Why Democracy Really Is in Danger (with David Leonhardt)

Election denialism represents a fundamental breakdown in our democracy, a problem America has never experienced in its history. But that’s not it. There’s also an increasingly alarming disconnection between public opinion and the power to shape American politics. Andy explores these two threats with New York Times senior writer David Leonhardt, who explains why candidates that win the most votes are less and less able to take power and address the country’s problems. They also dig into the specific policy changes that could help protect our democracy, from Electoral College reform bills to ranked choice voting. 

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Follow David Leonhardt on Twitter @DLeonhardt.

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Check out these resources from today’s episode: 

Read David’s piece, “‘A Crisis Coming’: The Twin Threats to American Democracy”: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/17/us/american-democracy-threats.html

Check out the findings in the latest New York Times/Siena College Poll: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/22/upshot/donald-trump-approval-poll.html

Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community: https://www.covid.gov/

Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response”: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165 

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For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.