What's Left?

Oliver talks to former Florida Congressman Ric Keller about his 8-year stint as the representative for Florida's 8th district as well as his new book Chase the Bears: Little to Achieve Big Dreams (Simon & Schuster, 2022). Oliver and Ric discuss the challenges of serving in a "swing" district, the impact of primary elections on polarization, the fundraising costs associated with serving on congressional committees, the importance of civility in public discourse, and the difficulties associated with achieving wholesale reform in a large, complicated political system. Along with that, they discuss topics covered in Ric's new book, such as the value of networking and the necessity of maximizing one's talents and opportunities to achieve personal success. Suggested Links Ric Keller on the power of self-deprecating humor, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiX85UzI86Y&ab_channel=TEDxTalks Ric Keller on the importance of networking, https://soundcloud.com/user-759550640/ric-keller-former-congressman-on-networking-the-right-way-for-success Keller's "hamburger bill," https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/hr554

Marketing professor (and Oliver's high school classmate) Lura Forcum returns to the show to discuss some of the challenges facing academia. Become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Oliver talks to retired United States Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM, served 1983-2013) about how the legislative process evolved during his 30 years in Washington, D.C. They discuss the debt ceiling, successful instances of past bipartisan cooperation, the war in Iraq, industrial policy, energy policy, and much more. Senator Bingaman's new book Breakdown: Lessons for a Congress in Crisis offers an insightful, first-hand analysis of the causes and consequences of the dysfunction in Congress. Some of the sections, like the one concerning Bingaman's critical role in the passage of the Affordable Care Act, are extremely detailed and should prove useful to political scientists, historians, and others looking for primary sources related to these topics. One topic not discussed during this interview was Bingaman's exceptional 1982 campaign. While running against incumbent Harrison Schmitt, who was and still is the most recent person to have walked on the moon, Bingaman utilized the campaign slogan "What on Earth has he done for you lately?" in the course of drawing attention to Schmitt's seeming neglect of local matters. Patreon: patreon.com/whatsleft

Oliver talks to long-time friend and veteran Brain Candy Podcast host Susie Meister about life twenty years after her MTV debut on Road Rules in 1998. How has the nature of fame changed? Would she have approached fame differently had social media platforms such as IG, TikTok, and the like existed? And most importantly, why do people keep telling Oliver to read his own articles and listen to this podcast? Become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft Suggested reading/viewing: Meister, "What I Learned From Fight Club-Style Brawling on 'The Challenge,'" https://observer.com/2018/07/fight-club-prize-fighting-mtv-the-challenge/ "My Reality Is Our Tragedy," https://www.salon.com/2017/11/28/tv-star-susie-meister-my-reality-is-our-tragedy/ "I Almost Became a Conservative Pundit," https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/4/17/17247314/conservative-pundit-reality-tv-tomi-lahren-ann-coulter "Susie vs. Kimberly on The Challenge: Ruins," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fbks9XcBHc&ab_channel=BasicallyBasic "Road Rules: Piggy's Accident," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSh_Qu3BErE&ab_channel=FireMadeFleshII

In this episode, Oliver Bateman talked to marketing guru Nathan Allebach about how brands got horny - and how strangely unsexy this is. Suggested Reading Allebach, "When Brands Got Horny," https://www.vulture.com/article/when-brands-got-horny.html Nathan's Prior Appearances on What's Left? "The Work of Marketing," https://www.patreon.com/posts/work-of-60978923 (w/ Lura Forcum) "Steak-Umm Bless," https://www.patreon.com/posts/steak-umm-bless-43073199

Oliver talks to Will Hild of Consumers' Research about the many problems with the way BlackRock oversees its $10 trillion worth of assets under management. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft Suggested reading "About BlackRock," https://aboutblackrock.com/ (Consumers' Research site) "Texas orders state pension funds to divest from BlackRock holdings," https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/25/texas-says-10-companies-including-blackrock-boycotting-energy-.html "States push back against BlackRock," https://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2022/08/11/wise_states_begin_to_push_back_against_blackrock_larry_fink_847345.html "What to know about BlackRock," https://www.businessinsider.com/what-to-know-about-blackrock-larry-fink-biden-cabinet-facts-2020-12

