Is This Democracy7 Feb 2025

38. Is the Constitution Still in Effect?

We take stock of our rapidly escalating constitutional crisis and how our interpretation has evolved over the first few weeks of the Trump regime. We talk about the role of Elon Musk, the political project the feudal tech barons are pursuing, and how Musk’s side coup relates to what the other MAGA factions have been up to: the Project 2025 crew, the America First nativists, and Trump himself. We also zoom in on what the stakes are in the fight over the agencies and departments the Trumpists want to eliminate – specifically USAID: If the regime can just shut down whatever part of the government they don’t like, dissolve agencies created by Congress, ignore existing law, then constitutional government is over – then we are no longer in a constitutional crisis, but in a situation in which an autocratic regime has suspended the constitution and ended democratic self-government. We end with a discussion of why the response by the nominal opposition party has been so fundamentally inadequate so far – and how we might finally be seeing signs of life from a Democratic Party that must abandon politics as usual and instead find ways to make the constitutional crisis visible for the American people.

Follow Lily

Follow Thomas

Follow the podcast on social media

Read Thomas’ weekly newsletter Democracy Americana

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(44)

44. Is Trump Winning or Losing – or Should We Ask a Different Question?

Where does American democracy stand as we are headed into the summer? About a month ago, around the 100-day mark, the idea that Trump was losing, that maybe we were already experiencing the beginning ...

4 Juni 20251h 8min

43. Mass “Deportation” Is the End of Constitutional Government

Since early March, the Trumpist assault on the rule of law and the constitutional order has been most visible in the radicalizing attempt to purge the nation from anyone this regime deems unwelcome or...

25 Apr 20251h 25min

42. Stupidity, Ideology, and Tariffs (plus: why protests matter a great deal)

Are you feeling “liberated”? The long-dreaded “Liberation Day” saw America declare a trade war on the rest of the world. We discuss why Trump loves tariffs and what to make of the different rationales...

9 Apr 20251h 7min

41. Escalation

Over the past two weeks, the Trumpists have significantly escalated their assault on the rule of law as well as on both individuals and institutions they regard as the “enemy within.” We focus on two ...

25 Mars 20251h 11min

40. The Precarious State of the Union

A little over six weeks since Trump returned to the White House – and the assault on democratic self-government and the modern state is not slowing down. We start with Trump’s speech before a joint se...

7 Mars 20251h 11min

39. The Path to Authoritarianism

Exactly one month into the Trumpist regime, we reflect on what has happened since Trump returned to the presidency, what might be coming next, and what we have learned about America along the way. We ...

21 Feb 20251h 10min

37. Into the Trump Regime

Is This Democracy is back! And what a time to be discussing the conflict over how much democracy, and for whom, there should be in America. We reflect on the Inauguration and the first 72 hours of the...

24 Jan 20251h 5min