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 invisible force that explains why so many voters can't see what's right in front of them. Spoiler alert: it's not really dark at all.

We examine the original No Kings manifesto and ask some pointed questions about which "dark matter" has trained so many Americans not to recognize real threats.

This isn't the time for half measures and tepid language. We're channeling some serious energy for what these times call for.

Episode 914 recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance for the week of July 4th, 2025 - Not safe for work

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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 Republicans has changed.

Someone FINALLY says, "Liberals were right all along," buuuuut...

Enjoy this more spontaneous-than-usual show.

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• Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com
• Website: proleftpod.com
• Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod
• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

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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 Rolling Stone reports were "based on vibes" rather than intelligence.

We explore how a president who spent years tweeting that Obama would "play the Iran card" has now done exactly that himself, abandoning his "no foreign wars" promise the moment cable news suggested he needed to "get more involved." It's the story of how America's foreign policy became must-see TV, and how Republicans reprogram themselves to cheer whatever Dear Leader does next.

"The president was closely monitoring Fox News, which was airing wall-to-wall praise of Israel's military operation and featuring guests urging Mr. Trump to get more involved." —The New York [Effing] Times

We close by discussing the 1976 BBC production "I, Claudius" and its plot's uncanny similarities to Washington, D.C. today.

Not safe for work. Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.

Stay in Touch!

• Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com
• Website: proleftpod.com
• Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod
• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

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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 isolationists and hawks, plus how certain unrepentant ghouls somehow found their way back onto our screens. There's also a delightful trip through our spam folder and the usual Trump chaos, including his latest "two weeks" promise. Oh, and this week, we survived another tornado siren while recording a podcast with Bob Cesca (linked below) because apparently, natural disasters follow us around.

Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance, where we remember stuff.

Link for this episode:

Driftglass and Blue Gal on The Bob Cesca Show: https://www.bobcesca.com/the-bob-cesca-interview-driftglass-and-blue-gal-day-6-18-25/

Stay in Touch!

• Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com
• Website: proleftpod.com
• Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod
• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

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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 protesters (Yay, No Kings Marches!) than supporters, to the horrific Minnesota political assassinations that exposed how quickly the right-wing propaganda machine can pivot from one set of lies to another, especially when reality and facts get in the way.

All this and more from the weekend's news.

It's all part of our ongoing examination of how millions of Americans have become "reprogrammable" - and what happens when their programming starts to glitch.

Not safe for work. Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.

Stay in Touch!

• Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com
• Website: proleftpod.com
• Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod
• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

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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 break from documenting Republican authoritarianism to explore the 1948 film noir masterpiece "The Big Clock," but quickly return to the fascist dumpster fire by introducing you to Bo Loudon, an 18-year-old MAGA influencer who represents the toxic roots of today's Republican party through his grifter family's Mar-a-Lago connections and reality TV fame. We also cover the latest authoritarian nightmares, plus we celebrate the few voices of truth still speaking out against this madness.

Link for this episode: Driftglass (and Digby) on the BradCast with Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen. https://bradblog.com/?p=15413

Stay in Touch!

• Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com
• Website: proleftpod.com
• Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod
• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

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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 blame and why Rebecca Solnit's brilliant "she made him do it" theory seems to explain everything in politics these days. Plus, we celebrate a spicy email from our friends at Penzey's and remind everyone that paper straws and pronouns are NOT the problem.

Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance

Link for this episode: Rebecca Solnit, "The She Made Him Do It Theory of Everything". https://www.meditationsinanemergency.com/the-she-made-him-do-it-theory-of-everything-2/

Stay in Touch!

• Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com
• Website: proleftpod.com
• Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod
• Mail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791

Support the show