Episode 83: Unf*cking Indiana

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Episode 83: Unf*cking Indiana

Guest: Max - Host & Writer, Unf*cking the Republic

Scott Aaron Rogers

Jun 04, 2025

Transcript

Episode 83: Unf*cking Indiana

Guest: Max - Host & Writer, Unf*cking the Republic

Full show notes at https://hoosleft.us/

Find Unf*cking the Republic at https://www.unftr.com/

UNFTR Host & Writer Publishes Under the Pseudonym “Max”

Welcome to the HoosLeft Podcast, a show about Indiana politics, history, and culture from an unapologetically leftist perspective. My name is Scott Aaron Rogers, I’m recording from Bloomington, and I couldn’t be more excited to bring you this interview.

Unfucking the Republic, or UNFTR in polite company, is one of my favorite podcasts. The primary host and head writer is a former alternative weekly publisher and columnist who uses the pseudonym “Max,” a Gen X white guy who came of age in the 90s as a Republican and shifted further and further left over years of thinking and writing about politics. His co-host, in a nod to 1960’s spy comedy Get Smart, goes by the name “99.” She is a sharp, empathetic, vegan Millennial who provides the grounding for the show, calls Max out on his bullshit, and also handles the website, show art, essay editing, coffee distribution, digital and audio accessibility, listener feedback, Show Notes preparation, the UNFTR Bookshop, guest booking, and all the other stuff that keeps the operation running - except audio editing and engineering, which is the purview of Manny Faces, an award-winning Hip-Hop journalist, speaker, podcast host and author of Hip Hop Can Save America. Manny is a Knicks fan and has Indiana’s deepest condolences - sorry ‘bout whoopin’ your ass.

Now, I believe I first cited UNFTR here in December of 2023, when their multi-part series on the Israel-Palestine conflict really helped me understand the complicated backstory of the region, and I’ve referenced their work here again since. In addition to great deep-dives like that, they’ve also done series on the history of socialism, the Carter years, the Clinton years, healthcare, and education. All that in addition to topical essays, interviews, and even the occasional comedy sketch. I couldn’t recommend them enough and hope you’ll check them out (though I do give fair warning to any huge Pete Buttigieg fans here)

But this isn’t some crummy commercial.

One of the primary criticisms of the Harris campaign in 2024 - and of Democrats at large - is that we don’t really stand for anything. There’s not a cohesive, compelling platform, just vibes and “joy”. Say what you will about MAGA Republicans, but at least they have a vision. Of course, their idea of transformative change is - as is being demonstrated daily - monstrous, but too many Democrats refuse to admit we need transformative change. Max and UNFTR are looking to change that.

From their website,

“The Five Non-Negotiables of the left represent a bold, unified framework for progressive transformation—policies that are not merely idealistic, but essential.
These are policy pillars that every progressive can get behind. Each one addresses a systemic failure that has left millions behind, and taken together, they form a roadmap for equity, security, and sustainability.
…
These five priorities work together to solve deep, systemic problems - housing, health, labor, democracy, and climate are all linked.”

This framework meets basic needs first and anticipates future challenges, each pillar strengthening the other, and has the added benefit that each of these policy proposals are incredibly popular. Additionally, at unftr.com/5nn, 99 has assembled an entire curriculum, complete with downloadable PDFs, social media templates, scripts for calling your representatives, and more.

Max joins me today for a double-stuffed episode where we explore each of the Five Non-Negotiables, how they fit together, and how we achieve these goals. Then, we’ll start to think about what a state-level non-negotiables platform might look like here in Indiana and other gerrymandered states, and I’ve got some homework for you.

First, won’t you please consider supporting HoosLeft with a paid subscription? This is an independent media project; I don’t paywall content; and I don’t rely on advertising. Only individuals like you keep this thing going. Maybe I could make more money doing things that way, but it doesn’t feel right. So please, if you find value in this work, go to HoosLeft.us and subscribe at the paid level - it’s only $5 a month, or $50 a year, to help me write more, research more, and organize more - I haven’t raised my prices with inflation. Still, not ready for long-term commitment? You can make a one-time contribution on Cash App or Venmo. Links are in the show notes. Me, and my old body, would like to spend less time on construction, and more time constructing a better future for Indiana, but I need your financial support to do so.

