excuse for every (alleged) political cult to get together.. So, of course, we're going to talk about it.

Hey, y'all! We are back with part two on the 2023 American Solidarity Party National Convention. In this episode, we cover the five people who stepped forward to compete for the presidential nomination.

Hey, y'all! After a long hiatus, we are back. This week is the first episode of our two-parter on the American Solidarity Party's 2023 National Convention. In this episode, we cover Christian Democracy in general, the history of the ASP, and their official platform going into the election year.

Hey, y'all! We return this week to part two of the Council Wars. In this episode, we talk about the first mayoral race of Harold Washington and the many mini-wars that followed.

Hey, y'all! Come join us around the campfire as we tell a true Chicago tale. In the '80s, the city would be gripped by the Council Wars. A time of dense corruption, third party growth, and overwhelming racism. But first, we have to talk about one of the two main characters in this story: civil rights activist, State Representative, and lover of fuckin' Harold Washington.

Hey, y'all! This week we celebrate the start of the 2024 presidential election season by covering the Prohibition Party's convention in Buffalo, New York. 

Hey, y'all! This week we turn from political campaigns & fun history to the big trend of this last April: anti-woke grifts. Join us as we discuss Conservative Dad's Ultra Right Beer, Bona Dea Cosmetics, and Mammoth Nation.NOTE: This episode contains an addendum due to Ultra Right Beer updating where they were brewing about an hour after we finished recording. So stay tuned after the credits for that update.

Hey, y'all! This week we are covering the self-proclaimed Commander in Chief of the Muskogee & Seminole, attempted founder of an entirely new nation, and all around teenage dirt-bag William Augustus Bowles.

Hey, y'all! This week we are covering a man that the New Yorker dubbed, "the original George Santos," Congressman Douglas Stringfellow.

Hey, y'all! We are back this week to talk about a man who created a whole alter ego just to take on President George W. Bush, novelty t-shirt sovereign William Tsangares.

Hey, y'all! This week we have another installment of Gadfly Movie Night. Political nerd Gabby Vice and screenwriter Jake Disch join us to talk about a movie that never figures out what it is and how much Laurence Fox & Hunter Biden really have in common.

Hey, y'all! The Rage Against the War Machine happened and now we got to talk about it. Lots of nonsense went down, but we've distilled it down into a few speeches, audio clips, and critique of '90s stand-up comedy.

Hey, y'all! This Sunday, the Mises Caucus led Libertarian Party and the Movement for a People's Party are coming together to throw an old fashioned anti-war rally...or are they? Join us as we talk about the speakers, the allied organizations, and the cornucopia of conspiracy theories supported by those involved. 

Hey, y'all! We are finally back to kick off our new season with a trailblazer in politics, theatre, Zionism, and racism, Mordecai Manuel Noah.

Hey, y'all! This week we are joined by podcast editor Brianna Valentine to round out the year and discuss stories of third party success and near misses.

Hey, y'all! This week we cover potential the most meme-famous politician of 2010: Jimmy McMillan of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party. 

Hey, y'all! Over the summer of 2022, the Florida chapter of Movement for a People's Party attempted to run the party's first ever political candidate. However, they were denied by the Florida Division of Elections. This kicked off a few months of legal nonsense and you bet we're here for it.Since neither Dusty or Oona have passed the bar, we are joined by attorney Christine Beam.

Hey, y'all! It's time for another Gadfly Movie Night.  This week we dive into the Libertarian science fiction, action, spy thriller Alongside Night. And sure, political nominees Ron Paul, Dennis Hof, and Adam Kokesh make brief cameo appearances, but the real star is the niche philosophy of Agorism.Joining the cast this week to make sense of all this are comic artist & essayist Carmilla Morrell and Artistic Director of The Plagiarists, Christina Casano. 

Hey, y'all! At long last we reach the end of Huey Long's quest for ultimate power. Will it end in Huey becoming president or a second option he would be less likely to take? Or a horrible third option? Tune in and find out!

Hey, y'all! This week we have part 5 of the Huey Long saga. In this episode. Huey runs for Senate and then makes the majority of the Senate wish he didn't win.

Hey, y'all! We are back with part four of the Huey Long Story: More Huey More Problems. In this episode we cover the only major thing that happened in Huey in 1929: his impeachment.

Hey, y'all! We are back this week for our third installment on the Louisiana King of Progressive Populism, Huey Long. This time we talk about Huey speed-running being Governor.

Hey, y'all! Welcome to part two of the Huey Long journey. In this episode we cover Huey's two attempts to run for Governor and the lessons he learned along the way. Also there's an elevator fight with an old man.

Hey, y'all! This week we are diving into one those deep dives that just keep going and going. In the early 20th century, Louisiana politics became the playground of the most powerful progressive populist America had even seen: an enigmatic attorney named Huey Long. For part one, we are talking about Huey's childhood, his skill at dropping out of all forms of education, his start in law, and his first political race for State Railroad Commission.