Aimee returns with a discussion of abortion jurisprudence. patreon.com/whatsleft

Aimee talks to former University of Sussex philosophy professor Kathleen Stock about sex, gender, and much more. Become a patron: patreon.com/whatsleft All About Kathleen Stock Twitter: @Docstockk Column: https://unherd.com/author/kathleen-stock/ Book: https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/kathleen-stock/material-girls/9780349726595/ Substack: http://kathleenstock.substack.com

In another signature What's Left? "Girls Chat," Aimee talks to writer Louise Perry (author of The Case Against the Sexual Revolution; review here) about feminism, the sexual revolution, and much more. To listen to the full 2-hour episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Oliver talks to Iris Smyles about her new book Droll Tales, the work of writing, the consistency of the Red Lobster, the artistic compromises made by Sylvester Stallone, and the emptiness of phrases like "I hate writing, but I love having written." They also discuss identity and representation in literature, "cancelling" great writers for one reason or another, and other topics. Suggested reading: -- Smyles, "Embracing My Weird," https://www.vogue.com/article/iris-smyles-personal-style-green-shoes-miss-peregrines -- "Fortune Cookies," https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/fortune-cookies -- "Ship of Wonks," https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/ship-of-wonks/361610/ -- "Adventures in Self-Promotion," https://www.splicetoday.com/writing/adventures-in-self-promotion -- review of Droll Tales, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/24/books/review/droll-tales-iris-smyles-a-blind-corner-caitlin-macy-sleeping-alone-ru-freeman-fruiting-bodies-kathryn-harlan.html -- Bateman, "The 'Rocky IV' Director's Cut is Sylvester Stallone's 'Citizen Kane,'" https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/rocky-iv-directors-cut

Oliver Traldi joined Oliver to discuss the "smell test" or "work sense," arguments based on reasons, good and bad books, the marketplace of ideas, and much more. To listen to the full two-hour episode, become a patreon at patron.com/whatsleft

Journalist Ben Sixsmith joins Oliver to discuss the refugee situation in Poland, right-wing comedy, the emptiness of John Cena, and more. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Oliver and Katherine Dee talk about incels, truecels, volcels, sex, dating, and much more in this wide-ranging episode. To listen to the full 2-hour episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Former Wall Street Journal reporter/Jezebel writer/&c. Moe Tkacik joins Oliver to discuss the cultural legacy of Abercrombie & Fitch. Topics include the recent Netflix documentary (in which Moe appears/Oliver declined to appear), Gen-X culture, the rise of the mall, billionaire sex cults, Dinosaur Jr., Reality Bites, the rise of the "corny," Abercrombie's approach to the presentation of the male body, and more. To listen to the full 2-hour episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Aimee and Oliver talked to writer T.A. Frank about his recent reporting on the post-CHOP/CHAZ state of policing in Seattle, his reporting on the early days of COVID, and his early-career work in China. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

In this wide-ranging discussion, Oliver talks to philosophy and history professor Justin E.H. Smith about his new book The Internet is Not What You Think It Is. Suggested Reading Smith, "It's All Over," https://thepointmag.com/examined-life/its-all-over/ "It's All Just Beginning," https://thepointmag.com/examined-life/its-all-just-beginning/ "The Internet Is Not as New as You Think," https://www.wired.com/story/the-internet-is-not-as-new-as-you-think/ "Working Arrangement," https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/family/working-arrangement "Meritocracy and the Future of Work," https://www.newstatesman.com/ideas/2021/04/meritocracy-and-future-work Justin E.H. Smith's substack: https://justinehsmith.substack.com/

Oliver discusses the future of the marketplace of ideas. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft.

Aimee talked with U.S. Tech Workers founder Kevin Lynn (this link goes to the Tech Workers website) about the state of organized labor, "organization" more broadly, and the future of labor advocacy. To listen to the full episode, become a patron and patreon.com/whatsleft

In this time zone-spanning episode, Aimee talked to the podcast team at "Russians with Attitude" about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rwapodcast Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/rwapodcast Substack - https://substack.com/profile/23837742-russians-with-attitude Gumroad - https://russianswithattitude.gumroad.com/l/RWApodcast

PREVIEW: The Work of Leighton Woodhouse by What's Left?