You can also help out by liking and sharing on social media, commenting, leaving reviews, providing feedback, and forwarding articles to your people. We are building a community of Hoosiers dedicated to making this state, and its government, work for all of us, not just the elite few.

Follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube, and TikTok at HoosLeft, and I’m personally at scottrog78 on Instagram, Threads, Twitter and Mastodon. Tell the others. Let’s build a radically-democratic Indiana together. Thanks again.

Now, here is my interview with Max from Unfucking the Republic.

Things We Talked About:

“At least it’s an ethos” https://youtu.be/b_29yvYpf4w

Large Number of Americans Living in Precarity: https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2025/03/19/how-many-people-live-paycheck-to-paycheck/

Why Third Parties Don’t Work in America: https://goodparty.org/blog/article/duvergers-law-two-party-systemhttps://goodparty.org/blog/article/duvergers-law-two-party-system

GOP, Dems Shut Other Candidates Out Of Debates: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/do-the-debates-unfairly-shut-out-third-parties/

The Five Non-Negotiables of the Left

Housing First https://www.unftr.com/blog/housing-first
Civilian Labor Corp https://www.unftr.com/blog/building-a-civilian-labor-corps
Medicare For All https://www.unftr.com/blog/medicare-for-all
Money Out of Politics https://www.unftr.com/blog/getting-money-out-of-politics
Climate Action https://www.unftr.com/blog/the-climate-trust

Tennessee Valley Authority: https://www.history.com/articles/tennessee-valley-authority-new-deal-progress-controversy

‘Housing First’ Good Economic Policy: https://nlihc.org/resource/systematic-research-review-finds-benefits-housing-first-programs-us-outweigh-costs

Incarceration Model of Homeless Policy Consumes Excess Resources: https://www.urban.org/features/housing-first-breaks-homelessness-jail-cycle

‘Housing First’ Pioneer Sam Tsemberis: https://www.streetroots.org/news/2020/11/11/sam-tsemberis-has-revolutionized-way-we-think-about-homelessness

Virginia VA Collaboration to End Veteran Homelessness: https://endhomelessness.org/resources/case-studies/ending-veteran-homelessness-virginia-statewide-collaboration/

Why High-Rise Housing Projects Failed: https://skyrisecities.com/news/2015/10/death-highrise-brief-history-us-public-housing-policy.17558

Puritan Roots of American Punishment Culture: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/america-puritan-prison_b_11198150

Nobody Becomes a Billionaire By Themselves: https://thecorrespondent.com/712/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-self-made-billionaire

Libertarians are Like House Cats:

Institutional Investors Don’t Own That Much Housing Stock: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/california.research.bureau/viz/CRB-SingleFamilyHousingRentals/MainView

Flowers for Algernon: https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/may/04/flowers-for-algernon-daniel-keyes-review

Medicare for All Would Save Americans Money: https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/medicare-for-all-will-save-money-and-lives

Medicare More Efficient Than Private Insurance: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/excess-administrative-costs-burden-u-s-health-care-system/

Strong Union Presence Raises Pay of Non-Union Workers Too: https://www.epi.org/publication/briefingpapers_bp143/

Slotkin Panned as Out of Touch: https://www.commondreams.org/news/us-is-an-oligarchy

Is the ‘Abundance’ Movement an Astroturf Campaign? https://www.phoenixprojectnow.com/phoenix-review/blog/big-real-estate-and-the-abundance-network

Robert Owen & New Harmony: https://memoriesoftheprairie.com/blog-1/2023/06/21/robert-owens-innovative-new-harmony-indiana-utopia/

