Oliver Willis is an OG blogger, and in this episode of Personality Crisis, another OG blogger, John Cole of Balloon-Juice talks with Oliver about the past, future and timidity of the Democratic Party. Oliver and John are joined by Kal El, Oliver’s dog.

Oliver is one of the first political bloggers in the world, launching his site in 2000. Oliver spent 13 years working for Media Matters, reporting on conservative misinformation. Today, he’s a senior writer for the American Independent.

Oliver’s links:

Substack: https://www.oliverexplains.com/

Blog: http://oliverwillis.com/

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/owillis.bsky.social

In the second episode featuring Brooke Harrington, Professor of Economic Sociology at Dartmouth, John Cole and Harrington discuss her harrowing experiences with the Danish immigration authorities. She was arrested for testifying before the Danish parliament about her academic work. The episode delves into the reasons and tactics for the Danes’ limiting immigration and prosecuting immigrants.

Harrington is the author of many articles and books on the concentration of money and power in the hands of a wealthy few. Her latest book is Offshore: Stealth Wealth and the New Colonialism, a study of “how the shadowy global system of offshore finance fuels economic crises and austerity while also undermining democracy and the rule of law.” Her prior book, Capital without Borders: Wealth Managers & the One Percent, is an account of how the 1% holds on to their wealth.

Harrington’s recent articles include Trump Is Like F.D.R.—Only in Reverse in the New York Times and What the Broligarchs Want from Trump in the New York Times. She also had an experience with the Danish immigration authorities which she related in I Almost Lost My Career Because I Had the Wrong Passport in the New York Times.

Harrington’s website: https://brookeharrington.com/

Her pinned thread on Bluesky listing all of her broligarchy work: https://bsky.app/profile/ebharrington.bsky.social/post/3lggwkxbi5c2n

Her books:

Offshore: https://brookeharrington.com/books/offshore-book/

Capital without Borders: https://brookeharrington.com/books/capital-without-borders/

Articles:

Trump is Like F.D.R. – Only in Reverse: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/opinion/trump-musk-doge-trust.html

What the Broligarchs Want from Trump: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/11/broligarchy-elon-musk-trump/680788/

I Almost Lost My Career Because I Had the Wrong Passport: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/03/opinion/immigration-law.html

In the first episode of two, John Cole interviews Brooke Harrington, Professor of Economic Sociology at Dartmouth. The discussion begins Harrington’s experiences as a young woman working in Silicon Valley and transitions into a discussion about the mentality and obsessions of the broligarchs who come from that place, and ends with her insights into what can be done about these guys.

Harrington is the author of many articles and books on the concentration of money and power in the hands of a wealthy few. Her latest book is Offshore: Stealth Wealth and the New Colonialism, a study of “how the shadowy global system of offshore finance fuels economic crises and austerity while also undermining democracy and the rule of law.” Her prior book, Capital without Borders: Wealth Managers & the One Percent, is an account of how the 1% holds on to their wealth.

Harrington’s recent articles include Trump Is Like F.D.R.—Only in Reverse in the New York Times and What the Broligarchs Want from Trump in the New York Times. She also had an experience with the Danish immigration authorities which she related in I Almost Lost My Career Because I Had the Wrong Passport in the New York Times.

Harrington’s website: https://brookeharrington.com/

Her pinned thread on Bluesky listing all of her broligarchy work: https://bsky.app/profile/ebharrington.bsky.social/post/3lggwkxbi5c2n

Her books:

Offshore: https://brookeharrington.com/books/offshore-book/

Capital without Borders: https://brookeharrington.com/books/capital-without-borders/

Articles:

Trump is Like F.D.R. – Only in Reverse: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/opinion/trump-musk-doge-trust.html

What the Broligarchs Want from Trump: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/11/broligarchy-elon-musk-trump/680788/

I Almost Lost My Career Because I Had the Wrong Passport: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/03/opinion/immigration-law.html