Post-Election: Fixing the Machinery of Democracy & Other Issues w/ Irami Osei-Frimpong

On this edition of Parallax Views, the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election is over but politics never sleeps. Although many are celebrating the defeat of Donald Trump, the fact is that politics, organizing, and activism won't end with the defeat of Donald Trump. And, as evidenced by the recent scuffles between the moderate and progressive wings of the Democratic Party, intra-party is very much alive and well. Although many have argued that such squabbles should be put aside, the provocative and intelligent Irami Osei Frimpong, also known as "The Funky Academic", joins us on this edition of the program to argue for the merits of divisive politics and what is needed to fix what he calls the "machinery of Democracy". We also discuss matters pertaining to media and particularly left media's blind-spots as well as Irami's critiques of white, upper middle class feminism, his critique of JD Vance's Hillbilly Elegy, Nancy Pelosi and the problem of glass floor/glass ceilings in politics, Pelosi' refusal to debate challenger, incumbent vs. the electorate as an anti-trust problem, the "voter disadvantage", the Defund the Police movement, the need for a communications infrastructure and its relation to production, corporate Democrats "punching left", the need for a federal jobs guarantee, freedom and the Left, the wealthy's distorted view of reality and why it occurs, and much, much more in this fascinating and provocative conversation.