Ep 987: The Vice of the People

The Professional Left Podcast with Driftglass and Blue Gal

Driftglass and Blue Gal

News Commentary, Progressive, Liberal, Midterms, Resistance, Indivisible, Government, Democrat, Presidential, Debate, News, Election, Campaign, Politics

4.8 • 920 Ratings

🗓️ 22 April 2026

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Episode 987 of The Professional Left takes a deep look at the concept of authority — where it comes from, who really has it, and what happens when the people in charge decide the rules no longer apply to them. Driftglass and Blue Gal trace a clear line from the lawless Bush years straight through to today, making the case that what looks new and shocking is really just the same old playbook with the volume turned all the way up. A surprising visit from a 500-year-old German philosopher helps ...

Transcript

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0:00.0	You can listen to the professional left wherever you get your podcasts on Netroots Radio or at our website, proleftpod.com, where you can also contribute to this podcast. There's a PayPal button at our website, or you can mail us a letter and or contribution at P.O. Box 913, Springfield, Illinois, 62791. I should say, we just paid our P.O PO box bill for the next year. So let's fill it up,
0:24.3	shall we? Let's fill it up. It's great time to write to us. This is the podcast for April 21st,
0:29.6	2006. It's not safe for work. Recorded live from the cornfield resistance, where we are still
0:35.0	asking that deepest of theological questions,
0:41.7	does Sean Hannity shit in the woods? It's the professional left with Drift Glass and Blue Gal.
0:48.3	Today we're going to talk about the idea of authority, the different kinds of authority
0:53.5	and the different places where authority
0:56.6	can come from.
0:58.2	And since we're the professional of podcast, we're going to start with political authority.
1:03.0	Broadly speaking here in this country, political authority is supposed to come from two
1:07.4	different places, which are rather closely related to each other. The voice of the
1:12.1	people, as expressed through elections, and the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights,
1:16.9	which are supposed to be the owner's manual for our government, and the constraints within which
1:22.1	the voice of the people is supposed to operate. But does the voice of the people ever boil over and swamp the law and the
1:29.5	Constitution? In this administration, yes, frequently. Yeah, every day. It shouldn't because the
1:37.0	Constitution is supposed to represent the voice of the people at its best, distributing power so that no
1:42.3	one person or institution can rule as a king, and the
1:45.9	majority cannot quash minority opinions. That's how, in theory, the people's interests are
1:51.6	protected. And if the Constitution needs to be changed, to better reflect the best interests of the
1:56.6	people, you know what? We have mechanisms for doing that. It's been done many, many times before.
2:01.2	But for the past 10 years, the voice of the people as expressed through the Republican Party's
2:06.0	nomination of Donald Trump three times and elected twice has shown that a plurality of the
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