A shock win feels like a movement—until the math starts. We dig into Zoran Mamdani’s ascent with a clear-eyed look at why voters broke for him, what “anti-politics” actually signals, and how a mayor’s bold promises get squeezed by bonds, taxes, and thin state capacity. The story here isn’t a fairy tale of revival; it’s a patient autopsy of party cartels in decline, activist narratives colliding with ordinary voter motives, and a political entrepreneur who read the room better than the machine.

We unpack the split between the activist layer and the broader electorate: one sees a springboard for a project; the other wants rent relief and competent delivery. That tension meets hard constraints. Cities don’t print money. They borrow or tax, and capital reacts. We trace why progressive mayors post-1950s hit the same wall, why LaGuardia needed Roosevelt’s federal cash, and why Dinkins and de Blasio serve as useful mirrors for what comes next. If national headwinds return—especially a Trump-era reset—does combat raise Mamdani’s profile while shrinking his room to maneuver, or does conciliation cost him the left while buying breathing room?

We also zoom out: unions that poll well but feel managerial on the ground, populism as a political strategy rather than a mass social force, and the broader void where anti-politics thrives. Mamdani’s early refusal to dignify culture-war bait showed how composure builds legitimacy in an era of institutional mistrust; later moralism was safer but weaker. The stakes now are concrete: visible affordability wins without tripping fiscal tripwires. If he threads that needle, he sets a new urban playbook. If not, the void stays open for the next savvy reader of the moment.

If this lens helps you see past the noise, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review with the one question you want answered next.

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Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake

Support the show

Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

Links and Social Media:
twitter: @varnvlog
blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social
You can find the additional streams on Youtube

Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

What happens when the revolutionary fervor of Marxism meets the probing depths of the psychoanalytic couch? In this intellectually stimulating conversation, Andrew Flores (host of The Parallax Viewer) explores the fascinating and often contentious relationship between psychoanalytic theory and left politics.

The discussion begins with a fundamental question: why should Marxists care about psychoanalysis at all? Flores argues that psychoanalysis doesn't just treat individual symptoms but addresses the "bourgeois subject"—the psychological effects of living within capitalist social relations. As he eloquently explains, "What psychoanalysis does is deal with a bourgeois subject, the effects of bourgeois consciousness... Marx invented the symptom, not Freud." This provocative claim opens a pathway to understanding how our internal psychological conflicts might reflect broader social contradictions.

Delving into Lacanian theory, Flores unpacks the three registers—Imaginary, Symbolic, and Real—that structure our experience, showing how they relate to political formation and revolutionary potential. The conversation weaves through structuralism, Althusserian Marxism, and contemporary thinkers like Alain Badiou and Domenico Losurdo, revealing the complex theoretical lineages that continue to shape leftist thought.

Perhaps most relevant to our current moment is the discussion of social fragmentation, paranoia, and what might be called our collective psychosis. As conspiracy theories proliferate and ideological certainties dissolve, psychoanalytic concepts offer valuable tools for understanding how individual and collective delusions form in response to social trauma.

Whether you're a seasoned theoretical traveler or new to these intellectual territories, this conversation offers fresh insights into how we might understand the relationship between our inner lives and the social structures that shape them—and perhaps how we might transform both.

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Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake

Support the show

Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

Links and Social Media:
twitter: @varnvlog
blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social
You can find the additional streams on Youtube

Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

What does it mean to build a socialist party in America today? The Marxist Unity Group, a left caucus within the Democratic Socialists of America, offers their perspective on this critical question while unpacking the complexities of DSA's internal dynamics, electoral strategy, and revolutionary vision.

Fresh from DSA's national convention, MUG members celebrate significant victories including the passage of their "Principles of Party Building" resolution and the election of three caucus members to national leadership. They explore how the convention demonstrated both DSA's growing maturity and the ongoing tensions between different political tendencies within the organization.

The conversation takes a fascinating turn when examining DSA's relationship with electoral campaigns, particularly Zoran Mamdani's potentially historic mayoral run in New York City. As Mamdani's messaging shifts toward the mainstream, the panelists wrestle with fundamental questions: How should socialists approach executive office? Can reforms be won without compromising revolutionary principles? What happens when elected officials begin to distance themselves from the very organization that helped elect them?

What emerges is a thoughtful analysis of the challenges facing socialist politics in America today. The MUG members articulate how winning reforms must be connected to a broader revolutionary program and party-building strategy. They highlight how declining trust in institutions creates openings for socialist politics, but only if socialists can offer genuine alternatives rather than simply better management of the existing system.

