{"podcast":{"title":"Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy","slug":"best-of-the-left-leftist-perspectives-on-progressive-politics-news-culture-economics-and-democracy-457587","podcast_index_feed_id":457587,"rss_url":"https://hippiesympathizer.libsyn.com/mp3.rss","website_url":"https://www.bestoftheleft.com/listen","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/a/7/a/a/a7aad30e2da4890d/BotL_Scaled_up_Portrait_Logo.jpg","author":"Jay Tomlinson","episode_count":200,"summary":"Expertly-curated progressive politics, news, and culture produced by leftist humans, not algorithms or AI. This is an award-winning podcast that dives deeply into a wide range of national and international issues facing society and governments. We draw from hundreds of sources of progressive news and commentary. Est. 2006. Save time by listening to a range of perspectives on a focused topic in each episode and be introduced to new sources you will not have come across on your own!","last_synced_at":"2026-06-07T02:20:28.101189+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/best-of-the-left-leftist-perspectives-on-progressive-politics-news-culture-economics-and-democracy-457587"},"episode":{"title":"#1776 Trump's Pharaoh Complex, Our Flawed Constitution, and the 250th Anniversary","slug":"1776-trump-s-pharaoh-complex-our-flawed-constitution-and-the-250th-anniversary","published_at":"2026-03-12T18:27:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/best-of-the-left-leftist-perspectives-on-progressive-politics-news-culture-economics-and-democracy-457587/1776-trump-s-pharaoh-complex-our-flawed-constitution-and-the-250th-anniversary","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/best-of-the-left-leftist-perspectives-on-progressive-politics-news-culture-economics-and-democracy-457587","url":"https://www.bestoftheleft.com/1776","audio_url":"https://pdrl.fm/829673/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/hippiesympathizer/1776_Trumps_Pharaoh_Complex.mp3?dest-id=22784","summary":"Air Date: 3/11/2026 Today is episode 1776, in the year of our nation's 250th birthday, and we thought the occasion called for something big. So, we're tracing the full arc — from the constitutional compromises that made this country possible to the authoritarian vanity project that those compromises eventually also made possible. We're talking about the history, the structures, and the insecure current-but-temporary president who thinks a $400 million ballroom and a coin with his face on both sides will make him a pharaoh. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message , message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01 , or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube ! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community ! TOP TAKES KP 1: The Fight for a True Democracy Part 1 - 1619 - Air Date 8-23-19 KP 2: THE BROKEN CONSTITUTION with Noah Feldman Part 1 - Political Philosophy Podcast - Air Date 11-30-21 KP 3: Black History Month Is Different This Year Part 1 - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 2-19-26 KP 4: Will Trump Turn Americas 250th Birthday Into a MAGA-fest Part 1 - The Bunker - Air Date 3-3-26 KP 5: Trumps Gilded White House Makeover Is All About Power Part 1 - Reveal - Air Date 12-10-26 KP 6: The U.S. Is Now Trumpistan Prof. Stanley on Trumps Cult of Personality Part 1 - Velshi - Air Date 2-15-26 KP 7: Cass Sunstein on Interpreting the US Constitution Part 1 - Democracy Paradox - Air Date 8-15-23 (00:55:00) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On Why America's Coat Doesn't Fit and Why They're Erasing History to Hide It DEEPER DIVES (01:07:08) SECTION A: CONSTITUTION A1: Slavery in the Constitution Part…","meta_description":"Air Date: 3/11/2026 Today is episode 1776, in the year of our nation's 250th birthday, and we thought the occasion called for something big. So, we're tra…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":13149,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/best-of-the-left-leftist-perspectives-on-progressive-politics-news-culture-economics-and-democracy-457587/episodes/1776-trump-s-pharaoh-complex-our-flawed-constitution-and-the-250th-anniversary/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/best-of-the-left-leftist-perspectives-on-progressive-politics-news-culture-economics-and-democracy-457587/1776-trump-s-pharaoh-complex-our-flawed-constitution-and-the-250th-anniversary.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}