In the response to the LA anti-ICE protests, a large number of Democrats have called for peaceful non-violence in the spirit of MLK Jr. We review the history of the Civil Rights movement and how change actually took place. And we come to the conclusion that today's Democrats are the white moderate that MLK Jr warned us about. This includes progressive darlings Bernie Sanders and AOC, who recently headlined a Fight the Oligarchy tour. What is the Fight the Oligarchy tour actually doing? Why is this event relevant today? Why do we need to break with the Democrats and have class independent leadership? We can't build a serious resistance movement to endless war, climate collapse and capitalist catastrophe within the Democratic Party. Bernie's Fight the Oligarchy tour, which is starting up again, is actually enabling and collaborating with the oligarchy. Bernie used to be much more radical before he allied with the Democratic Party. But today, Bernie Sanders has become the white moderate that MLK Jr. warned us about. Show Notes: Black Lives Matter' Activists Disrupt Bernie Sanders SpeechAOC fundraising soarsThe Real Truth About the Bernie Fight the Oligarchy Tour - Sabby SabsBernie SNAPS At His Own Supporters- Sabby SabsPalestinians have a legal right to armed resistance against Israeli colonialism - Ben NortonThe Other America Dr. Martin Luther KingStokely Carmichael, A Philosopher Behind The Black Power MovementBernie Sanders Almost STORMS OUT Of Interview With ABC, PRAISES Trump Over Immigration - The Hill

In Part 2 of this series, we focus on foreign policy. In Part 1, we explained how Trump and his oligarchs enrich themselves off the backs of the world’s poor and working-class at home. But in the case of foreign policy, Trump’s plans involve the blatant pillaging and exploitation of other country’s sovereign lands and resources. And again, this was prepared by the Biden regime and the sell-out democrats. Both parties are beholden to Zionism and the Military Industrial Complex. And Trump is just executing the next logical step in the colonial projects that the Democrats began.We cover the recent fight in the White House with Zelensky over the role of Ukraine, how Trump is continuing the Democrats Cold War on China, and Trump's plan for ethnically cleansing Gaza. Reading Notes: "Europe needs an independent foreign policy": Professor Jeffrey Sachs at European ParliamentHard truths about the Trump-Zelensky-Vance Oval Office blow-up, Responsible StatecraftZelensky’s hostility to peace triggers White House meltdown, Aaron MateIt's not Russia that's pushed Ukraine to the brink of war by Seumas Milne - Before the West flipped the scriptCongress bans arms to Ukraine militia linked to neo-Nazis, Congressman Ro KhannaUS arming of Ukraine is a scandal on its own, the grayzoneThe US is arming and assisting neo-Nazis in Ukraine, while Congress debates prohibitionTrump plans to make Ukraine a US economic colony, exploiting its critical minerals - Ben NortonChina accuses US of ‘Cold War mentality’ after release of Biden national security strategy , The HillBiden voters passed on Kamala Harris because of Gaza, new poll shows, Middle East Eye'Uncommitted' leaders stand by 2024 strategy after Trump floats Gaza takeover, NBC NewsRevolutionary Communists of America videoA Fighting Program for the Revolutionary Communists of AmericaManifesto of the Revolutionary Communist International RCA- Join Your Party

In our first episode during Trump’s second term, we look at a short (but not comprehensive) list of horrors that the Trump MAGA coalition has unleashed on the US public and how the groundwork for this horror show was laid down by the Biden regime, along with decades of corporate Democratic failures to build any kind of real opposition to the fascist-leaning movements of the Republican Party. In fact, recent Democratic Presidential campaigns have promised to be “tougher” than Trump on certain vulnerable populations.From the destruction of the social welfare state to ICE raids, deportations, the border wall, Guantánamo, tariffs and the new trade war, along with Trump’s ‘Drill Baby Drill’ ambitions, we have seen complete continuity between Democratic and Republican policies– with each successive administration moving further to the right– enriching more and more billionaires and oligarchs at the direct expense of the working- class, immigrants and refugees, and the environment.We also examine how the capitalist media plays a pivotal role as a force-multiplier– profiting off of Trump’s domestic terrorism and obfuscating the role of Democrats in enabling this terrorism. Together, these two corrupt parties work hand-in-glove in what has become straight-up class war.Thank you for listening to Crawdads & Taters: Red State Rebels. Please consider making a donation to support our rebellious work at patreon.com/crawdadsandtaters. We can do this work with you, but not without you.Reading Notes:How Biden set the stage for GOP budget cuts, Stephen SemlerMedicaid Removed for Nearly 25 Million Americans, NewsweekTrump Migrant Deportation Numbers Compared to Obama, Biden, NewsweekBiden is now deporting more people than Trump, ReutersBiden said he'd stop building the border wall, but is now going ahead on one piece, NPRThe Bankers on Obama’s TeamPhoto of the Week: Obama, Who Let Citigroup Staff His First Cabinet, Calls for Voter Solidarity, Truth DigObama's promise to full close Guantanamo Bay, YouTube122 years of US imperialism in Guantánamo: From torture to migrant detention ,Geopolitical Economy Report Manchin Poison Pills Buried in Inflation Reduction Act Will Destroy Livable Climate, Center for Biological DiversityA Multitemporal Snapshot of Greenhouse Gas Emissionsfrom the Israel-Gaza ConflictClimate Damage Caused by Russia's War in Ukraine

