Next Left

About Next Left

From the grass roots to the ballot box, we are witnessing an explosion of progressive political energy. New candidates are running for offices high and low—and they’re winning. "Next Left" is your front-row seat to this political upheaval: On this new podcast from The Nation magazine, National Affairs Correspondent John Nichols introduces us to the rising stars of the progressive constellation. These insurgent politicians let us into their lives, tell us their stories, and explain how they plan to change our country for the better. These are the people reshaping our politics by bringing bold, progressive policies to their cities, counties and states, and to DC—let's get to know them. If you believe politics are personal, this podcast is for you. Subscribe for new episodes every Tuesday.

Publisher

The Nation Magazine

Category

news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 May 2019

Latest episode

15 Jan 2020

Latest episodes

29 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Jan 2020

   27: New from The Nation: More Than Enough

   New for Next Left listeners, the latest podcast from The Nation, featuring conversations about guaranteed income, deservedness, and the country American can and should be, hosted by writer and activist Mia Birdsong. We hope you’ll subscribe on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-than-enough/id1494165763), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/6DupG4tOpQAyPzbhvksXLs), Google Podcasts (https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzUwMTU0NjUucnNz), or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes will premiere each Wednesday. Launching today, January 15. Mia Birdsong first heard about the concept of Guaranteed Income in the mid-90s through the 1967 writings of Martin Luther King Jr. King. He asserted that “the time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty” by providing a basic level of material well-being to allow all Americans to truly flourish. Birdsong thought it sounded "absurd.” As Birdsong notes, "Free money went against everything I'd learned about being a respectable citizen. But people change and our ideas evolve. I no longer think guaranteed income is absurd.” After years of political education and activism, Birdsong came to reject some ideas that most of us believe: that having a job makes you a whole person, and that you have to earn the things we all deserve to live a good life. From The Nation, More Than Enough is a four-episode podcast hosted by Birdsong that explores the concept of guaranteed income, or "universal basic income," through conversations with the experts, people who experience poverty in America. We invite you to listen to these under-explored conversations with Americans about Universal Basic Income: what it is, what it means, and what it says about a culture that so closely correlates deservedness with work. Join Birdsong as she explores the idea of the meaning of work, of inequality, and most importantly, of what America is and what it can be. More Than Enough launches January 15. Sign up for updates at thenation.com/morethanenough (https://www.thenation.com/content/more-than-enough/). * * * More Than Enough was developed by Next River Productions. Created and hosted by Mia Birdsong. Audio engineering and music by Nino Moschella. Script development and production by Allison Cook. The content of this podcast was informed by the stories of hundreds of people across the country, only some of whom you heard from. Thank you to everyone who took the time to speak with me and share their story. Support for the production of More Than Enough was provided by a few generous folks and the Economic Security Project, an organization advancing cash-based interventions in the United States and reigning in corporate monopolies. More Than Enough is a project of The Nation Magazine. Mia Birdsong photo by Nye' Lyn Tho.

2. 