Urban Reform Institute executive director Joel Kotkin returns to the podcast to discuss housing and development issues with Aimee and Oliver. Suggested reading Kotkin, "Green hypocrisy hurts the poorest," https://unherd.com/2022/02/green-hypocrisy-hurts-the-poorest/ "California's economy is weaker than it looks," https://unherd.com/thepost/californias-economy-is-weaker-than-it-looks/ "Even Elon Musk is leaving California behind," https://unherd.com/thepost/even-elon-musk-is-leaving-california-behind/ "A new dawn for the working class?" https://www.spiked-online.com/2022/02/08/a-new-dawn-for-the-working-class/ "Restoring the California Dream," https://joelkotkin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Restoring_the_California_Dream.pdf (PDF report)

Oren Cass returns to the show to discuss issues related to the 2022 primaries and the future of the Republican Party. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft Suggested reading Cass, "America Needs a Conservative Labor Movement," https://www.wsj.com/articles/america-needs-a-conservative-labor-movement-11600379608 A Seat the Table for the American Labor Movement, https://americancompass.org/in-focus/seat-at-the-table/ (downloadable report) "What American Workers Really Want Instead of a Union at Amazon," https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/04/20/what-american-workers-really-want-instead-of-a-union-at-amazon-483117 Not What They Bargained For: A Survey of American Workers, https://americancompass.org/essays/not-what-they-bargained-for/ (downloadable report) "A Better Bargain: Worker Power in the Labor Market," https://americancompass.org/essays/a-better-bargain-worker-power-in-the-labor-market/ Cass' book The Once and Future Worker: https://www.manhattan-institute.org/theonceandfutureworker

In this episode, Aimee talks to Alex Rubinstein and Mila Ghorayeb of the Pro-Democracy Pod. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft Suggested reading Alex's substack: https://substack.com/profile/6825370-alex-rubinstein Mila's substack: https://ghorayeb.substack.com/ Alex Rubinstein, "New Gates Foundation trustee led plot to overthrow Zimbabwean leader alongside US gov't," https://thegrayzone.com/2022/01/31/gates-foundation-trustee-overthrow-zimbabwean-covert-us-uk-govt/

Aimee and Oliver talked to Free Beacon reporter Aaron Sibarium about his reporting on COVID guidelines by race, anonymous pandemic-related student snitching at Yale, and more. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft Suggested reading Sibarium, "How an Anonymous Reporting System Made Yale a COVID 'Surveillance State,'" https://freebeacon.com/campus/how-an-anonymous-reporting-system-made-yale-a-covid-surveillance-state/ "FDA Guidance Drives Racial Rationing of COVID Drugs," https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/food-and-drug-administration-drives-racial-rationing-of-covid-drugs/ "Hospital Backs Off Race-Based Treatment Policy After Legal Threat," https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/hospital-system-backs-off-race-based-treatment-policy-after-legal-threat/ "Minnesota Backtracks on Racial Rationing of COVID Drugs," https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/minnesota-backtracks-on-racial-rationing-of-covid-drugs/ "Biden Administration Offers Bonuses to Doctors Who Implement 'Anti-Racism Plans,'" https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/biden-administration-offers-bonus-to-doctors-who-implement-anti-racism-plans/

Hillbilly Elegy author and Ohio Senate hopeful JD Vance joins Aimee and Oliver to discuss his campaign platform and life since the book's release. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft Suggested reading Simon van Zuylen-Wood, "The Radicalization of JD Vance," https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/01/04/jd-vance-hillbilly-elegy-radicalization/ Vance, "Beyond Libertarianism," https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2019/07/beyond-libertarianism "The Great US Divide," https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/the-coasts-and-the-flyover-country-the-great-us-divide-a3381306.html

