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James Peterson

James Peterson

American writer

Sep 17, 2026

11:39
Is voting overrated?
11:44
Like I said, people's advocacy here, people's advocacy.
11:49
So so we are in agreement about the ways in which capitalism has captured American democracy.
11:57
We are in agreement about that.
11:58
The question is, what do you do about it? Right.
12:01
Because I feel like there are plenty of folks, particularly some black folks in Democrat and perennially democratically run cities that throw up their hands and say the Democrats don't do anything.
12:12
Republicans don't do anything, et cetera, et cetera.

9 MINS LATER

21:36
In what ways, James Peterson?
11:39
Is voting overrated?
11:43
Like I said, people's advocacy here, people's advocacy.
11:48
So so we are in agreement about the ways in which capitalism has captured American democracy.
11:56
We are in agreement about that.
11:58
The question is, what do you do about it? Right.
12:00
Because I feel like there are plenty of folks, particularly some black folks in Democrat and perennially democratically run cities that throw up their hands and say the Democrats don't do anything.
12:11
Republicans don't do anything, et cetera, et cetera.

9 MINS LATER

21:37
In what ways, James Peterson?
16:06
Yeah.
16:06
He, he, Tim Scott, because of how he votes and who he is, MAGA, Trump or not, is not someone that's commanding the respect of the majority of the Black voting populace.
16:18
That's not the way it works, right? Like, Black people, for the most part, vote in their interests.
16:25
This is why there's so much tension between Black folks and the Democratic Party, because the Democratic Party doesn't do what it's always supposed to do for Black folks.
16:33
But you can look at the numbers.
16:35
It's just not a lot of Black folks voting Republican, and it's been that way my whole life.
16:39
I'm 55.
18:58
I wonder if he thinks about that.
7:19
of busy.
7:21
Oh, my gosh.
7:22
By the way, you mentioned Shinnecock and U.S. Open.
7:25
What is up with all these low scores, Paul? So Dan Patrick went on, and his big thing Thursday on the first round of the U.S.
7:36
Open was more people have walked on the moon than have finished a U.S. Open under par.
7:41
That is true, and it may
10:02
And so we don't know yet, James, how many people will be under par at Shinnecock as compared to walk on the moon by the time this weekend is done.
10:12
It's just nuts.
speaker_0HOST
0:04
You're listening to Philly Mag Today, your daily dose of all things Philadelphia.
0:13
Juneteenth in the shadow of the semi-quincentennial by James Peterson, read by the author.
0:23
O kinsmen, we must meet the common foe.
0:28
Though far outnumbered, let us show us brave, and for their thousand blows deal one death blow.
0:36
What though before us lies the open grave? Claude McKay, If We Must Die.
0:45
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Americans are preparing for an extended seasonal celebration of liberty.
0:58
There will be fireworks, historical reenactments, speeches about the founding fathers, and familiar invocations of freedom and democracy.

7 MINS LATER

Kindred the Family SoulSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
7:45
From afar babe, the heavens brightest star babe Wanting you is exciting
13:05
I refer to it as a generational squabble-up in some ways, James, but how are you reading that, again, through one way or another, we are seeing these names that we've known and cherished and respected and loved for years stepping away from their role on Capitol Hill?
13:20
Yeah, I mean, there's so much here, so much here.
13:23
I mean, first, I love that documentary as well.
13:26
I watched it twice back to back.
13:29
Let me just talk about Janice Lewis George for a moment.
13:34
One of the reasons, this is me interpreting, not reporting here, Tavis.
13:37
One of the reasons why Mayor Bowser may have stepped down from the reelection position bid is because this president has already done what he can do to take over dc i think i think this administration presents to us an urgent call for dc statehood um um and what i would say about janiece lewis george congratulations to her in the campaign she probably will be the next mayor you know i i for the folks who identify as democratic socialists i love that but but if you if you read her materials it's basically like hey i'm here for working families like working people and i think that i would like for all the democratic socialists our good friend brother west mayor mom donnie all of them just to understand that we are still in a political system where we're and this is where the working families party gets some of it right where you can language us your your your ideology in a way to make it more palatable for elections now they don't want to hear that from me right now because they've been winning all elections in pennsylvania uh janiece lewis george will likely be the next mayor but but i think going forward that movement should lean into the working families discourse because that is the democratic socialist discourse.

18 MINS LATER

32:46
That if Bibi had squeezed her, that she wouldn't have responded in the way that Donald Trump has responded to you by that argument.
KarenAUDIENCE
31:14
I think it was probably eight years old when we bought the house about 15 years ago.
31:18
First of all, I would save up to replace it because you can get a boiler now that does not have significant standby losses.
31:28
I'm always interested in getting at the source, and what you have is the source of heat that you can avoid, and so you should avoid that source of heat.
31:38
If it were a source of heat that you couldn't avoid, then I would start to think about, okay, how do we deal with some unavoidable source? But just like with passive house, I'm always interested...
31:51
And the reason why I became interested in passive house is because for heating and cooling, we're always going after the source and doing whatever we can to reduce that.
32:01
And so there's a dramatic opportunity to do that in a passive house.
32:04
That's why, that's why I love it.
KarenAUDIENCE
34:03
Yeah.
8:10
So just I'm going to say SCOTUS and tell you to go.
8:12
So I'm getting the sense, Brother Tavis, that the Supreme Court justices, Chief Justice Roberts in particular, that they do not like the president's lawyers.
8:25
The Supreme Court is built around a certain sense of decorum.
8:30
and a certain sort of sense of etiquette around jurisprudence that maybe has been thrown out the window by by this administration.
8:37
But I feel like even the justices appointed by Bush and appointed by this president are trying to adhere to it.
8:45
But maybe I'm over interpreting here to Tavis, but I feel like they don't like the president's lawyers so much.
8:52
They don't respect them.

25 MINS LATER

34:18
And how do you read that? Yeah.
8:40
I mean, I understand making mistakes, but you've been around too many black people for too long now.
8:46
Governor Newsom's campaign strategists have been telling him to sort of extend an olive branch to people who are different from you politically and otherwise.
8:55
You'll notice that strategy, Tavis, in him having different right-wing folks on his podcast.
9:01
They think that this is a strategy that might work in 2028.
9:04
You and I could debate and probably will ultimately disagree with that.
9:07
But that strategy...
9:09
in the political realm does not translate into you trying to convene with Black folks and try to sell us on some idea that you are like us.

6 MINS LATER

15:27
And yet they keep doing stuff like this largely because they ain't got no black folk around them, James.

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