In this post-mortem election breakdown, we look at bourgeois liberal and Democratic establishment reactions to Harris' spectacular electoral failure. We analyze a liberal pattern of maliciously blaming voters and spewing false narratives about why people vote the way they do. We also examine the material impacts on US voters from the Democrats' own policies of economically abandoning the working class, abandoning left/progressive issues, campaigning with war criminals, and committing mass murder in Palestine, while violently repressing students at home. We look at why a majority of voters say they are worse off than they were four years ago, by examining the failure of Biden's signature Build Back Better plan and the meager accomplishments of the Inflation Reduction Act. And finally, we tackle the counter-revolutionary role of liberalism, its obsession with identity politics, and its refusal to acknowledge our class-based society. Liberalism creates a major obstacle in building class consciousness and class solidarity. Show Notes: Against the Stream - Trump's victory: What does it mean? – A communist analysis with Alan Woods Omnia Hegazy Bidenomics Isn’t Working For Working People - Stephen Semler The Economy is Fine - Stephen Semler  Most Americans think the economy is bad but they’re split on whether Trump or Harris can fix it 2024 American Electorate Voter Poll- Hispanic Voters "Love Me, I'm a Liberal" (for the 2024 Election) by Ben Grosscup Why US Muslims are Abandoning Harris with Sami Hamdi  Democrats Abandoned the Working Class: Robin D.G. Kelley on Trump’s Win & Need for Class Solidarity | Democracy Now!

After a bit of a hiatus, Crawdads & Taters is back to discuss the 2024 Presidential election, the ongoing genocide in Palestine and the limits of real political change under a capitalist, imperialist economic system. While identity politics are being sold to us as a smokescreen for progressive change, duping the public into believing that Kamala (as a black woman) will be the hope and change we've all been waiting for, C & T brings you back down-to-earth with a socialist perspective based in class consciousness and historical materialism. Thanks, as always, for your support and please consider becoming a subscriber for as little as $3/month at patreon.com/crawdadsandtaters. And if you can't donate, then give us a good rating on your favorite podcast platform and share us with your friends. Reading Notes: Sanders Won the War of Ideas - by Erin McCarley Democracy is dead - by Birrion Sondahl Democracy Lost: A Report on the Fatally Flawed 2016 Democratic Primaries Clinton Donors Have Picked Their 2020 Democratic Presidential Nominee | Observer Black Left Critique of Kamala Harris US Is Reportedly Working to Prevent Conference on Geneva Convention Violations Minnesota activists criticize Tim Walz for refusing to meet with Palestinians Harris shifts stance on fracking, healthcare and border 14 protestors calling on Walz to divest from Israel cited for trespassing at his residence

In this episode, we talk again about Fascism because we have entered into a Primary Election cycle where leftists of all stripes will once again be cajoled, harassed and even trolled by the neoliberal establishment to Vote Blue No Matter Who– in order to avoid Donald Trump and “Fascism.”  Many liberals feel entitled to attack leftists at election time because by their shallow, liberal definition, fascism is simply a right-wing ideology that is embodied by Donald Trump. But what the liberal establishment fails to understand time and time again is that fascism is not just an ideological project, but it is economic and political project, which is the inevitable result of working-class repression under neoliberal capitalism. Looking at fascism's economic and political roots, we can see that what is actually pushing the world toward fascism is not simply a bunch of right-wing ideologues who just appeared out of nowhere. The breeding ground for fascism, the underlying conditions for fascism, rest within a global capitalist economic structure where the transnational capitalist class helps decide government agendas… the Military Industrial Complex, Big Oil, Big Pharma…  These are transnational entities whose profit mandates influence and control government policies. And this kind of global political economy not only leads to huge concentrations of wealth at the very top of society. It also leads to mass poverty at the bottom– all over the world. And this social inequality breeds class war, which results in a perfect breeding ground for the ideology of fascism to take hold. So voting for Joe Biden will not stop fascism. And until we address the root causes of fascism, we will not be able to reverse this counter-revolutionary cycle. Reading Notes: Delving into John Pilger’s 2002 documentary: 'Palestine is still the issue' The Question of Palestine- A Brief History- by the United Nations Netanyahu’s corruption trial resumes amid Israeli war on Gaza. What to know Poverty rates in Israel are among the highest - opinion One-third of Israeli Holocaust survivors live in poverty, advocates say The top 1% captured nearly twice as much new wealth as the rest of the world over last two years Poll finds wide disapproval of Biden on Gaza, and little room to shift gears Global Capitalism Has Become Dependent on War-Making to Sustain Itself by William I. Robinson Antony Loewenstein explains how the “Palestine Laboratory” fuels brutal wars and colonialism all over the world Israeli weapon seen used by Neo-Nazi Ukrainian unit against Russia Palestine: a communist perspective Israeli estate agent defends ads offering beachfront villas in Gaza