Aimee and Oliver talked to John Dios (@NormalOneHaver) about running a soup kitchen and the impact of COVID-19 on social services. To listen to the full 90 min episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Oliver talks marketing with Steak-Umm social media mastermind Nathan Allebach and Clemson University marketing professor Lura Forcum. They discuss brands behaving like humans, humans behaving like brands, and the risks and rewards of co-opting "Weird Twitter" aesthetics to sell products. Suggested listening Nathan's first appearance on What's Left? https://www.patreon.com/posts/steak-umm-bless-43073199 Suggested reading Know Your Meme interview with Nathan Allebach (https://knowyourmeme.com/editorials/interviews/nathan-allebach-behind-the-legendary-steak-umm-twitter-reveals-how-the-brand-immersed-itself-in-internet-culture-and-avoided-becoming-how-do-you-do-fellow-kids) PBR's offensive tweet about ass eating (https://www.adweek.com/agencies/pabst-blue-ribbon-deletes-tweets-about-eating-ass-saying-they-were-in-poor-judgment/) How Arby's made peace with Nihilist Arby's (https://www.businessinsider.com/how-arbys-made-peace-with-nihilist-arbys-2017-7) Allebach, "A critical breakdown of brand humanization on social media," https://nathanallebach.medium.com/good-and-bad-ways-to-criticize-brands-being-human-on-social-media-cf61665fe7ca "It's time brands started acting more like people," https://www.forbes.com/sites/onmarketing/2012/07/03/its-time-brands-started-acting-more-like-people/?sh=7e0dde6f7246 (from 2012!) Outro music: Reverend Horton Heat, "Steak," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQynViAF6Ds

Harvard Law School professor Adrian Vermeule joins Aimee and Oliver to discuss and at times debate the merits of common-good constitutionalism (which he explains in greater detail in his forthcoming book from Polity Press), "pretty-good" constitutionalism, originalism, the administrative state, and much more. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft Suggested reading Vermeule, "Beyond Originalism," https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/common-good-constitutionalism/609037/ "Local Wisdom," https://newrepublic.com/article/98607/henry-friendly-supreme-court-david-dorsen "Rules, Commands and Principles in the Administrative State," https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3660026 "Conspiracy Theories" (with Cass Sunstein), https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/law_and_economics/119/ Adrian's entire SSRN article catalog, https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=231075 Ronald Dworkin, "The Moral Reading of the Constitution," https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1996/03/21/the-moral-reading-of-the-constitution/ Dworkin, "The Arduous Virtue of Fidelity," https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3328&context=flr "The Code of Justinian ," https://web.archive.org/web/20130727022718/http://www.freewebs.com/vitaphone1/history/justinianc.html

Journalist Michael Shellenberger joins Aimee and Oliver to discuss his new book San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities. They cover topics such as drug treatment, homelessness, and mental health. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft Suggested reading Shellenberger's Substack: https://michaelshellenberger.substack.com/ "Behind London Breed's stunning 'defund the police' turnaround in San Francisco," https://nypost.com/2021/12/15/behind-london-breeds-defund-the-police-turnaround-in-san-francisco/ "San Franciscans Get What They Voted for With Chesa Boudin," https://www.wsj.com/articles/san-francisco-crime-chesa-boudin-progressive-prosecutor-11637961667 "Climate change is no catastrophe," https://unherd.com/2021/11/climate-change-will-not-be-catastrophic/

Oliver talks with scholar Steve Viscelli and veteran trucker Gord Magill about the labor issues impacting truckers, the political narratives surrounding the industry, the daily work of driving a big rig, and more. If you liked this episode, please consider subscribing to What's Left? to support the production of similar content in the future and gain access to 150 exclusive episodes. For further information, check out the American Trucking Association (https://www.trucking.org/), the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (https://www.ooida.com/), California AB 5 (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB5), Protecting the Right to Organize Act (https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/842), and Steve Viscelli's book The Big Rig (https://www.steveviscelli.com/book)

Novelist and critic Walter Kirn joins the program to discuss his essay "The Creeps," what about old rich politicians like Nancy pelosi is so creepy, and the creepiness of the future promoted by tech billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Jack from The Perfume Nationalist podcast joins the program to discuss hookup culture, the politics of consent, liberal psyops, the workout regimes of Richard Spencer and Ned Flanders, and much more.

