SponsorBlock Timestamps:

0:00.000 - 1:00.000 Preview/Recap
1:00.000 - 12:20.000 Introduction & Show Opening
12:20.000 - 31:30.000 Debating California’s Affordability & Housing Crisis
35:06.000 - 44:00.000 The “Grow the Pie” Fallacy & Wealth Inequality
47:22.000 - 56:30.000 Healthcare, “Constraints,” and Democratic Party Inaction
59:51.000 - 1:08:00.000 The Zohran Mamdani Case Study & Co-optation
1:18:00.000 - 1:33:00.000 The Future of the Left & Rising Class Consciousness
1:34:23.000 - 1:48:00.000 Newsom’s AIPAC Meltdown & The Israel-Palestine Litmus Test
1:55:00.000 - 2:01:50.000 Final Thoughts & Calls to Action
2:01:54.300 - 2:02:07.200 Unpaid/Self Promotion
2:02:07.200 - 2:02:44.221 Endcards/Credits

Video Description:

Marxist economist Richard Wolff returns to Bad Faith along with historian, professor, and Green Party candidate for the governor of California Butch Ware, to forensically break down California governor Gavin Newsom’s recent viral appearance on Higher Learning with Van Lathan & Rachel Lindsay. Wolff & Ware weigh in on Newsom evasions in response to questions about the inherent contradictions of capitalism, California’s failure to implement Medicare for All, & the “interesting” AIPAC moment, but the Higher Learning interview serves as a jumping off point for a broader and deeper conversation about the future of left politics, Zohran Mamdani, and the limits of the Democratic Party. (It’s spooky season, and there’s something magical happening with this guest pairing.)

Generated Summary:

“The Most Effective Counter-Insurgency”: How the Democratic Party Co-opts the Left (A Case Study of Gavin Newsom)

This episode features a deep dive into California Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent interview on the “Higher Learning” podcast. Marxist economist Richard Wolff and Green Party gubernatorial candidate Butch Ware provide a critical analysis of Newsom’s positions on housing, the economy, healthcare, and Israel/Palestine, using his interview as a springboard for a broader discussion about the limits of the Democratic Party and the future of left politics.

Major Segments & Timestamps

1. Segment: The California “Affordability Crisis” & The Failures of Capitalism

Starts: ~12:20 | Ends: ~31:30
Main Points:
- Newsom’s Argument: Newsom defends his record by pointing to job growth and a “vibrant” California economy, blaming the housing crisis on a “supply/demand imbalance” and local “NIMBY” (Not In My Backyard) opposition. He frames the solution as “Econ 101”: building more housing and creating favorable conditions for private developers.
- Richard Wolff’s Rebuttal: Wolff dismantles this, stating that relying on the “profit motive” is the core of the problem. He explains that private developers will only build luxury housing, not affordable housing. He argues for massive public investment and non-profit, cooperative housing models, pointing out that treating housing as a human right, not a commodity, is the real solution.
- Butch Ware’s Rebuttal: Ware calls Newsom’s narrative “neoliberal garbage,” highlighting California’s extreme wealth inequality, high poverty rates, and vast homelessness. He points out that there are already enough vacant units; the problem is corporate landlords like Blackstone hoarding them. His solution is to tax these entities heavily and create a massive public housing sector, like the model in Vienna.

2. Segment: Wealth Inequality & The “Growth vs. Distribution” Shell Game

Starts: ~35:06 | Ends: ~44:00
Main Points:
- Newsom’s Argument: When asked about capitalism’s role in wealth inequality, Newsom acknowledges the problem but pivots to a “grow the pie” argument. He praises “entrepreneurialism” and says he doesn’t “begrudge other people’s success,” framing the solution as “growth” with “inclusion.”
- Richard Wolff’s Rebuttal: Wolff labels the “grow the pie” argument a centuries-old trick used by the rich to avoid addressing the real issue: how the pie is divided. He states that growth alone has never solved inequality and that Newsom’s “inclusion” rhetoric is a empty pivot to avoid talking about redistributing wealth and power.
- Butch Ware’s Rebuttal: Ware connects this to Reagan-era “trickle-down economics,” which he notes was originally called “horse and sparrow theory” (the idea that if you feed the horse enough oats, some will pass through for the sparrows). He argues Democrats are now to the right of Reagan on economics.