Please consider making an urgently-needed donation to Crawdads & Taters, as we are ramping up coverage during this genocide. As we find ourselves in the midst of an information war, where critical voices are being censored, banned and bombed, we need your support now more than ever. Please become a subscriber for as little as $3/month at patreon.com/crawdadsandtaters. Episode Description: As the official death toll in Gaza soars to more than 8,500, with 5,500 children likely dead, and US-backed Israel prepares for a ground invasion, we bring you Part 2 of our analysis of the forces at work behind this genocide. Today, we discuss Biden's complicity with war crimes, his unwavering support for Israel, and Biden's history as a Zionist. We define Zionism, and we use a lens of Settler Colonialism, Zionism and Disaster Capitalism for understanding what Israel and the United States are now executing. We also shine a light on Israel's future capitalist development plans for a canal/corridor, and look at how these plans may be connected to the genocide happening in Gaza. As socialists, we understand how capitalism's plans for endless expansion require constant war, genocide and the destruction of nature, and the brutal oppression of the world's most vulnerable. We offer you a list of media resources to stay informed, as non-coporate, anti-war voices are being banned, censored, and bombed. Reading Notes Global Capitalism Has Become Dependent on War-Making to Sustain Itself | Truthout Peace Propaganda And The Promised Land U.S Media & the Israeli Palestinian Conflict 2004 Chris Hedges - Exterminate all the Brutes Noura Erakat: Western Leaders & Media Are Justifying Israel’s “Genocidal Campaign” Against Palestinians | Democracy Now! BDS Movement  'Peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia will truly create a new Middle East': Netanyahu Al Jazeera Mondoweiss The Grayzone  MintPress News “Not in Our Name”: 400 Arrested at Jewish-Led Sit-in at NYC’s Grand Central Demanding Gaza Ceasefire | Democracy Now!  Gaza Fights For Freedom (2019) | Full Documentary | Directed by Abby Martin 

In Part One one of our series on Palestine, we review the horrific events since October 7th as the death toll in Gaza reaches nearly 6,000. We analyze the US role in funding and providing political cover for Israeli settler colonialism, apartheid and genocide in the occupied territories of Palestine. We explore the history of Israel as a settler colonial regime that began in 1948. We hear from various Jewish voices for peace- Dr. Norman Finkelstein, Holocaust survivor Dr. Gabor Maté, Jewish Voices for Peace as well as historians of holocaust and genocide who describe why what's happening now in Gaza is a textbook definition of genocide. We explore the history of the Zionist land claim on Palestine and deconstruct it through a settler-colonialist lens. And we discuss Palestinian attempts at non-violent resistance that have been met with mass murder and extreme violence. Stay tuned for Part Two of this series coming later this week. We are in the midst of an information war, where non-corporate and independent voices are being highly suppressed and censored. Please support our work and become a subscriber at patreon.com/crawdadsandtaters so that we can continue to bring you independent news and analysis from a socialist lens. For as little as $5/month, you can keep us up and running!! Thank you!!! Reading Notes: Israel Has No Right of Self-Defense Against Gaza  Gaza’s terrified children all too aware Israel’s bombs steal their joy Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #17 | United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - occupied Palestinian territory 800+ Legal Scholars Say Israel May Be Perpetrating 'Crime of Genocide' in GazaGaza by Norman Finkelstein - Paperback - University of California Press The roots of Israel's ethnic cleansing in Gaza US opposes peace as Israel ethnically cleanses Palestinians, waging war on ‘entire nation’ of Gaza Outrage spreads across Middle East after attack on Gaza hospital Decolonization is always a violent phenomenon. Would that it were otherwise. Dr. Gabor Maté on Palestine