Whether you're a DSA member, a curious observer of left politics, or someone trying to understand how socialists navigate America's difficult political terrain, this conversation offers valuable insights into building working class power in challenging times. Listen now to explore these crucial strategic questions with some of DSA's most thoughtful organizers.

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Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake

Support the show

Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

Links and Social Media:
twitter: @varnvlog
blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social
You can find the additional streams on Youtube

Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

In this riveting conversation with Dave Stockdale of Nightmare Masterclass, we dive deep into the crumbling foundations of media trust and how dark money shapes our information landscape. The discussion begins with a critical examination of the recent "Chorus" controversy, where progressive influencers took billionaire funding while decrying criticism as "misinformation" – adopting the very tactics they once condemned from the right.

What makes this conversation particularly compelling is how it connects these media credibility issues to broader cultural trends in film and entertainment. We explore how modern horror directors like Ari Aster are creating sophisticated works with complex social commentary, only to have critics mischaracterize them through simplistic political lenses. Films like "Eddington" and "Weapons" aren't straightforward propaganda but artistic expressions designed to generate meaningful discourse about society's challenges.

The fragmentation of media extends beyond news into entertainment, with streaming services oversaturating the market while younger generations increasingly disconnect from traditional formats entirely. Many Zoomers report they simply don't watch movies, creating separate cultural universes where shared reference points become increasingly rare. This disconnection mirrors the broader social atomization affecting everything from politics to personal relationships.

Perhaps most fascinating is our examination of how parasocial relationships are replacing genuine social connections, a trend that Dave describes as potentially "Armageddon-like" in its implications. When people claim "there is no more social, only parasocial," they're describing a fundamentally broken society incapable of collective action or shared understanding.

Whether you're concerned about media manipulation, fascinated by horror cinema's evolution, or simply trying to make sense of our increasingly fragmented culture, this conversation offers valuable insights into how we might navigate these challenging times with greater awareness and intentionality.

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Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake

Support the show

Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

Links and Social Media:
twitter: @varnvlog
blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social
You can find the additional streams on Youtube

Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

What makes a radical left movement actually succeed in the 21st century? In this deeply illuminating conversation, Henry Wallis of New International Magazine breaks down how France Unbowed has become one of Europe's most significant left formations while avoiding the collapse that befell similar movements.

Unlike traditional leftist organizations fixated on ideological purity or social democratic parties comfortable with existing institutions, France Unbowed has pioneered a "radical left" approach that combines electoral participation with revolutionary aims. At its core lies a sophisticated theory recognizing our era's unique material conditions: unprecedented urbanization, ecological crisis, and complete dependence on networks capitalism controls.

Wallace reveals how France Unbowed's organizational model builds power through osmosis rather than rigid party structures. Their "action groups" federate across France, creating an accessible movement where anyone can participate without ideological litmus tests. Most critically, they maintain unwavering commitment to their program, holding elected officials strictly accountable - something American movements like DSA have failed to achieve.

The conversation explores urgent questions facing left movements globally: How do we balance electoral strategy with systemic transformation? Can we build internationalism without retreating into nationalism? What organizational forms actually deliver victories rather than moral posturing? And perhaps most importantly, how do we create movements that speak to people's immediate needs while maintaining revolutionary integrity?

For anyone frustrated by the American left's fragmentation, France Unbowed offers practical lessons. Their focus on programmatic unity over ideological purity, their strategic electoral engagement, and their ability to address 21st-century crises like climate change provide a roadmap for building mass movements capable of challenging power.

Whether you're a seasoned organizer or simply seeking alternatives to our broken political system, this episode offers rare insights into a movement that's actually winning. The question remains: can we learn from their example?

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Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake

Support the show

Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

Links and Social Media:
twitter: @varnvlog
blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social
You can find the additional streams on Youtube

Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

This episode was released patreon's only in 2021. Mario Tronti and Antonio Negri stand as towering figures in the forgotten history of Italian radical Marxism. Their theoretical frameworks - operaismo and autonomia - emerged from the unique contradictions of post-war Italy: a strong Communist Party trapped in parliamentary politics while workers sought more direct forms of resistance.

What made these movements revolutionary wasn't just their militancy but their methodological breakthrough. Rather than lecturing workers about theory, intellectuals like Raniero Panzieri entered factories to listen and learn through "co-research." From this engagement came Tronti's profound insight: contrary to orthodox Marxism, workers' struggles drive capitalist development, not vice versa. Capital constantly recomposes itself in response to labor's resistance - a perspective that brilliantly anticipated neoliberalism's fragmentation of the working class decades before it became obvious to others.

