The Majority Report with Sam Seder
Episode 2500: Neoliberalism's Far-Right Evolution with Quinn Slobodian
Release Date: May 19, 2025

Episode Overview

In this landmark 2500th episode of The Majority Report with Sam Seder, host Sam Seder delves deep into the intricate evolution of neoliberalism and its intersection with far-right ideologies. Joined by Quinn Slobodian, a distinguished professor of International History at Boston University and the author of the seminal work Hayek's Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ and the Capitalism of the Far Right, the conversation navigates the historical trajectories that have shaped contemporary political landscapes.

US Political Landscape

The episode opens with Sam Seder outlining several pressing national issues:

• Medicaid and SNAP Cuts: Recent legislative movements have seen the passing of a significant budget reconciliation bill, which includes substantial cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Seder highlights the bipartisan support these cuts are garnering, noting, "Republicans are going to vote for this. They're going to do this," emphasizing the scale of the financial reductions involved ([04:33]).

• US Credit Rating and Economic Concerns: The United States faces a downgrade in its credit rating, leading to increased borrowing costs and a declining dollar. Treasury Secretary Bessant acknowledges impending price rises caused by tariffs imposed during the Trump administration ([04:33]).

• Trump Administration's Internal Struggles: The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division is experiencing a significant exodus of attorneys, which Seder speculates might be indicative of systemic issues within the administration ([04:33]).

• Biden's Health and Natural Disasters: President Biden disclosed an aggressive cancer diagnosis, adding to national concerns. Concurrently, the Midwest grapples with deadly storms exacerbated by GOP SNAP cuts, and the New Jersey transit engineers' union has reached an agreement to end their strike ([04:33]).

Israel-Gaza Conflict

A significant portion of the episode addresses the escalating conflict between Israel and Gaza:

• Intensified Israeli Operations: Israel has intensified its military actions in Gaza, targeting civilian areas with missile strikes aimed at consolidating Palestinian populations into increasingly confined zones. Seder critiques these actions, likening them to historical atrocities: "the Nazis concentrated people and then shipped them to extermination camps. Now with this kind of 21st-century drone warfare... Israel is basically saying we can starve them to death and then bomb them to accelerate the genocide" ([11:12]).

• Humanitarian Aid and US Complicity: Despite Israel agreeing to allow some humanitarian aid, Senator Chris Van Hollen condemns the US for its complicity. Van Hollen stated, "The United States is complicit in the gross violation of international law," highlighting the dire humanitarian situation with over two million Palestinians allegedly facing starvation ([07:21]).

• Media Suppression: The BBC has reportedly refrained from naming journalists in Gaza out of security concerns, a move Seder interprets as an indirect acknowledgment of the targeting of journalists by Israeli forces ([12:00]).

Interview with Quinn Slobodian

Introduction to Quinn Slobodian and Hayek's Bastards

Sam Seder welcomes Quinn Slobodian back to the show, acknowledging his previous works, Globalists and Crack Up Capitalism, and introduces his latest book, Hayek's Bastards. Slobodian provides an overview of his literary journey, emphasizing that Hayek's Bastards shifts focus from geographic and legal transformations to the ideological underpinnings that have steered neoliberalism toward far-right currents.

The Three Hard-Wires of Neoliberal Far-Right Evolution

Slobodian identifies three core elements central to the fusion of neoliberalism with far-right ideologies:

1. Hard Borders:
   Originally, libertarian thought often advocated for open borders, believing that the free movement of labor would harmonize markets. However, in the 1990s, mainstream neoliberalists began to enforce stricter border controls based on criteria like IQ and economic contributions. Slobodian notes, "a lot of the mainstream people setting the tone for the libertarian and neoliberal movement started to come to different compromises with that idea in the 90s and afterwards" ([26:57]).

2. Hardwired Human Nature:
   Slobodian observes a shift towards "IQ racism," where intelligence metrics are used to justify racial and gender hierarchies. He states, "why has it now become so common to refer to high IQ, low IQ as synonyms for good and bad people?" ([30:08]).

3. Hard Money:
   The advocacy for gold-backed currencies and other stringent monetary systems represents a radical departure from traditional capitalist frameworks. Slobodian explains, "that would mean forms of debt and credit would be very difficult. Fractional reserve banking would no longer be possible" ([26:57]).