As of recording this episode, the Hollywood Labor Strike is entering its seventh week. It's the first time actors and screenwriters have been on strike together since 1960. And while 87 percent of SAG-AFTRA union members make less than $26,000/year, Barbie and Oppenheimer, together, have so far grossed $1.83 billion at the box office. This is the real-life backdrop for the release of these two summer blockbuster movies. In this episode, we focus on Hollywood's treatment of the atomic bomb in its recent blockbuster film, Oppenheimer. Because of the narrow focus of this film on Oppenheimer, the man, we feel it extremely urgent and necessary to teach a deeper history of the global and historical impacts of US nuclear proliferation. According to the Union of Atomic Scientists, the doomsday clock is closer to midnight now (that is, closer to nuclear doomsday) than it’s ever been in human history. The United States has approved more than $120 billion (and counting) to Ukraine to fight a proxy war against Russia, while ramping up its hostile Cold War rhetoric against China. This corporate-backed government is taking us closer and closer to the brink of nuclear war with these two major nuclear superpowers. And it's important to remember that there’s only country in the world that has ever used a nuclear bomb against civilians, and that country is the United States. At this incredibly volatile point in world history, we find many of Oppenheimer's historical omissions to be unforgivable. As entertaining as the film is, it is not the anti-war film that US audiences need in order to catalyze an anti-war movement and avoid WWIII. And given that so many people use Hollywood and the mass media as their main information source for US History, we feel compelled to clarify the historical record. So join us for another episode, and become a patron at patreon.com/crawdadsandtaters. Reading Notes Is Hollywood Still Afraid of the Truth About the Atomic Bomb?: Greg Mitchell on “Oppenheimer” Oppenheimer: The Real Plan for U.S. Nuclear Domination, Then and Now NMPBS: ‘Forever chemicals’ found at Los Alamos Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety: Is Our Drinking Water Safe? Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium: “Unknowing, Unwilling, and Uncompensated: The Effects of the Trinity Test on New Mexicans and the Potential Benefits of Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Revealed: How U.S. Gov’t & Hollywood Secretly Worked Together to Justify Atomic Bombings of Japan | Democracy Now! The War Was Won Before Hiroshima—And the Generals Who Dropped the Bomb Knew It | The Nation Downfall - Howard Zinn Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, The Conference of Berlin (The Potsdam Conference), 1945, Volume I - Office of the Historian Atomic Bomb Museum: Counting the Dead The Holocaust and World War II: Key Dates Geopolitical Economy Report: Atomic bombing of Japan was NOT necessary to end WWII. US gov't documents admit it Hollywood Studios’ WGA Strike Endgame Is To Let Writers Go Broke Before Resuming Talks In Fall

In this episode, we explore the manufactured debt-ceiling crisis of June 2023. Sold to the US public as a financial emergency that required immediate action in order to avoid impending doom and "the scourge of default," we look at what the debt-ceiling negotiations actually resulted in: a giant cash giveaway to big business, the war industry, fossil fuel companies and the ruling class. While feigning the need to cut federal spending across the board, military spending and funding for fossil fuel projects actually increased, while the US government slashed the budgets of the minuscule federal food stamp program and ended student debt relief. In addition, the bipartisan debt-ceiling deal included the legislative fast-tracking some of the most protested and lethal pipelines to people and the planet. As the corporate duopoly marches in lockstep in their war on the working class, the poor, and the planet, there was almost no corporate media analysis of this phony crisis and the giant financial gift to the one-percent that resulted from these debt-ceiling negotiations, which is why we provide you with a deeper analysis here. If you appreciate our in-depth reporting and analysis, please support our work and become a patron today at patreon.com/crawdadsandtaters. Show notes: Ben Norton: Debt ceiling hypocrisy: US boosts military budget while restricting food stamps for poor CNN: Hear why Cornel West is running as a third-party candidate Insider News: The debt ceiling deal could lead to 750,000 older Americans losing SNAP benefits Appalachian Voices: Mountain Valley Pipeline Democracy Now: David Sirota: Working Class Will Be “Deeply Harmed” by Biden’s “Big Win” on Debt Ceiling DemocracyNow: ⁠“Turning His Back on Student Debtors”: Biden’s Debt Deal Ends Freeze on Loan Payments for Millions⁠ The Guardian: Protesters to march on White House as anger mounts over Appalachia pipeline Oil Change International: ⁠The Mountain Valley Pipeline: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Briefing⁠ Center for Biological Diversity: Biden Sacrifices Climate, Working Families in Debt Ceiling Deal