Jen brings on recent White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain to explore the successes of President Biden and the challenges that he still faces.  They dive into how his defense of democracy by giving primacy to the rule of law has its limitations, but hasn’t stopped him from strengthening NATO, producing jobs, passing a budget, and solving the problems left behind by Trump.  Also discussed are the enduring strengths of Kamala Harris, how their administration is fighting against discrimination, and the other ways the government can help restore our faith in our institutions.

Ron Klain: 

Twitter | O’Melveny | Statement from Whitehouse.gov

Twitter | WaPo | Author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy From Donald Trump”

Jen is joined by legal expert, author and Slate senior editor, Dahlia Lithwick for a deep dive into the current state of our judicial system and what it means for all of us.  In their conversation, they discuss how the Supreme Court has been undermining the public trust with its partisanship, disregard of precedent (and even Originalism!), and how the courts can’t be ignored so long as they have the power to constrain our rights and decide elections.  Given the scope of the threat to our democratic values, what reforms could restore justice to the country?

Dahlia Lithwick: 

Twitter | Slate | NewsWeek | Amicus Podcast | UVA Law | Author of “Lady Justice” & Other Books

Twitter | WaPo | Author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy From Donald Trump”

Jen is joined by co-founder and EVP for Public Affairs at Third Way Matt Bennett to lay out the destruction of moderation in our politics, the rise of extremism on the right, and the disastrous horse race approach of the media.  Are they locking us into a Biden-Trump re-election battle that few people want?  And if they are, is a third party something that could be dangerous to our democracy when the stakes are so high? They also cover how each side turns off people with messaging when they would agree with policy, how it relates to gun rights, and how the practical implementation of policy lets down the electorate.  

Matt Bennett: 

Twitter | Third Way

Twitter | WaPo | Author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy From Donald Trump”

Jen is joined by author, journalist, and political thought leader Matthew Dowd for an insider’s look at the sport-ification of media, and how it leads to political nihilism and rising extremism due to the both sides approach it uses.  They also dive deep into the changes happening at CNN evidenced by Trump’s town hall, the shallow coverage of the difficulties Republicans created for the debt ceiling deal, and the tragic pretense of networks trying to be “unbiased”.  Is journalism as a whole still salvageable when the presentation of the basic facts are undermined?  And with the future at stake, will the media be bold enough to stand for democracy?   

Matthew Dowd: 

Twitter | University of Chicago | MSNBC | Author

Twitter | WaPo | Author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy From Donald Trump”

In this inaugural episode, Jen welcomes legal expert and brilliant pundit George Conway for his insider view of E. Jean Carroll’s cases against Donald, the factors behind why she’s been successful so far, and to look at the system’s surprising defense of our democracy against him.  George also shares how he introduced E. Jean to the lawyer behind her victory, and why Donald will keep losing based on his inability to keep his mouth shut.  From there, they examine the psychology that drives Trump to be his own worst enemy and the narcissism that compels him to continue pursuing power at any costs.  Will the Republican party be able to escape his pull and start the search for redemption before he wins their primary yet again?

George Conway: 

Twitter | WaPo | On Morning Joe | Broaddrick V. Carroll Cases Article | “Unfit for Office”

Twitter | WaPo | Author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy From Donald Trump”

Trailer for Jen Rubin's Green Room