I happen to read a lot. Partly because it comes with the territory when producing a newspaper. But, mostly because I like reading and have since elementary school, read a lot. Once it was only books and periodicals, but now with the Internet I have a major library right on my desk.

A considerable amount of the material that I read is politically and socially conservative, or at least what passes for conservative these days which is more properly labelled neo-conservative. I find much of it both humorous and destructive. Destructive because many of the ideas that the neo-conservatives hold run counter to the well-being of human society. Humorous because I find it full of contradictions and incredible that sane people could fall for much of it.

I don't mean to quibble with the notion that Scott Brown -- as a truck driver and former nude centrefold -- is well qualified to sit in the U.S. Senate. It's the notion that he's a populist that sticks in my craw.

But it's his alleged populism that led to his dramatic upset win last week in Ted Kennedy's old seat.

Right-wingers like Brown hide the elitism of their agenda by presenting themselves as ordinary working types, as truck-driving, gun-toting folk who may have just slaughtered something with their bare hands in the back shed.

Nothing could be less populist than the right's agenda -- which reached its zenith under George W. Bush -- with tax cuts for the rich, financial deregulation and whittling away labour and social protections.

On September 17, in the midst of the publicity blitz for his cinematic takedown of the capitalist order, Moore talked with Nation columnist Naomi Klein by phone about the film, the roots of our economic crisis and the promise and peril of the present political moment. To listen to a podcast of the full conversation, click here. Following is an edited transcript of their conversation.