Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

On this edition of Parallax Views, popular election analyst Josh Cohen aka Ettingermentum returns to breakdown the 2024 election, its outcomes, and just why exactly the Democratic Party lost the Presidency, House, and Senate. We'll look at where the Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party campaign went wrong in their race against Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Josh will discuss why he believes Joe Biden played a big role in the the defeat of Democrats along with Kamala Harris's inability to differentiate herself from Biden. We'll also talk about the Harris campaign as the Democrats' first "post-woke" campaign, the issue of inflation and the economy's role in the 2024 election, Gaza and the Uncommitted campaign, and what the future may hold for the Democratic Party (we'll talk about Gretchen Whitmer, Andy Beshear, and the wide-open field for Democrats as well as the emergence of the post-Obama Democratic Party in the aftermath of this election). Josh's main analysis: bottom line, Democrats were self-indulgent and arguably played things too safe in a time where they needed to creatively respond to the situation in America. Some other issues covered in the course of our conversation include: - Democrats trying to appeal to moderate Republicans (as seen by the Harris campaign cozying up to Liz Cheney) in this election cycle - Comparing Trump's win to the victories for abortion rights at the state level; are we really seeing a cultural shift to the right-wing; why was the Dobbs decision not enough for Democrats to win nationally? - Criticism of the analysis being provided by figures like Matthew Yglesias and James Carville in relation to the election; the role of figures like Yglesias in the tone of the Democrats' overall campaign in the election cycle - The border and immigration in relation to the 2024 election - Israel/Palestine and the Gaza crisis as a wedge issue for Democrats - The shattering of Joe Biden's reputation in the past 4 years and his low-approval ratings - Comparing Democratic candidates that won their election bids in 2024 to the ones that lost - Josh addresses the criticism that the results of the 2024 election had nothing to do with the economy because "the economy is fine"; the average Americans dissatisfaction with the current macro-economic environment - Democrats' loss of ground in New York - And more!

On this edition of Parallax Views, we continue our post-mortem of the 2024 election with two separate and distinguished guests. In the first segment, Stephen Semler of the date-based political blog Polygraph joins the show to discuss his articles "A couple charts to explain a Harris loss" and the facetiously titled "'The economy is fine'". Stephen delves into how the economy played a role in this election, and addresses criticisms by some pundits that economic anxieties could not have played a role in the election because the economy is doing well by some metrics and statistics (for example: low unemployment, a booming stock market, etc.). We'll delve into the difference between the economy and average American's economic well-being, and we'll look at two graphs from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Census Bureau that deal with food insecurity and poverty to further elucidate Stephen's analysis. We'll also delve into Biden's Build Back Better and American Rescue Plans and how certain elements of Bidenomics in spring of 2022 got sidelined in a way that may have led to economic whiplash for American voters. In the second segment of the show, Daniel Bessner, known for his work at the Quincy Institute and Jacobin as well as co-hosting the left-leaning foreign policy/international relations podcast American Prestige, returns to the program to give his own analysis of the 2024 election's outcome and what he expects from a 2nd Trump Presidency. We'll discuss the feeling that there's been a more muted response to this election that in 2016, the question of Trump and fascism and why Danny prefers to discuss Trump as a reactionary populist with authoritarian inclinations, Trump as a PT Barnum-esque carny barker character mixed with shades of Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall, Trump and his promises of mass deportation, what Trump means for climate change, populism and anti-establishment backlash in the 2024 election, what Danny expects out of Trump's foreign policy (with regards to Ukraine and Russia, China, Iran, and Israel/Palestine), and, most significantly, the crisis of liberalism. In regard to the crisis of liberalism we'll mention Francis Fukuyama's "End of History" hypothesis, the decline of civic institutions since the 1960s (and maybe even before), Clinton-era liberalism (colored by the primacy of Third Way neoliberalism in the Democratic Party) vs. FDR's New Deal liberalism, the liberal international order and great power politics, and much, much more.