   19 Nov 2019

   26: How Bernie Sanders Is Making the Next Left Possible

   The roots of the Next Left podcast go back almost exactly a year—energized by the wave of progressive activism sweeping the country, we wanted to take a deep dive into the new politics of this moment. The idea was to talk politics with the people who were upending primaries and general elections across the country... by challenging incumbents, taking on party establishments and, above all, bringing fresh ideas to the campaign trail and to governance. Over the past six months, we’ve gone to Capitol Hill, where we met with members of "the squad," like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, and with people who are changing debates about foreign policy, like Congressional Progressive Caucus stalwarts Pramila Jayapal, Mark Pocan and Ro Khanna. We went to the basement of the state Capitol in Wisconsin, where newly-elected state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski explained how she's putting economics on the side of the people. We spoke with judges and district attorneys and city council members and mayors. We turned up the volume on messages from Texas and Mississippi and Puerto Rico and North Dakota. We talked mostly to political newcomers who had won elections against the odds, like Anna Eskamani in Florida, but also to activist officials who are building movements, such as Helen Gym in Philadelphia. We talked to new leaders who had won landslide victories, like Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, and to new leaders who suffered narrow defeats but are not going anywhere, such as Tiffany Caban in Queens. We followed candidates who were up for election in 2019 and won epic victories, like Lee Carter in Virginia, Kshama Sawant in Seattle and Chesa Boudin in San Francisco. In every case, our conversations were about the personal and the political. Candidates talked about their ancestors and their children, about their communities, about the music they listen to-Ilhan Omar's a country fan-and about their role models and heroes. We decided to finish the season by interviewing a pair of political veterans who were frequently mentioned by the young candidates and officials we interviewed. California Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined us last week. This week, for the final episode of the podcast, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is our guest for a compelling conversation about his own early campaigns, about the importance of Jesse Jackson's "Rainbow Coalition," about how he makes endorsements, about the way in which media treats insurgent candidates-and about the inspiration he has taken from  the Next Left. SHOW NOTES: When Bernie Sanders Endorsed Jesse Jackson for President (https://www.thenation.com/article/watch-when-bernie-sanders-endorsed-jesse-jackson-for-president/)The Nation Steve Cobble Bernie Sanders Is Back (https://www.thenation.com/article/bernie-sanders-aoc-debate/) The Nation John Nichols Bernie Sanders: The ‘Nation’ Interview (https://www.thenation.com/article/bernie-sanders-thenation-interview/) The Nation Katrina vanden Heuvel and John Nichols Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/podcastsubscribe (http://thenation.com/podcastsubscribe)

3. 

   12 Nov 2019

   25: Barbara Lee Is Proud to be the Progressive OG

   Next Left has this year highlighted political newcomers, rising stars, and challengers to the status quo. But as we spoke with first-time candidates and members of city councils, legislatures, and the Congress, something stood out. All of these new political leaders had political inspirations—groundbreaking candidates and elected officials who came before them. At or near the top of the list of inspiring figures, especially for new members of Congress, was California Democrat Barbara Lee. So we decided to talk with her. A veteran of Shirley Chisholm’s historic 1972 presidential campaign, a former state representative and senator, Lee was elected to the US House in 1998 to replace her longtime ally Ron Dellums. Lee has chaired the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus. She has led platform-writing processes for the Democratic Party and served as a United States representative to the United Nations. But, above all, she has been the House’s steadiest advocate for peace—since even before she cast the only vote against the 2001 authorization of the use of military force (AUMF), which remains the excuse for unwarranted presidential warmaking. She is, to this day, working to overturn the AUMF, as one of her many projects as one of the most active—and activist—members of Congress. This week, on Next Left, we’re excited to talk with Barbara Lee about her remarkable journey from her own youthful activism with Black Panther food programs to mentoring the next generation of progressive leaders. "These young women who have come to Congress, they're smart, they're brilliant, they're passionate, they've come with a mission, they know what they're doing," Lee told us. "I love them and I encourage them. I'm very proud to be their OG. It makes me very happy." Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/podcastsubscribe (http://thenation.com/podcastsubscribe) SHOW NOTES: Barbara Lee Wins a House Vote to Stop the Black Checks for Endless War (https://www.thenation.com/article/barbara-lee-endless-war/) The Nation John Nichols Ron Dellums Maintained a ‘Relentless Faith in Our Ability to Make a Better World’ (https://www.thenation.com/article/ron-dellums-maintained-relentless-faith-ability-make-better-world/)The Nation John Nichols No More Blank Checks for War (https://www.thenation.com/article/no-more-blank-checks-for-war/)The Nation Rep. Barbara Lee Barbara Lee’s Lone Vote on Sept. 14, 2001, Was as Prescient as It Was Brave and Heroic (https://theintercept.com/2016/09/11/barbara-lees-lone-vote-on-sept-14-2001-was-as-prescient-as-it-was-brave-and-heroic/) The Intercept Glen Greenwald The Chisholm Legacy (https://blackpressusa.com/op-ed-the-chisholm-legacy/) BlackPressUSA Yolanda Caraway, Leah Daughtry, and Minyon Moore

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

129 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.