Coming From Left Field (Video)

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  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Welcome to Coming From Left Field, a conversation about politics, books, and current events.

  1. MAR 13 · VIDEO

    "Fighting Oligarchy" with Charles Derber

    In this episode, we sit down with sociologist and author Dr. Charles Derber to dig into his new book, “Fighting Oligarchy: How Positive Populism Can Reclaim America.” At a moment when most Americans feel one paycheck away from disaster and both major parties seem unable—or unwilling—to confront corporate power, Derber offers a clear, historically grounded argument for why Trump’s far‑right populism has been so successful and why it keeps enshrining the very corporate establishment it claims to oppose. He traces a long U.S. history of “phony” right‑wing populism, from the Confederacy and the Klan to America First and MAGA, and contrasts it with a largely forgotten tradition of democratic, left populism rooted in the 1890s People’s Party, New Deal‑era worker organizing, and movements that linked economic justice to civil rights and peace. Rather than treating populism as a dirty word, Derber insists it is an inevitable response to deep economic crisis; the question is whether it will be channeled into racist authoritarianism or into a broad, multiracial movement that targets oligarchic capitalism itself.   Over the course of the conversation, we unpack Derber’s notion of “positive populism”: a politics that names the oligarchy directly, connects everyday economic pain to structural corporate power, and pushes for something closer to Northern European–style social democracy—strong unions, universal healthcare, and a state that actually intervenes on behalf of ordinary people. Derber argues that simply “going back to normal” or reviving centrist neoliberalism is a trap that will only prepare the ground for the next Trump, because it leaves intact a system most people already know is rigged. Instead, he lays out core principles of resistance and democratic renewal designed to build a sustainable, caring U.S. democracy capable of confronting climate breakdown, militarism, and corporate rule.   This is a conversation for anyone wrestling with how to fight the oligarchy without falling for fake anti‑establishment politics—and how to rebuild a politics of solidarity in a society that has been deliberately fragmented. ​   Charles Derber is a professor of sociology at Boston College and a longtime analyst of capitalism, corporate power, and U.S. political regimes. The author of more than thirty books for general and academic audiences, his works include “Sociopathic Society, Corporation Nation, Bonfire: American Sociocide,” and now “Fighting Oligarchy: How Positive Populism Can Reclaim America.” His research and public writing focus on the intertwined crises of global capitalism, militarism, climate change, and the overwhelming power of multinational corporations, as well as the social movements that might transform them. Derber has been described as a leading critical voice on “corpocracy” and the erosion of democracy, and he advocates for broad, bottom‑up movements that can reclaim economic and political life from oligarchic control.   Resources: Order the book: https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Oligarchy-Universalizing-Resistance-Charles/dp/1041119976/ Webpage: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/morrissey/departments/sociology/people/faculty-directory/charles-derber.html   Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/   #fightingoligary#howpositivepopulismcanreclaimAmerica#positivepopulism#progressivepopulism#leftpopulism#rightwingpopulism#trumpismexplained#americanoligarchy#usdemocracycrisis#capitalismcritique#corporatepower#workingclasspolitics#americanfascism#bostoncollegesociologist#unionsandlabormovement#PatCummings#PatrickCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

    1h 5m

  2. MAR 4 · VIDEO

    "Square UP: Building Labor's Power in the Gilded Age" with Lorri Nandrea, Tony Pecinovsky and special guest Chris Townsend

