Podcasts about Driftglass

No rebranding!  They cashed all those checks with the Tea Party.  Episode 1002 of The Professional Left opens with a pop quiz, and the reveal says everything you need to know about how this particular cycle always ends. Driftglass and Blue Gal trace the long, depressing, and darkly funny history of Republicans who were "done with Trump" until they weren't — Beck, Cruz, Graham, Vance, Ingraham, and a cast of dozens — making the case that what looks like a new political reckoning is actually just the same old rebranding operation being assembled from the same wreckage by the same people. Two classic films provide the episode's organizing metaphors: one about building a new plane out of the pieces of the one that crashed, and one about the uncomfortable truth that you can't put an entire party into a lifeboat when the entire party is the problem. The Republican Party didn't get captured by its worst impulses — it revealed them. Driftglass was also on two other podcasts this week! The Nicole Sandler Show:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NlPMu5Y29QThe Brad Cast with Desi and Digby:  https://bradblog.com/?p=17822 Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com

Episode 1001 of The Professional Left kicks off the post-1000 era with a reading from Octavia Butler — written in 1993, about a fictional America that looks uncomfortably like the one outside your window right now — and uses it as the jumping-off point for a clear-eyed reckoning with why the country got here and who is responsible. The opening of the Obama Presidential Center was a wonderful occasion by almost any measure, but the sight of a certain former president celebrated as a beloved elder statesman on that stage is something Driftglass and Blue Gal simply cannot let pass without comment — because the problem with the Republican party was never Trump, and it didn't start in 2016, and pretending otherwise is just the next chapter of the same lie. The episode traces a straight, unbroken line from the failures and crimes of the Bush years through the racist primal scream of the Obama era to the inevitable arrival of Trump, making the case that every institution now preparing to rehabilitate the post-Trump Republican party is getting ready to run the exact same con all over again. Our job, as it has always been, is to remember — and to keep saying so out loud.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 1000 of The Professional Left opens with the countdown finally hitting zero — and instead of a victory lap, Driftglass and Blue Gal do exactly what they've been doing for 999 episodes: explain the thing hiding in plain sight that everyone else is too polite, too complicit, or too invested in the status quo to say out loud. The Trailer Trash Woodstock that took over the White House lawn gets put in its proper historical context — not as something shocking and new, but as the entirely predictable result of decades of Republican appeasement of its worst impulses, a straight line running from Rush Limbaugh's Lincoln Bedroom sleepover to the rubble of the East Wing. A brief but devastating tour through PBS's Friday night ritual of performative Both Siderism — featuring everyone's favorite human pretzel, David Brooks — makes the case that the cage match on the White House lawn and the quiet dinner-table tones of public television are actually serving the same purpose for two different audiences. And after 1000 episodes of being told they were alarmists, crackpots, and too angry, Driftglass and Blue Gal are still here, still right, and just getting started.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 999 of The Professional Left takes a detour through the smoke-filled back rooms of mid-century Chicago machine politics to explain something essential about the moment we're living in right now — because it turns out that Mike Royko had the whole Trump era figured out decades before Trump came along, he just called it by a different name. Driftglass and Blue Gal walk through how patronage systems work, why people stay loyal to them, and most importantly, what happens when the patron stops delivering the goods — both the material kind and the emotional kind. The cultural patronage Trump has been selling his base — the endorphin hits, the permission to be cruel, the promise that the right people would be hurt — is starting to curdle in ways that are impossible to ignore. And with rural white voters, MAGA young men, and even the faithful starting to ask the one question every patronage machine dreads — "Where's mine?" — episode 999 sets the table perfectly for what's coming next Thursday.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

