Three Right Turns explores progressive politics and policy with an eye towards out reach and explanation to centrists and open minded people of conservative persuasion. Do you feel left behind by the modern culture and economy? Are you alienated by friends, co-workers, and family, or are angry and confused for always feeling like the bad guy? Maybe Three Right Turns can help. Hosted by A.Ron, a former Christian conservative turned secular progressive, this podcast will answer honest questions with straightforward answers without judgment or condescension. Email 3rt@swizzbold.com or tweet @ARonHubbardBM with #3RT to have your questions or comments considered for the show.
3RT:36 – Hailing Frequencies Open with BJ from S. Carolina
“How do I talk with my more conservative friends and family?” is the number one question I get asked on this show. It’s also something I’ve thought a lot about, because I have a LOT of conservative friends and family! While my batting record is far from 1.000, I’ve had some successes here and there. Today I talk with a former Trump supporter and disillusioned right leaning individual from South Carolina, who has a lot of questions, like… how can I trust the democrats will do any better? Why should I care about policies for people worse off than me when I don’t feel secure myself? What if helping others makes me fear that I’ll be worse off? Let’s see if I can build some bridges and common ground and try to get us on the same page, or at least reading from the same book!
Props to BJ for being willing to come on the show and have the conversation! Also, if you want even more 3RT, check out my recent appearance on the Hippy Dippy Roundtable! We discussed killing the filibuster, the threat of white supremacist groups, diversity training, wealth taxes, and the cancellation of Pepe Le Pew with a panel of people ranging from arch-conservatives all the way to commie! Be sure to sub to our channel at youtube.com/swizzbold if you want to keep up with the latest in live streams and videos!
3/19/2021 • 1 hour, 43 minutes
3RT:35 – The Wrong Kind of Kindness
We’re almost to Joe Biden’s 50th day as President. In this short period of time, there have been some important victories, but there’s also been a fair share of disappointment. Do these setbacks mean electoral politics has failed yet again? Is it really as some fear, that the two parties in the US are the same? If so, how do we move politicians left? How can we be more politically effective? How can we keep our eyes on the long term prize and not give in to political despair, cynicism, and apathy? In this episode we talk about $2000 Covid-relief checks, the $15 minimum wage, problems on our southern border, and airstrikes in Syria.
Sources used in this podcast…
New York Times: McDonald’s Workers in Denmark Pity Us
Washington Post: Kids in Cages
Skeptoid Podcast: Refeeding Syndrome and Sudden Death
3/9/2021 • 1 hour, 28 minutes, 33 seconds
3RT:34 – Gun Control with Aiden from Socialism Done Left
America has more guns than people. Our murder and suicide rates are far above our international peers. Can something be done about gun violence and death in America? And if so, what? Aiden from Socialism Done Left (youtube / twitch) joins the podcast once again to share some stats and debate what policies and priorities we should be pursuing in the goal of saving lives and protecting personal freedoms.
2/17/2021 • 1 hour, 38 minutes, 23 seconds
3RT:33 – Diamond Hands with Jim!
Podcast producer and host Jim Jones breaks his 3RT silence by joining me to try and separate math from myth when it comes to Game Stop. Game Stop (GSE) has been living the classic “rags to riches to rags to maybe riches to almost certain rags” story in the stock market and on social media this past week. What’s going on? Has the financial Davids finally gotten one over on the Wall Street Goliaths? Is this kind of investing sound? How does shorting stocks work? How can you make money when a company’s value falls? Is this chaos a problem, have crimes been committed, and what if anything can or should be done about it? We’ll try to provide some answers, and some context.
If you agree with us that there are multiple reasons to investigate everything involved for manipulation and fraud, then you should know how to get in touch with your senators and representatives, to let them know this is an important issue. You may also consider filing an SEC complaint or join a class action against certain app developers or firms if you have been impacted in all this. Invest responsibly, and like consult the opinions of experts before engaging in any long term investment strategy!
2/3/2021 • 1 hour, 32 minutes, 28 seconds
3RT:32 – Happy New Year?