    In this episode, we welcome Lorri Nandrea and Tony Pecinovsky to discuss the book they edited, “Square Up: Building Labor's Power in the Second Gilded Age”— a vital call to arms for the working class from International Publishers. Square Up is a collection of 16 essays bringing together activists, organizers, and rank-and-file trade union leaders to assess the state of labor in the Trump era and chart a path forward for the working class. Also joining the discussion is returning guest Chris Townsend — veteran organizer, former political director of United Electrical Workers (UE), and a driving force behind the Starbucks Workers United campaign — whose on-the-ground experience adds sharp tactical and historical depth to the conversation. The genesis of Square Up, as Pecinovsky explains, grew directly from International Publishers' deliberate effort to expand its left-labor catalog and to spark a discussion within the progressive trade union movement about fighting back against the attacks of the second Trump administration. The conversation addresses the alarming fact that 40% of union members voted for Trump, with Pecinovsky arguing persuasively that these workers are not ideologically committed to MAGA but are seeking community — something the labor movement has largely failed to provide, as union households, factory towns, and civic institutions have collapsed. Townsend points to the failure of union leadership to politically educate members, contrasting the courage of ATU president Larry Hanley, who endorsed Bernie Sanders against the grain, with today's leaders who simply funnel money to the Democratic Party. The episode also explores private equity's predatory role in mobile home parks and rural communities, the lessons of the 1987 International Paper strike in Jay, Maine, the history of the Communist Party's indispensable role in labor organizing from the 1930s through Trade Unionists for Action and Democracy (TUAD), and the urgent need to frame immigration as a class struggle issue rather than a culture war one. Lorri Nandrea is a writer, organizer, and author. She has a background in wide-ranging working-class experience — having worked as a waitress, barista, pizza cook, punch-press operator, and gas-station attendant before earning a PhD in English from Northwestern University — and has spent her career connecting academic analysis to grassroots activism. She writes regularly for People's World and the Communist Party USA, covering labor, climate, and racial justice issues. Tony Pecinovsky is the President of International Publishers, the storied left-labor publishing house with a century-long history of bringing Marxist and labor literature to American readers. He is the author of "Let Them Tremble: Biographical Interventions Marking 100 Years of the Communist Party, USA," co-editor of "Faith in the Masses," and author of "The Cancer of Colonialism: W. Alphaeus Hunton, Black Liberation, and the Daily Worker, 1944–1946." A community activist and prolific writer, he contributes regularly to People's World, Black Perspectives, American Communist History, and the St. Louis Labor Tribune, and speaks frequently on college campuses across the country. Chris Townsend is a veteran labor organizer with nearly five decades of experience across four unions — UE (United Electrical Workers), the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), the Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). He served as Political Action Director for UE for 25 years before retiring in 2013 and later helped found the Inside Organizer School at ATU, which became the launchpad for the Starbucks Workers United movement — sending the first wave of union salts into Buffalo stores and igniting a campaign that has now organized nearly 700 locations nationwide.   Resources: Order the book: https://www.intpubnyc.com/browse/square-up-building-labors-power-in-the-second-gilded-age/ International Publishers webpage: https://www.intpubnyc.com/ Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/   #SquareUp #LaborPower #SecondGildedAge #UnionStrong #LaborMovement #WorkersRights #OrganizeNow #StarbucksWorkersUnited #AmazonWorkers #TonyPecinovsky #InternationalPublishers #CPUSA #LorriNandrea #ChrisTownsend #GrassrootsOrganizing #TradeUnions #AFLCIO #LaborLeft #SaltingUnions #LaborPodcast #ProgressivePolitics #UnionOrganizing#WageInequality #LivingWage #MobileHomePark #PatCummings #PatrickCummings #GregGodels #ZZBlog #ComingFromLeftField #ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast #zzblog #mltoday

    1h 1m

  3. FEB 21 · VIDEO

    “Thanks for Nothing: The Economics of Single Motherhood since 1980” with Nicholas Wolfinger and Matthew McKeever

    This episode centers on a conversation with sociologists Dr. Nicholas Wolfinger and Dr. Matthew McKeever about their book “Thanks for Nothing: The Economics of Single Motherhood since 1980” and what it reveals about poverty, race, and U.S. policy. The hosts discuss the core puzzle: even after four decades of gains in women’s education and employment, single-mother families are still about five times more likely to be poor than two-parent families, just as they were in 1980. The guests revisit the 1965 Moynihan Report on the “Negro Family,” how it got tangled up with Oscar Lewis’s “culture of poverty” thesis, and how both were weaponized in the culture wars. Wolfinger and McKeever stress that Moynihan’s actual policy prescriptions were economic—jobs programs and large-scale public investment in Black communities—not moral lectures, but that critics (and later conservatives) recast his work as an attack on Black family culture. They trace a longer state preoccupation with “the family,” from Civil War–era pensions for Union widows and anxieties over divorce in Teddy Roosevelt’s day to the backlash against desegregation and the way Brown v. Board rerouted structural segregation into school fights rather than housing policy. The conversation then turns to single motherhood as an economic condition rather than a moral category. The guests emphasize a simple but often ignored fact: one-earner families have fewer resources than two-earner families, and the majority of people in single-parent families are children. They dismantle the “deserving vs. undeserving poor” narrative that paints single mothers as irresponsible, sexually reckless, or “choosing” poverty, arguing instead that policy has systematically stripped support from families at the bottom while rewarding a subset of working poor through mechanisms like the Earned Income Tax Credit. Programs such as the EITC, they note, do get cash to low-income workers, but they also deepen inequality within the population of single mothers by boosting those who can maintain steady employment while leaving the least advantaged further behind. A recurring theme is the “fundamental attribution error”: the human tendency to attribute hardship to bad character instead of bad circumstances. The hosts use this to frame how conservative pundits like Ann Coulter talk about single mothers—blaming “promiscuity” and “choices” rather than the collapse of secure jobs, stagnant wages, and the cost of housing and childcare. Wolfinger and McKeever acknowledge that culture, neighborhood effects, and even heritable personality traits can play some role in intergenerational disadvantages, but they insist that the levers governments can actually pull are economic: wages, unions, transfers, and public goods like childcare and schooling. Nicholas H. Wolfinger is a professor of sociology at the University of Utah, specializing in family demography, marriage and divorce, and social inequality. Matthew McKeever is Professor of Sociology and Department Chair at Haverford. Prior to that, he was at Mount Holyoke College, Rice University, University of Houston, University of Kentucky, and Yale University.    Resources: Order the book: https://www.amazon.com/Thanks-Nothing-Economics-Single-Motherhood/dp/0199324328 Dr. Wolfinger webpage: http://www.nicholaswolfinger.com/ Dr. McKeever’s webpage: https://www.haverford.edu/users/mmckeever Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/   #NicholasWolfinger#MatthewMcKeever#ThanksforNothing#singlemotherhood#economicsofsinglemotherhood#singlemothersandpoverty#childpoverty#familypolicy#MoynihanReport#cultureofpoverty#welfarereform#EarnedIncomeTaxCredit#childallowance#basicincome#neoliberalism#Reaganomics#BillClintonwelfarereform#unionsandwages#labormovement#genderandwork# #raceandclass#singleparentfamilies#singlemoms#publicpolicy#PatCummings#PatrickCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