One of the podcasting things I look forward to the most is getting to hang out with one of my personal heroes – the great Driftglass, one half of the amazing Professional Left Podcast. Proleftpod.com and patreon.com/proleftpod. Required listening for everyone. Today, Drfitglass and I talked about inflation, the Iran War, Graham Platner, Mayor Mamdani, and maybe even a little ballroom in there, too. Stick around for this one. Meantime make sure to support this podcast at patreon.com/bobcescashow. Music by Hunger Anthem. Brought to you by Russ Rybicki, SharePower Responsible Investing. Support our new sponsor and get free shipping at Quince.com/bob!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 998 of The Professional Left opens with a game of "Who's This Jagoff?" — a quiz that turns out to be a master class in how the Both Sides Do It lie gets laundered through the media, repeated without evidence, and rewarded with radio shows and television bookings no matter how many times it's been proven false. Driftglass and Blue Gal dig into the deep roots of that lie, traveling back twenty years to a single Neal Conan moment on NPR that perfectly captures how "to be fair" became a reflex that has nothing to do with fairness and everything to do with appeasement. The Scott Pelley firing gets a second look too, revealing a layer of the story that didn't get nearly enough attention the first time around — because it turns out that even the hero of the story had already made his peace with the Both Sides gods before Bari Weiss came along. And while a very well-funded gathering of self-described centrists in Washington, DC, was busy congratulating itself for finding the middle ground between democracy and fascism, Illinois Democrats were over here quietly governing like they actually mean it.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 997 of The Professional Left uses the sudden, very public firing of Scott Pelley from 60 Minutes as a jumping-off point to ask a much bigger question — why do the people with the biggest megaphones still have absolutely no idea what Democrats actually want, or who they actually are? Driftglass and Blue Gal trace the long, embarrassing history of elite pundits who spent decades inventing a fictional Democratic party, got everything catastrophically wrong about the Republican one, and are now loudly demanding that Democrats take their advice anyway. A deep dive into the 2027 Illinois state budget — passed by an actual Democratic majority serving actual Democratic voters — turns out to be a surprisingly clear and satisfying answer to the question the title asks. If you want to know what Democrats want, it turns out you don't need a pundit — you just need to pay attention to what Democrats do when they're actually in charge.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 996 of The Professional Left takes a hard look at the media circus surrounding the Maine Democratic Senate primary, asking who is actually stirring the pot, why they're stirring it, and who benefits when a private matter between a married couple drowns out every important conversation about the Republican incumbent's actual record. Driftglass and Blue Gal walk through a long and inglorious history of political sex scandals — from FDR to Gary Hart to Newt Gingrich — to put the whole thing in perspective and make the case that the bar for Democratic candidates is being set in a very different place than it is for Republicans. The New York Times, The Bulwark, and the usual cast of Both Sides Do It pundits all make 'but the Democrats' appearances, right on cue. And a deeply revealing New York F-ing Times piece about young men who get their political opinions from Joe Rogan and still somehow blame Both Sides equally turns out to be less a portrait of a generation in search of answers and more a masterclass in how conservative propaganda and legacy media complicity get permanently bonded together.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 995 of The Professional Left takes a deep dive into one of the most revealing tricks in modern political history — the quiet, deliberate shift from "we" to "they" that happens every time a prominent Republican needs to pretend they had nothing to do with the monster they spent decades building. Driftglass and Blue Gal trace this sleight of hand from the early days of Trump's rise all the way to a recent live Bulwark event, showing how the same lie gets polished and repackaged every few years by the same people who should know better — and who absolutely do. The episode also takes a hard look at the comfortable fiction that Trump "revamped" the Republican Party, making the case that he didn't change it at all — he just finally showed everyone what it had always been. And with episode 1000 just around the corner, this one serves as a timely reminder that the coming wave of strategic forgetfulness about the Trump era will look a lot like every wave that came before it — unless enough people refuse to let it happen.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com

