A love letter to democratic institutions
The problems of disinformation, conspiracies, and cancel culture are probably familiar to many of our listeners. But they're usually talked about separately, including on this show. In his new book, T...
27 Sep 202142min
How Amazon is disrupting democracy
As we've said many times on this show, democracy is long and slow, which is the exact opposite of the ethos that Amazon has pushed into our culture through quick shipping, easily accessible entertainm...
20 Sep 202145min
Abortion is not always a clash of absolutes
Candis Watts Smith takes a turn in the interviewer's chair this week for a conversation about abortion and American democracy following the passage of SB8 in Texas and the Supreme Court's response to ...
13 Sep 202131min
Millennials' slow climb to political power
Generational divides in American politics are nothing new, but they seem particularly striking now as the oldest Millennials turn 40 this year. This generation has different lived experiences than its...
6 Sep 202141min
A summer of the individual vs. the common good
We're back after our summer break. Michael, Chris, Candis, and Jenna catch up on what happened over the summer, from COVID vaccine mandates to school board chaos to the refugee crisis in Afghanistan. ...
30 Aug 202130min
Extreme maps, extreme politics [reboradcast]
As redistricting begins across the country, we revisit our conversation with journalist and author David Daley about the consequences for American democracy if gerrymandering happens again this time a...
23 Aug 202139min
Jan-Werner Müller on democracy's rules
Democracy and populism diverge at a single point. It’s like a fork in a road where both traditions depend on a common history, but they split in two. At first it may seem the choice doesn’t matter. Yo...
16 Aug 202149min
Does Congress promote partisan gridlock? [rebroadcast]
Some of the most talked-about issues in Congress these days are not about the substance of policies or bills being debated on the floor. Instead, the focus is on the partisan conflict between the part...
9 Aug 202139min
