Podcast Summary

Podcast: Green & Red: Podcasts for Scrappy Radicals
Episode: ENCORE: Capitol Hill Riots and the Ruling Class (G&R 453)
Date: January 6, 2026
Hosts: Bob Buzzanco and Scott Parkin

Episode Overview

This episode, recorded just days after the January 6th Capitol Hill riots, dives into the shockwaves sent through American society by these events. Co-hosts Bob Buzzanco (historian) and Scott Parkin (climate organizer) contextualize the insurrection as both a symptom and a catalyst of deeper crises—political, economic, and social. The conversation is candid, critical, and deeply informed by both historical analysis and contemporary activist experience, focusing particularly on how the ruling class has responded, the class composition of the mob, and the implications for both left and right movements going forward.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Systemic Destabilization and Multiple Crises

• Scott sets the stage by naming the ongoing destabilization in the U.S.:
  • COVID-19 pandemic
  • Economic crash related to the pandemic
  • Climate change
  • Rapid rise of the far right

“We’re in the midst of a destabilization going on within the system… This week was a very big shock to that system.”
— Scott Parkin (02:01)

• Bob contextualizes with history, comparing the current period with 1968, another time of global, overlapping social crises.
• Both agree that the liberal establishment has been slow to truly recognize the far right’s threat, but the Capitol riot was a wake-up call.

Timestamps:

• Destabilization framing – 02:01
• Comparison to 1968, Vietnam, Tet Offensives – 04:25

2. The American Shock “Loop”: Reaction Without Analysis

• Scott cites Gil Scott Heron via Bob’s article:

“America leads the world in shocks. Unfortunately, America does not lead the world in deciphering the cause of the shock.”
— Gil Scott Heron (06:27)

• Bob critiques the national tendency to be shocked, but not dig into systemic causes, emphasizing the need for deeper analysis beyond media narratives.

Timestamps:

• Heron quote and discussion – 06:26–06:54
• Critique of media responses – 07:00–08:15

3. Reactions to the Capitol Insurrection

• Shock and Lack of Surprise:

  • Scott describes watching the events unfold, referencing the blend of violence and “clownery”—many rioters seemed surprised to be inside the Capitol.
  • Notes parallel events at other state capitols (CO, MI, OR, CA)—a national pattern of far-right violence.

• Bob’s historical perspective:

  • Expected some kind of attempt at unrest, “Trump’s charge up San Juan Hill”—not surprised, but expected more coordination.

• Mob Demographics:

  • Both hosts push back on the idea that this was purely a working-class uprising.
  • Bob: “Trump’s base… the only demographic group he won was people over $100,000 a year.”
  • Many arrested are middle management, professionals, business owners, off-duty police, and active-duty military.

Memorable Quotes:

“This wasn’t some MAGA mob of dedicated working class Americans… This is not on the cheap.”
— Bob Buzzanco (11:15)
“There’s a lot of middle management people and they’re actually losing their jobs… lawyers, executives, vice presidents.”
— Scott Parkin (14:22)

Timestamps:

• First reactions to riots – 08:23–10:13
• Who was in the mob? – 11:08–14:58

4. Double Standards in Law Enforcement Response

• Bob and Scott recall personal experiences organizing leftist protests on Capitol Hill and contrast the rapid, overwhelming police response to left/progressive actions with the tepid response January 6th.

“Having a bunch of Appalachian grandmothers…protesting mountaintop removal sitting in on their congressman’s office gets a faster arrest response than what we saw the other day.”
— Scott Parkin (15:21)

• Recognition of Racial and Political Disparities:
  • Both agree that the general public is more aware now of differential treatment of left/right, white/Black protestors.

Timestamps:

• Protest policing double standard – 15:10–16:26

5. The Lumpen Oligarchy and Ruling Class Calculation

• Bob introduces the term “lumpen oligarchy”:
  • Not Goldman Sachs or JP Morgan—these are “the MyPillow guy,” small business-owning class, with money but little elite polish.
• Trump as Ruling-Class Tool:
  • Trump’s true role: a “figurehead” for other, bigger business interests.
  • Once he ceased to be useful, the big players (Wall Street, business lobby, mainstream GOP leadership) threw him overboard.

“Trump took care of a very small group of Americans… once they got what they needed out of him, they just threw him overboard.”
— Bob Buzzanco (17:12)

Timestamps:

• Economic class of the rioters – 16:34–18:49

6. The Dangers and Delusions of the Mob

• Violence and “Clownery”:
  • Scott describes participants as “dangerous clowns,” citing arrested individuals with weapons and explosives.
  • Bob underscores real threats: armed white nationalists, gallows, pipe bombs at RNC/DNC.
• The Cult of Trump:
  • Discussion of the consequences—deaths of true believers, the cultic nature of Trump’s following.
• Potential for Far-Right Myth-Making:
  • Scott warns this could become an origin story—“our Battle of Seattle,” but for the right.