Air Date: 5–23-2026 Today we examine the real-world cost of dismantling America's public health infrastructure, the dangerous pseudoscience driving RFK Jr.'s health agenda, and the contradictions fracturing the MAHA movement from within.And now on to the show Full Show Notes Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Trump Looks Foolish for Choice of Kennedy and Deep Cuts at CDC as Real-world Perils Play Out - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 5-12-26 KP 2: 'The Wheels Are Coming Off': Trump Already Less Popular Than After Jan. 6 - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 4-22-26 KP 3: How RFK, Jr.'s Beliefs Echo a Troubling Ideology | Science Quickly Podcast - Scientific American - Air Date 3-13-26 KP 4: MAHA Moms Are Mad - Today, Explained - Air Date 3-3-26 KP 5: As WHO Declares Ebola Outbreak a Global Health Emergency, Did USAID Cuts Worsen the Crisis - Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-18-26 KP 6: How People with Disabilities Could Bear the Burden of Medicaid Funding Cuts - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 2-3-26 KP 7: RFK Jr Goes Full Eugenics to Congress; IMMIGRANTS BRING DISEASE - Brittany Page - Air Date 4-22-26 (00:54:35) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR RFK's Public Health Descruction is Easier than the Rebuilding We'll have to do Later DEEPER DIVES (01:05:28) SECTION A: THE DAMAGE DONE A1: From COVID to Hepatitis to Measles, RFK Jr. Is Gutting Vaccine Science' Ex-CDC Expert Speaks Out - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-12-25 A2: FDA Chief Pushed Out in Latest Sign of Public Health Chaos Under RFK Jr. - Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-13-26 A3: WaPo Bombshell: RFK's CDC Burying Report on Covid Vaccine Success - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 4-9-26 A4: WATCH: Warnock Criticizes RFK Jr. for CDC Cuts to Rabies Emergency Line - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 4-22-26 A5: World Health Organization Issues Hantavirus Alert - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 5-16-26 A6: Can We Trust RFK Jr. On Hantavirus? - The Bitchuation Room (with Francesca Fiorentini) - Air Date 5-13-26 (01:47:09) SECTION B: IDEOLOGY AND THE MISINFORMATION MACHINE B1: Elizabeth Jacobs on RFK Jr. and Public Health - CounterSpin - Air Date 9-5-25 B2: RFK's Antivax Push. Measles Resurges Across America - Roland S. Martin - Air Date 2-24-26 (02:06:42) SECTION C: INSIDE THE MAHA COALITION C1: MAHA's Glyphosate Meltdown [feat Mallory DeMille] Part 1 - Conspirituality - Air Date 3-5-26 C2: Why RFK Jr. Is Projecting a More 'Moderate' MAHA Stance - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 4-27-26 C3: MAHA's Glyphosate Meltdown [feat Mallory DeMille] Part 2 - Conspirituality - Air Date 3-5-26 (02:36:04) SECTION D: HOW A COUNTRY BECOMES "UNDERBABIED" D1: Underbabied? Part 1 - The Professional Left Podcast with Driftglass and Blue Gal - Air Date 5-12-26 D2: RFK Jr. Dissatisfied with Teen Sperm & Sean Duffy Gets Back to Reality - The Daily Show - Air Date 5-12-26 D3: Underbabied? Part 2 - The Professional Left Podcast with Driftglass and Blue Gal - Air Date 5-12-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Episode 994 of The Professional Left takes a hard look at the war on memory — the long, grinding campaign to erase what actually happened to this country and replace it with a comfortable myth that lets the people who caused the damage off the hook. A fascinating breakfast conversation between a writer and ten of his late father's Trump-voting friends provides the jumping-off point, raising a question that cuts right to the heart of everything: where exactly are these voters getting their opinions about Democrats, and has any of them ever actually listened to one? Driftglass and Blue Gal dig into the epidemic of recycled lies that keeps millions of Americans firmly convinced that Both Sides are equally to blame, no matter how much evidence piles up to the contrary. And with episode 1000 just around the corner, this one serves as a sharp reminder of why remembering clearly and accurately — and saying so out loud — is one of the most radical acts left in American politics.Links for this episode: Open Letters by Mersault – https://patricemersault.substack.com/Driftglass's guest appearances this week:Bob Cesca Show (May 20, 2026): https://www.bobcesca.com/the-bob-cesca-interview-driftglass-day-5-20-26/Nicole Sandler Show (May 20, 2026): https://nicolesandler.com/5-20-26/BradCast (May 21, 2026): https://bradblog.com/?p=16941Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com

Driftglass is one half of the incredible must-listen Professional Left podcast with the equally as brilliant Blue Gal. Patreon.com/proleftpod. Today, we talked about the ongoing Donald Trump heist – unlimited slush fund, his insider trader scheme, his ballroom, and so forth. We also discussed whether now's the right time for Democratic voters to be bashing the Democratic Party, given the current two party system. Meantime make sure to support this podcast at patreon.com/bobcescashow. Music by Bob Malone. Brought to you by Russ Rybicki, SharePower Responsible Investing. Support our new sponsor and get free shipping at Quince.com/bob!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 993 of The Professional Left finally arrives at the pivotal year of 2008 — the moment the Republican party began eating itself alive — and traces exactly how a party that had just driven the country into a ditch decided that the best response was to sabotage the guy trying to pull it out. Driftglass and Blue Gal walk through the deliberate, coordinated Republican strategy to destroy Barack Obama before he even got started, complete with the death panels lie, the "government takeover" lie, and the racist conspiracy theory that a reality TV con man would ride all the way to the White House. Mitt Romney makes a long, painful, and very instructive appearance as the man who tried to straddle a party that was already too broken to straddle, rewriting his own book along the way to prove it.If you've ever wondered exactly how America got from the wreckage of the Bush years to the rise of Trump, this episode lays out the trail.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

