Listen to The Professional Left Podcast Episodes

How did the late Charlie Kirk build his multi-million dollar empire, and what role did billionaire oligarchs play in funding his operation?  And why was it so worth it to them to dump millions on this right-wing demagogue? What critical facts does Ezra Klein…

Alt Title:  What 'Road House' Can Teach DemocratsWhat is the hidden wisdom in Patrick Swayze's movie Road House (MST3K IYKYK) that Democrats desperately need to understand? Answers to this and more, in this week's episode! Stay in Touch! Email:…

Why do we keep lurching violently between Democrats and fascists if every election is supposedly a "change election"? What happens when the media's obsession with "disruption" as a political cure-all actually gets what it wished for?We examine the fundamental…

Kash Patel, Dan Bongino, Tulsi Gabbard, and Jeanine Pirro are in positions of power to finally bring justice to history's greatest villains?  So why are there still no indictments of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton?  We know why!  We trace the straight…

Trump's approval ratings have crashed to 37% - that magical Sarah Palin floor where only the most delusional true believers remain loyal. What do chemical bonds and political loyalties have in common, and why are some Trump voters starting to break away while…

What happens when Democratic governors fight like they mean it? We dive into J.B. Pritzker's masterclass in political combat. He talks like a #%&$&! FDR Democrat! And here's the crucial question nobody wants to ask: if the majority of Americans already…

An entire industry profits from pumping out addictive political poison designed to make people angrier, more paranoid, and more stupid. But here's the twist: the carriers of democracy's most lethal disease aren't the red-faced bigots you'd expect.How did "Both…

How does a nineteenth-century Republican president, and a modern Republican vice president, handle low water levels? The answer may cost you taxpayer money!What drives Laura Loomer to call Marjorie Taylor Greene a "narcissistic witch" and "home-wrecking…

When the con man owns the sheriff, the judge, and the executioner, math becomes the enemy.  And Donald Trump and Gavin Newsom are making the same mistake regarding their respective political base voters.  More at proleftpod.com. Oh, and Donald Trump is all…

This week we cope with the ongoing political chaos by escaping to the movies - specifically The Fantastic Four: First Steps - and then diving deep into why ChatGPT won't help us redraw Illinois congressional districts to eliminate Republican seats entirely. We…

This week, we dive deep into the concept of justice and ask the hard question: where are the consequences? We break down the different flavors of justice—from retributive to restorative, distributive to procedural—and examine why none of them seem to be…

We're asking the question everyone stopped asking: whatever happened to QAnon?And what does it mean when their cult leader starts calling his followers "stupid" and "foolish."What happens when people who believe JFK Jr and Sr are still alive find out their…

This week we dive into why platforming fascists is always a terrible idea, using Mehdi Hasan's recent Jubilee debate as our cautionary tale. We examine how these staged confrontations accomplish nothing except providing content for right-wing sites and turning…

We're diving deep into some unexpected connections this week. What do a 425-year-old Shakespeare tragedy and James Gunn's new Superman movie have in common? More than you might think—especially regarding fathers, sons, and the weight of living up to…

We're mad as hell, and we're not going to take it anymore. After 15 years of ringing alarm bells about the Republican party's dangers to our democracy, we find ourselves in the midst of what we're calling "Stupid Watergate Summer" – and it's cooking now.This…

This week we're celebrating Blue Gal's birthday while diving deep into Trump's latest meltdown over the Epstein files. We break down how the former reality TV star is now turning his trademark attack style on his own MAGA base as they demand answers about his…

Join us this week as we explore the slow-motion collapse of expertise and institutions in America through the lens of Isaac Asimov's classic science fiction story "Nightfall."We examine how the MAGA mob's assault on knowledge mirrors the fictional planet…

We dive into the Republican party's latest identity crisis as their own media machine turns on itself. We explore how decades of conspiracy theories and manufactured outrage have created a base that demands their leaders deliver on impossible promises—and…

We're visiting America in the ICU on her 249th birthday, hoping the old girl still has some fight left in her.A sad day as Trump's disastrous bill passes the House.  We are still fighting.  This week, we explore the dark matter of American politics - that…

Hat tip to John Fetter-Manchin (copyright Driftglass), we're grudgingly back from our beach vacation (okay, we never actually left the Cornfield Resistance) to bring you the political chaos that just won't quit.This week, we dive into the summer breakup season…

We had severe technical difficulties with our audio with Charlie Pierce (thanks for your time, Charlie!) so that interview had to be scrapped.  But the show must go on!  So this evening we recorded a podcast just the two of us.  Bluegal's opinion of…

This week, we examine Trump's pathological relationship with Fox News and how his morning TV viewing sessions led directly to bombing Iran. We trace the disturbing line from Fox pundits praising Israeli strikes to Trump launching his own attacks—strikes that…

We're back from the Cornfield Resistance with another episode examining the eerie echoes of 2003 as familiar faces dust off their war-hungry talking points for another Middle Eastern adventure. We dive into the fascinating split happening in MAGA-land between…

Anyone else notice the growing cracks in the MAGA coalition as supporters openly question whether they've been played?We dive into the spectacular failures that defined this week in MAGA-land. From Trump's embarrassingly sparse tank parade that drew more…

NOTE:  The shocking news of Senator Alex Padilla being forcibly removed and handcuffed at a Kristi Noem press conference simply for trying to ask questions as an elected official?  We cover that in the news round-up. In this week's episode, we take a brief…

We dive into the chaos on the right as their messaging machine encounters serious technical difficulties. While they're busy thrashing between conflicting loyalties and scrambling for the next official lie, we explore how power always finds someone else to…

We're back from the Cornfield Resistance with the messiest billionaire breakup of the century—complete with explosive social media threats and some very familiar names getting dragged into very damning files.We're watching Pride Month get weaponized, civil…

We're talking about Trump's "Move Fast and Break Things" presidency - from Tulsi Gabbard wanting to turn intelligence briefings into Fox News shows, to Elon Musk's deadly DOGE disaster that's killed hundreds of thousands worldwide. Senator Joni Ernst delivers…

This week, we take you back to the "Before Time" - specifically 2011 - to trace the toxic road that led us to where we are today. We revisit the birther movement, explore how "Conservatism cannot fail; conservatism can only be failed" evolved into "Trump…

This week, we’re diagnosing a political condition we’re all feeling — what we’re calling Political Cabin Fever. It’s not hopelessness, it’s exhaustion, and if you're part of the Democratic Base, we bet you know exactly what we mean. We remember…