Welcome to current affairs. My name is Nathan, Robinson. I'm the editor-in-chief of Current Affairs

Magazine. I am delighted today to be joined once again by Eric Blanc. He is assistant professor

of Labor Studies at Rutgers University, the author of Book Red State Revolt, and most recently,

We Are the Union, how worker-to-worker organizing is revitalizing labor and winning big,

about which Sean Fane of the United Auto Workers calls it an urgently needed blueprint for how

we beat the billionaire class.

The great Sarah Nelson says it shows how unions could fully harness of the power of

rag and file leadership.

This book should transform the labor movement and the fight for democracy.

And the legendary Bill Fletcher Jr. says that reading this book immediately catalyzed ideas and

scenarios for me and thinking about new organizing. Bravo! Eric Blark! It's so delighted to have you

back on the program. Yeah, it's great to be here. That was a very good amount of hype. I feel

like I should just have you in my house every day and then I will... No, whatever you do with appearance, you have me as your hype man.

I come in and I get the crowd excited because, you know, these people are legends.

And they've read the book and they had the same reaction that I had to the book.

And you and I are talking at a moment where I think a lot of people on

our side are feeling demoralized because there has been a right-wing takeover of the

apparatus of government. The billionaire class seems to have won some major victories. And so I

would begin by encouraging every single person listening to this on the program

or reading the transcript version to pick up this book immediately,

because if you want to feel energized,

if you want to feel like there's a plan, like there's something you can do,

...