“They believed it to this point. They believed it this far… Trump just doesn’t give a—. You know, these people have, like, they believed it to this point.”
— Bob Buzzanco (21:32)

Timestamps:

• Weapons, violence, and narrative-building – 19:09–23:50

7. Warnings and Upcoming Threats

• Upcoming Mobilizations:

  • January 17: Armed right-wing marches on state capitols
  • January 19–20: D.C. actions around Inauguration Day

• Advice to Counter-Protesters:

  • Scott: Be aware, be safe, don’t go alone, national left groups advise caution.
  • Huge troop presence anticipated for D.C.

Timestamps:

• Warnings for future dates – 23:50–24:37

8. The Crackdown: The Ruling Class Hits Back

• Elite Institutions Respond:
  • Lindsay Graham and other GOP figures confronted and “besieged” by former allies, now targets.
  • Heightened actions by law enforcement and intelligence agencies—“now it’s personal.”
• GOP in Crisis:
  • The intra-party split is deepening, reminiscent of anti-systemic candidacies (Trump, Sanders) in 2016.
  • Bob: Trump was always anti-establishment in his win—compared to figures like William Jennings Bryan.

Timestamps:

• Lindsay Graham airport incident – 25:58–27:11
• Trump as anti-systemic outlier in 2016 – 27:25–30:34

9. The Realignment of American Political Power

• Role of Big Business and Military:
  • Business leaders, ex-defense secretaries, and even Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal called for Trump’s ouster.
• Business Responses:
  • Yale Business School polling: CEOs withdrawing support from GOP
  • National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM) extraordinary condemnation of Trump and rioters (42:50)
  • Major donor class (Kochs) distances itself
  • Wall Street and stock markets unfazed; actual positive movement during unrest

“That’s a hell of a week when you can piss off the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretaries of Defense, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Wall Street Journal.”
— Bob Buzzanco (44:47)

Key Quotes:

“If you ever see a press release… the theme was: Manufacturers Call on Armed Thugs to Cease Violence at the Capitol.”
— Bob Buzzanco (42:50)

Timestamps:

• Business backlash – 41:17–45:00

10. Leftist Strategy Going Forward

• Don’t Be Paralyzed by Fear:

  • Bob: Stay calm. “This stuff does end and it works out… Doesn’t mean things are good. It means it’s going to be over.”
  • Both encourage listeners to get involved—mutual aid, tenant unions, workplace organizing, not just “shrieking about fascism and coups.”

• Be Smart & Strategic:

  • Scott: “Don’t do it alone. Form a group. Go with a buddy.”
  • Warns of state and media conflation of left with right—be careful, be strategic, anticipate repression.

Timestamps:

• Bob’s call for calm and organizing – 47:25–49:28
• Scott’s advice for action – 49:28–52:40

11. Tribute and Closing Thoughts

• Scott honors Carrie Dan, recently deceased Western Shoshone land activist, as an example of grounded, strategic, and long-term struggle.

“These women were the forefront of environmental and Indigenous rights organizing in Nevada for 25 years… These are the real deal when it comes to organizing.”
— Scott Parkin (54:00)

• Final words: This is a long struggle. Be safe, be strategic, stay scrappy.

Timestamps:

• Carrie Dan tribute – 53:10–55:41

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On liberal reckoning with the far right:
  “I feel like that there’s been a little bit of a wake up that has kind of hit those more mainstream liberal circles with what happened at Capitol Hill the other day.”
  — Scott Parkin (03:53)

• On the demographic of rioters:
  “These aren’t the Brooks Brothers people from Goldman Sachs… These are, like, the MyPillow guy… I call them lumpen oligarchy.”
  — Bob Buzzanco (17:12)

• On 2016, Trump, and the system:
  “This would be almost like William Jennings Bryan in 1896—nobody in the ruling class wanted this guy in the White House. Nobody wanted him near the White House.”
  — Bob Buzzanco (28:46)

• On the ruling class turning:
  “The official organ of the ruling class called for Trump to resign.”
  — Bob Buzzanco (44:50)

Engaging Takeaways for New Listeners

• The hosts use both history and on-the-ground organizing experience to contextualize the Capitol riot as part of a broader, systemic crisis—and as a rupture in ruling-class discipline.
• They dissect not just what the riot means for the left and right, but also how the people in positions of power and wealth use, contain, and expel figures like Trump.
• The episode is frank, irreverent, and strategic—emphasizing the need for action, solidarity, and clear-eyed assessment rather than panic or spectacle.
• Throughout, listeners are reminded that “there are more of us than there are of them”—and that real change demands courage, organization, and vigilance.

For activists, organizers, or anyone confused or alarmed by the post-January 6 chaos, this episode offers clarity, perspective, and a rallying call to stay grounded, stay safe, and keep pushing.