51 - The Deficit Myth (w/ Stephanie Kelton)

Bernie sits down with three leading economists and a top trade union leader to discuss how the government should respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Stephanie Kelton is a professor of economics and public policy at Stony Brook University. She is a leading expert on Modern Monetary Theory and a former Chief Economist on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee. She was named by POLITICO as one of the 50 people most influencing the policy debate in America. Jeffrey Sachs is a professor, author, and advisor to governments around the world and to the United Nations. He leads global efforts for sustainable development and climate safety. He has been an ardent supporter of Bernie Sanders in both 2016 and 2020, and strongly supports the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. He is an expert on public health and epidemics, and has advised the World Health Organization at the highest levels during the past 20 years. Professor Sachs helped to conceive and implement the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria. Robert Reich is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, served as US Secretary of Labor from 1993-1997, and is co-founder of Inequality Media which uses the power of storytelling to inform and engage the public about the realities and impacts of inequality and imbalance of power in America. Sara Nelson has served as the International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO since 2014. She first became a union member in 1996 and today she represents 50,000 of aviation’s first responders at 20 airlines. The New York Times called her "America's most powerful flight attendant" for her role in helping to end the 35 day Government Shutdown and InStyle Magazine placed her on their 2019 Top 50 Badass Women list.

Since the start of the Democratic primary more than a year ago, we have seen the field dwindle from 20-some candidates to just two. On the one-year anniversary of our first episode, former Warren supporters make the case for progressives to rally around Bernie now that the choice is between him and Joe Biden. Ryan Knight is a progressive activist and political analyst who hosts the podcast Amped Up with Proud Resister. Blair Imani is an activist, historian, and author of, most recently, Making Our Way Home: The Great Migration and the Black American Dream. Ryan's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProudResister Ryan's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ProudResister Blair's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlairImani Blair's books: http://blairimani.com/books

Economist Stephanie Kelton gives Briahna a crash course in monetary policy and why the United States would actually benefit from increased deficit spending - so long as it flows toward working people, not stock buybacks. Stephanie makes the case that, in the midst of the historic economic crash that COVID-19 is causing, the federal government could go much farther than last week's stimulus package to ease economic pain and prevent mass layoffs. Stephanie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StephanieKelton Pre-order The Deficit Myth: https://stephaniekelton.com/book

Recording from home, Briahna speaks with YouTuber Natalie Wynn about how COVID-19 underscores the need for Bernie's policies and talking to the political other. Under her YouTube alias ContraPoints, Natalie tackles topics like incels, cancel culture, and classism in stylish video essays. ContraPoints on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNvsIonJdJ5E4EXMa65VYpA ContraPoints on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/contrapoints

As COVID-19 reshapes American life in unprecedented ways, Briahna examines how Bernie's health care and housing proposals would help protect American workers during a global pandemic. In two interviews recorded late last week, Briahna talks to professor Jeffrey Sachs about how Medicare for All would do much to prepare the U.S. for outbreaks like COVID-19 and to George Gardner III, supervising attorney at the Housing Rights Unit of Legal Services NYC, about Bernie's call for a moratorium on housing evictions. Jeffrey Sachs on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffdsachs George on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ggiii

With the race down to Bernie versus Joe, Briahna digs into the specifics (or lack thereof) of Biden's health care plan with Matt Bruenig of the People's Policy Project. The People's Policy Project: https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/ The Bruenigs Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/thebruenigs Matt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MattBruenig

Airplane delays kept Briahna from a joint live show in Boston with Daniel Denvir's The Dig podcast and the Michael Brooks Show last weekend, but we're including a portion of that show featuring Natalie Shure here. Listen to the full show: https://www.thedigradio.com/podcast/bernie-2020-with-michael-brooks-and-natalie-shure/ Then, a short clip of Briahna's conversation with Karen Hunter from the Karen Hunter Show in which they discuss billionaires, poverty, and talking to those with whom you disagree. Watch the full interview: https://youtu.be/ZTYjF-oSYb8 The Michael Brooks Show: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh2UY1hxlMr4_7Az_iQ82HQ The Dig: https://www.thedigradio.com Natalie Shure on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nataliesurely "Which Side Are You On" by RevolutionarySongCircle is licensed under a Creative Commons BY license: https://soundcloud.com/revolutionarysongcircle/which-side-are-you-on

Fresh from his massive win in Nevada, which confirmed his status as front-runner for the Democratic nomination, Bernie has come under attack for being "divisive." Strange, then, that Bernie's support is the most diverse of any campaign in the race, and he routinely wins head-to-head match-ups against both Donald Trump and the other Democratic candidates. Briahna explains why efforts by the establishment to tear down this multiracial, working-class coalition will fail. Then, in our final episode of Black History Month, Briahna chats with a panel of Black Bernie staffers about why they support "the old white guy" and with Dr. Victoria Dooley about the lives Medicare for All would save in her diverse medical practice. The panel guests: Sam Adaramola, Media Producer, https://twitter.com/samoriginals Terrel Champion, Policy Advisor, https://twitter.com/TerrelDreamer Erica England, Operations Manager, https://twitter.com/TheEricaEngland Christopher Moore, Associate Studio Producer, https://twitter.com/ChrisMoore_94 Samaria Phillips, Media Producer Dr. Victoria Dooley on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrDooleyMD

Briahna on why we cannot allow Michael Bloomberg to buy the Democratic primary, Tim Black on the role of independent media in the growing left movement, and Justin Jackson on posting as praxis. Tim on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TimsTakeLive And Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealTimBlack Justin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/J_ManPrime21

Briahna explains why Bernie won Iowa despite efforts to discount predominantly minority and working-class voters. Victoria Rodriguez-Roldán, a transgender and disability activist, argues that the concerns of her communities cannot be separated from universal programs like Medicare for All. Journalist and professor Dr. Steven Thrasher explains why LGBTQIA+ communities are often the first and worst affected by scourges like HIV/AIDS. Christine Hallquist, an entrepreneur and the first openly transgender major party nominee for governor in the United States, talks building a coalition with those "on the other side" without compromising your values. Victoria on Twitter: twitter.com/yovimi Dr. Thrasher on Twitter: twitter.com/thrasherxy Christine on Twitter: twitter.com/christine4world