Filthy Armenian (@FilthyArmenian) joins us to discuss the newest Dave Chappelle controversy, the politics of comedy, how Jon Stewart wrote the book on manufacturing consent, and more. To listen to the full 2-hour episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Writer and editor Park MacDougald joins the program to discuss the post left, the radical left, the democratic left, and what's left over. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Poppy Coburn, writer and zoomer correspondent, joins the show to answer an important question: what the hell is going on with young people? She talks the hopes and dreams of Generation Z, the impact of accelerating technological progress on relationships, and more. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft.

Author Kat Rosenfield joins the podcast to discuss her new book, No One Will Miss Her, the #metoo movement, Oliver's massive jar of milk, and much more. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Writer, critic, artist, and podcaster Adam Lehrer joins the show to discuss his new book, Communions, the glamorization of the creative addict, liberal fetishization, and more. To listen to the full 90 minute episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Jesse and Katie join the podcast to discuss COVID vaccines, anti-vax ideology, our collective loss of trust in institutions, conspiracy theories, the gender identification of children, and much more. To listen to the full 2-hour episode, become a patron and patreon.com/whatsleft

Emmet and Adrian join the show to discuss all things nuclear power, the green new deal, the politics of energy and climate change, and more. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

PREVIEW: Girl, Unvaccinated (w/ Alex Kaschuta and Angie Speaks) by What's Left?

Aimee and Oliver are joined by Executive Editor of The American Mind, James Poulos, to discuss social media culture, the internet panopticon, whether Aimee should log off Twitter, and more.

Aimee and Oliver are joined by writer and contributing editor at Unherd, Mary Harrington, to discuss the history of feminism, the #metoo movement, pornography, relationship power imbalances, and more. To listen to the full 90 min episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Oliver and Aimee are joined by the great Glenn Greenwald (and his dog) to discuss COVID-19, civil liberties, being of the object of online hatred, Trump's impact on the left, the politics of recognition and inclusion, and why movements become more militant as they become mainstream. To listen to the full episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Aimee and Oliver are joined by Patrick Deneen, author of Why Liberalism Failed (2018), and Sohrab Ahmari, author of The Unbroken Thread: Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in an Age of Chaos (2021). They discuss the failures (or successes) of liberalism, and its relationship to tradition, conservatism, and the economy. To listen to the full 90 min episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Aimee is joined by Angela Nagle to discuss her recent article, "Reprivatizing Fine Art In The Name Of Equality." They talk beauty as a public good, the intersection of identity and art, neoliberal gender politics, and much more. To listen to the full 3-hour conversation, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft Read Angela's article and subscribe to her newsletter here: https://angelanagle.substack.com/p/reprivatizing-fine-art-in-the-name

Oliver is joined by Ralph Moffettone, writer and director Delenda (2018), to discuss the work of filmmaking, the real purpose of prestige television, and why streaming services don't care if you're really paying attention. To listen to the full 2 hr episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

To listen to the full 2 hr episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft Aimee is joined by journalist Alex Rubinstein to discuss his article on the weaponization of wokeness, the American empire under Biden, abolishing the police, and more. Alex's article: https://realalexrubi.substack.com/p/intersectional-imperialism-a-wholesome

Aimee is joined by the great @htmlmencken for a 3.5 hr conversation about disciplinary woke culture, its recent history, and its uses. To listen to the full conversation, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Aimee and Oliver are joined by Michael Lind to discuss his analysis in The New Class War: Saving Democracy from the Managerial Elite. They talk the educational divide, the geography of class, the function of NGOs, and much more. To listen to the full 90 min episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Aimee and Oliver are joined by Helen Andrews to discuss her new book, Boomers: The Men and Women Who Promised Freedom and Delivered Disaster. They touch on the six sketches in the book, from Camille Paglia and Sonya Sotomayor to Aaron Sorkin and Al Sharpton, the influence of boomer politics, and why boomers think The Beatles and Bob Dylan are as important as Beethoven. To listen to the full 90 min episode, become a patron at patreon.com/whatsleft

Aimee and Oliver are joined by professor and author Joel Kotkin to discuss his work, the characteristics of neo-feudalism and its class structure, and to offer some hope for the future.