004 - Elizabeth Booker Houston on Race, Class, and the Future of the Left

My guest today is Elizabeth Booker Houston – lawyer, comedian, and political commentator based in Washington DC. We discuss white supremacy in US politics, how to integrate class consciousness with anti-racism, the false myth of “rugged individualism,” and how to build a bridge between identity politics and class politics within the progressive movement.Follow Elizabeth Booker Houston on social media:Substack: https://bookersquared.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookersquaredTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bookersquaredFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.booker.houstonYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bookersquaredSupport the Better Future podcast by subscribing:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelmezzSubstack: https://substack.com/@michaelmezzatestaSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16K0dkbk35q0mTslKJJ7z0Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-future-with-michael-mezz/id1823942833Note: This conversation was recorded before the recent Wired article about Chorus – a liberal content creator incubator program, of which Elizabeth is a member – so I didn’t ask about it during this interview.00:00 Introduction: leftism & whiteness03:18 White supremacy in MAGA & US politics07:23 Bridging the gap between race & class politics13:57 Intersections between race & other leftist issues17:20 Black leadership in the history of US leftism20:43 The politics of disability & neurodivergence23:43 The myth of rugged individualism30:42 Elizabeth is MAGA-coded?32:08 Do souls exist?34:08 Raw milk and micro-aggressions36:36 Politician lightning round: RFK & Elon Musk38:49 Politician lightning round: Newsom, Harris, Booker41:42 AOC, Mamdani, Buttigieg, Crockett45:26 The progressive movement needs leaders48:32 What a better future looks like50:03 ConclusionHost/Creator: Michael MezzatestaGuest: Elizabeth Booker HoustonVideo editor: Nuria SalgadoSound editor: Andre CoreaDesigner: Amea WadsworthThanks for watching episode 004. Lots more on the way :)