David Ost, professor of politics and Hobart and William Smith, joins Suzi to unpack Poland’s June 1 presidential election. The race was tight, but in the end, Karol Nawrocki, the far-right, hardline nationalist with MAGA-style politics and Trump’s backing, narrowly defeated Warsaw's liberal mayor Rafał Trzaskowski.
After voters rejected Trumpist candidates in recent elections in Canada, Australia and Romania, Polish voters went the other way, swinging back to the hard right just two years after electing liberal leader Donald Tusk. What does this election reveal about the continuing attraction of the authoritarian and nationalist right to working class voters?
Ost argues that Tusk in power promised a program of radical changes, but delivered too little, dampening enthusiasm and turnout, echoing the troubles of Biden and Harris in the US. There was also the liberal-left campaign which focused on Nawrocki’s negative personal qualities, including criticism of his tough working class background, rather than his reactionary, xenophobic, chauvinist agenda — missteps that fed class resentment and fueled the far right.
Populism has shown to have staying power, and center-left governance has failed to offer a durable counter. Is Poland a warning to liberal democrats everywhere? What are the implications for Ukraine, Europe and the globe?
Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.
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News, politics, history and more from Jacobin. Featuring The Dig, Long Reads, Confronting Capitalism, Behind the News, Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman, and occasional specials.
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Folge vom 11.06.2025Jacobin Radio: How the Right Won in Poland w/ David Ost
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Folge vom 10.06.2025Behind the News: The Pentagon’s Big-Tech Pact w/ Laleh KhaliliLaleh Khalili, author of a recent piece for the London Review of Books, analyzes the long relationship between the US military and industry. Kyle Chan, author of a New York Times opinion article, explains how China is surpassing the US. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html
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Folge vom 08.06.2025The Dig: From Rebellion to Reaction w/ Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor & Asha Ransby-SpornFeaturing Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and Asha Ransby-Sporn on 2020's summer of mass protest and rebellion sparked by the police murder of George Floyd. As Keeanga puts it: "The pressing question is how we went from twenty-six million people on the streets to a fascist in the White House?” We must urgently build organizations and movements that meet the moment as both popular resistance and authoritarian repression intensify. To do that, we need to learn from the 2020 uprising. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Check out Long Haul at longhaulmag.com Buy Fake Work at Haymarketbooks.com Subscribe to Dissent at dissentmag.org/subscribe The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.
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Folge vom 05.06.2025Behind the News: Capitalism’s Critics w/ John CassidyJohn Cassidy, author of Capitalism and Its Critics, discusses just that. Sandeep Vaheesan, author of a recent article for Boston Review, looks at abundance — neoliberal vs. genuine. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html