Episode 165: The US Midterms and the Struggle against Trumpism

Co-hosts Andrew Kliman and Gabriel Donnelly discuss the upcoming US midterm elections. They begin by discussing the panicked “Nightmare on Capitol Hill” responses of Trump and the Republicans to the real possibility that they will lose control of both houses of Congress. The discussion then turns to the data–the likelihood that the Democrats will win control of the Senate, why the Republicans’ intense gerrymandering will probably not protect their majority in the House of Representatives, whether opinion polls are understating support for the Republicans, and the factors underlying voters’ disenchantment with Trumpism.

This situation stands in marked contrast to that of two years ago, when Trump’s victory was widely regarded as a permanent, seismic electoral shift. The co-hosts discuss why so many commentators at the time misunderstood the facts so egregiously.

They then discuss what will be needed to beat back Trumpism. Gabriel invokes the current resurgence of Bolsonarism in Brazil to argue that one electoral victory will not be enough, and the co-hosts discuss how democracy can only be saved by a persistent, pro-democratic mass movement.

Due to the relevance of this episode’s Main Segment, this episode does not have a Current Events Segment.

Radio Free Humanity is a podcast covering news, politics and philosophy from a Marxist-Humanist perspective. It is co-hosted by Gabriel Donnelly and Andrew Kliman. We intend to release new episodes every two weeks. Radio Free Humanity is sponsored by MHI, but the views expressed by the hosts and guests of Radio Free Humanity are their own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and positions of MHI.

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