Episode 419 - Tavis Smiley Speaks Out on Democratic Party Influence Attempt

Subscribe to Bad Faith on Patreon to instantly unlock this episode and our entire premium episode library: http://patreon.com/badfaithpodcast National Spokesperson for the Uncommitted campaign Hudhayfah Ahmad returns to Bad Faith along with independent journalist and founder of votepact.org Sam Husseini to address the recent controversy surrounding Middle East Eye's report that the Uncommitted campaign effectively "committed" itself to a narrow range of political action after it accepted $400,000 from a Democratic Party-aligned PAC with the condition that it could not endorse any candidate outside the Democratic Party. Sam. Housseni makes the case for additional leverage via "vote pacts" -- agreements between Red- and Blue-aligned voters who want to make a principled third party vote to cancel each other out so they can confidently vote their values. Also, what's next for Palestine protests in the Trump era? Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod). Produced by Armand Aviram. Theme by Nick Thorburn (@nickfromislands).

Subscribe to Bad Faith on Patreon to instantly unlock our full premium episode library: http://patreon.com/badfaithpodcast So, Trump won. And we've assembled some of my favorite leftists to unpack why. Host of the Katie Halper Show and co-host of Useful Idiots Katie Halper weighs in on the left's predictions about the impact Gaza might have on this election and takes down the mainstream media narratives that emerged immediately following Trump's win. Independent writer Zaid Jilani, who hails from swinging Georgia, offers a unique perspective on the state, as well as the choice to prioritize identity politics over the material needs of voters. Last but not least, journalist Malaika Jabali offers insights from her on-the-ground reporting in Wisconsin-- a state that ended up being an underobserved harbinger of the future of the Democratic Party. Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod). Produced by Armand Aviram. Theme by Nick Thorburn (@nickfromislands).

Subscribe to Bad Faith on Patreon to instantly unlock this episode and our entire premium episode library: http://patreon.com/badfaithpodcast Professor of Journalism at Northwestern University Dr. Steven Thrasher returns to discuss how the fourth estate is failing Gaza, the suppression of students and future journalists for speaking out against the genocide, and how he's been personally targeted by his university for standing with students in their advocacy for Palestinian lives. Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod). Produced by Armand Aviram. Theme by Nick Thorburn (@nickfromislands).

Subscribe to Bad Faith on Patreon to instantly unlock our full premium episode library: http://patreon.com/badfaithpodcast Renowned talk show host Tavis Smiley, formerly of BET Tonight & NPR's The Tavis Smiley Show, joins Bad Faith to give a firsthand account of the Democratic Party's attempt to bias his recent interview with Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein. Smiley provides new details as to the nature of the email from a Democratic Party affiliate who attempted to feed Smiley opposition research on Dr. Stein and provides context for how unprecedented this activity is. Smiley also assesses the Harris campaign's approach to Black American voters via his new book Covenant with Black America - 20 Years Later, which assesses the progress (or lack thereof) Black Americans have made under Democratic leadership. Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod). Produced by Armand Aviram. Theme by Nick Thorburn (@nickfromislands).

Subscribe to Bad Faith on Patreon to instantly unlock this episode and our entire premium episode library: http://patreon.com/badfaithpodcast Palestinian-American activist, legal scholar, and human rights attorney Noura Erakat joins Bad Faith in a must-listen episode on the strategic benefits limits of the law in stopping a genocide, how to leverage electoral power to end U.S. aid to Israel, and why she isn't voting for Kamala Harris. Noura also weighs in for the first time on why she declined to join the Green Party ticket as V.P. and makes the case for solidarity across the left -- even in the face of strategic disagreement. Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod). Produced by Armand Aviram. Theme by Nick Thorburn (@nickfromislands).

Subscribe to Bad Faith on Patreon to instantly unlock our full premium episode library: http://patreon.com/badfaithpodcast Political economist David Fields joins Bad Faith for a conversation that goes beyond housing policy to unpack the very roots of why the Democratic Party seems unable to provide basic improvements for working people -- even when they're in power. He clarifies the YIMBY vs. NIMBY debate, how YIMBYism has been appropriated by corporate developers, and how false economic narratives (e.g. the supply/demand curve) have been weaponized to justify real-estate lobby-approved solutions to the housing crisis. Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod). Produced by Armand Aviram. Theme by Nick Thorburn (@nickfromislands).

Subscribe to Bad Faith on Patreon to instantly unlock this episode and our entire premium episode library: http://patreon.com/badfaithpodcast Political scientist Aaron Good joins Bad Faith to discuss the deep state and his book "American Exception: Hegemony and the Tripartite State," in which he examines the relationship between the state, elite criminality, and U.S. hegemony. What is the "deep state," how has that term been misappropriated by the right, and how is the power of the deep state being reflected in the 2024 election -- both with respect to the choice of Democratic candidate and her policy priorities? Also, can the deep state be beat -- and if not, is it time to just say screw it and get an MFA for health insurance and a little structure while we work on our novels? Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod). Produced by Armand Aviram. Theme by Nick Thorburn (@nickfromislands).

Subscribe to Bad Faith on Patreon to instantly unlock our full premium episode library: http://patreon.com/badfaithpodcast Attorney, writer, and podcast host Esha K. joins Bad Faith for a deep dive into how the US government has used culture to surreptitiously influence the politics of Americans. From funding art styles through patronage at major museums to consulting on action movies to recruiting artists to do worldwide tours showcasing American "equality," the government's interest in influencing culture raises questions about how invested the left should be in recruiting popular figures to advance our message. Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod). Produced by Armand Aviram. Theme by Nick Thorburn (@nickfromislands).

Subscribe to Bad Faith on Patreon to instantly unlock this episode and our entire premium episode library: http://patreon.com/badfaithpodcast Catherine Liu wrote the definitive case against the Professional Managerial Class -- a group of elite wage workers who tend to dominate media, politics, and other leadership positions due to their educational attainment and other class signifiers that set them apart from the rest of the working class. She has identified the PMC as a key obstacle to achieving substantive gains for the working class as a whole. But is that changing as economic precarity reaches more and more people, and as candidates like Kamala Harris reveal the emptiness of PMC identity politics? Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod). Produced by Armand Aviram. Theme by Nick Thorburn (@nickfromislands).

Subscribe to Bad Faith on Patreon to instantly unlock our full premium episode library: http://patreon.com/badfaithpodcast From time to time there's an interview that fundamentally alters and enriches my understanding of how the world works. This is one of them. Professor of Economics at Denison University Fadhel Kaboub returns to Bad Faith to explain how developing Africa may be the key to the climate crisis as well as to the prosperity of a billion comrades on the continent -- but significant political barriers are in the way. Dr. Kaboub explains how America is failing catastrophically to stop climate change, how China shows a different path forward, and why anticapitalist global solidarity movements are necessary to save us all. Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod). Produced by Armand Aviram. Theme by Nick Thorburn (@nickfromislands).