Mass of Contradictions

We sit down with Jonathan Cohn, chair of the Issues and Elections committees of Progressive Mass, and talk about PM's fight for more progressive bills and processes in the Massachusetts State Legislature. Check out his take on why Massachusetts is not nearly so "liberal" in practice as we superficially assume, how the state government is designed to be opaque and unresponsive, and how to make law makers more accountable. Finally, we survey the important bills on single-payer healthcare,...

Our December holiday update covering MA politicians, Nathaniel MulCahey's bid for Congress, Mandaeans (a small gnostic religious group from Iraq) moving to Worcester, Trump impeachment, and Jeremy Corbyn and the UK Elections. Happy Holidays to our listeners! Nathaniel MulCahey's Campaign for Congress: www.mulcahy2020.com Mandaean Community of MA: www.mandaeancommunityofmass.org Mandaean Society of MA: www.mandaeansocietyma.org Mandaean Temple GoFundMe: charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/mendi

We go on the road and talk with the diplomatic and hypnotic Emily Gallagher, NYC activist and resident running for New Yor'sk 50th District State Assembly seat (Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and Clinton Hill). We sip tea over a vintage formica table in Greenpoint and discuss rent control, public transit, and environmental issues affecting northern Brooklyn as well as Emily's experiences in being drawn into politics through the movement for toxic waste cleanup in her area. Learn more about her...

Ricky Canavan-Wagner, a progressive running for State Representative in Beverly, Mass., brings out our sincerity (to a degree). We discuss foster care, rent control, and most importantly, Italian liquors. Learn more about the campaign at www.rickyforstaterep.com; Ricky's Twitter: @canavanwagner

Would you rather take an explicit selfie with Elizabeth Warren, or the Queen? This month we discuss the liberal orgy that was the Massachusetts State Democratic Convention in Springfield, and then try to parse out the true constitutional Clusterf--k that is Great Britain in the face of Brexit.

We all know that the rent is too damn high – but what can we do about it? We take apart the disingenuous arguments against rent control and public housing, and we expose a paid shill who recently appeared on Jim and Margery’s show on Boston Public Radio and who wants to stuff your Nana into a closet. We also discuss the sudden rise and ambiguous loyalties of Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Boston’s member of “the Squad,” and a new candidate from western Mass. who is trying to follow in her...

We pose the question: is it possible to impose democracy on a society like Massachusetts? We discuss the strange, labyrinthine process of getting laws or policies changed in Massachusetts, which no normal citizen has much chance of keeping track of, let alone changing. We look into the history of the state's system of government, particularly the superfluous Senate, which was set up to prevent democracy and keep the poor out of politics. This is the recent Jacobin article that Sam...

The show gets derailed by the hot topic of traffic congestion. Mike and Sam provide the only analysis on the traffic policy suggestions put forward by WGBH's local radio show, Innovation Hub. If you want to hear more, please support us at patreon.com/massofcontradictions

Money in politics, Question 2, and the efforts to overturn Citizens United. Mike and Sam provide the only queer analysis (or any sort of analysis) out there on MA's push for campaign finance reform, the newly created Massachusetts Citizens Commission, and the fifteen individuals who were selected for the job. If you want to hear more, please support us at patreon.com/massofcontradictions Cover image: Notre Dame des Canadiens, Worcester, in process of demolition, as seen by "Turtle Boy,"...

The basics: two whiny people try to justify their claim on your time. It's about Massachusetts, so it involves Native American history, Harvard, and a whole lot of Catholics. Please follow us on Twitter (@podcast_mass) and support us on Patreon to hear more! --https://www.patreon.com/massofcontradictions