Episodes
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Donald Trump has been elected the 47th president of the United States. He will enter the White House with his party in control of both the House and Senate and with a Supreme Court mostly composed of Republican appointments. This election will have real impacts on American policy, which will not only change the lives of Americans, but also reverberate around the world, from Ukraine to Israel to Taiwan. Early signs of what to expect from the incoming Trump administration, and the new Republican-controlled federal government more generally, can be seen in who Trump appoints to high-level positions in the White House and who wins leadership in the Senate. And until the next election, public reaction to these and other actions will be the best way for politicians, the media, and citizens to influence government.
Chris Matthews began his career in politics, including serving as a speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter and as administrative assistant to Speaker of the House Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill Jr. But for most of the last 40 years, Matthews has been a journalist. He has been a syndicated columnist for the San Francisco Examiner, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Washington Monthly. Most famously, he was the news anchor of Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC from 1994 until 2020. He’s written ten books and holds 34 honorary degrees. He’s also a senior fellow at the Kettering Foundation. -
Argentina’s constitution is among the oldest democratic constitutions in the world, and in significant respects it was modeled after the constitution of the United States. But Argentine democracy hasn’t always been stable. Between the 1930s and 1970s, the government was overturned by military coups six times. Even when there have been free and fair elections, some elected leaders have governed as authoritarians. This experience of dictatorship is a source of trauma for Argentinian citizens—and also a source for the rebuilding and resilience of democracy since 1983. This conversation with Roberto Saba and Steven Levitsky explores the history of Argentine democracy and some of the parallels the country shares with the United States.
Roberto Saba obtained his law degree (JD) at Buenos Aires University and his Master’s (LLM) and doctoral (JSD) degrees at Yale Law School. He was the cofounder of the Association for Civil Rights (an organization inspired by the American ACLU) and served as its executive director (2000-2009). He was also executive director of Citizen Power Foundation, Transparency International’s Chapter in Argentina (1995-1998), and dean of Palermo University School of Law (2009-2016). Saba is currently a professor of constitutional law at Buenos Aires University and at Palermo University Law Schools. Saba has published on a wide variety of subjects, including deliberative democracy, judicial review, constitutional theory, freedom of expression, freedom of information and structural inequality. His connection with the Kettering Foundation began in 1992, when he served as an international fellow at the foundation. Since then, he has participated in numerous Kettering seminars and workshops. He is currently a board member of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation.
Steven Levitsky is David Rockefeller Professor of Latin American Studies and professor of government at Harvard University, director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard, and a senior fellow at the Kettering Foundation. His research focuses on democracy and authoritarianism. He and Daniel Ziblatt are authors of How Democracies Die (2018) and Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point (2023), both of which were New York Times bestsellers. -
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Project 2025 is a transition plan for a second Trump administration created by the Heritage Foundation, along with other conservative organizations. Heritage has created similar documents for presidential transitions every four years since 1980. One aspect of Project 2025, which is distinct from these previous iterations, is a focus on personnel policy. Near the end of the first Trump administration, the White House issued an executive order establishing a new classification of federal bureaucrats, Schedule F. The intent was to allow the president to exercise more control over career civil servants by exempting them from civil service protections and making it easier for the president to fire them. Project 2025 seeks to take advantage of Schedule F by creating a list of vetted conservatives who can replace, or credibly threaten to replace, employees who previously would have been considered non-political. This would likely have negative effects both on the quality and efficiency of government services, and on democratic accountability.
Donald Moynihan is a public policy professor at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and codirects the Better Government Lab at Georgetown University. He previously served as the McCourt Chair for Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and as director of University of Wisconsin-Madison’s La Follette School. His work focuses on the administrative burdens citizens encounter during interactions with government. In addition to his research, Moynihan is the president of Association for Public Policy and Management.
https://donmoynihan.substack.com/ -
For 49 years, from 1973 until 2022, the Supreme Court declared that the US Constitution protected abortion rights. With this precedent overturned, decision making about reproductive rights now resides with state governments. But the court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization relied on a partial and inaccurate understanding of American history, and its claims to be a pro-democracy decision were disingenuous. Dobbs is just one example of the court smashing precedents in the last few years.
