I am an hour in and I will finish it but as of yet I have not gained any gems from this discussion. A big part of me wonders how these three guys can sit and have such a long and meandering conversation without getting up and walking out of the room out of frustration.
Some interesting conversations take place in the beginning about the U.S.'s rise to global hegemon, then Wolff asserts that we are entering an anticolonial period of history. Possible. Things do seem to be leveling out as the U.S. empire declines and more and more countries are able to assert their sovereignty and deal on more equal terms with countries like China, Russia, and Brazil. There is a long road ahead on that front.
They are all lost as to what the future of the left is in the United States. They discuss how there is not the unified working class that Marx predicted would come into being. They continue that without these working class there is no power structure by which the people can pursue their interests.
They are unhappy with Zohran Mamdani's tenure as mayor of New York City, believe he has betrayed his roots and has to a large extent been absorbed by the democratic party machine.
They spend a lot of time highlighting what they like about Bernie Sanders in contrast to Mamdani who in their assessment has not capitulated to the democratic party to the same extent, though they did grumble about Bernie endorsing Biden and then Harris for president.
I was actually shocked to hear that Norman Finkelstein went door to door canvasing for Zohran Mamdani. Finkelstein is now disgusted with how Zohran has turned his back on pro-palestine protestors and the many people who helped him get elected without so much as an explanation for why he has chosen this course of action.
A lot of discussions of the DSA. Their opinions are generally favorable, they say the DSA has gotten very good at electing candidates but is not yet so good at holding those candidates accountable after they are elected and start to conform to the democratic party.
Another interesting moment was when Finkelstein, reflecting on Cornel West's campaign for president suggested that West emulate Sanders and speak less about himself when campaigning, to which West said he would not deny himself even for "a billion dollars", an impressive admission. Then West criticized the Black Panthers for being "atheistic".
I will finish the podcast later. I do not think it is essential listening for anybody. But if that changes in the second half, I'll admit that I was wrong.