We’re just over two weeks into 2021, and it doesn’t seem that we’re fated to reduce our collective anxiety levels any time soon. What happened at the Capitol on January 6th? What can we do about it in the future? What should the Biden administration and congressional Democrats have as their priorities over the next two years? And how does Swizzbold and 3RT plan on covering politics in 2021 and beyond?
Can’t get enough political talk? Check out my recent podcast on Moving Forward with Riopublican, “The Future of the DNC”!
1/17/2021 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 30 seconds
3RT:31 - I'm Dreaming... of a Social Wealth Fund for America
This week A.Ron talks briefly about the various messes we're in, and encourages people to help take the Senate back in Georgia, before doing a deep dive into the history and future of social wealth funds. What is a Social Wealth Fund? How has Norway's experience proved that government can effectively and responsibly manage such a thing? And could it possibly work here? We consider the American Solidarity Fund proposal from the People's Policy Project to find out!
12/13/2020 • 59 minutes, 49 seconds
3RT:30 - Court Rebalancing with Aiden from Socialism Done Left
Aiden joins A.Ron to discuss Court Rebalancing. Is the Supreme Court lost to progressives for a generation? What is the cost of such a loss? Is there any way we can fight back? What is legal, what is even possible? We consider several popular suggestions on rebalancing the Court, as well as how we can tactically and strategically achieve this. Bur first, A.Ron gives a pep talk about the current and future defeats of Trumpism.
Check out Aiden at Socialism Done Left. You can also follow him on Twitter.
If you want to help make Democratic control of the US Senate happen, please consider supporting Stacy Abrams' Fair Fight PAC with your time and money.
11/25/2020 • 1 hour, 10 minutes, 33 seconds
3RT:29 - Election 2020 Mythbusting
Congratulations, America! We dodged the authoritarian bullet for four more years. It was a close race, perhaps closer than we were hoping for, and maybe we'll be tempted to be disappointed in the outcome. After all, even if we take Joe Biden's win as a repudiation of Trump, we lost ground in the House and will have to work overtime in Georgia to potentially take the Senate in a tie. But is that a fair way to look at things? A.Ron engages in some post-election myth-busting to separate fact and fiction from the coverage of the 2020 elections. Should we see 2020 as a disappointment? Did Joe Biden steal the election? Can we trust polls and advanced data modeling? Should we worry about the democrats losing support among key minority demographics? All these myths and more will be put to the test!
11/11/2020 • 1 hour, 11 minutes, 17 seconds
3RT:28 - Rules Lawyers
A.Ron makes his closing arguments for why you, the listener, should make sure to go out this presidential election. Whether you're a third party voter, someone planning to sit out a battleground state race, or someone stuck in deep blue or deep red America, A.Ron has a little something to motivate you to get out there and vote. And if the worst should come to pass, and we find ourselves in an uncertain time with no clear winner and no clear loser, how can we prepare ourselves for that moment? What can we as citizens do to make sure our voice is heard and our nation chooses democracy?
If you want to be prepared for the worst case scenario, here are some sites and organizations that can help you organize with others to support democracy.
Choose Democracy
Protect The Results
10/28/2020 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 30 seconds
3RT:27 – Ooga Booga Moments - Feedback Episode!
A.Ron responds to mail he's gotten on recent shows! We talk about worker cooperatives, elitism in electoral politics, the Postal Service crisis, taxing income versus taxing capital gains, anti-racism, and cancel culture. With just the slightest of detours into caveman philosophy and Soviet misadventures in agriculture.
Join A.Ron next Thursday night, October 22nd at 9pm EST for the final presidential debate! Don't miss any live events and videos, be sure to subscribe to youtube.com/swizzbold today!
10/17/2020 • 1 hour, 24 minutes, 29 seconds
3RT:26 - Ur-Fascism
This week A.Ron goes over a 1995 essay by Umberto Eco, entitled "Ur-Fascism". What is fascism? What does it look like to be living in a democratic society that is slipping into fascism? What does it feel like? Does 21st century America embody any of the principles of "Ur-Fascism" that Eco outlines in his essay? What can we do to combat these tendencies?