Melissa Murray is the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at New York University, where she specializes in family law, constitutional law, and reproductive rights and justice. She has written for a wide range of academic journals and popular publications and regularly provides legal commentary for several major media outlets. Her credits include the Harvard Law Review, the Yale Law Journal, the New York Times, Washington Post, and many others. She’s a legal analyst at MSNBC and is also one of the cohosts of the podcast Strict Scrutiny, which focuses on the Supreme Court.
https://crooked.com/podcast-series/strict-scrutiny/
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250881397/thefallofroe -
Latinos are the fastest growing demographic group in the United States and are now the second-largest ethnic group in the country. Growing diversity shouldn’t be a challenge to democracy—no race or culture holds a monopoly on self-government. But Latinos are disproportionately young, and like other young voters, they often vote at lower rates and can benefit from being explicitly invited to participate in elections and other democratic practices. Latinos also have a particular set of shared interests. Unfortunately, elected politicians often seem more concerned with placing barriers on voter registration and the ballot than they are with attending to a changing electorate’s democratic preferences. These are all issues that this episode’s guest—María Teresa Kumar—has spent her career working to address.
María Teresa Kumar is the president of Voto Latino, an organization she cofounded with actor Rosario Dawson in 2004, and is today the largest Latino voter registration organization in the United States. Kumar also heads the Voto Latino Foundation, an influential Latino youth advocacy organization. She served on President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing and is a member of several important organizations, including the National Task Force on Election Crises and the Council on Foreign Relations. She’s also a Kettering Foundation senior fellow.
https://votolatino.org/
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/06/china-russia-republican-party-relations/678271/ -
For democracy to endure, democratic institutions and values must be passed from one generation to the next. And there’s plenty of good news about how Gen Z—the youngest and most diverse generation of voters—is engaging in politics. Young people are participating and voting at levels at least equal to previous generations. But there are reasons for concern too: Many Americans are growing up in civic deserts, without access to political associations or other forms of collective action. Many of Gen Z are struggling to find a stable political home in the two-party system. And Gen Z is also experiencing a mental health crisis, which is interrelated in complex ways to declines in associational life and political alienation.
Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg is the Newhouse Director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), which aims to expand pathways to civic learning and engagement. Kawashima-Ginsberg also serves on the boards of March for Our Lives and Rhizome.
Ruby Belle Booth started at CIRCLE as a Diverse Democracy Fellow, then transitioned to working as Election Coordinator, and is now a Researcher. She contributes to CIRCLE’S Growing Voters report and the Young Leaders Learning Community. Booth was also a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice.
https://circle.tufts.edu/ -
In a democracy, we resolve political disagreements through elections rather than through physical force. Political violence is a threat to democratic societies – but it can also be connected to a complex range of other political and social problems, including corruption, polarization, social division, and limitations on free speech. These are not easy problems to solve, but the United States can learn from international examples – both about what can go wrong in democracies, and also how structural reforms can help to discourage violence and other forms of extremism.
Rachel Kleinfeld is a senior fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program. She is an expert on how democracies can improve, particularly in countries facing polarization, violence, and corruption. She has written three books, contributes regularly to major media outlets, and often briefs the US government and allied democracies on issues at the intersection of democracy, security, and the rule of law. Kleinfeld serves on the boards of the National Endowment for Democracy, Freedom House, and States United Democracy Center, and on the advisory board of Protect Democracy.
https://carnegieendowment.org/people/rachel-kleinfeld?lang=en
https://www.ted.com/talks/rachel_kleinfeld_a_path_to_security_for_the_world_s_deadliest_countries/transcript?subtitle=en -
Democracy should work for everyone. Christine Todd Whitman explains how political parties are more concerned with maintaining power than solving problems for everyday people. She discusses the factors underlying American political dysfunction, including the growth of political parties, noncompetitive districts, and money in politics.
Christine Todd Whitman is president of Whitman Strategy Group. She served as the 50th and first woman governor of New Jersey and as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency during George W. Bush’s presidency. She is the author of It’s My Party Too: The Battle for the Heart of the GOP and the Future of America. In addition to cochairing several organizations, including the States United Democracy Center and the Forward Party, she is a Kettering Foundation senior fellow.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/294063/its-my-party-too-by-christine-todd-whitman/ -
American history is a story about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Stacey Abrams discusses why Americans should embrace and defend DEI as democratic values. She explains how DEI benefits all Americans, expanding participation in our democracy and access to the American dream.
