Political Ideologies Audiobooks | Politics

I Never Did Like Politics: How Fiorello La Guardia Became America's Mayor, and Why He Still Matters

Fiorello LaGuardia was one of the twentieth century's most colorful politicians-on the New York and national stage. He was also quintessentially American: the son of Italian immigrants, who rose in society through sheer will and chutzpah. Almost one hundred years later, America is once again grappling with issues that would have been familiar to the Little Flower, as he was affectionately known. It's time to bring back LaGuardia, argues historian and journalist Terry Golway, to remind us all what an effective municipal officer (as he preferred to call himself) can achieve . . . Golway examines LaGuardia's extraordinary career through four essential qualities: As a patriot, a dissenter, a leader, and a statesman. He needed them all when he stood against the nativism, religious and racial bigotry, and reactionary economic policies of the 1920s, and again when he faced the realities of Depression-era New York and the rise of fascism at home and abroad in the 1930s. Just before World War II, the Roosevelt administration formally apologized to the Nazis when LaGuardia referred to Hitler as a 'brown-shirted fanatic.' There was nobody quite like Fiorello LaGuardia. In this immensely listenable book, as entertaining as the man himself, Terry Golway captures the enduring appeal of one of America's greatest leaders.

Terry Golway (Author), Jon Vertullo (Narrator)

Audiobook

Laboratories against Democracy: How National Parties Transformed State Politics

Over the past generation, the Democratic and Republican parties have each become nationally coordinated political teams. American political institutions, on the other hand, remain highly decentralized. Laboratories against Democracy shows how national political conflicts are increasingly flowing through the subnational institutions of state politics-with profound consequences for public policy and American democracy. Jacob Grumbach argues that as Congress has become more gridlocked, national partisan and activist groups have shifted their sights to the state level, nationalizing state politics in the process and transforming state governments. He shows how this has had the ironic consequence of making policy more varied across the states as red and blue party coalitions implement increasingly distinct agendas in areas like health care, reproductive rights, and climate change. Grumbach traces how national groups are using state governmental authority to suppress the vote, gerrymander districts, and erode the very foundations of democracy itself. Laboratories against Democracy reveals how the pursuit of national partisan agendas at the state level has intensified the challenges facing American democracy, and asks whether today's state governments are mitigating the political crises of our time-or accelerating them.

Jacob Grumbach, Jacob M. Grumbach (Author), Keith Sellon-Wright, Todd McLaren (Narrator)

Audiobook

Feeling Their Pain: Why Voters Want Leaders Who Care

The 2020 presidential election in the United States marked, for many, a return to 'compassionate politics.' Joe Biden had run on a platform of empathy, emphasizing his personal history as a means of connecting with everyone, from American workers who had lost jobs to military families who had lost loved ones. Although perceptions of candidate compassion are broadly understood to influence vote choice, less understood is the question of how candidates convince voters they truly 'care about people like them.' In Feeling their Pain, Jared McDonald provides a framework for understanding why voters view some politicians as more compassionate than others. McDonald shows that perceptions of compassion in candidates for public office are based on the number and intensity of commonalities that bind citizens to political leaders. Commonalities can come in many forms, such as a shared experience, a shared emotion, or a shared identity. Compassion may be universal, such as when candidates convey empathy to all individuals who are struggling. Or compassion may be exclusionary, such as when candidates express a preference for some groups over others. Thus, the way campaigns choose to wield compassion in their messaging strategies has important implications not only for election outcomes, but for American political polarization as well.

Jared Mcdonald (Author), Christopher P. Brown (Narrator)

Audiobook

America Last: The Right's Century-Long Romance with Foreign Dictators

In America Last, Jacob Heilbrunn, a highly respected observer of the American Right, demonstrates that the infatuation of American conservatives with foreign dictators is not a new phenomenon. It dates to WWI, when some conservatives, enthralled with Kaiser Wilhelm II, openly rooted for him to defeat the forces of democracy. In the 1920s and 1930s, this affinity became even more pronounced as Hitler and Mussolini attracted a variety of American admirers. Throughout the Cold War, the Right evinced a fondness for autocrats such as Francisco Franco and Augusto Pinochet, while some conservatives wrote apologias for the Third Reich and for apartheid South Africa. The habit of mind is not really about foreign policy, however. As Heilbrunn argues, the Right is drawn to what it perceives as the impressive strength of foreign dictators, precisely because it sees them as models of how to fight against liberalism and progressivism domestically. America Last is a guide for the perplexed, identifying and tracing a persuasion-or the 'illiberal imagination'-that has animated conservative politics for a century now. Since the 1940s, the Right has railed against communist fellow travelers in America. Heilbrunn finally corrects the record, showing that dictator worship is an unignorable tradition within modern American conservatism-and what it means for us today.