10/5/2020 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 14 seconds
3RT:25 - Single Cylinder Wooden Framed Socialism - Talking with Vaush
A.Ron has a great conversation with Vaush, a libertarian socialist, about how we can implement leftist economic ideas such as worker co-ops, market socialism, and stronger unions, from within a liberal free-market democracy. We also discuss his personal history, his style of debate and argument, why we cannot afford to abandon electoral politics, and his plans for the future.
Check out Vaush at his home on the internet, vaush.gg! You can also view his videos at youtube.com/vaush. If you want to view A.Ron's side of the conversation, we've archived it here at Swizzbold's YouTube channel.
9/16/2020 • 1 hour, 53 minutes, 17 seconds
3RT:24 - "Socialist-Curious"
Riopublican from the podcast Moving Forward returns to cross rhetorical swords with A.Ron about the bounds of acceptable discourse, BLM protests, defeating Trump, the merits of socialism and private property, two party realignment, how conservatives and liberals can work together on good policy, and much more.
If you enjoyed the discussion, be sure to subscribe to Moving Forward, where A.Ron is planned to be part of a regular rotation of lefty/progressive co-hosts finding areas of agreement and common ground in the world of politics!
9/2/2020 • 1 hour, 38 minutes, 25 seconds
3RT:23 - Enemy of My Enemy
Corey Cottrell comes back to share thoughts on Kamala Harris as Democratic VP pick, the latest on Trump's war on the USPS and mail in voting, then we get personal and talk about his recent split from the podcast Moving Forward, our concerns for liberals embracing Project Lincoln, and in what capacities can we work with conservatives towards good faith governance.
8/19/2020 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 40 seconds
3RT:22 - Going Postal, and a discussion with Nova Reid
The Post Office is under attack during a time where we may need it the most. A.Ron explores the validity of claims by Trump that our elections are rigged, and that mail in voting is particularly susceptible to fraud, and discusses what we can do to keep our elections democratic, safe, and fair. Then Nova Reid joins the podcast to discuss her work on anti-racist education and race relations in the UK.
8/5/2020 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 44 seconds
3RT:21 - Cannon's Cancel
Lots of people asked me what I though about the Letter on Justice and Open Debate in Harper's Magazine, the signatories of which is a who's who of famous authors, academics, and intellectuals. Well, I had a lot of thoughts. We examine the phenomenon of "cancel culture" through a historical lens, before looking into the details of two recent examples of attempted cancellations; Lin Manuel Miranda and "Hamilton", and Nick Cannon's controversial comments on a recent podcast.
7/22/2020 • 54 minutes, 30 seconds
3RT:20 - Y'all Giving Me Homework?! Feedback Episode!
It's high time for another feedback episode! Listeners chime in on questions, comments, and concerns regarding how to talk with your conservative friends and families, BLM, billionaires, blaxit, and more.
7/8/2020 • 1 hour, 19 minutes, 5 seconds
3RT:19 - Warlocks from the Ninth Lodge of Hell vs the Sons of Hemlock
A.Ron attempts to distill what he's learned about how, when, and why people change their minds about deeply held beliefs and how you can arrive at the truth of a thing using formative experiences from his past and tortured video game metaphor.
7/1/2020 • 1 hour, 8 minutes, 30 seconds
3RT:18 - The Non-Aggression Podcast
Joining me this week is Caleb, the producer of the podcast "A Shot of Truth", and proprietor of http://Sudo.Science. Caleb will be talking about his personal political journey, which mirrors much of my own, but that has led to him finding answers in Libertarian tenets.
6/24/2020 • 1 hour, 42 minutes, 51 seconds
3RT:17 - TERF Wars
JK Rowling published a controversial essay last week that some labeled transphobic while others hailed as a a well reasoned defense of women's rights. There is a movement among feminists that want to push back against what they consider radical redefinition of sex and gender. They call their movement "gender critical", while their opponents label them "TERFs", trans exclusionary radical feminists. A.Ron has on Nat from the UK to debate the merits of the gender critical movement and more.
