This episode of The EXPERTS podcast, episode 44 of season one, is titled Surprise Surprise, It’s Socialism! It is a podcast discussion in which the hosts examine how socialist ideas show up in American public life, often in places where listeners might not expect them. The episode takes a conversational approach, with the hosts working through recent events and policies and asking what they reveal about the direction of the country.
The discussion touches on the themes that run through the podcast’s coverage of the period, including protests, race and the debate over social justice. The hosts argue that many of the proposals and movements presented simply as fairness or reform are, in their view, rooted in socialist thinking about the state, redistribution and the division of society into groups. They also consider why those ideas have gained ground, and what that means for American freedom and prosperity.
For listeners, the episode is a clear example of the podcast’s style: informal, opinionated and focused on connecting news stories to a wider argument about socialism in America. It matters because podcasts have become a major way many people follow politics, and this episode captures how the debate over socialism was framed for a general audience in 2020.