CPI Founder Caleb Maupin follows Cornel West on “Revolutionary Change” Podcast
The new podcast Revolutionary Change hosted an episode on June 22 that was broadcast live across different platforms. The program was two hours and forty minutes long and featured two expert guests. First was Black radical academic Cornel West of the Union Theological Seminary, followed immediately by Caleb Maupin, founder of the Center for Political Innovation.
The hosts, Peter Hager and Jen Perelman of Florida, discussed the need for a populist movement, the crisis of American imperialism, and the dangerous grip of the Israeli lobby over the American political system with both guests. Caleb Maupin was given the opportunity to highlight the thesis of his book Trotsky and the Neoconservatives: The Whole Story about the different appeals of the socialist movement historically, the real meaning of Stalin and Trotsky’s clash, as well as CIA manipulation of leftism.
Cornel West is an extremely prominent figure and one of the public intellectuals most closely associated with Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The differences between West and the Center for Political Innovation are not obscured, as West has a different perspective on the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Regardless, it was apparent to many observers afterward that Caleb Maupin’s inclusion on the same program as Dr. West, on the eve of DSA’s primary sweep in the New York state elections, was no accident. While some forces associated with DSA have been hostile to CPI in the past, there is a realignment taking place related to Trump’s war on Iran and his betrayal of his base. Some of the common limits on the conversation about anti-imperialism imposed by “woke” forces have been lifted, at least temporarily. CPI’s message about the need for a populist movement against globalism and imperialism to build a “government of action that fights for working families” seems to be allowed to be part of the discourse.
CPI intends to make the most of this moment, get its message to as many people as possible, and build toward a successful convention and 7-day national training program in August.
