Darts and Letters: Trump, interrupted

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We can breathe a sigh of relief with Biden’s victory, but it ain’t time to check out and go to brunch. Because Trumpism is not going anywhere. In a razor-thin election, Trump expanded his base—despite his bungling of COVID-19. In light of that, we have to accept this plain fact: Trump is more popular than we thought, and to more people. And again, the DNC, the pollsters, and elite media establishment clearly missed the mark. So, what is Trumpism actually, and how can we defeat it?

• First, in host Gordon Katic’s opening essay, he sort of defends Trump. The media’s attacks on him were all wrong, because they often missed the true dangers of Trump. Now, Trumpism is only interrupted, and little has been done to blunt its underlining appeal.
• Next (@9:08), Mark Blyth is the plain-talking political economist for everyone. He has the superpower of predicting terrible things, including: the 2016 election, Brexit, and he even said of this election “Trump has a lot left in the tank.” Mark tells us that Trumpism is a dangerous tribal anger; but there’s another more productive side of anger, righteous anger. We find ways out of Trumpism in his new book, Angrynomics, co-written with Eric Lonergan.
• Then (@39:13), Professor Andrea Benjamin gives us the view from local politics; she takes us from city council to the DNC, asking: how do minority voters mobilize on the ground, and what do they actually want? She tells us, the Democratic establishment better start asking those very same questions.
• Finally (@55:14), Luke Savage is one of the most exciting voices in the Jacobin-left, and he breaks down the election results and what they mean for the future of the party. We also talk about the emerging left intellectual commentariat, and why it is so exciting right now.

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—————————-CREDITS—————————-

This week, Darts and Letters was produced by Jay Cockburn, Polly Leger, and Gordon Katic. Research and support from David Moscrop and Addye Susnick. Our theme song and music was created by Mike Barber, and our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop.

This episode received support by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research, which provided us a research grant to look at the concept of “public intellectualism.” Professor Allen Sens at the University of British Columbia is the lead academic advisor.

This show is produced by Cited Media, which makes other great shows like Cited Podcast and Crackdown.

Darts and Letters is produced in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples. It is also produced in Vancouver, BC, which is on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.