Mechanical Freak

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The Progressive Era is the bridge between the America of the 19th century and the America of the 20th century. With the birth of the corporation in the Gilded Age and the rise of American imperialism with the Spanish-American War, the capitalist class created the modern American imperial state with all of its attendant bureaucrats and functionaries.

Another year, another Thanksgiving Pageant Spectacular with Mechanical Freak! Join Greg, Brian, Munya and Cassidy on the boat as we share some stories and read up on the Financial Times to get into the Thanksgiving spirit . After guzzling down some Gregnog and BTS Sweet Chilli Sauce, we have some fun with friends and special guests Nicole Thomas-Kennedy, Shaun Scott, and our old pals Max and Matt. Plus, stick around for special segments with Big Soy Naturals, legal advice from our lawyer Code Name Tanya, Astrological Readings from 1-800-Freak-Star, and a film review with movie star and cinema expert Justin Roll.

The Spanish – American War allowed a wounded nation to finally heal after the Civil War on the common ground of vicious racism and an insatiable lust for profit. That’s right, after some great interviews, Munya and Brian are back on that grind, talking End of the Myth. For this ep we will be talking about themes from chapter 8 of End of the Myth.

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At long last, we are joined by one of our favorite Poster Americans, and Uncle Howie’s personal barista @MyCheeseMonster to talk about promising careers available slinging caffeinated milkshakes, and the one celeb who didn’t get a ghost writer.

We are joined by historian Richard White, author of Railroaded and The Republic for Which it Stands, to separate fact from fiction in the story of America’s westward expansion in the late 19th century. It is a wide-ranging discussion that you will not want to miss!

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The gang is joined by Justin Roll to discuss election results in our fair city and elsewhere. WE reveal that Bothell is our true home now and, most importantly, we trust the plan while discussing how the storm was turned on its head in Sequim.

We are joined by Matt Christman of Chapo Trap House and the new podcast Hell of Presidents, which he hosts with Chris Wade, to talk with us about the disastrous presidency of Andrew Johnson. Sometimes there is a man who is exactly the wrong (right?) man for the moment. Andrew Johnson is that man.

The gang gets together to talk elections. We dive into a NYT piece about NTK and the Seattle city attorney race and discuss what it means that Seattle is now the avatar for any effort to move to the left of the Democratic Party. Then we look at some polling and make some ridiculous predictions.

We take a detour from End of the Myth to discuss the rise of the abolitionist movement and delve into how the Civil War broke the Jacksonian consensus. Ultimately, we leave on a cliffhanger: “Will the US be able to maintain this momentum to build a more equal society by seizing on the revolutionary potential of the moment? Or will it use racism, violence, and westward expansion to crush resistance to capital?” You will have to wait until next week to find out!

Listen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon patreon.com/posts/58047369

Historian, friend of the show, and fellow Texan, Mary Anne Henderson joins us to talk about Texas. We talk how and why it was settled and revisit the nearly totally forgotten Mexican War. We will be discussing material covered in chapter 5 from The End of the Myth and much, much more!

Greg and Munya consider the culture war in light of Seattle Police Department antics about vaccination, the life of Colin Powell in light of its loss, the fourth wall breaking cringe comedy commencing at John Deere during the strike and the prerogatives of the Masters of Business Administration, and the imminent Seattle election and what you can do in these Last Days.

The metaphor of the “safety valve” is a critical concept for Grandin and his book. We explore the various ways in which this metaphor was deployed in the early 19th century before delving into capitalism’s unending “urban crisis.” For those following along at home, we will be covering material from chapter 4 in End of the Myth.

Munya, Greg, and Brian get together to talk jobs, Jobs, JOBS! They discuss why turning up the misery dial wasn’t the panacea we were promised it would be and the exciting new plan to reduce SPD by 40%. Google “police” + “40 percent” to learn more!

We discuss the arrival of Andrew Jackson on the political scene and the role of Jacksonian democracy in Westward expansion — It’s not good, folks. For those following along at home, we are covering chapter 3 of the End of the Myth.

Greg and Munya are joined by star Nikkita4Nine volunteers and campaign workers Aun, Sunny, Rico, and Iman. We discuss Nikkita Oliver’s campaign for Seattle City Council Position 9, why they decided to volunteer, memorable stories from canvassing people’s doors, getting to know our neighbors, and why the fight for city council matters for the future of the city we love.

After taking a brief detour we return to Grandin’s End of the Myth to talk about the treatment of the Native American population in the United States up until the 1830s. We cover Chapter 1&2 of the book for those following along at home.