Give Them An Argument

In this episode, we play a presentation Ben Burgis gave at UC-Irvine on how to make sense of "elites" in Marxist class analysis (basically, are "the PMC" really a separate class, or part of the working class, or what), and then apply the point to thinking about some very bad recent criticisms of the DSA.

Read Ben's Jacobin article  "DSA’s Critics Are Missing the Point About the Working Class":

https://jacobin.com/2026/07/class-politics-dsa-media-criticism

Read the transcript of the UC-Irvine talk (republished as "How Should We Fit Salaried "Elites" Into Marxist Class Analysis?") [NOTE: This is where the Erik Olin Wright diagram of fine-grained class positions referred to in the second chunk of the episode is, for anyone who wants to follow along with that]:

https://benburgis.substack.com/p/how-should-we-fit-salaried-elites?utm_source=publication-search

Pre-order Ben's book (co-written with Bhaskar Sunkara and Mike Beggs) "The Blueprint: How Socialism Can Work in the Real World") from worker-owned bookseller Red Emmas:

https://redemmas.org/titles/52310-the-blueprint-how-socialism-can-work-in-the-real-world/

Register to attend the book launch in September 29th in Los Angeles:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-blueprint-how-socialism-can-work-in-the-real-world-tickets-2001094549666

Or the event two days later in New York:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-blueprint-how-socialism-can-work-in-the-real-world-tickets-2001236203356

Follow Ben on Twitter @JacobinBen [NOTE: The previous account was hacked!]

Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_Show

Become a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from occasional patron-exclusive content to access to the GTAA Discord to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:

patreon.com/benburgis

Read the weekly philosophy Substack:

benburgis.substack.com

In this crossover with THIS IS REVOLUTION podcast, Ben Burgis and Jason Myles chat with Deep State Kuba about socialist foreign policy and in particular how a post-capitalist society of the kind described in Ben's new book (co-written w/Bhaskar Sunkara and Mike Beggs) could interact with, and survive its interactions with, the surrounding capitalist world.

Pre-order the book from worker-owned bookseller Red Emmas:

https://redemmas.org/titles/52310-the-blueprint-how-socialism-can-work-in-the-real-world/

Register to attend the book launch in September 29th in Los Angeles:

https://moondough.i234.me/tools/tickets/buy.html?event=9H7UE84J

Follow Kuba on Twitter: @DrKuba2

Follow Jason on Twittter: @J_Myles_TIR

Follow Ben on Twitter @JacobinBen [NOTE: The previous account was hacked!]

Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_Show

Become a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from occasional patron-exclusive content to access to the GTAA Discord to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:

patreon.com/benburgis

Read the weekly philosophy Substack:

benburgis.substack.com

Florian  Maiwald and Matt McManus join Ben Burgis to discuss Florian's essays in Matt's new book, "What is Liberal Socialism?" (and the larger themes of the collection).

Order Matt's book:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/826323/what-is-liberal-socialism-by-matt-mcmanus/

Pre-order Florian's new book:

https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/zer0-books/our-books/outsourced-emancipation

And while you're pre-ordering books,  preorder Ben's new book (co-written w/Bhaskar Sunkara and Mike Beggs), "The Blueprint: How Socialism Can Work in the Real World":

https://redemmas.org/titles/52310-the-blueprint-how-socialism-can-work-in-the-real-world/

And last but definitely not least, pre-order Florian's new book!

Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattPolProf

Follow Ben on Twitter @JacobinBen [NOTE: The previous account was hacked!]

Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_Show

Become a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from occasional patron-exclusive content to access to the GTAA Discord to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:

patreon.com/benburgis

Read the weekly philosophy Substack:

benburgis.substack.com

Last Thursday, Ben Burgis gave the first lecture of the new year at the Ethics Center at Western Michigan University, to talk about the themes of his new book (co-written with Bhaskar Sunkara and Mike Beggs), "The Blueprint: How Socialism Can Work in the Real World." (Lecture starts around the 5:30 mark.)

Register to attend the launch event in September 29th in Los Angeles:

https://moondough.i234.me/tools/tickets/buy.html?event=9H7UE84J

Pre-order the book from worker-owned bookseller Red Emmas:

https://redemmas.org/titles/52310-the-blueprint-how-socialism-can-work-in-the-real-world/

Follow Ben on Twitter @JacobinBen [NOTE: The previous account was hacked!]

Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_Show

Become a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from occasional patron-exclusive content to access to the GTAA Discord to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:

patreon.com/benburgis

Read the weekly philosophy Substack:

benburgis.substack.com

Yesterday, Ben Burgis went on English-language Israeli cable channel i24 to argue about the role of Israel/Palestine in the rise of the democratic socialist left in the United States. We'll play the whole segment and break it down!

Read the Jacobin article mentioned in the episode ("The Problem With Israel Is So Much Bigger Than Netanyahu"):

https://jacobin.com/2025/08/democrats-bernie-netanyahu-zionism-apartheid

Pre-order Ben (and Bhaskar Sunkara and Mike Beggs's) new book "The Blueprint: How Socialism Can Work in the Real World" from worker-owned bookshop Red Emmas:

https://redemmas.org/titles/52310-the-blueprint-how-socialism-can-work-in-the-real-world/

Follow Ben on Twitter @JacobinBen [NOTE: The previous account was hacked!]

Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_Show

Become a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from occasional patron-exclusive content to access to the GTAA Discord to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:

patreon.com/benburgis

Read the weekly philosophy Substack:

benburgis.substack.com