Bitcoin Is Just for Libertarians, Right? Two Progressives Disagree
Progressive Bitcoiners Trey Walsh and Jason Maier break down why people with their political leanings should embrace Bitcoin and how it could influence the upcoming election.
ABOUT
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
As the 2024 elections draw near, Bitcoin and crypto have become hot topics on the political stage. In this episode, Trey Walsh, host of The Progressive Bitcoiner podcast, and Jason Maier, author of “A Progressive’s Case for Bitcoin,” explain why they believe progressive values align with Bitcoin. They discuss how Bitcoin can be a tool for social justice and financial inclusion, challenge misconceptions about its environmental impact, and debate whether making Bitcoin a presidential issue in 2024 was premature.
With Elizabeth Warren attacking crypto and the unfriendly environment for the industry under the Biden administration, the guests also highlight that there’s a slight change in the Democratic party, though they are not certain that the Harris campaign will adopt a pro-Bitcoin stance.
Show highlights:
- How Trey and Jason became Bitcoiners
- What progressivism means to Trey and Jason, highlighting Bitcoin's alignment with social justice and financial inclusion, beyond its typical libertarian associations
- How Jason and Trey persuade skeptical progressives about Bitcoin
- Whether they believe that other areas of crypto besides Bitcoin have value
- Why they think Bitcoin’s environmental impact is the biggest misconception among progressives
- Whether Elizabeth Warren’s focus on consumer protection blinds her to Bitcoin as a tool for financial inclusion
- Why Jason believes pushing Bitcoin as a presidential issue in 2024 was premature
- Why Trey sees potential hope for pro-crypto policies under a potential Harris administration, despite the hostility of the Biden administration
Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com
Thank you to our sponsors!
Guests:
- Trey Walsh, host of The Progressive Bitcoiner podcast
- Jason Maier, author of “A Progressive’s Case for Bitcoin”
- undefined
Unchained Podcast is Produced by Laura Shin Media, LLC. Distributed by CoinDesk.
HOST
Laura Shin is a crypto journalist, host of the Unchained podcast, and author of “The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze” (Public Affairs, 2022). Formerly a senior editor at Forbes, she was the first mainstream journalist to cover crypto full-time, and her podcasts and videos have had more than 15 million downloads and views. Shin has spoken about cryptocurrency at places such as TEDx San Francisco, the International Monetary Fund, Singularity University and the Oslo Freedom Forum.
She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with Honors from Stanford University and has a master of arts from Columbia University’s School of Journalism. She lives in New York City.

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