History As It Happens

The Tyranny of the Minority


Listen Later

Is majoritarian rule -- the bedrock of democracy -- in trouble? In this episode, Princeton historian Sean Wilentz discusses the tension between the imperative of majority rule and the necessity of protecting minority rights. The tension dates to our founding in the battle between federalists and anti-federalists. Our current problems also have antecedents in the controversy over nullification in the early 1830s and in the secession crisis of 1860-61. Today, Wilentz warns, Republican officials loyal to former President Donald Trump are deliberately eroding public confidence in the election system. They are falsely claiming the 2020 election was rigged, thereby rendering Joseph R. Biden's electoral majority "invalid." Moreover, the combination of gerrymandering and restrictive voting laws passed in several battleground states, and the threat of the filibuster to thwart voting rights legislation in the Senate, threatens to make permanent a "rule of the minority," according to the Princeton scholar.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

History As It HappensBy Martin Di Caro

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

62 ratings


More shows like History As It Happens

View all
Political Gabfest by Slate Podcasts

Political Gabfest

8,465 Listeners

We the People by National Constitution Center

We the People

1,115 Listeners

Lectures in History by C-SPAN

Lectures in History

747 Listeners

The Lawfare Podcast by The Lawfare Institute

The Lawfare Podcast

6,300 Listeners

The President’s Inbox by Council on Foreign Relations

The President’s Inbox

723 Listeners

The Good Fight by Yascha Mounk

The Good Fight

908 Listeners

The Atlantic Interview by The Atlantic

The Atlantic Interview

27 Listeners

Uncommon Knowledge by Hoover Institution

Uncommon Knowledge

2,030 Listeners

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

7,266 Listeners

What Next | Daily News and Analysis by Slate Podcasts

What Next | Daily News and Analysis

2,411 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

16,495 Listeners

Booknotes+ by C-SPAN

Booknotes+

213 Listeners

For the Ages: A History Podcast by The New York Historical

For the Ages: A History Podcast

385 Listeners

Shield of the Republic by The Bulwark

Shield of the Republic

501 Listeners

The Foreign Affairs Interview by Foreign Affairs Magazine

The Foreign Affairs Interview

482 Listeners