Author: esstrainor

Paul and Sean reflect on their respective brushes with Z-list celebrity: Paul as a result of The Radio Right’s forthcoming publication; and Sean as a consequence of his internationally-viral Twitter thread. Next, they consider the relative merits of reforming, defunding, and abolishing the police, with side reflections on fascism, military dictatorship, and public sector unionism. Finally, they share their thoughts on Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone and conclude with high praise for modern Nerf gun technology.

Paul and Sean discuss the protests and urban rebellions sweeping the US after George Floyd’s murder by police, with detours on 60s radicalism and reaction, social movement theory, and (inexplicably) the rise of the Soviet bureaucracy.

This week, Sean admits to Paul that his Super Tuesday predictions were less than super. They then discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, HBO’s Chernobyl, and what HBO’s Chernobyl can tell us about the COVID-19 pandemic (spoiler: it’s not a flattering comparison!).

Paul’s audio is bad. Sean is sick. And the episode is a week late. But our analysis of the Democratic primary still holds water. And Sean’s glimpse into the soul of the liberal establishment (i.e. a public interest communications conference called ‘Frank’) remains, regrettably, current.

Paul and Sean compare notes on their winter holidays before getting down to business: discussing the blood-soaked history of American meddling in Iran, the immoral foolishness of a potential war with Iran, and what we can do to stop it. Stick around until the end for their reflections on what a successful anti-war movement will have to do — and what kinds of challenges the anti-war opposition will face.

If you’ve ever wondered why people in the 1800s thought TB patients were so damn hot, this episode is for you! Check out Paul and Sean’s discussion of Victorian America’s Cult of the Consumptive, then stay tuned as they bid adieu to Beto “The Cursing Candidate” O’Rourke and catch up on the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. Later, Paul dishes the dirt on his recent trip to Elysium (i.e. giving tours of rich New Jerseyans’ mansions) and gushes over Shared Security Accounts. Finally, Paul and Sean wrap the episode by providing some uninformed commentary on Kanye’s new album.

Paul checks in after another visit to Tech Crunch Disrupt. Spoiler alert: this year’s conference involves far less urine. Then, the boys take stock of the fast-developing impeachment news. Finally, Sean convinces Paul that, after a half century of severely-limited social and political ambitions, Americans are rediscovering their old-timey sense of utopian optimism.

Impolitic bids adieu to billionaire / policy failure David Koch. Sean explains Joe Biden’s frontrunner status as a collective act of Democratic self-delusion. Then, the boys bust out their Philosophy 101 textbooks to discuss conservative reactions to the NYT’s 1619 Project. Has Erick Erickson neglected John Calvin? Has he forsworn the right’s traditional mission of balancing Locke and Hobbes? Finally, Paul dives into Ronald Reagan’s racist shoe fetishism, and Sean explains why the National Labor Relations Act was possibly a big mistake.

Paul’s off doing ideology (aka public lectures), so Sean sits down with higher ed labor organizer (and friend of the show!) Timothy Tia. Sean and Tim discuss the wave of union organizing campaigns currently sweeping Florida colleges and the challenges of building fighting unions in right-to-work states. Longtime listeners may remember Tim as “the guy who made us watch the Karl Marx anime.”

Paul got in a Twitter fight about his relationship to the Kochs. In response, the Impolitic boys do a thorough postmortem on the spat, exploring everything from funding’s role in shaping knowledge to the effect of social media on political discourse. At the episode’s end, they talk about Ben Shapiro’s misadventures with mood affiliation.