From Neoliberalism to the Alt-Right

Slobodian elaborates on how these hardwired elements facilitated the alignment between neoliberal elites and alt-right thinkers. He highlights figures like Peter Brimelow, once a mainstream financial journalist who transitioned into alt-right leadership by leveraging economic arguments to promote exclusionary nationalism. Slobodian remarks, "he walked his way through a bunch of arguments about economic freedom and what he saw as welfare dependency tendencies among certain populations based on certain bad science" ([47:18]).

The Role of Science in Far-Right Capitalism

A critical discussion point is the utilization of scientific rhetoric to legitimize far-right capitalist agendas. Slobodian asserts, "science gets folded into the current moment... [the far-right] does have its own economic reasoning and its own economic rationality" ([42:48]). This scientific veneer provides a pseudo-intellectual foundation for discriminatory policies, distancing them from overt racism while maintaining exclusionary practices.

Trumpism and Its Intellectual Underpinnings

The conversation transitions to the phenomenon of Trumpism, exploring its roots in paleoconservative and libertarian thought. Slobodian compares Trumpism to other global far-right movements, emphasizing its hybrid nature:

• Strategic Alliances:
  Trumpism is portrayed as a "Frankenstein's monster" composed of diverse and sometimes contradictory ideologies. Slobodian explains, "Trumpism, if we want to call it that, is another version of [the Paleo Alliance]... it's people like in his first term, Arthur Laffer... holding their noses and saying, 'we don't like what he talks about protectionism, but we'll support it for the tax cuts'" ([52:27]).

• Economic Policies Versus Libertarian Principles:
  The alignment of neo-liberals with protectionist policies under Trump, despite contradicting core libertarian ideals, illustrates the pragmatic compromises made to achieve broader political goals. Slobodian notes, "their gamble worked" referring to the tax cuts, yet questions the sustainability of such deviations from ideological purity ([55:52]).

Global Implications and Future Trajectories

Slobodian touches upon the international ramifications of neoliberal far-right strategies, particularly in regions like the Middle East and South America. He discusses Argentina's current political climate under figures like Milei, who embody the "perfect high ex bastard" by balancing populist rhetoric with market-friendly policies necessary for economic survival. Slobodian reflects, "he can act as a disruptive tribune of the people one minute, and then the next minute... tell the head of the IMF what she needs to hear to get the next round of loans cleared through" ([73:47]).

He further contemplates the impacts of US policies toward China, suggesting that the fear of Chinese economic ascendancy is driving increasingly isolationist and protectionist measures. Slobodian posits, "the real story here is how has China created such a threat to American dominance that the US now feels increasingly obliged to cut off all of the normal ties of globalization" ([76:30]).

Conclusion

The episode culminates with a reflection on the complexities of neoliberalism's transformation and its entanglement with far-right ideologies. Slobodian emphasizes the need to understand these developments not merely as emotional or reactionary moves but as extensions of a calculated economic and ideological strategy. Sam Seder echoes the necessity for nuanced analysis beyond surface-level political dynamics, advocating for a deeper comprehension of the historical and intellectual currents shaping today's political environment.

Notable Quotes:

• Sam Seder ([04:33]): "Republicans are going to vote for this. They're going to do this. They can squawk a little bit more than they had before..."

• Quinn Slobodian ([26:57]): "There are three hard wires that represent a certain kind of calcification and radicalization of neoliberal or libertarian thought archetypically."

• Quinn Slobodian ([30:08]): "Why has it now become so common to refer to high IQ, low IQ as synonyms for good and bad people?"

• Quinn Slobodian ([47:18]): "He walked his way through a bunch of arguments about economic freedom and what he saw as welfare dependency tendencies among certain populations based on certain bad science."

• Quinn Slobodian ([73:47]): "He can act as a disruptive tribune of the people one minute, and then the next minute... tell the head of the IMF what she needs to hear to get the next round of loans cleared through."

Further Resources

For listeners eager to explore Quinn Slobodian's insights further, his book Hayek's Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ and the Capitalism of the Far Right is available for purchase at Majority.FM and linked in the episode's description on YouTube and podcast platforms.

Note: This summary excludes advertisement segments, intros, outros, and non-content portions of the podcast, focusing solely on the substantive discussions and insights provided.