6/17/2020 • 2 hours, 7 minutes, 26 seconds
3RT:16 - "Walking in the Snow"
Every few months/years, cops beat or kill unarmed Americans, at far higher rates than our partners and allies in developed countries. While this is cause by itself for question and reform, the data also says that black men are at a particularly high risk. Are American cops using unnecessary violence and brutality or are there just a few bad apples making shaky calls in extreme situations? Are our police forces beholden to systemic racism or worse? If so, what do you do about it? Who watches the watchmen?
6/8/2020 • 49 minutes, 48 seconds
3RT:15 - "Moving Forward" with Corey
This week, A.Ron and Corey from the Moving Forward Podcast talk about Andrew Yang's Universal Basic Income proposal from a progressive point of view. Is $1000/month UBI a good deal for the working class, or are they taking pennies on the dollar, and if so, who's got a better idea? But first, A.Ron spends a couple minutes talking about the nationwide protests over the murder of George Floyd; why they are happening, what can make things better, and how you can help the victims of police brutality be heard.
6/1/2020 • 1 hour, 43 minutes, 17 seconds
3RT:14 - Monkey Business with Bastiat
A.Ron recently had a long conversation with Neoliberal at large Bastiat! Bastiat is a sharp guy with a lot to say, and this was a fun and interesting back and forth that ranges everywhere from Charles Dickens and public executions to Eastern Bloc abortion bans. If you want more Bastiat, check out his Twitch Channel and follow him on Twitter! You can also say hello to his community over on Discord. Check out A.Ron's post discussion performance review for this podcast on Swizzbold's YouTube channel.
5/25/2020 • 2 hours, 25 minutes, 48 seconds
3RT:13 - Don't Blame Me, I Voted Owl
Forever voting for the lesser of two evils sucks. So why not vote third party? A.Ron uses an animal kingdom framework developed in a video by CGP Grey to explain why third parties struggle to get off the ground in America, and discusses strategies of how we can change the system to allow us to vote for a candidate that actually represents us and allow third parties the chance to flourish.
5/11/2020 • 43 minutes, 13 seconds
3RT:12 - Global Development with Stefan Lako
Joining me this week is Stefan Lako, the host of the podcast "Is This It?" Much of Stefan's life has involved service to others. From growing up on a Mercy Ship, to his work to combat child trafficking and sexual abuse around the globe. Today he's here to talk about some of his unique formative experiences, and share some of the knowledge he's accumulated from studying International Affairs and Global Development. Check out Stefan's podcast "Is This It?".
4/27/2020 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 19 seconds
3RT:11 - Talking UBI and Economics with Riopublican
A.Ron and Riopublican from the podcast Moving Forward discuss why Andrew Yang had somewhat unique crossover populist appeal, the advantages and possible pitfalls of Universal Basic Income, and much more. But first, A.Ron talks a little bit about Bernie Sanders retiring from the field, and lays out the ground work for analyzing the pros and cons of supporting a Joe Biden presidential campaign through the lens of harm reduction or accelerationism.
4/13/2020 • 1 hour, 17 minutes, 4 seconds
3RT:10 - Be the Picard You Want to See in the World
A.Ron has a conversation with activist/filmmaker/author Ron Dawson, who stakes forth the claim of being his black doppleganger! Ron created a fantastic video using the classic Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Darmok" to explain the concept of privilege. Ron invites us all to unleash our inner Picard to fight against modern injustices and inequality. If you'd like to see more of his work, you can find his serialized memoir about growing up black and nerdy, "Dungeons and Durags" here!
3/30/2020 • 1 hour, 1 minute, 56 seconds
3RT:9 - A Lot's Happening Right Now
Two weeks ago Bernie was in the lead, and everybody was wondering if this corona thing was going to be a big deal. Now the coronavirus is here, Biden has bested Bernie in several important contests, Sanders is almost certainly eliminated as a viable candidate, and our store shelves have been swept clean of toilet paper and hand soap. What the hell happened? A.Ron tries to help people understand the lay of this new world we're living in, and why we shouldn't under any circumstances give up or give in.
Further information on topics related to the show...
A.Ron was on the #coffee show last Friday! They talked about monetary policy and lots about coronavirus news, mitigation, and impacts.
Michael Harriot of TheRoot.com on why older black and southern black voters supported the "establishment" Biden over the more "progressive" Sanders.