In this episode of The Professional Left, Driftglass and Blue Gal trace how the Clinton-era budget surplus was dismantled piece by piece during the Bush years, setting the stage for the catastrophic financial collapse of 2008. While millions of Americans lost their jobs and homes, the mainstream media — led by Both Sides propagandists like David Brooks and the newly hired Bill Kristol — refused to lay the blame where it actually belonged: on the Republican Party. Driftglass and Blue Gal have been calling out this "Both Sides Do It" lie for over twenty years, and this episode shows exactly how that lie worked in real time to let Republicans off the hook for disasters of their own making. From the gutting of PAYGO rules to the death of the auto industry bailout in the Senate, the evidence is clear — both sides don't.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 991 of The Professional Left starts with a question that sounds absurd on its face — are Americans "underbabied"? — and then spends an hour making the case that the people asking that question are the same ones who have spent decades doing everything in their power to make starting a family feel financially impossible. Driftglass and Blue Gal trace the long arc from the post-war baby boom through the Reagan era's war on the social safety net, showing how decades of Republican policy quietly transformed children from a shared public good into a personal lifestyle choice that you'd better be able to afford on your own. A detour through the Enron collapse and the Great Recession ties it all together — because low birth rates aren't the disease, they're the symptom, and this episode lays out exactly what's causing them.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Artwork courtesy of "america has rabies" on BlueSky @thebatshitsutras.bsky.socialSupport the show

Episode 990 of The Professional Left takes a step back from the daily chaos to talk about something the mainstream media almost never bothers with — scale — and why understanding it is the difference between seeing propaganda clearly and getting played by it every single time. Driftglass and Blue Gal run the actual numbers on one of the most successful political smear campaigns of the last decade, and what those numbers reveal about how a fringe slogan gets laundered into a party platform by people who know exactly what they're doing. The Both Sides media gets its share of the blame too, because without their eager assistance, none of this industrial-scale message warfare would work nearly as well as it does. And just when you think the math can't get any more damning, a certain former president shows up to say something that proves the point all over again.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 989 of The Professional Left takes on one of the most overused words in modern politics — "authenticity" — and asks whether anyone in American political media is actually serving the real thing, or just a smooth, processed, cheese-like substitute that melts consistently and tastes like what people want to hear. Driftglass and Blue Gal trace the long, strange history of politicians and pundits who have made a very comfortable living telling their audiences exactly the lies those audiences paid to believe, and why the whole operation works so much better when everyone pretends it isn't happening. A detour through French onion soup, a Bonanza story that will make your jaw drop, and a very revealing moment on CNN all help make the case that what Republican and Independent voters actually want has never really been authenticity at all. If you've ever wondered why the truth keeps losing to a smirk and a folksy quip, this episode has your answer — and it involves processed cheese.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com

It's Driftglass Day again on the Wednesday edition of the podcast. You might know Driftglass as 50% of the Professional Left Podcast with his wife and co-host Blue Gal. Proleftpod.com and patreon.com/proleftpod to support their incredible independent journalism. Today we talked about whatever that was at the White House Correspondents Dinner, the lax security, the possibility that it was staged, and as we usually do, we tried to provide some historical context for it all. Stick around for this talk. Meantime make sure to support this podcast at patreon.com/bobcescashow. Music by Bill Toms and Hard Rain.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 988 of The Professional Left is a drama in three acts, each one taking a hard look at a political strategy that keeps failing — and the people who keep insisting it will work next time. Driftglass and Blue Gal dig into the endless, maddening cycle of reaching out to voters who have made it abundantly clear they don't want to be reached, and why the media keeps writing the same breathless story about it anyway. Then things get complicated when a very familiar face from the enemy camp shows up claiming to have seen the light, forcing a very serious question about exactly who gets welcomed into the "pro-democracy coalition" and why. And finally, a minor pundit with a very convenient memory gets a long-overdue look at her greatest hits — because in this Club, the only thing that matters is who you know and when you decided to care.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 987 of The Professional Left takes a deep look at the concept of authority — where it comes from, who really has it, and what happens when the people in charge decide the rules no longer apply to them. Driftglass and Blue Gal trace a clear line from the lawless Bush years straight through to today, making the case that what looks new and shocking is really just the same old playbook with the volume turned all the way up. A surprising visit from a 500-year-old German philosopher helps explain exactly why Trump's war with Pope Leo is going so badly for him, and what that tells us about the difference between real authority and just really loud bullying. And if you think the answer to all of this lies in yelling about the Constitution at people who couldn't care less, this episode will make you think again — and offer a more useful strategy borrowed from a very unlikely historical source.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 986 of The Professional Left traces how one simple political rule — Ronald Reagan's "Eleventh Commandment" never to speak ill of a fellow Republican — quietly mutated over decades into something far more dangerous. Driftglass and Blue Gal dig into how that rule created a closed loop where loyalty to the team mattered more than the truth, and how the endless flood of dark money on the Right kept feeding the beast no matter how extreme it got. A disturbing New Yorker article about a new generation of young, openly fascist activists who think Trump wasn't nearly radical enough takes center stage, raising hard questions about where the Republican party goes from here. If you thought MAGA was the bottom of the barrel, this episode will make you think again.LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:  The New Yorker “How the Internet Fringe Infiltrated Republican Politics:  Inside the battle for the post-MAGA G.O.P.” By Antonia Hitchens (paywall)  https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/13/how-the-internet-fringe-infiltrated-republican-politicsThanks to David B for the “freshly poured” jingle via Musely. Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