    59 min

  4. FEB 11 · VIDEO

    “Mixing Pop and Politics: A Marxist History of Popular Music” with Toby Manning

    Toby Manning joins the Coming From Left Field Podcast to discuss his book, “Mixing Pop and Politics: A Marxist History of Popular Music,” a sweeping, theory-driven history of commercial popular music from the 1950s to today. Dr. Manning traces how popular music doesn’t float above politics but is shaped by – and responds to – capitalism, class struggle, race, empire, and changing economic regimes from Fordism/New Deal social democracy to neoliberalism and austerity. Rather than a narrow history of “protest songs,” he reads big-selling hits and major genres (rock and roll, Motown, soul, reggae, punk, post-punk, hip-hop, grunge, electronic dance music, contemporary pop) as expressions of dominant ideology, resistance, and contradiction inside a profit-driven culture industry. Drawing on Marxist concepts such as alienation, ideology, and dialectics, he shows how music both reflects the world and helps people imagine alternatives. Toby Manning is a British writer, journalist, critic, and educator based in London. He describes himself as a “professional music geek.” Dr. Manning was born and grew up in North Wales and lived in various parts of the UK before settling in London. He holds a PhD in English and Creative Writing from The Open University, completed in 2015, and much of his later work has developed from his doctoral research. He has written for major UK music and cultural publications such as NME, Q, Mojo, The Word, The Guardian, The Quietus , New Statesman, Red Pepper, and The Big Issue. He has also contributed to journals and essay collections, including work on The Velvet Underground and Talking Heads.   Resources: Order the book: https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Pop-Politics-Marxist-History/dp/1913462676  Twitter/X: @TobyManning Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TobyLManning/ Spotify Playlists: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6SzgjiHOtNowpny0zqkixQ?si=a0f8a7ad38f642a2 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7As7CSf79iXtQ6p8SCNODL?si=e2bebc6ec514442d https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0mki0qN9TeIxiTn8kfZH1Z?si=923e5c9ee6154dc7   Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ Greg’s Article on Coltrane: https://mltoday.com/coltrane-s-revolutionary-musical-journey/ Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/   mixingpopandpolitics#marxisthistoryofpopularmusic#tobymanning#popmusicandcapitalism#marxismandmusic#historyofrockandroll#punkandpolitics#hiphopandclass#popularmusicideology#fordismandculture#neoliberalismandmusic#protestmusic#musicandsocialchange#musicandalienation#politicalmusichistory#PatCummings#PatrickCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