Morning Consult poll on the impact of Warren dropping out and endorsing either Sanders or Biden.
Gallup poll on how Americans view their health care and coverage.
3/16/2020 • 1 hour, 1 minute, 50 seconds
3RT:8 - How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bern
A listener writes in with a dilemma: How can they support politicians like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren when their policy proposals are seemingly so extreme with so little thought and analysis put into them? In an attempt to answer the question, A.Ron does a deep dive into the intuitive, strategic, and empirical arguments for Medicare for All.
Sources cited on the show...
Moving Forward Podcast - Ep #95 Education with A.Ron Hubbard as guest.
“How Much Will Medicare for All Cost?” - Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
"Improving the prognosis of health care in the USA" - The Lancet
Spreadsheet: "Health care executive compensation" - Axios
3/2/2020 • 52 minutes, 51 seconds
3RT:7 - IowAHMYGOD!
The Iowa Democratic Caucus was an embarrassing mess, so let's talk about it. The caucus process is already weird and complicated, and this year added a poorly conceived app and other irregularities that lead to a lot of heated rhetoric and conspiracy theories. Then a listener asks what you should do when you feel like giving up on politics?
2/17/2020 • 52 minutes, 24 seconds
3RT:6 - The Unbearable Whiteness of Being
This week on 3RT, we’ll be talking about Whiteness. More and more we hear that whites are in trouble in America. They’re facing economically anxiety, they’re depressed, they’re suicidal, they’re resentful. But we’re also told that nearly everything we value in society; democracy, art, science, and philosophy has been largely shaped by white culture. But what does it mean to be white? What is white culture? Does white culture need to be protected and preserved?
2/3/2020 • 44 minutes, 20 seconds
3RT:5 - Looking Through the Overton Window
In this podcast, I recount the time I accidentally played a minor role in starting RedState.com and discovered the power of the Overton Window.
1/20/2020 • 57 minutes, 38 seconds
3RT:4 - The Law in all its Majestic Equality
It's the feedback episode! Plus, discussion of the Supreme Court's 9th Circuit decision not to hear an appeal on the homeless sleeping in public. Have a great holiday, whatever you're celebrating, and an even better new year. We'll see you in 2020! (*Insert your preferred hindsight joke here)
12/23/2019 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 6 seconds
3RT:3 - Ferengi Democrat
The problems of capitalism are legion, and for many, 21st century life in these United States is harder than it should be. Enter socialism! Is it the silver bullet cure for all that ails society? A.Ron once again calls upon his ancient Star Trek fandom, rubbing his lobes and counting his latinum, as he lays out the problems he has with socialism and how the Left struggles to articulate theory and advocate for policy. Also; a listener makes a case for billionaires!
12/9/2019 • 46 minutes, 33 seconds
3RT:2 - Star Trek Republican
This week we talk about how my love for Star Trek informs my vision of the future. To give us our best shot at boldly going towards this future, we'll need to maximize our human capital to enable our best and brightest around the globe to create new technologies and new ways to organize society for the task. I argue the value of this proposition over aimlessly shuffling towards a future dystopia. Finally, I consider some bad faith criticism of 3RT so we can get that out of the way early.
11/25/2019 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 36 seconds
3RT:1 - Introduction!
Welcome to the first episode of Three Right Turns! Here I make a case for what I want to say on this new platform, and why you might be interested hearing about politics from my point of view. I talk about my cultural, political, and religious background, and how it has informed my beliefs in philosophy in the past down to present day. Then I outline the objectives for 3RT; introducing progressive political and economic ideas and policy to audiences more right-leaning than myself, among others.
11/11/2019 • 51 minutes, 23 seconds
Announcing Three Right Turns
Three Right Turns explores progressive politics and policy with an eye towards out reach and explanation to centrists and open minded people of conservative persuasion. Do you feel left behind by modern culture? Are you alienated by friends, co-workers, and family, or are angry and confused for always feeling like the bad guy? Maybe Three Right Turns can help. Hosted by A.Ron, a former Christian conservative turned secular progressive, this podcast will answer honest questions with straightforward answers.