"The cheaper the crook, the gaudier the patter." -- The Maltese Falcon Episode 985 of The Professional Left takes a deep dive into the word "normalizing" — a term that gets thrown around constantly in political coverage, but rarely gets a clear definition. Driftglass and Blue Gal trace how a stubborn 30% of Americans have believed one wild conspiracy theory after another for decades, and argue that what looks like normalization on the Left is really just exhaustion from years of fighting battles that others are only now waking up to. The episode uses a surprising example — the slow, hard-won acceptance of women priests in the Church of England — to show what real normalization actually looks like, and why it's very different from what pundits mean when they scold people about Trump. Personal stories, sharp media criticism, and a 1973 sci-fi film all make appearances along the way, connecting the political moment to something much bigger and longer in the making.Link for this episode:  Driftglass and Blue Gal on The Bill Show from Australia!  https://www.podbean.com/ep/pb-q42x7-1a99204Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

In this long episode we talk exclusively with Driftglass and Bluegal from The Professional Left Podcast (proleftpod.com) as we try to make sense of the Iran War. It's a long discussion about the true cost of Trump's madness and a look at how we got here and where we're going. We also have a quiz and some light hearted nerd talk. It's fun, informative and good for you! Join us for an hour at the bar. We're glad you came by...

In this episode of The Professional Left, Driftglass and Blue Gal take a hard look at how America ended up in yet another Middle East war — and why the whole thing feels like a rerun that somehow got worse the second time around. Drawing a sharp line from the lies that launched the Iraq War to the chaos of today, they walk through the playbook Republicans use every time reality refuses to cooperate with their sales pitch. The real question isn't just what happened — it's what comes next, and who's already lining up to offer the MAGA base a way to forget they were ever on board with any of it. If you think some of the loudest voices suddenly breaking with Trump are doing it out of principle? Naaah.Links for this episode: Driftglass on The Bob Cesca Show:  https://www.bobcesca.com/the-bob-cesca-interview-driftglass-day/ Driftglass on The Nicole Sandler Show (second half) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jxANUK4Y6k Media Matters for America, “Heretic”: After Trump spiritual adviser Paula White-Cain likens Trump to Jesus during Easter, right-wing media figures lash out. https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/heretic-after-trump-spiritual-adviser-paula-white-cain-likens-trump-jesus-during Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

You might know Driftglass from the must-listen Professional Left Podcast with his wife and co-host Blue Gal. Proleftpod.com and patreon.com/proleftpod. Today we talked about the non-deal deal and the completely made-up cease fire with Iran. We also talked about what's next for the war. Plus, we discussed how Donald continues to pal around with Orban and Putin despite their support for Iran. Stick around for this one. Meantime, make sure to support this podcast at patreon.com/bobcescashow. Music by The Grawks. Brought to you by Russ Rybicki, SharePower Responsible Investing. Support our new sponsor and get free shipping at Quince.com/bob!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of The Professional Left, Driftglass and Blue Gal dig into the decades-long project that brought American politics to its current breaking point — and what it really means that we've arrived here. A viral social media feud involving a Twitch streamer leads to a sharp look at who gets handed a megaphone in today's political landscape, and why the wrong people keep holding them. The episode closes with a story about a specific third party and the oldest trick in the book.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com

