The Good Fight

Rapidly becoming one of my favorite podcasts. He brings on very thoughtful guests and is, himself, conscientious and an adroit host.

The most peculiar thing about ideologues (and centrist liberals who believe themselves to be non-ideological are the greatest example of this) is how dependably predictable their minds are. History, facts, electoral results, etc… that contradict their ideological positions can always be contextualized as the exception that proves the rule or brushed away as “agree to disagree (but ultimately I’m right wink, wink)”. A little policy nudge here, a think tank report there, sprinkle a light regulation on the market and we’ll be back on the Clintonomics track! There’s no need to get behind the paywall here because every conversation ends exactly as you’d expect it. I was surprised to learn the other day on this podcast that the reasonable liberal middle class brought us the 8/hr day and 5-day week as a way of nudging free markets towards Fukuyama’s end of history (a collaborator of this host and the proprietor of some of the most banal, unimaginative opinions this side of MSNBC). Discomfort is not struggle, Mr. Mounk. That $0.75 you added on top of your oat latte didn’t end up saving the female led coffee cooperative in Guatemala but I’m sure you knew that even though you’re unblemished by even your own reactionary ideology (yes, when your position is determined by the coordinates of two dynamic “extremes” you are a reactionary without convictions based on personal or collective values. This is why climate is only discussed here in nominal terms). Ivy League tuitions are a scam.

Excellent show!

I get it. I know why black republicans are super popular on the right. But Coleman Hughes has such thin ideas. I swear I was able to finish half of his sentences, because no matter the question he responds the same. How can you claim to be a critique of some of the most thoughtful, researched, intelligent, and insightful white, black, Indian, and Jewish race scholars in this country when you yourself constantly claim not having any answers or personal theories of your own. I honestly can’t believe that Yascha or any other serious thinker enjoys discussing things with him. He is not a bad person and in my opinion he has had a great run. But I can’t take him seriously, in intellectual terms he is the lightest of lightweights. For anyone genuinely trying to understand the legacy of slavery there are GIANTS living amongst us that are master teachers on the topic. jamelle biouie, Eric foner, Jefferson cowie, raj cherry, Angela Davis, John a Powell, heather mcghee, David blight, Isabel Wilkerson …….are a few off the top of my head.