Angry and Verklemmt

Angry and Verklemmt

Tune in for boisterous but reasoned discussion on the politics of our time. Julian and Roddy bring their voluminous banter to the world of social media.

单集

  1. The assault on democracy is an assault on the social.

    4月27日

    The assault on democracy is an assault on the social.

    Trump didn’t need to come along for social programs to be in trouble, but he surely is not going out of his way to protect them, either. This is a long story in American politics. First, we have the ostensible fear of big government – do you really want it reaching into your healthcare and retirement? Most Republicans—and more than a few Democrats—place in question the ability of government to handle suchcomplex undertakings. And it is undeniable that this same reaction can be elicited quite easily across the political culture. Americans—perhaps Anglo North Americans—have a different relationship to the ‘state’ than we find in other OECD countries. We are less comfortable with its presence in our lives. NorthAmericans don’t talk about ‘the state’, just government, which can be disposed of and replaced by popular command. Add to this the ongoing claim, since at least the 1980s, that this cradle-to-grave existence, consolidated in the post-war era has run its course. It’s irresponsible, and we can’t sustain it fiscally. America needs to fashion market-based alternatives to these supposedly dying systems, rather than propping them up until their inevitable collapse. There are, of course, counterarguments to both of these claims, but in an individualized and market-heavy political culture, these are regularly brushed away. And not just with the help of Republicans. Still, the social state in the US—for all its faults—has continued to grow, albeit on an incremental, piecemeal basis. In this episode, we want to ask the question whether the current administration marks a break in that trend. We ask whether the administration—in its flurry of activity—also intends to dismantle cherished social programs and to what end. What could this possibly achieve politically, and if it brings only negative political returns, why do it? So join us, on Angry and Verklemmt, as we consider the assault on democracy as an assault on the social…

    1 小时 15 分钟
  2. Is it okay to be angry?

    4月13日

    Is it okay to be angry?

    It's been an accelerant in American politics for a long time now--anger. It's what Barry Goldwater tapped into when he courted resentful white voters in the 1964 election. It's what Pat Buchanan was aiming at when hedeclared a culture war in the early 90s. And of course, Tea Party antics throughout the Obama administration eventually fused into the Freedom Caucus, and later, the seemingly bottomless well of Trump-fueled rage. We've entered a period in America when indignation and infamy are apparently the only viable doorway to politics. Anything else just seems unremarkable and insufficient to the moment. And yet, all the while, we hear demands to find commonground. It's still frequently suggested that there's more that unites America than divides it. Above all, there's been a non-stop questioning around the source of this anger. Where does it come from? Why now? Can it be addressed? And who is addressing it better? So to think about this, we want to ask asimple question. Is it okay to be angry? And if it is, how is it okay? And what should it mean for politics in the US? There's a prevailing sentiment that anger and outrage are kind of exclusively the domain of Republicans and that Democratsjust fare better when they stay above the fray. But the current environment is almost certainly challenging that orthodoxy because a wider cross current of people are experiencing misgiving and anger at the flurry of events instigated by the present administration. It also seems to be awakening a new fight mentality among Democrats. The lingering question is whether Democrats can utilize and manage this anger effectively and whether this will have a lasting impact on the future of the party and American politics going forward.

    1 小时 11 分钟

关于

Tune in for boisterous but reasoned discussion on the politics of our time. Julian and Roddy bring their voluminous banter to the world of social media.