Episode 981 traces the Republican descent from the 1990 New York Times editorial warning about Gingrich's "slash and burn" politics through Limbaugh, Fox News, and Trump—a 36-year disaster that Liberal bloggers warned about while being dismissed as cranks. Driftglass and Blue Gal use a science-fiction classic AND a rebuilding story from the not-too-distant past to argue that democracy can be rebuilt and improved, with new/old systems to prevent the next Trump. This episode marks 21 years of Driftglass blogging to, in the case of one popular post, 33,000 total views, while MAGA bottom-feeders pull millions daily.  But Driftglass insists that the work is more necessary than ever. It's about consequences, not retribution, actions, not sins, and why rebuilding will take a generation—so what? Nobody promised it would be easy or quick.Link for this episode:  Science Fiction University, “The Day The Earth Stood Still” in Historical Context  -- https://www.sciencefictionuniversity.com/2024/04/the-day-earth-stood-still-in-historical.html Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 980 uses The Walking Dead's central question—"The world we knew is gone, but keeping our humanity? That's a choice"—to examine whether we accept that the political and cultural America we once knew is finished. Driftglass and Blue Gal trace the Republican zombie apocalypse from its inciting incident (Bush's 2004 reelection) through Obama's failed experiment in compromise, to Hillary's "deplorables" moment that proved prescient, to today's desperate pleas to coddle Trump voters with ouchless absolution. The episode dissects why the "Let's get back to normal" caucus keeps insisting we forget the past while Republicans only get worse.Link for this episode:  Driftglass on The BradCast with Digby, Brad, and DesiStay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 979 begins with Project Hail Mary and science fiction nerds auditing movies on street corners, then pivots to Ozymandias and what lasts versus what crumbles to dust. Driftglass and Blue Gal ask why there are hundreds of documentaries about the Roman Empire but not one major film tracing the Republican party's descent into fascism—and answer that question by naming who it would implicate. The episode examines what history will remember about Trump and Bush, what gets footnoted and what defines a legacy, and why the next Democratic administration cannot make Obama's mistake of looking forward instead of backward. It's about burning lifeboats, prosecuting crimes against democracy, and ensuring that 77 million bigots and imbeciles don't slip back into the shadows unpunished after their king's monuments are torn down.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Driftglass and Blue Gal compare Bush's Iraq debacle with Trump's Iran war—the lying, the cover-ups, the profiteering, the attacks on critics—revealing Trump isn't a break from the Republican past but a continuation of it, just bigger, dumber, and louder. The episode also discusses how the New York (effin') Times deliberately cleans up Trump's incoherent rambling while adding "uhs" and "ums" to try to make AOC look stupid. All this plus Illinois primary results and the national media's desperate hunt for "Democrats in Disarray." It's about fake WMDs then and now, and a very, very complicit media sanitizing fascism.  More at proleftpod.com. Link for this episode:  Catch Driftglass on The Bob Cesca Show:  https://www.bobcesca.com/the-bob-cesca-interview-driftglass-3-18-26/Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Driftglass from the Professional Left Podcast is here today to talk about the Iran War, and the terrifying reality that Donald Trump doesn't know what the hell he's doing. We went pretty dark today, but I think we ended on an optimistic note, inspired by Driftglass's wife and podcast partner Blue Gal. Hopefully we'll be able to arrange a time to get her back on the show as well. Proleftpod.com and patreon.com/proleftpod to support their work. Meantime, make sure to support this podcast at patreon.com/bobcescashow. Music by Hannah Connolly. Brought to you by Russ Rybicki, SharePower Responsible Investing. Support our new sponsor and get free shipping at Quince.com/bob!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(And we talk about the Illinois Democratic Primaries!  They were counting votes as we recorded.) Episode 977 examines the 2026 Illinois Democratic primary while dissecting David Axelrod's fantasy that Democrats should rerun the Obama 2008 campaign in 2028, as if the berserk Republican backlash to Obama never happened. Driftglass and Blue Gal discuss how legacy media pundits use lazy abstractions about "the people" and "the voters" while pretending the Republican party didn't become a full-on fascist movement on their watch. The episode introduces "an apple made of razors"—David French's technique of piling up Both Sides turds before one perfunctory paragraph disclaiming what he's obviously doing, the opposite of Brooks's "razor in the apple." It's about false choices, selective memory, and why the #1 priority in 2028 must be tearing out the Republican party root and branch, not another round of bipartisan healing.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 976 examines the signs and portents showing Trump's base starting to fracture as broken promises about Epstein files and "no foreign wars" collide with reality. Driftglass and Blue Gal track special election upsets across the country, from New Hampshire to Georgia's R+19 district where even Trump's handpicked candidate couldn't avoid a runoff after 22% of MAGA voters disobeyed orders. The episode explores why Joe Rogan claims Trump supporters feel "betrayed" while refusing to admit his own terrible judgment, and why Trump is desperately pushing the SAVE Act as his only hope to rig the midterms. It's about reading the obvious signs everyone can see—the temperature dropping, the sky turning green, and the sound of freight trains roaring as the Republican coalition tears itself apart.Cover art: NASA Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 975 takes a trip back to Chicago to explore how big cities weather economic shocks that would destroy smaller towns—a lesson that matters as Trump's oil crisis, job losses, and ACA cuts hit rural Trump voters hardest. Driftglass and Blue Gal examine the fragile interconnectedness of small-town economies and why cascade failures are coming to red America, where MAGA voters are about to learn the hard way that Obamacare and the ACA are the same thing. The episode explores how scale matters in both directions, from moving government jobs between cities to surviving the economic voodoo practiced by a corrupt racist lunatic. Plus, a language lesson about Gen Z reclaiming the "C" word, and how that impacts us "olds."  More at proleftpod.com.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 974 examines why Trump's illegal war with Iran is splintering the MAGA base and fueling Democratic victories in special elections across the country. Driftglass and Blue Gal trace how Trump won in 2016 by offering Republican voters absolution for the Iraq War disaster—then broke his sacred "No Foreign Wars" promise just like he's covering up the Epstein files. The episode dissects who gets forgiveness in American politics and who doesn't, exposing how Never Trumpers demand we forget Liz Cheney's monstrous lies while they obsess over trivial Democratic moments amplified by Fox News. It's about broken promises, selective amnesia, and why former Republicans now control the narrative while scolding the liberals who were right all along.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 973 explores biblical healing miracles to reveal what they teach about choice, cruelty, and the difference between victims who deserve compassion and abusers who don't. Driftglass and Blue Gal revisit the story of the Gerasene man possessed by "Legion" to examine the long-term trauma inflicted when military forces terrorize civilian populations—then and now. The episode lays out why there can be no forgiveness without repentance, no redemption without atonement, and why "cheap grace" for Trump voters keeps enabling the cycle of abuse. Plus, a perfect diamond of stupid from an "independent" centrist who somehow thinks both sides are equally extreme while Trump launches unprovoked wars and builds concentration camps.Links for this episode: AR Moxon, ‘Culture of Healing'  https://www.the-reframe.com/culture-of-healing/Cover Art: ‘The Chosen Jesus Tile' (no affiliation)  https://gcmdesignz.com/product/funny-jesus-tile-the-chosen-jesus-tile-great-gift-or-stocking-stuffer-funny-jesus-sayings-enjoy-the-catholic-and-christian-humor-3/ Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

