S1 E8 The Sickness is the System with Richard Wolff

01/18/22 • 58 min

Peaceful Political Revolution in America

Welcome back to the Peaceful Political Revolution in America podcast.

It has been pointed out on this podcast by more than a few people, that our Constitution is as much an economic or class document, as it was a political one. For starters, our colonial era Constitution was designed to protect the interests of the slavocracy, to favor the individual accumulation of wealth and property over the collective well-being of society. In short, the framers created a political system to protect their interests. We see the economic impacts of that system all around us. We can study the economic and social impacts this system has had on labor in America, on our natural resources and environment, our infrastructure, our foreign policy, and our communities. In America, money is to politics as wealth is to influence. The framers were well aware of that, and it is no wonder why they had a disdain for democracy.
Richard Wolff's name has come up more than a few times in this podcast. His ideas have caught the attention of a lot of people. I thought it would be insightful to talk with professor Wolff about the relationship between democracy and capitalism because his message, more than most, suggests there may be a better and more democratic future for humanity. Richard D. Wolff is Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Visiting Professor in the Graduate Program in International Affairs of the New School University, NYC. He is also the founder of Democracy at Work and host of their nationally syndicated show, Economic Update.

If the Sickness is the System, we have some serious problems. Are we all still living and working under a modern form of slavery? Do we ourselves need to be emancipated? If so, how would we do that, and what kind of society would we create?
More and more people are listening to Richard Wolff's message. His vision of democracy in the workplace is based on an extensive understanding of economics as seen through the lens of capitalism, marxism, and socialism, and he is here today to talk about his extraordinary new book, The Sickness is the System: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us from Pandemics or Itself.

Welcome back to the Peaceful Political Revolution in America podcast.

Previous Episode

S1 E7 This Happened Here and They Rule with Paul Street

Welcome back to the Peaceful Political Revolution in America Podcast.

It looks like we could make some very real improvements to our political system. It is becoming more and more obvious that after 233 years, our Constitution could be significantly upgraded. If we want to have an effective and democratic form of government we should probably be thinking about how to democratize our Constitution. Confronting this reality will not be easy for many. But perhaps we should begin by asking ourselves the following questions:

What are the undemocratic features of our Constitution? What features would make it more democratic? And, can we as Americans amend, change or even replace our Constitution?

But there is also another urgent and more immediate crisis to contend with. Paul Street is the author of over 8 books including, They Rule, Empire and Inequality, Hollow Resistance, and his most recent book, This Happened Here: Amerikaners, Neoliberals, and the Trumping of America.

American-Canadian scholar and cultural critic Henry Giroux, a founding theorist of critical pedagogy in the United States writes, " His analysis of fascism in its post-Trump form and the Trump base is the best I have read. Street is a straight shooter and displays a courageousness and brilliance in the book that should be a model for every public intellectual in America, and a resource for every member of the public when it comes to holding truth to power. The book is an absolute necessary treasure for anyone concerned about the threats now facing the ideal and promise of American democracy."

On Paul's book, They Rule, Cornel West, says “Paul Street is the most acute observer and insightful analyst of the 'Obama Phenomena.' This book gets beneath the political smoke and mirrors to reveal the pervasive rule of big money that drives the American Empire and global capitalist economy. Street’s courageous truth-telling is the precondition for a massive radical democratic movement.”

Paul Street knows a few things about the threats to our nation. He has a deep understanding of the people who control the levers of real power in Washington, and he is here to tell you why This Happened Here and how it is They Rule.

Next Episode

S1 E9 Trailer: Death by a Thousand Cuts with Matt Qvortrup

Welcome to the Peaceful Political Revolution in America podcast.

Democracy is under attack. The rise of Trumpism has created a lot of anxiety amongst those who believe in democracy, and for good reason. We have all witnessed the recent attack on our capitol, on our electoral system, on our right to vote, on vaccine mandates, and on immigration. There has been a sharp rise in white nationalist sentiment in America, and it's not only in the South. It has been fueled in part by the exponential increase of disinformation and increasingly difficult economic realities in our communities. The country is increasingly ravished by homelessness and hunger. One in three Americans have been affected by Climate Change and over 400 counties in America are reporting an increase of more than 1.5 degrees in average mean temperatures. More and more people are getting desperate and wondering if the rise of autocracy is inevitable. Or could there be a peaceful and more democratic alternative awaiting our future?

As noted in the previous episode with Richard Wolff, Chile and Portugal have both recently created new and more effective Democracies. They have it appears, successfully dealt with the disintegration of democratic principles and the very real impacts of autocratic leaders like Agusto Pinochet and the Estado Novo.

Putting the current crisis of democracy into historical perspective, Death by a Thousand Cuts chronicles how would-be despots, dictators, and outright tyrants have finessed the techniques of killing democracies. Matt Qvortrup is Professor of Political Science at Coventry University. He is Joint Editor of the top-academic journal European Political Science Review. His acclaimed biography, Angela Merkel: Europe's Most Influential Leader, has been translated into 5 languages and he has published more than 40 peer-reviewed articles and more than a dozen books on comparative politics and constitutional law. He has served as a consultant to several governments around the globe and is described by the BBC as 'the world's leading expert on referendums', and he is here today to talk about how democracies die, and what happens, next.