The movements diverged when Tronti returned to parliamentary politics while Negri pursued increasingly militant autonomia, arguing that capitalism had shifted from development to pure control, requiring immediate resistance rather than long-term organization. This split reflected broader tensions within radical movements worldwide: reform versus revolution, patience versus urgency, institutions versus direct action. Their theoretical extensions were equally significant - connecting factory struggles to unwaged domestic labor and laying groundwork for social reproduction theory.

Whether you're interested in Italian political history, Marxist theory, or the roots of contemporary social movements, this discussion illuminates how these forgotten radical thinkers anticipated our present predicaments with uncanny accuracy. Their legacy reminds us that revolutionary theory emerges not from abstract philosophizing but from genuine engagement with workers' lived experiences.

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Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake

Support the show

Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

Links and Social Media:
twitter: @varnvlog
blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social
You can find the additional streams on Youtube

Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

What if blockchain technology could emancipate us rather than just enrich speculators? In this wide-ranging conversation with Victor Vernissage, researcher, economist, and founder of Humanode.io, we explore how emerging technologies might transform our economic systems if deployed with democratic values rather than purely capitalist structures.

"Crypto is mostly about speculation. It's the main use case right now," Victor explains, cutting through the hype to address fundamental issues with current blockchain implementations. He argues that most systems remain "purely plutocratic, oligarchic, capitalistic structures where the more money you have, the more power you have," despite revolutionary potential for something entirely different. The discussion challenges widespread economic illiteracy underlying many blockchain projects, with Victor boldly stating that "neoclassical economics is complete bullshit" that fails to model real-world complexity.

We venture into fascinating territory when discussing how blockchain and AI technologies intersect. Victor outlines four major possibilities: decentralized AI computation keeping conversations private rather than corporate-controlled; autonomous AI agents that can trade independently; governance systems for artificial intelligence; and new economic structures for a world where AI displaces human workers. Humanode specifically focuses on creating "one human, one vote" governance systems using biometrics to verify unique identities without compromising privacy.

Perhaps most revolutionary is the potential for wealth redistribution through technology. Victor describes how AI agents conducting transactions generate fees, which typically flow to wealthy validators. However, with systems like Humanode, these fees could instead be distributed equally among participants, creating "not money for nothing, but money for something" – a new economic model beyond traditional UBI concepts.

The conversation ultimately reveals that our technological future isn't predetermined. While current implementations often reinforce existing power structures, these technologies could create more democratic, equitable systems if implemented differently. The question isn't whether technology will transform society, but whether we'll allow that transformation to serve humanity or exploit it.

Ready to rethink everything you thought you knew about economics and technology? Listen now, then join the conversation about building a more democratic digital future.

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Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake

Support the show

Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

Links and Social Media:
twitter: @varnvlog
blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social
You can find the additional streams on Youtube

Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic

What happens when grief becomes inheritance? When poet Miller Oberman became a father himself, he suddenly understood something that had shaped his entire life: he had been parented by someone traumatized by the loss of a child. This revelation sparked an extraordinary poetic journey, driving him toward his father's unfinished memoir about the drowning death of his two-year-old son Joshua in 1972.

"Impossible Things," Oberman's second collection, emerges from this intersection of personal and inherited trauma. Through his meticulous craft, Oberman transforms fragments of his father's prose into erasure poems, creating a dialogue between father and son that transcends death. The collection explores how tragedy ripples through generations, manifesting in unexpected ways—like the single small shoe belonging to Joshua that his father kept among his own shoes, a haunting presence throughout Oberman's childhood.

Formal constraints become crucial tools for approaching unbearable subjects. Oberman employs "the beautiful outlaw," a form that systematically omits letters, making it impossible to directly name what's being described. This technique brilliantly mirrors the experience of absence itself, forcing creative circumlocution that often leads to more profound expressions than straightforward language could achieve. As Oberman notes, "I go to therapy to write poems, not the other way around"—a reminder that while poetry may heal, its purpose extends beyond therapeutic release.

Readers familiar with loss will find recognition in these pages, while those intimidated by poetry will discover accessible entry points through the collection's clear narrative framework. Oberman's mission echoes his father's original intention in writing his memoir: to tell others experiencing profound grief that they are not alone. Through exquisite craft and unflinching honesty, "Impossible Things" accomplishes something remarkable—it makes the unspeakable not only speakable but beautiful.

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Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake

Support the show

Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

Links and Social Media:
twitter: @varnvlog
blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social
You can find the additional streams on Youtube

Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic