Mass Politics, the Economy, and the US Election
On this episode of American Prestige, Anton Jäger on the state of liberalism and the left.

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On this episode of American Prestige, Anton Jäger, historian of political thought, returns to the program to speak with Danny about "the big picture" in the wake of the US election. They discuss the crisis of liberalism, the state of the left, where capital is in its own historical cycle, how the reactions to this election compare with that of 2016, hyperpolitics, empire, the view from Europe, and more.
Read Anton's latest piece in New Left Review, "Hyperpolitics in America".
Further reading:
- Adam Tooze, "The Democrats' Defeat", The London Review of Books
Also listen to our episode with Anton on hyperpolitics from last year.
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Vice President Kamala Harris at a National Association of Black Journalists discussion in Philadelphia on September 17, 2024.
(Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images)On this episode of American Prestige, Anton Jäger, a historian of political thought, returns to the program to speak with Danny about the big picture in the wake of the US election. We discuss the crisis of liberalism, the state of the left, where capital is in its own historical cycle, how the reactions to this election compare with that of 2016, hyperpolitics, empire, the view from Europe, and more.
Read Anton’s latest piece in New Left Review, “Hyperpolitics in America.”
Further reading:
- Adam Tooze, “The Democrats’ Defeat,” the London Review of Books
Also listen to our episode with Anton on hyperpolitics from last year.

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.
There’s too much Knickerbocker news to fit here, but we do have other stories to report. This week: Iran and the U.S. exchange fire in the Gulf (2:00), plus peace talks stall after Trump adds new demands (4:29); Israel escalates its Lebanon campaign despite ceasefire talks (08:33); Cambodia takes a Thailand maritime dispute to the UN (15:19); in Sudan, tribal clashes kill dozens in South Darfur (17:38); Ukraine strikes St. Petersburg during the city’s International Economic Forum (20:13); Germany loses a UN Security Council vote (21:54); Colombia’s first-round election results see the right gain momentum (24:04); U.S. sanctions hit Cuba-linked hotels (26:36); and Tulsi Gabbard resigns as the DNI faces a CIA feud (29:11).
Then, Tim Sahay and Kate MacKenzie, co-editors of The Polycrisis, join the show to explain how the climate crisis, Chinese clean-tech, U.S. policy, and the Iran war are accelerating a global shift away from fossil fuels.
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With the midterm elections now firmly upon us, the question is whether Democratic candidates will do more than merely occupy ballot lines as mild alternatives to the red-hot crisis that is Donald Trump.
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