Jacob Heilbrunn (Author), Kent Klineman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Liberalism In the Classical Tradition

'Liberalism In the Classical Tradition' is a seminal work written by Ludwig von Mises, an Austrian economist and philosopher. Originally published in 1927 as 'Die Gemeinwirtschaft: Untersuchungen über den Sozialismus' (Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis), it was later translated into English in 1962. The book provides a comprehensive defense of classical liberalism, focusing on the principles of individual liberty, free markets, and limited government. Ludwig von Mises argues against socialism and interventionism, emphasizing the importance of private property, voluntary exchange, and the market process. He explores the economic and moral foundations of classical liberalism and critiques alternative political and economic systems. Mises contends that individual freedom and property rights are essential for human flourishing and the prosperity of society.

Ludwig Von Mises (Author), Jason Smith, Jason Smith (male Synthesized Voice) (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Ukrainian] - Сад Гетсиманський: Книжки українською, українська література

В творі (значною мірою автобіографічному) йдеться про трагічну долю сім'ї сільського коваля Якова Чумака, зокрема, його наймолодшого сина Андрія, про те, як люди зберігали гідність на межі буття і смерті. «Сад Гетсиманський» — один з перших творів у світовій літературі, в якому з позиції учасника подій викрито злочини сталінського режиму. Дія твору розгортається в Харкові, у в'язницях на Раднаркомівській та Холодній горі. Всі імена та прізвища в'язнів і співробітників НКВС в цій книзі правдиві.

іван багряний (Author), артем окороков (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Rebels: Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the Struggle for a New A

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Devil's Bargain comes the revelatory inside story of the uprising within the Democratic Party, of the economic populists led by Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In his classic book Devil's Bargain, Joshua Green chronicled how the forces of economic populism on the right, led by the likes of Steve Bannon, turned Donald Trump into their flawed but powerful vessel. In The Rebels, he gives an epic account of the long struggle that has played out in parallel on the left, told through an intimate reckoning with the careers of the three political figures who have led the charge most prominently. Based on remarkable inside sourcing and razor-sharp analysis, The Rebels uses the grand narrative of a political party undergoing tumult and transformation to tell an even larger story about the fate of America. For many years, as Green recounts, the Democrats made their bed with Wall Street and big tech, relying on corporate money for electioneering and embracing the worldview that technological and financial innovation and globalization were a powerful net good, a rising tide lifting all boats. Yes, there were howls of pain, but they were written off by most of the elites as the moaning of sore losers mired in the past. There were always some Democratic politicians representing the old labor base who resisted the new dispensation, but these figures never made it very far on a national level. For one thing, they didn't have the money. But as income inequality ballooned, widening the gulf between the wealthy elite and everyone else, pressures began to build. With the 2008 crisis, those forces finally erupted into plain sight, turning this book's protagonists into national icons. At its heart, The Rebels tells the riveting human story of the rise and fight of Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from the financial crisis on, as outrage over the unfairness of the American system formed a flood tide of political revolution. That same tide that would sweep Trump into office was blunted on the left, as the Democratic party found itself riven by culture war issues between its centrists and its progressives. But the winds behind economic populism still howl at gale force. Whether the Democrats can bridge their divisions and home in on a vision that unites the party, and perhaps even the country, in the face of the most violently deranged political landscape since the Civil War will be the ultimate test of the legacies of all three characters. A masterful account of one of the defining political stories of our age, The Rebels cements Joshua Green's stature at the first rank of American writers explaining how we've arrived at this pass and what lies ahead.

Joshua Green (Author), Philip Hernandez, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

School Moms: Parent Activism, Partisan Politics, and the Battle for Public Education

An on-the-ground look at the rise of parent activism in response to the far-right attacks on public school education For well over a century, public schools have been a non-partisan gathering place and vital center of civic life in America--but something has changed. In School Moms, journalist Laura Pappano explores the on-the-ground story of how public schools across the country have become ground zero in a cultural and political war as the far-right have made efforts to seek power over school boards. Pappano argues that the rise of parent activism is actually the culmination of efforts that began in the 1990s after campaigns to stop sex education largely fizzled. Recent efforts to make public schools more responsive and inclusive, as well as the pandemic, have offered openings the far-right have been waiting for to organize and sway parents, who are frustrated and exhausted by remote learning, objections by teacher's unions, and shifting directives from school leaders. Groups like Moms for Liberty and Parents Defending Education are organizing against revised history curricula they have dubbed as 'CRT,' banning books, pressing for 'Don't Say Gay' laws, and asserting 'parental rights' to gain control over the review of classroom materials. On the other side, progressive groups like Support Our Schools and Red, Wine & Blue are mobilizing parents to counter such moves. Combining on-the-ground reporting with research and expert interviews, School Moms will take a hard look at where these battles are happening, what is at stake, and why it matters for the future of our schools.