Stacey Abrams is a political leader, lawyer, voting rights activist, and bestselling author. Abrams served in the Georgia House of Representatives for over a decade and as the Minority Leader from 2011-2017. As Georgia’s Democratic nominee for governor in 2018, she became the first Black woman to win a major party’s gubernatorial nomination. She is the inaugural Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics at Howard University and CEO of Sage Works Productions. Abrams has launched several organizations to protect and advance democracy, including Fair Fight Action, the Southern Economic Advancement Project, and most recently, American Pride Rises. -
American democracy relies on nonpartisan civil servants to detect and combat corruption. Alexander Vindman was one such civil servant when he reported abuses of power by former President Trump, resulting in Vindman being fired from the federal government and retiring from the armed forces. Vindman discusses what a second Trump administration and Project 2025 would mean not only for democracy in the US, but also in Ukraine. Vindman explains the history of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and its implications for global democracy.
Alexander Vindman is a retired US Army lieutenant colonel and an expert in national security. He has previously served as the director for European affairs on the United States National Security Council, the political-military affairs officer for Russia at the Pentagon, and as an attaché at the American embassies in Moscow and Kyiv. In addition to being a Hauser Leader at Harvard University and a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins University’s Foreign Policy Institute, he is a Kettering Foundation Senior Fellow. -
The Supreme Court does not belong in the crosshairs of the American political debate. Neal Katyal discusses how the court’s rush to decide social controversies and overturn foundational precedents is damaging its legitimacy. Katyal addresses the court’s recent decisions concerning presidential immunity and regulatory agencies and their implications for American democracy.
Neal Katyal is the Paul and Patricia Saunders Professor of National Security Law at Georgetown University and a partner at Hogan Lovells. He previously served as acting solicitor general of the United States. Katyal has argued 50+ cases before the Supreme Court, which is more than any other minority attorney in US history. He is also a Kettering Foundation Senior Fellow.
Links
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300032994/the-least-dangerous-branch/ -
What if the January 6 attack on the US Capitol had been successful? Alan Jenkins and Gan Golan explore just that in their graphic novel series, entitled 1/6: The Graphic Novel. They also discuss how the events of January 6, 2021, diverge from democratic principles, such as free speech and the right to protest.
Alan Jenkins is a Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School. His previous positions include President of The Opportunity Agenda (a social justice communication lab that he cofounded), Assistant to the Solicitor General at the Department of Justice, and Director of Human Rights at the Ford Foundation.
Gan Golan is an artist, cultural strategist, and bestselling author. He has organized major protest movements, including Occupy Wall Street and the People’s Climate March, and is the cocreator of the Climate Clock in NYC.
Links:
https://onesixcomicsstore.com/
https://www.westernstatescenter.org/s/WSC-Action-Guide-1-6-single-pg.pdf -
The Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans for the first time in 2023. In state houses across the country, we are seeing legislation that targets the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ people. Kelley Robinson discusses how these attacks are part of a broader antidemocratic movement in the US and why it is important to develop a more inclusive culture for our democracy.
Kelley Robinson is the president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024. Prior to becoming the first Black, queer woman to lead HRC, she was the executive director of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. She has over 15 years of experience in campaign organizing, community building, and coalition building for society’s most underserved populations. She is also a Kettering Foundation Senior Fellow.
Links:
https://www.hrc.org/campaigns/we-show-up
https://time.com/6964843/kelley-robinson/ -
American voters have never been more dissatisfied. Unlike in business, where more competition promotes accountability and innovation, our political system only allows for two competitors. For most voters, America’s two-party system makes elections more about defeating the other side than solving problems and delivering. Katherine Gehl proposes Final-Five Voting, where five candidates advance from a nonpartisan primary and then are ranked, to promote competition and ensure representatives are accountable to a majority of voters.
Katherine Gehl is a leader in the national nonpartisan movement for political innovation and the founder of The Institute for Political Innovation. A philanthropist and former CEO, she examines America’s political system through an industry-competition lens to better understand its biggest problems and to identify achievable solutions. Her book, The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy (2020), cowritten with Michael E. Porter, has changed the national reform community’s approach to modern political change.
https://political-innovation.org/
https://store.hbr.org/product/the-politics-industry-how-political-innovation-can-break-partisan-gridlock-and-save-our-democracy/10367 -
In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education (1954), Matthew Delmont discusses the symbolic and practical significance of the landmark decision. Although it deemed legal segregation unconstitutional, Brown v. Board did not result in meaningful school integration right away. In fact, the decision represents the long history of civil rights, in which activists had to outflank intense political reluctance and backlash.
Matthew Delmont is the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History at Dartmouth College and a Guggenheim Fellow. An expert on African American history and the history of civil rights, he has written five books: Half American (2022), Black Quotidian (2019), Why Busing Failed (2016), Making Roots (2016), and The Nicest Kids in Town (2012). His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, NPR, and several academic journals. Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Delmont earned a BA from Harvard University and an MA and PhD from Brown University.
