Caleb Maupin
============

Caleb Maupin is an American journalist and political analyst, and one of the recurring guests on John Kiriakou's radio programme The Backstory.

Kiriakou's standing introduction is a straightforward endorsement: "journalist and political analyst Caleb Maupin, Caleb is one of the best informed people out there."

Agreement, with a boundary

After a long exposition from Maupin on capitalism, automation and the technological leap, Kiriakou endorsed the substance: "I agree with Caleb's analysis. I think you're exactly right, and something that not a lot of people either understand or have put a great deal of thought into, but I think you've hit it on the head."

He also proposed booking Maupin against the libertarian economist Mark Frost, as a conversation rather than a debate, on the grounds that they are "two very smart, very reasonable people that we like."

On basic income

The same exchange produced Kiriakou's own comment on universal basic income, offered as political observation rather than economics. "That argument didn't fly in the New York mayoral race when Yang brought it up. Just after he announced his candidacy the New York Times thought it was a great idea and said that he could actually win this thing, there was a fawning tribute to him about six months ago, and I think he ended up coming in fourth. People just weren't buying into it."

His own position was procedural: "it should be debated. You don't have to like it, but we should be talking about it."

See also

- The Backstory
- The 2021 Cuba protests
- Sanctions Effectiveness
