Episode 291 Audio: Wajahat Ali

We’re grateful to Wajahat Ali, writer of The Left Hook on Substack, for his keen insight as our special guest for post-Dem primary discussion! Waj is a fantastic chronicler and analyst of the most depraved and inhumane dimensions of the Trump presidency, helping us to understand the systems in place and the coalitions of right-wing goons that prop Trump up, even when they have their reservations about him. At the front are his “broligarch” lackeys, the robber-barons like Musk and Bezos, the white supremacists finding in Trump a vehicle for virulent racism, the religious fanatics whose attraction to Trump (as we point out) feels totally inexplicable. And while these groups expect to use Trump, despite his flaws, in different ways to pursue their political ends, we also see that they share the basic political analysis that white men, and white men alone, deserve to wield power over our society and consolidate all of its vast resources for their pleasure. This analysis sounds dire, but things are really that bad, and that urgent: as the American class continues to struggle just to make it day to day, living in fear of a medical emergency, it’s preyed upon and exploited by tyrants and tycoons who want to take every last penny from them in the workplace and leave them with nothing. So with these more sober reflections in mind, we also turn toward a bright light in the growing movement of popular support for democratic socialists running for government positions. We spend time with the recent victory of Angie Nixon in Florida’s Democratic primary for the Senate, looking at her as a bold fighter capable of providing a path forward to justice and hope as the conditions of life become ever more untenable.So, amidst the gloom of Trump’s ongoing war on the working class, we also have cause to celebrate when we find real fighters to show us the way. Thanks to Waj for joining us, and thank you for listening! This episode is available as a podcast on major streaming platforms and here on Substack. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe