Twelve months ago, Democracy Journal announced we were entering the "Middle-Out Moment." A year later—after a brutal election and rising uncertainty—the question isn’t whether neoliberalism is over, but what comes next. In a new symposium titled “It’s Still the Post-Neoliberal Moment,” Democracy brings together leading voices to answer that question. In this episode, we hear directly from some of the smartest contemporary thinkers on how to dismantle corporate power, rebuild trust in government, center care as a public good, and make policy that actually reaches the people it's meant to serve. The stakes couldn’t be higher—and the decisions we make in this moment could mean the difference between widespread prosperity or a negative feedback loop that will be felt for generations to come.

Guests include: Nidhi Hegde, Charles Davidson, Shilpa Phadke & Shayna Strom, Harry Holzer, Mary Beth Maxwell, Bilal Baydoun, and Melissa Morales.

Further reading: 

The Middle-Out Moment Is Still Here - Nick Hanauer 

Anti-Monopoly Is the Path Forward - Nidhi Hegde

Financial Secrecy Is a Middle-Out Issue - Charles Davidson 

Do Not Abandon the Care Agenda - Shilpa Phadke & Shayna Strom

Taking the Spending-Inflation Problem Seriously - Harry Holzer

Time for People-Centered Policy - Mary Beth Maxwell 

Good Political Stories Need Heroes—and Villains - Bilal Baydoun

On the Need to Go Bigger - Melissa Morales 

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For decades, unions were more than just labor organizations—they were community anchors that shaped working-class identity and political loyalty. But what happens when an entire generation loses its economic and social foundation? The Rust Belt’s working-class voters were once a Democratic stronghold, but that’s no longer the case. Lainey Newman, co-author of Rust Belt Union Blues, joins Paul  and Goldy this week to explain how the erosion of union power helped shift working-class voters away from Democrats, and why economic fixes alone won’t be enough to win them back.

Lainey Newman is an author and J.D. candidate at Harvard Law School. She is a graduate of Harvard College and a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Social Media:

@laineynewman.bsky.social

laineynewman

@LaineyNewman

Further reading: 

Rust Belt Union Blues: Why Working-Class Voters Are Turning Away from the Democratic Party

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Mass layoffs have become a routine corporate strategy—not because companies are struggling, but because Wall Street demands it. In Wall Street’s War on Workers, labor educator and author Les Leopold exposes how stock buybacks, deregulation, and financialized capitalism have made job cuts a tool for enriching CEOs and hedge funds at the expense of workers and communities. He joins Nick and Goldy this week to explain how this happened, why both political parties have failed to stop it, and what we can do to fight back.

Les Leopold is a labor educator, author, and co-founder of the Labor Institute, where he has spent decades advocating for economic justice and worker rights. He is the author of several books, including Runaway Inequality and Wall Street’s War on Workers, which exposes how financial elites have rigged the economy in their favor.

Social Media:

@les_leopold

Further reading: 

Wall Street's War on Workers: How Mass Layoffs and Greed Are Destroying the Working Class and What to Do about It

Corporate Bullsh*t: Exposing the Lies and Half-Truths That Protect Profit, Power, and Wealth in America

Les Leopold’s Substack

Civic Ventures Produced Comic on Stock Buybacks: Trillion Dollar Heist

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A small group of elite universities holds an outsized influence over the field of economics, shaping research, policy, and the broader economic narrative. But is that concentration of power stifling innovation and reinforcing the status quo? This week, Harvard economist David Deming joins Nick and Goldy to discuss his recent Atlantic article, in which he argues that Big Econ functions like a monopoly—limiting competition, excluding diverse perspectives, and making it harder for new ideas to take hold. 

David Deming is the Isabelle and Scott Black Professor of Political Economy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Deming is also a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and Associate Editor of the Journal of Economic Perspectives.

Social Media:

@ProfDavidDeming

Further reading:

Break Up Big Econ

DOGE Is Failing on Its Own Terms

David Deming’s Substack Forked Lightning

The Trouble With Macroeconomics

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The U.S. spends billions on programs designed to fight poverty, but it appears that much of that money is actually making corporations richer instead of helping people. This week, Nick and Goldy sit down with Anne Kim, author of Poverty for Profit: How Corporations Get Rich off America's Poor, to talk about the vast industry that siphons public dollars from anti-poverty programs.. From tax prep companies skimming off the Earned Income Tax Credit to private Medicaid contractors denying care to boost their bottom line, Kim exposes the hidden ways corporations profit off economic hardship. How did we end up with an anti-poverty system that enriches shareholders instead of helping people? More importantly—how do we fix it?

Anne Kim is a writer, lawyer, public policy expert, and contributing editor at Washington Monthly. She’s also the author of Poverty for Profit: How Corporations Get Rich off America’s Poor and Abandoned: America’s Lost Youth and the Crisis of Disconnection.