You know Driftglass from the Professional Left Podcast – proleftpod.com – with his wife and co-host Blue Gal. He's also a regular on our Wednesday shows, and one of the smartest podcasters around. Today we talked about the State of the Union and some of the reasons why too many Americans believe what happened last night is perfectly normal. And if you value independent media, make sure to support the Professional Left Podcast at patreon.com/proleftpod. Meantime, make sure to support this podcast at patreon.com/bobcescashow. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 971 examines why fact-checkers keep losing to Republican lies in America's ongoing culture war, and why better stories—not more facts—are the only way to win. Driftglass and Blue Gal break down Will McGrath's powerful essay "In the Resistance, We Drive Minivans" to show how real stories about real people cut through propaganda in ways statistics never can. The episode also tackles why centrist pundits are tying themselves in knots now that "resistance liberals" turned out to be right about Trump and fascism all along, yet still can't be allowed to lead. It's about storytelling, leadership, and why some people would rather let their Bullshit Igloos collapse than admit the Left saw this coming a decade ago.Links for this episode: Will McGrath: "In The Resistance, We Drive Minivans" The New Republic:  "What's Behind the Centrists' Resistance to the “Resistance Liberals”?"Crooks and Liars:  "This Dingus Of The Week Also Seems To Be A Voyeur"https://crooksandliars.com/2026/02/dingus-week-also-seems-be-voyeurStay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Episode 969 explores how politicians and media use vague phrases like "the American people," "the voters," and "the public" without anyone agreeing on what these terms actually mean. Driftglass and Blue Gal trace these polyfunctional words through American history, from Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth to Nixon's "silent majority" and today's political battles over who gets to speak for the nation. They examine how these phrases do political work rather than descriptive work, often excluding people while claiming to represent everyone. The episode reveals why this ambiguous language matters so much in the ongoing fight over American democracy and who counts as part of "we the people."Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