    1h 6m

  5. FEB 4 · VIDEO

    Simplifying Socialism: Reclaiming Marxism with A.J. Horn

    In this intergenerational dialogue, we welcome writer A.J. Horn, a remarkable young Marxist-Leninist scholar. We discuss the enduring legacy of the great intellectual, Michael Parenti, who passed away a month ago. We examine what made Parenti’s work—such as his classic “Blackshirts and Reds”—so powerful: his unwavering class analysis, his clear and principled writing, and his ability to trace society's deepest problems back to capitalism and exploitation. Our conversation highlights how Parenti’s approach cuts through the noise of mainstream media and liberal academia, offering a tool for understanding the world that remains as vital as ever. The discussion then turns to the state of the left today, contrasting the red-baiting fears of past generations with the more open, progressive attitudes of A.J.’s peers. He shares his unique intellectual journey from dystopian novels to the works of Marx and Lenin and details his current projects in writing and organizing. This episode is a fascinating look at how foundational ideas are passed on and adapted, celebrating Greg’s political activism and legacy with the US communist party while spotlighting the passion and clarity of a compelling new voice on the left. A.J. Horn describes himself as a Marxist-Leninist dedicated to helping readers better understand socialism and communism by simplifying complex concepts. He identifies as a writer whose primary goal is to educate and mobilize the public against capitalism, liberalism, fascism, and other reactionary movements. A.J.’s Resources: Substack: https://substack.com/@ajhornwrites YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SimplifyingSocialism/shorts Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/simplifyingsocialism.substack.com Newsletter: https://simplifyingsocialism.beehiiv.com/   Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/   A.J.Horn#AJHorn#MichaelParenti#BlackShirtsandReds#Politicaltheory#ClassAnalysis#MarxistLeninist#Mediacriticism#Organizing#Substackauthor#1984GeorgeOrwell#Dystopianliterature#Socialism#PatCummings#PatrickCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

    47 min

  6. JAN 14 · VIDEO

    “Project Censored's State of the Free Press 2026” with Andy Lee Roth

    In this podcast episode, we interview Dr. Andy Lee Roth, a sociologist, media scholar, and editor known for his leadership role in the media watchdog group Project Censored. The discussion centers on their latest publication, State of the Free Press 2026, which marks the project's 50th anniversary of highlighting the year's most vital yet underreported news stories. Dr. Roth explains how corporate media systematically censors or distorts critical information and delves into specific examples from the book, including U.S. immigration authorities monitoring social media critics and tech giants like Facebook conducting mass takedowns of content at a government's request. The conversation broadens to examine the precarious state of press freedom, touching on the decline of local newspapers, the threat of AI-powered misinformation, and the chilling effect of widespread surveillance. While acknowledging these serious challenges, the podcast also strikes a note of cautious optimism, celebrating the rise of a robust independent media landscape and the enduring importance of critical media literacy. Dr. Roth makes a compelling case for supporting non-corporate journalism as an essential tool for defending democracy and an informed public. Andy Lee Roth is the associate director of Project Censored, a nonprofit media watchdog organization. He coordinates the Campus Affiliates Program, a network of students and faculty at colleges and universities across North America who research and identify the top "censored" news stories. He earned a PhD in Sociology from the University of California–Los Angeles and a BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Haverford College.   Resources: Order the book: https://www.project-censored.org/shop/p/state-of-the-free-press-2026 Project Censored Website: https://www.project-censored.org/ Beyond Fact-Checking: A Teaching Guide to the Power of News Frames:  https://www.projectcensored.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Beyond-Fact-Checking-web.pdf Movement Media Alliance: https://movement-media.org/   Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/   AndyLeeRoth#AndyRoth#MickeyHuff#ShealeighVoitl#StateoftheFreePress2026#ProjectCensord#FreePress2026#AI#algorithms#SocialMedia#MediaBias#Censorship#FirstAmendment#ICEsurveillance#socialmediamonitoring##AlgorithmicLiteracy#AlanMacleod#KevinGosztola#RobertMcChesney#Censorshipbyproxy#PatCummings#PatrickCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

    1h 8m

  7. JAN 9 · VIDEO

    “Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News” with Alec Karakatsanis

