Air Date 12/12/2021

Today we take a look at the many structures of American government that tilt to favor minority rule and conservatism which, in our case, is one and the same. Some structures like the Senate and the filibuster were intentionally designed to give extra weight to the minority while others like gerrymandering and the influence of large-dollar political donors were, well, I suppose they were designed for about the same reason but just in a different way.

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Transcript

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: Lawrence Lessig on Unrepresentative Democracy - Network for Responsible Public Policy - Air Date 10-1-21

Lawrence Lessig gives a talk on Unrepresentative Democracy

Ch. 2: Why Wyoming Has More Power Than California in the Senate - AJ+ - Air Date 10-14-20

The United States Senate is one of the least democratic institutions in the Federal Government. It shuts out millions of Americans and dilutes the votes of most of the country. And yet every law has to go through the Senate, and so do most federal judges.

Ch. 3: Perpetual Minority Rule with David Faris - Battleground with Amanda Litman and Faiz Shakir - Air Date 6-10-21

Political scientist David Faris joins Amanda and Faiz to discuss how Republicans are using extreme gerrymandering, combined with their structural advantages in the Senate and electoral college, to subvert democracy.

Ch. 4: Biden's DOJ is SUING Texas For Their Brazenly Discriminatory Gerrymandering - The Humanist Report - Air Date 12-7-21

The Humanist Report (THR) is a progressive political podcast that discusses and analyzes current news events and pressing political issues. Our analyses are guided by humanism and political progressivism.

Ch. 5: Andrew Perez on the Filibuster - CounterSpin - Air Date 6-18-21

The filibuster is the crucial backdrop to any conversation about the Biden agenda, though media don't always bring that point home.

Ch. 6: A To-Do List for Senate Democrats - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick - Air Date 7-17-21

Dahlia Lithwick tackles one of the major challenges of this moment: how to fix American democracy. Dahlia is joined by the Nation’s Elie Mystal and former chief of staff for Sen. Harry Reid and author of Kill Switch, Adam Jentleson.

MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)

Ch. 7: Chauncey DeVega On Why Democracy Might Not Survive - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 12-7-21

Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman welcome politics writer for Salon Chauncey DeVega on the show to discuss a wide range of topics including the media's coverage of Biden, the Democrats' poor messaging, and what is happening to our democracy.

FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 8: Final comments on public policy, human nature and Cold War talking points

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):

• Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr 
• Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent

 

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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