In this insightful episode of Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael, political economist Dr. Jack Rasmus joins J.G. to dissect the reasons behind Donald Trump’s unexpected victory over Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. The discussion is centered around Dr. Rasmus's article, "Why Trump Won—And Some Consequences," which explores the economic and political factors that led to Trump’s victory in both the electoral college and the popular vote. Rasmus presents an in-depth analysis of the socio-economic discontent that propelled Trump’s victory, offering a fresh perspective on the frustrations and disillusionment affecting American voters today. Dr. Rasmus argues that economic policies affecting the middle and working classes, alongside concerns over inflation, job stability, healthcare, and childcare costs played a pivotal role in the 2024 election. Dr. Rasmus addresses the now already common retort the economy could not have driven the outcome of the 2024 election due to the stock market booming, low unemployment rates, lowering of inflation, and a good GDP. He argues that media accounts of the economy have often cherry-picked statistics and do not necessarily deal with the economic well-being of average Americans. He offers statistic in support of his claims and makes the case for why many Americans felt their economic well-being was under siege. A key aspect of this discussion centers on why Kamala Harris lost, with Dr. Rasmus exploring what he terms “The Humphrey Effect.” Similar to Hubert Humphrey’s inability to distance himself from Lyndon B. Johnson’s policies during the 1968 election, Harris struggled to differentiate her platform from President Joe Biden’s. Rasmus argues that voters saw Harris as an extension of Biden’s policies rather than a fresh alternative, which weakened her appeal. Additionally, Dr. Rasmus contends that Harris’s focus on issues like the January 6th insurrection and identity politics, though central to her campaign, did not resonate with a wide swath of voters. Many Americans, rightly or wrongly, felt these issues were disconnected from their immediate economic concerns. Instead, inflation, job instability, and healthcare affordability were front and center for voters struggling to make ends meet. According to Rasmus, Harris’s perceived failure to address these economic pocketbook issues head-on left many working-class and middle-class voters disillusioned and created an opening for Trump to campaign on issues like no-taxes on tipping, etc. In a second Trump presidency, Dr. Rasmus expects sweeping economic and social policy changes that will impact Americans across various income brackets. Trump’s approach will likely center on increased tariffs, which, while meant to protect American industries, may raise consumer prices, impacting the pocketbooks of average Americans—though not as severely as some Democrats predict. Rasmus argues that while consumer goods prices will increase under the tariff agenda, he is more immediately concerned about inflationary pressures in the service sector as well looming recession in said sector, which could have far-reaching economic consequences. Rasmus anticipates that Trump will implement further austerity measures, reducing social spending on programs. In this regard we discuss what to expect out of Trump when it comes to social security. Rasmus also discusses the likely tax cuts for the wealthy that can be expected under this second Trump administration. Additionally, we delve into what Trump's second term may entail for climate change, tensions with China, foreign policy in the Middle East, and much, much more.

In this episode of Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael, J.G. sits down with Tyler Joseph, co-host of the Rabble Report YouTube show, to examine the surprising results of the 2024 election, where Donald Trump achieved a historic victory over Kamala Harris, becoming the first Republican in 20 years to secure the popular vote. Tyler delves into the anti-politics phenomenon—an intensifying public disillusionment with political institutions that’s shaping how Americans vote. They discuss how figures like Trump and Obama have harnessed this discontent to their advantage, tapping into an electorate increasingly skeptical of political institutions. Beyond just examining the 2024 election, Tyler explores the role of anti-politics in the decline of civic institutions and the rise of social atomization, as communities fragment and people become more isolated. Join the conversation as J.G. and Tyler assess how anti-politics and the erosion of civic trust are reshaping America’s political and social landscape in the wake of this unprecedented election. We also delve into the overlap between anti-politics and anti-corruption rhetoric, the difference between anti-politics and anti-politicians, the pandemic, Bernie Sanders, abortion protections being won in many states despite the victory of the GOP at the national level, Joe Rogan and politics, the American voter and ideological incoherence, Jimmy Carter's "great malaise" speech, the American public and the immigration debate, New Jersey's Senate-elect Andy Kim's recent references to anti-politics, culture wars and politicians trying to game anti-politics to their own ends, the Ross Perot Presidential campaign in the 1990s and its relationship to anti-politics, George Galloway's The Worker's Part of Britain, and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance party in Germany, and more

I'll be back with the fallout from the election next week. But until then here's a Halloween Hangover episode of the show that consists of my appearance on Jason Myles' Pop Life. Toure Reed also joined the program. We talked about teen-campers in the woods horror movies from FRIDAY THE 13TH and SLEEPAWAY CAMP franchises to more obscure titles like THE BURNING, MADMAN, and CHEERLEADER CAMP. Toure gave his thoughts on Joss Wheadon's CABIN IN THE WOODS and its tongue-in-cheek "meta" approach to horror.Realize everyone is burned out from the election, so hopefully this episode will be some type of reprieve.