    In this timely interview, author and civil rights attorney Alex Karakatsanis unpacks the powerful thesis of his book, “Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News.” He argues that the mainstream news media—including trusted liberal outlets like NPR, the New York Times, and PBS—operates in collaboration with politicians, prosecutors, and the multi-billion dollar prison industry to systematically distort our understanding of crime and safety. Through what he terms "copaganda," these institutions manipulate well-meaning people by narrowing our concept of threat to focus on offenses by the poor and marginalized, while ignoring far greater harms like wage theft and pollution. Karakatsanis masterfully explains how the media uses "selective anecdotes" and sheer volume of coverage to create a false perception that crime is perpetually rising, even when data proves it’s at historic lows, all to justify ever-increasing investments in what he calls the "punishment bureaucracy."   Moving beyond critique, the conversation delves into the real-world consequences of this propaganda machine. Karakatsanis reveals how every crisis, even a police killing, is funneled by the media into demands for more system funding—like more training or more officers—instead of prompting deeper questions about the system's purpose. He dismantles the "common sense" idea that more policing means more safety, presenting compelling data that shows investments in healthcare, housing, and education are vastly more effective. Ultimately, this podcast is a powerful call to recognize how we’ve been deceived and to shift the focus from punishment to addressing the root material conditions—like poverty and inequality—that truly determine community safety.   Alex Karakatsanis is a civil rights attorney, founder of the nonprofit Civil Rights Corps, and author of Usual Cruelty and Copaganda. A former public defender, he has dedicated his career to challenging the inhumanity of the American legal system. His work has been featured in major publications, and he is a leading voice in the movement for abolition and transformative justice.   Follow Alex & Civil Rights Corps: Order the book: https://thenewpress.org/books/9781620978535/ Civil Rights Corps: https://civilrightscorps.org/ Alex on Twitter/X: @equalityAlec Subscribe to his newsletter: https://equalityalec.substack.com/   Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/   #copaganda#alexkarakatsanis#criminaljusticereform#policereform#mediabias#massincarceration#prisonindustrialcomplex#defundthepolice#abolition#criminaljusticesystemexplained#UsualCruelty#PatCummings#GregGodels#ZZsBlog#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast#zzblog#mltoday

    46 min

  8. 12/19/2025 · VIDEO

    129 – “Justice for Colombian Fisherman, Carranza Medina” with Dan Kovalik

    Carranza Medina was a 42-year-old fisherman killed when the U.S. military bombed his small boat in the Caribbean off Colombia’s coast on September 15, 2025, in a strike the Trump administration described as targeting drug traffickers. In this podcast, we have a conversation with human rights lawyer and author Dan Kovalik, who represents the Carranza family and has filed a petition before the Inter‑American Commission on Human Rights arguing that the United States carried out an extrajudicial killing and violated both his right to life and Colombia’s sovereignty.   Kovalik discusses the escalating U.S. military intervention in the Caribbean, analyzing the blockade of Venezuela, deadly strikes on suspected drug boats, and the return of "gunboat diplomacy" under the Trump administration's new "Monroe Doctrine."   The conversation broadens to include the political struggle across Latin America, speculating why the progressive "Pink Tide" has receded and how right-wing forces have become ascendant. From the coups in Bolivia to the resilience of Cuba and Nicaragua, Kovalik draws crucial lessons for the left. Finally, the hosts confront the parallel erosion of democratic norms at home, the weaponization of the law, the dismantling of the administrative state, and the silent crisis in due process. This is a sobering yet essential analysis of modern imperialism and the urgent fight to inform and mobilize public resistance.   Dan Kovalik has taught International Human Rights at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he has shared his experience with students and broader audiences on labor struggles, Colombia, and international law. He has lectured internationally on human rights and U.S. foreign policy and has been active in public forums, media appearances, and conferences, including talks on Venezuela and other conflict zones. He is the author of several books, including: The Plot to Scapegoat Russia (2017), on efforts in U.S. politics to vilify Russia. The Plot to Attack Iran and The Plot to Control the World, extending his critique of U.S. foreign policy and election interference abroad. The Plot to Overthrow Venezuela: How the US Is Orchestrating a Coup for Oil, with a foreword by filmmaker Oliver Stone. No More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using “Humanitarian” Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests (co-authored, 2020). The Case for Palestine: Why It Matters and Why You Should Care (2024), with a foreword by George Galloway.     Dan Kovalik’s Wikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Kovalik   Dan Kovalik’s Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dan-Kovalik/author/B06XZ9ZRSD    Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/   DanKovalik#Venezuelablockade#USinterventionVenezuela#MonroeDoctrine#extrajudicialkillings#Colombiafishermanlawsuit#Inter-AmericanCommissionHumanRights#regimechange#gunboatdiplomacy#LatinAmericapolitics#PinkTide#USLatinAmericapolicy#Trumpforeignpolicy#oilwars#politicalassassination#dueprocess#humanrightslaw#NicaraguaCuba#socialisminLatinAmerica#USimperialism##PatCummings#GregGodels#ZZsBlog#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast#zzblog#mltoday

    55 min
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Welcome to Coming From Left Field, a conversation about politics, books, and current events.

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  • Creator
    Unknown
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
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    Coming From Left Field (Video)

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