3. Segment: Healthcare & The “Constraints” of Power

Starts: ~47:22 | Ends: ~56:30
Main Points:
- Newsom’s Argument: Confronted on why Democrats don’t support popular policies like Medicare for All, Newsom claims he believes single-payer is “inevitable” but blames “constraints,” “pragmatism,” and the need for “compromise.” He points to expanding healthcare access under Obamacare as a pragmatic achievement.
- Butch Ware’s Rebuttal: Ware states the simple reason: the Democratic Party is a “wholly-owned subsidiary” of corporate donors, including the healthcare industry. He notes that Newsom ran on single-payer and then abandoned it once in office after industry pressure.
- Richard Wolff’s Rebuttal: Wolff eviscerates the “constraints” argument, stating that a real leader would mobilize public pressure to overcome those constraints. He uses the example of President Obama asking for a mass movement and then crushing the Occupy Wall Street movement when it emerged, proving the “constraints” excuse is a hollow justification for inaction.

4. Segment: The AIPAC Meltdown & The Democratic Party’s Israel Problem

Starts: ~1:34:23 | Ends: ~1:48:00
Main Points:
- The Newsom Clip: The panel reviews the viral moment where Newsom is asked about taking money from AIPAC. He has a visibly flustered meltdown, repeatedly calling it “interesting” and claiming, “I haven’t thought about Apac in years.”
- Panel’s Analysis:
  - Briahna & Butch: They see this as a revealing moment of panic. Ware suggests Newsom was caught off-guard by credible journalism from a Black podcast, expecting a softer interview. Both see it as proof of the illicit, unspoken relationship between establishment Democrats and pro-Israel lobbies.
  - Richard Wolff: Wolff expresses shock that a major politician would so blatantly lie in public and be unconcerned about the backlash, seeing it as a sign of impunity.

5. Segment: Zohran Mamdani, Co-optation, and the Future of the Left

Starts: ~1:18:00 | Ends: ~1:33:00
Main Points:
- A Case Study in Co-optation: The discussion uses NY politician Zohran Mamdani as a case study for the pressures faced by leftists inside the Democratic Party. Briahna expresses concern that Mamdani is already moderating his stances on issues like policing and Palestine after winning his primary.
- Butch Ware’s Thesis: Ware powerfully argues that the Democratic Party is “the most effective counterinsurgency organization ever to emerge in modern history,” designed to identify, co-opt, and neutralize any truly transformative movement. He quotes Malcolm X that the “white liberal is the most dangerous thing” because they are a “concealed enemy.”
- Richard Wolff’s Optimism: Wolff is more optimistic, arguing that the mass support for figures like Mamdani and Bernie Sanders signals a rising “class consciousness” and a turning of the public against capitalism, even if they don’t use the word. He believes this shift in mass awareness is a cause for hope.

6. Segment: Final Thoughts & Calls to Action

Starts: ~1:55:00 | Ends: ~2:01:50
Main Points:
- Richard Wolff: Warns about the dangers of AI-generated fake videos and highlights the US’s extrajudicial killings off the coast of Venezuela as a terrifying example of resurgent colonialism that is being ignored.
- Butch Ware: Makes his pitch for his California gubernatorial campaign, emphasizing its grassroots, no-corporate-money model and its commitment to mutual aid and direct action. He positions himself as the only anti-Zionist candidate in the race.

Overall Key Takeaways

The Democratic Party’s Core Problem: Both guests argue the party is fundamentally a capitalist party that serves corporate donors, making it incapable of delivering systemic change on housing, healthcare, or foreign policy (e.g., Israel/Palestine).
The “Fox vs. Wolf”: Butch Ware’s use of Malcolm X’s analogy frames establishment Democrats (the “fox”) as more dangerous than open conservatives (the “wolf”) because they pretend to be allies while actively working against working-class interests.
A Shift in Consciousness: Despite the criticism, there is optimism that public consciousness is shifting, with growing anger over inequality and genocide creating new opportunities for left politics outside the two-party system.

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[How the Democratic Party Co-opts the Left (A Case Study of Gavin Newsom]Drs. Wolff & Ware Destroy Gavin Newsom on AIPAC/Housing/Economy | Richard Wolff & Butch Ware [02:02:44 | 23OCT2025 | Bad Faith]