Social Media:

@anne-s-kim.bsky.social

Further reading: 

Poverty for Profit: How Corporations Get Rich off America’s Poor

Abandoned: America’s Lost Youth and the Crisis of Disconnection

The TurboTax Trap: How the Tax Prep Industry Makes You Pay

The True Size of Government

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This week, Senator Chris Murphy joins Nick and Goldy to discuss the political failure of neoliberalism and what comes next for the Democratic Party. For decades, both parties embraced free trade and deregulation, promising that economic growth would benefit everyone. But that promise went unfulfilled as wages stagnated, industries collapsed, and inequality soared. Murphy explains how these policies left millions of Americans economically adrift, why Biden’s shift toward industrial policy is a step in the right direction, and how Democrats can remake their economic narrative by focusing on unrigging the system rather than handing out subsidies.

Chris Murphy is the junior United States Senator for the State of Connecticut.

Social Media:

@chrismurphyct.bsky.social

chrismurphyct

@ChrisMurphyCT

Further reading: 

Chris Murphy Wants Democrats to Break Up With Neoliberalism The Democratic senator speaks out about the future of his party.

The Senator Warning Democrats of a Crisis Unfolding Beneath Their Noses

How Neoliberalism Cuts Off Community

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Only a few weeks into his second term, Donald Trump and his billionaire buddies are doing their best to dismantle the federal government's regulatory agencies. So today, we're revisiting a compelling conversation we had in 2020 with journalist and podcast host Michael Hobbes about a piece he wrote in HuffPost titled "The Golden Age of White-Collar Crime." Initially reported against the backdrop of Trump’s first presidency and its alarming erosion of regulatory oversight, Hobbes breaks down the staggering prevalence of elite deviance—where the wealthy evade accountability for crimes that cause immense social harm—and also offers insight into why white-collar crime often goes unchecked. It’s a timely reminder of the consequences of allowing the ultra-wealthy to operate above the law.

This episode originally aired on March 10, 2020.

Michael Hobbes is a journalist, podcaster, and former senior reporter for HuffPost, known for his in-depth investigations into social issues, economics, and media narratives. He is the co-host of If Books Could Kill and Maintenance Phase, and previously co-hosted You're Wrong About, where he debunked cultural myths and misconceptions. Hobbes has also contributed to outlets like The New Republic, Pacific Standard and Slate covering topics ranging from housing policy to moral panics.

Social Media:

@michaelhobbes.bsky.social

Further reading: 

The Golden Age of White Collar Crime

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This week, Nick and Goldy are joined by journalist and historian Yoni Appelbaum to discuss his forthcoming book, Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity. They explore how decades of failed economic policies and zoning regulations have restricted mobility, stifled economic growth, and worsened inequality—revealing the historical roots of our current housing and economic inequality crises. Appelbaum argues that the decline in housing affordability isn't just a housing problem but a mobility problem, as many Americans are increasingly unable to afford to move to areas of the country where they can pursue better opportunities for themselves or their children.

Yoni Appelbaum is a deputy executive editor of The Atlantic and a social and cultural historian of the United States. Before joining The Atlantic, he was a lecturer on history and literature at Harvard University.

Social Media:

Bluesky @yappelbaum.bsky.social

Twitter @YAppelbaum

Further reading:

Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity.

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With billionaires pouring unprecedented sums of money into politics, corporate interests shaping policy, and the revelation that Trump has appointed a record 13 billionaires to top administration roles in the wealthiest cabinet in American history, it's clear how much sway the ultra-wealthy hold over our democracy. So, we’re re-airing our 2021 conversation with Thom Hartmann, which offers timely insights into how the ultra-wealthy consolidate power, and how concentrated wealth undermines economic fairness and democratic governance.

Thom Hartmann is a New York Times bestselling author and America’s #1 progressive talk show host for over a decade. 

This episode originally aired on February 2, 2021.

Social Media:

Bluesky @hartmannreport.com

Twitter @Thom_Hartmann

Further reading: 

The Hidden History of American Oligarchy

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This week, Paul and Goldy sit down with journalist Kurt Hackbarth to discuss the recent electoral success of Mexico's Morena party and their progressive economic agenda. The conversation explores how Morena’s focus on middle-out policies, such as significant minimum wage increases and sweeping social safety net programs and reforms, has lifted millions out of poverty and challenged decades of neoliberal orthodoxy. Hackbarth also highlights the effective communication strategies employed by Morena's leaders, particularly their innovative use of social media, and the importance of staying connected to the base while appealing to a broad spectrum of voters, offering insights into what U.S. Democrats can learn from Mexico's left-leaning Morena party.

Kurt Hackbarth is a writer, playwright, and freelance journalist who contributes to Jacobin Magazine and co-founded the independent media project “MexElects.” His writing often explores the complexities of global affairs and the impact of neoliberalism on society.

Social Media:

@KurtHackbarth

Further reading: 

Jacobin Magazine- Mexico’s Lessons for the International Left

Soberanía: The Mexican Politics Podcast

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