Jubilee Debates: https://www.youtube.com/@jubilee

Why Means Testing Doesn’t Work: ending-reconciliation-bill

Lots of Good, Progressive Stuff in IRA: https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2022/8/11/a-progressive-case-for-the-inflation-reduction-act

Benefits of a Federal Jobs Guarantee: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/06/job-guarantee-could-address-biggest-employment-challenges-our-time-un-expert

US Labor Force Participation: https://ycharts.com/indicators/labor_force_participation_rate

Insurance Hoops a Pain for Small Business Owners: https://www.healthcare-now.org/blog/doctors-orders-health-coverage-for-everyone/

The 50 Year Plan to Legalize US Election Bribery: https://www.levernews.com/tag/master-plan/

Trump Supreme Court Could Reign for a Generation: https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trump-supreme-court-appointments/

Birch Bayh and the Constitution: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/14/opinion/birch-bayh-constitution.html

Intro to the Bretton Woods System: https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2023/11/02/bretton-woods-system-and-the-stability-of-us-hegemony/

American Elites Wanted Fascism in the 1930s: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/11/trump-fdr-roosevelt-coup-attempt-1930s

Billionaires Done Paying Into Social Security on January 1st: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/15-minutes-2025-elon-musk-163131694.html

Insurers Pulling Out of States Over Climate Threat: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/local/oregon/2024/05/02/climate-change-driven-insurance-crisis-threatens-new-u-s-states/73539175007/

Deficit Myths With Stephanie Kelton: https://pitchforkeconomics.com/episode/debunking-deficit-myths-with-stephanie-kelton/

State-by-State Balanced Budget Laws: https://taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/state-and-local-tax/fiscal-federalism-and/what-are-state-balanced

Indiana Opts Out of Summer Food Program for Kids: https://www.wishtv.com/focus-on-food/focus-on-food-stories/indiana-ends-summer-food-program/

Indiana Has Highest Concentration of Manufacturing Jobs of US States: https://www.conexusindiana.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/AMW-FINAL-PDF-1.pdf

Walz Signed MN School Lunch Bill: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/03/17/gov-signs-universal-school-meals-bill-into-law

Indiana Strong in Life Sciences Employment: https://www.cicpindiana.com/indianas-life-sciences-industry-continues-to-rank-among-the-top-10-in-national-report/

Once again, that was Max from Unfucking the Republic, talking about his Five Non-Negotiables for the left. I’m hoping Democrats at all levels can coalesce behind an ambitious progressive agenda like this one, and I invite you to join us in building a movement around it. I encourage anyone interested in this project of joining the UNFTR Discord server and joining the Indiana hive. Unlike other podcast communities, their Discord is not behind a paywall, though I wholeheartedly encourage you to become a paid member or contribute to their tip jar.

Toward the end of our discussion, Max and I began to brainstorm what a state-level Non-Negotiables platform would look like. That’s your homework for this week, and I’ll have thoughts in Friday’s essay.

Then this weekend, I’ll be back with an all new panel of guests on HoosLeft This Week. That airs live every Sunday morning at 10:30am ET on the Project Next Media network - YouTube, FaceBook Live, and Twitch - links in the show notes. It’s a lot of fun if you haven’t had a chance to check us out yet. I bring together panelists from the democratic socialist left to never-Trump conservatives and we look at the week’s headlines from around Indiana and beyond. We’ll also dive into one big topic and throw in a few jokes for good measure. Hope to see you there in the comments, but feel free to reach out before then - my email is scott@hoosleft.us.

Thanks again to Max, with special shout-outs to 99 and Manny - once again the website is unftr.com. My website is HoosLeft.US, where you’ll find every episode and article we’ve ever published. Please consider a paid subscription while you’re there. I’m also on Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube and TikTok at HoosLeft or on most other social media sites at ScottRog78. Hit me up with your feedback, tips, ideas, and concerns. Please forward the show to a friend and have them pass it on. Let’s keep building this project - and a truly democratic state - one conversation at a time. Until the next one, this has been the HoosLeft podcast. I’m Scott Aaron Rogers. Love each other, Indiana.