Laura Pappano (Author), Tracy Parsons (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Grift: The Downward Spiral of Black Republicans from the Party of Lincoln to the Cult of Trump

Part history and part cultural analysis, The Grift chronicles the nuanced history of Black Republicans. Clay Cane lays out how Black Republicanism has been mangled by opportunists who are apologists for racism. After the Civil War, the pillars of Black Republicanism were a balanced critique of both political parties, civil rights for all Americans, reinventing an economy based on exploitation, and, most importantly, building thriving Black communities. How did Black Republicanism devolve from revolutionaries like Frederick Douglass to the puppets in the Trump era? Whether it's radical conservatives like South Carolina Senator Tim Scott or Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, they are consistently viral news and continuously upholding egregious laws at the expense of their Black brethren. Black faces in high places who provide cover for explicit bigotry are one of the greatest threats to the liberation of Black and brown people. By studying these figures and their tactics, Cane exposes the grift and lays out a plan to emancipate our future.

Clay Cane (Author), Clay Cane, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Putin's Exiles: Their Fight for a Better Russia

The future of Russia lies outside the country. Since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, some one million Russians have fled the country and gone into exile. Motivated by opposition to the war, by guilt for their country's deeds, by personal hatred for the Czar-like Putin, and by a vision of a better Russia, shorn of autocracy, the exiles have mounted an organized resistance to Putin's rule. The resistance includes followers of the imprisoned Putin opponent Alexi Navalny, dissident Russian Orthodox priests, and journalists feeding Russians back home the kind of coverage that Kremlin-controlled media censors. Most aggressively, some exiles are actively aiding the Ukrainian fight against Russia's armed forces in hopes of hastening Russia's defeat and Putin's demise. Paul Starobin, a veteran analyst of Russia, travels to places like Armenia and Georgia to meet with exiles and has conversations with prominent figures throughout Europe and America, as he takes measure of this rebellion-and its potential to fix a nation plagued by revanchist imperial dreams. Putin's Exiles is an indispensable work for anyone trying to understand Russia today-to go beyond Putin's propaganda and the tightly controlled narrative inside the country, and look outside its borders to the diaspora of Russian exiles, who are imagining and fighting for the future of their country.

Paul Starobin (Author), David Aranovich (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Brief Global History of the Left

The Left seems to be dying a slow death. While many commenters have predicted its demise, the Left has always defied these bleak prognoses and risen from the ashes in the most unexpected ways. Nevertheless, we are witnessing today a global decline in organized movements on the Left, and while social struggles and rebellious citizens continue to challenge dominant political regimes, these efforts do not translate into support for traditional left parties or into the creation of dynamic movements on the left. Bestselling historian Shlomo Sand argues that the global decline of the Left is linked to the waning of the idea of equality that has united citizens in the past and inspired them to engage in collective action. Sand retraces the evolution of this idea in a wide-ranging account that includes seventeenth-century England, the French Revolution, the birth of anarchism and Marxism, the decolonial, feminist, and civil rights revolts, and the left populism of our time. In piecing together the thinkers and movements that built the Left, Sand illuminates the global and transnational dynamics which pushed them forward, often picking up the gauntlets their predecessors had laid down. He outlines how they shaped the notion of equality, while also analyzing how they were confronted by its material reality, and the lessons that they did-or did not-draw from this.

Shlomo Sand (Author), Peter Lerman (Narrator)

Audiobook

For Love of Country: Why I Left the Democratic Party

Tulsi Gabbard was the rising star of the Democratic Party. But the growing wokeness, racism, and intolerance were more than she could stomach, and she left. This is her story. Today's Democratic Party is controlled by an elitist cabal of warmongers driven crazy by woke ideology and anti-white animus. They are a clear and present threat to the God-given freedoms enshrined in the Constitution. A soldier, former member of Congress, and a presidential candidate, Tulsi loves her country: "I answered the call of duty and took an oath, dedicating my life to supporting and defending those freedoms, both in uniform and in public office. I became a Democrat when I ran for office because I saw them as a party that stood up for the little guy and against the interests of big business and warmongers. I remained a Democrat for twenty years, albeit with an independent streak." Today that party is unrecognizable: antagonistic to people of faith, hostile to the police and law and order, suspicious of law-abiding Americans, unserious about border security, and uncritical of a national security apparatus that targets political opponents and that is dragging us ever closer to apocalyptic nuclear war. Now an Independent, Tulsi calls on those who love America to protect our rights from those who are seeking to undermine them at every turn. It's time to say good-bye to the Democratic Party.

Tulsi Gabbard (Author), Tulsi Gabbard (Narrator)

Audiobook

Political Ideologies Audiobooks in Politics