You'll notice Blue Gal isn't here today. She had to take a day job in order to afford health insurance. So, it's super important that we all support our liberal media voices. In particular, patreon.com/proleftpod to support the Professional Left Podcast. Also, proleftpod.com where you can support them on PayPal and make sure to pick up a #BothSidesDont t-shirt. So today it's me and Driftglass talking about the Epstein Files, the oligarchy, the both-sides news media, and of course a little Star Trek discourse in there, too. Meantime, make sure to support this podcast at patreon.com/bobcescashow. Music by Marina Rocks. Brought to you by Russ Rybicki, SharePower Responsible Investing. Support our new sponsor and get free shipping at Quince.com/bob! Sign up for Buzz Burbank's Substack.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti are called what they really are—lynchings carried out by Trump's armed thugs who were then protected from investigation and sent back out on the streets. A direct line connects decades of right-wing hate radio promising to eliminate liberals to today's fascist violence, explaining why there will be no magical "national awakening" to save us. Never Trump pundits who now support "Defund ICE" after spending years attacking Democrats over "Defund the Police" get dismantled for their hypocrisy, with an explanation of why better messaging won't fix a problem caused by the right's massive propaganda machine. The only path forward is relentless pressure, cutting off money and legitimacy to Republicans, and refusing to forget what they've done when this is over.Cover photo credit: The Library of Congress via PBS.Links for this episode: Driftglass and Bluegal on The Bill Show!  The New Republic: CBP Boss Says He Moved Agents Who Shot Alex Pretti to Avoid “Doxxing” https://newrepublic.com/post/205690/customs-border-protection-cbp-agent-alex-pretti-reassigned Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

The greatest political mirage in modern American history returns as Trump's second term reveals that while the ingredients stay the same, something fundamental has shifted. Driftglass and Blue Gal dissect how corporate media like Newsweek hides its appeasement under the banner of "Courageous Centrism" while Republicans once again flee the scene of their crimes by rebranding as independents—though this time, many seem too exhausted to bother with the charade. Unlike the counterculture movement that broke and rolled back after Kent State, today's resistance to Trump's fascist overreach is growing stronger, not weaker, backed by governors, mayors, and millions with cameras in their pockets. From Hunter S. Thompson's receding tide to today's rising wave of protest, this episode traces the through-line of American political psychology and asks whether, finally, this time really is different.More at proleftpod.com.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

We start with some personal news: Blue Gal's father passed away on January 9.In other news, she's leaving Crooks and Liars after 18 years for a day job with health insurance—thanks to Republican healthcare f*ckery. The podcast continues twice weekly, just dropping later in the day with Driftglass handling all the prep work.Then we dive into why Trump's regime is doubling down on violence and lies about Renee Good's murder by ICE. We explain how decades of right-wing media have convinced MAGA that a massive Liberal Conspiracy controls everything, and Trump is finally "actualizing" all those lies—from ICE brownshirts in Minneapolis to raiding reporters' homes to threatening the Insurrection Act. But then there's Trump's broken promise on the Epstein Files.Plus: local Republican parties are trapped between a MAGA base demanding loyalty and horrified independents whose votes they need. More at proleftpod.com.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

Driftglass and Blue Gal from the Professional Left Podcast return to the show today. Make sure to support their podcast at patreon.com/proleftpod and proleftpod.com. Today we talked about the lawlessness of the Donald Trump regime as its death squads continue to assault US citizens. We also talked about Venezuela. We discussed Donald's corrosive view of American politics, and how we can push back through building a robust opposition media. Meantime, make sure to support this podcast at patreon.com/bobcescashow. Music by Albert.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In their final episode of 2025, Driftglass and Blue Gal try to sum up the entire awful year in just a few key words or phrases. As they close out nearly 16 years of podcasting together, the hosts reflect on the core lies drilled into Americans' heads so long that people automatically reach for them whenever the truth becomes too uncomfortable to face.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show