Episode 81: Pulpits, Bully and Otherwise

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(This episode is part of the series The Powell Movement.)

We constantly hear that the left—that is, the political left—is in trouble, beset by losses in stature and political support. No wonder, since most of the voices most often heard on the "left" come from operatives and functionaries co-opted by quite un-left forces. These voices prove unwilling to challenge the right with accurate definitions, lest they cede the prestige granted to them by the right itself. This creates in their utterances a hodgepodgey stammer of compromise to the forces of reaction in every attempt to champion progress, leaving befuddled listeners scratching their heads even as they nod in agreement.

I address that phenomenon a bit as a follow-up to my last episode in this Episode 81: Pulpits, Bully and Otherwise. Specifically, I call out New York Times columnist Paul Krugman for failing as a voice on the left in his lap-dogged determination to remain in the good graces of the very forces he should be targeting first and foremost, those operating and obfuscating our international money system. My friend calls me an example of the left's circular firing squad mentality; I counter that, in this case, compromising on the empirically verifiable reality of simple banking regulation does Krugman no favors, putting him in the same camp as climate change deniers and young earth creationists who take their positions in order to curry favor with the oligarchs funding the Foundations of Deceit and the Distortion Factories run thereby.

I read from various Paul Krugman New York Times columns, and from refuting information provided by Steve Keen's blog and book, Debunking Economics. I played audio quotes from: Michael Hudson, with definitional assistance from Walt McCree; Bernie Sanders, speaking at a gathering in Vermont; and Bernard Lietaer, recounting to a crowd of his own both the Fauxbel Prize awards system and an encounter he had with then-schoolmate Paul Krugman. A piece of angry wisdom from the cartoon version of Dilbert spiced things up a bit once again.

(Oh, and at the last minute, long after the end credits had already been recorded, I decided to throw in a bit of audio from a late-'70s cartoon mentioned by Michael Hudson. I apologize that this audio was not recognized in the list of credits.)

Musically, I played two from Jahzzar: first, "Intruder;" then "Undone." KMFDM backs Bernie Sanders in the opening, and I close with Mistle Thrush.

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0, attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.