This episode of The Dig is brought to you by our supporters on Patreon and by Verso Books, which has loads of great left-wing titles, perfect for dig listeners like you.

One that you might like is Age of Folly. America

abandons its democracy by Louis H. Lapham. This book which as a quick aside has the Trump Saudi glowing orb photo on its cover,

makes the case that while the president is undoubtedly a menace, he isn't a surprise. He embodies the spirit of an age of folly, abandoned to conspicuous consumption of vanity and greed.

A self-glorifying photo op, Trump is made to the measure of an infotainment media in which presidential

candidates are game show contestants brought to judgment on election day before the throne

of cameras, by whom and for whom they are produced.

To regard Trump as an amazement beyond belief is to give him credit where none is due, to mistake

a symptom for the cause.

Trump's presence in the White House follows from an American

regime change over the last 25 years during which a weekend but still operational

democracy gave way to a stupefied and dysfunctional plutocracy.

The history of that change is a hedge against the despair of the present, making possible

the revolt against what G.K. Chesterson called the small and arrogant oligarchy

of those who merely happen to be walking about.

Age of Folly America abandons its Democracy by Louis H Lapham.

Out now from Jacobin magazine. My name is Daniel Denver and

I'm broadcasting from Providence, Rhode Island.

Last week was a bad week for Republicans

and a good week for Democrats and for Democratic socialists.

Democrats won governorships in New Jersey and Virginia

and won a large number of legislative seats in the latter.

...