When it comes to researching and presenting a political topic, it is hard to imagine that anyone could surpass Rachel Maddow. Having reviewed and relished two of her podcasts, it was only a question of time before I savored her latest podcast, ‘Deja News’.
Ably assisted by MSNBC producer, Isaac-Davy Aronson, the podcast is a reminder that many political revelations that we see today are not new and bear eerie resemblances to events from the past, most of which happened in the United States and a few that happened in Europe.
Every episode of the riveting seven-episode podcast deals with a political happening in the years gone by that has uncanny parallels with happenings in our not-so-distant past.
Here are the outlines for each episode:
Episode 1: Riot at the Gates (Again)
If you thought that the insurrection that occurred on January 6th, 2021, on the grounds of our nation’s Capitol Building was the first of its kind that happened in a developed nation, you would be wrong. On February 6th, 1934, an angry mob of violent fascist protestors tried to usurp control of the French Parliament, causing fatalities, injuries, and mayhem.
Episode 2: Florida’s First War on Woke
Governor DeSantis’ war on Woke actually has a precedent that occurred in the mid-50s and continued into the mid-60s. Florida lawmakers attacked suspected communists and gay citizens of the state.
Episode 3: The Meanest, Dirtiest, Low-Down Stuff
The voter suppression efforts in the last election bear more than a few similarities to those in the 1964 election where Republicans adopted numerous such strategies to ensure Senator Goldwater’s victory over Lyndon Johnson. Maddow and Aronson cover “Operation Eagle Eye” in detail.
Bag man Bonus Episode
Having covered the Vice President Spiro Agnew corruption in great detail in Bagman, Maddow and Aronson have a follow-up talk with the three prosecutors who tried this case. Again, we see similarities in this case to the recent cases against President Trump.
Episode 4: It’s a very short path
This episode covers a relatively recent far-right populist Polish President’s all-too-familiar playbook involving media suppression, demonizing the LGBTQ community, and immigrants.
Episode 5: Taken for a ride
This episode covers the Reverse Freedom Rides of the 1960s where black Americans were taken from the South and dropped off in Northern liberal states, similar to strategies adopted by contemporary Southern governors to ship illegal immigrants to blue states.
Episode 6: Hello America, this is Adis Ababa
Presented by Aronson, this episode covers Mussolini’s takeover of Ethiopia. The implications of the League of Nations turning their back on Ethiopia had important consequences that should be understood in the context of Russia’s act of aggression on Ukraine. The open question remains: Will Europe and the US take measures to halt Russia? How far will they go? Will they understand the far-reaching consequences of preventing an autocratic country from usurping a sovereign country? The stakes are more than being on the right side of morality and history.
An oft-quoted statement, “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it,” is attributed to the writer George Santayana. Rachel and Aronson build the case for this statement in each of the episodes of this podcast. This podcast is a stark warning about the importance of learning lessons from the past. It is a must for everyone, especially history buffs and political junkies.
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