Links:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/624655/half-american-by-matthew-f-delmont/
https://blackquotidian.org/
https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520284258/why-busing-failed
https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520291324/making-roots -
Citizenship is a perpetual debate in America. Martha S. Jones discusses how the exclusion of women and people of color from the early Republic led them to develop their own political cultures and collective institutions. As a result, marginalized people, particularly Black women, reframed politics in a way that was more aligned with America’s democratic ideals than any other political vision at the time. Elevating their voices and visions of democracy helps clarify who we have been and who we hope to be.
Martha S. Jones is the Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor, a Professor of History, and a Professor at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. A legal and cultural historian, her work examines how Black Americans have shaped the story of American democracy. She has written three award-winning books: Vanguard (2022), Birthright Citizens (2018), and All Bound Up Together (2007).
Links:
https://snfagora.jhu.edu/about-snf-agora/
https://hardhistory.jhu.edu/
https://alumni.jhu.edu/affinitygroups/soba
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/martha-s-jones/vanguard/9781541618619/?lens=basic-books
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/birthright-citizens/7A4BFAF68722E7EC837C2888C46E4434
https://uncpress.org/book/9780807858455/all-bound-up-together/ -
In 2015, the US Census Bureau released a report projecting that the US would become a majority minority nation by 2044. Justin Gest asserts that the US reached this milestone a long time ago. Gest discusses America’s immense diversity and immigrant roots, which can be sources of unity, rather than division. He interrogates the use of categories and labels that ultimately divide us, calling for a more civic and inclusive understanding of the nation.
Justin Gest is a professor of Policy and Government at George Mason University. A scholar of the politics of immigration and demographic change, he has written six books, the most recent entitled Majority Minority (2022). His research is published in many peer-reviewed academic journals, and he provides commentary for major media outlets. You can keep up with his work on his website, justingest.com.
Links:
https://justingest.com/
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/majority-minority-9780197641798 -
American democracy is under attack, and much of the damage is done in statehouses. David Pepper explains how Americans’ hyper-fixation on national politics opens the door for corruption and anti-democratic actions at the state level. In Ohio, state legislators have undermined democracy by manipulating election policies and drawing unfair legislative districts. Pepper discusses how all Americans, regardless of political affiliation, can incorporate saving democracy into their daily lives.
David Pepper is a lawyer, writer, political activist, and adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. He served as Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party from 2015-2021. In addition to his daily Substack, he has written several books. Two address state-level attacks on democracy: Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines (2021) and Saving Democracy: A User’s Manual for Every American (2023). His other books are political thrillers, the most recent being The Fifth Vote (2023). He also serves as a Senior Fellow for the Charles F. Kettering Foundation.
Links:
https://davidpepper.substack.com/
https://laboratoriesofautocracy.com/
https://savedemocracy.us/about/ -
A devoted public servant, Maureen O’Connor discusses the importance of efficiency, fairness, and nonpartisanship in government. After years of witnessing and ruling against partisan gerrymandering on the Ohio Supreme Court, O’Connor is working toward an Ohio constitutional amendment to create an independent redistricting commission that empowers citizens, not politicians, to create district lines.
Maureen O’Connor is the longest-serving statewide elected woman in Ohio history. O’Connor was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2003, and in 2011, she became the state’s first female Chief Justice. During her tenure on the court, she led significant reforms and improvements in the Ohio judicial system. In retirement, she is spearheading the campaign Citizens Not Politicians to pass a constitutional amendment to reform redistricting in Ohio, which is slated for the November 2024 ballot. She also serves as a senior fellow for the Charles F. Kettering Foundation.
Links:
https://www.citizensnotpoliticians.org/ -
Throughout history, the rules and practices of American democracy have contradicted the nation’s democratic ideals. Kimberlé Crenshaw has dedicated her career to developing inclusive legal frameworks to address some of our greatest democratic problems. As one of the foundational thinkers of Critical Race Theory, she sets the record straight on what the project is—and what it isn’t.
Kimberlé Crenshaw is the Co-founder and Executive Director of the African American Policy Forum and the founder and Executive Director of the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies at Columbia Law School. She serves on the legal faculty at both UCLA and Columbia University. She is one of the most cited scholars in legal history.
Links:
https://www.aapf.org/intersectionality-matters
https://www.aapf.org/shn-book - Show more
