On this episode, Jesse & Matt discuss their fraught and less than ambivalent feelings about their first time at Southern California’s Politicon, and provide a discerning look at how it represents the shallow conceptions of what politics so often involve, and how it could have been reimagined as a democratic space for transformational insights and real debates. The majority of the podcast will discuss solutions to create a utopian future (or at least one that guarantees The Golden Square) by combining the co-hosts’ deflowered experience at Politicon with Episode 12’s arm-wrestling over how to get to this future they keep pressing for. Jesse & Matt will do this by offering up The Slingshot Seven: a policy platform of ideas for anti-authoritarians and activists to demand and work toward, and in doing so, build real power inside the Meth-house of America’s 21st Century.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Ben Norton in Counterpunch: “Ann Coulter: A Jackboot in Guccis”

Libby Watson in Splinter: “Why Did Politicon Make Me Want To Die?”

Politicon’s 2016 Art Gallery Exhibit Gone from the 2017 Convention: Where Did It Go? Some Memorable Photos from the 2016’s Exhibit: Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here

Clio Chang in the New Republic: “Politcon Is the Perfect Media Racket for the Trump Era”

What is Whuffie? How Cory Doctorow’s Celebrity/Fan Economy Lends Itself to the Following Predicament: “Wealth Inequality Is Even Worse in Reputation Economies”

Why Isn’t the Price for Internet Dropping as Technology Accelerates with New Supposed Efficiencies? John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight Explains . . .

Peter Beinart Reviews Ann Coulter’s Recent Book in “Trump We Trust” for The Atlantic

Which Nazi Kicks More Ass as a Media-Monger & Sith-Lord Propagandist: Roger Stone or Joseph Goebbels?

Photos of Politicon’s “Democracy Village”: Here, Here, Here, Here and The Future Is A Mixtape’s Booth!

Arty Leftists Infiltrate Ann Coulter’s Discussion with Nazi Outfits

Melina Abdullah: “Red hats are essentially the new white sheets.” Full Excerpt on YouTube.

The Yes Men’s Most Recent Prank: Coming to DNC as Democratic Party Officials by Announcing #DNCTakeBack Full of Bernie Platform Ideals.

The Facebook 28ers’ Event (October 6th, 2015): “A Madhatter’s Theatre Presents: ‘The Yes Men Are Revolting’ at UCR”: Here, Here, Here and Here

Platform of New Democrats: Bernie Sanders Platform Was Widely Popular

Performance Art Versus Social Practice Art: The Yes Men Embodied Change by Imagining It: The Duo Passed Out Fake New York Times Broadsheets to Imagine a Progressive Utopia

Politicon’s Schedule of Events: “Where Are All of the More Pressing & Important Topics Missing from the Convention?”

A Nice Roundup of Political Gatherings in 2017 We Would Have Rather Gone To: The People’s Summit (June 9th-to-11th) & the Socialism Conference (July 6th-to-9th) & DSA National Convention (August 3rd-to-6th)

Our Local LA Democratic Socialists of America Meeting Versus “Draft Bernie for a People’s Party”

Wolf PAC & The 28th Movement: It’s History & Official Website

The 28ers’ General Website & It’s Swarmwise Campaign Page for SB-562

Bernie Sanders Won 43% of the National Primary Vote for The Democratic Party

“The Democratic Party Is a Graveyard for Social Movements” & Lance Selfa’s Book on the Old Adage: The Democrats: A Critical History

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers in Truthdig: “What the U.S. Can Learn from the U.K. Election and Jeremy Corbyn”

Norway’s Elections: Clear, Transparent and Publically Funded

Bernie Sanders’ Responding to The New York Times Magazine on What the Democratic Party Really Stands for:

“You’re asking a good question, and I can’t give you a definitive answer. Certainly there are some people in the Democratic Party who want to maintain the status quo. They would rather go down with the Titanic so long as they have first-class seats.”

Keith Ellison Backs Out of Promise to Get Rid of Corporate Donations & Lobbying Money to the DNC to Win the Chairship Position

The Tory Party’s 2017 Manifesto

The Labour Party’s 2017 Manifesto

Jesse Herring’s Suggestion for 7-Point Platform, “The Slingshot Seven”:

Healthcare for All

Renewable Energy Plan Toward 100% Usage

Universal Basic Income (UBI) for All

Demilitarization: Both Domestic & Foreign

Tuition-Free Education

Getting Money Out of Politics

$15-Hour Minimum Wage (Adjusted to Inflation)

Grover Norquist: Taxation Is Theft: Sign This Contract to Promise No New Taxes: “Norquist’s Tax Pledge: What It Is and How It Started”