Is This Democracy

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4. The Rogue Court, the Threat of Rightwing Political Violence – and Discussing Politics Over Thanksgiving Nov 25, 2022

Show notes

Conservative justices are leaking decisions, but more importantly, they have made the Supreme Court the spearhead of a reactionary counter-mobilization against democracy: What is to be done about a Rogue Court? – The Assault on the LGBTQ community in Colorado Springs: America’s gun cult(ure), the escalating rightwing demonization of vulnerable groups, and why the reactions to the latest shooting are indicative of a significant radicalization of conservative politics – Thanksgiving politics talk: Here are some political statements that you might encounter over the weekend, and how we think you should respond. And a little bonus discussion at the end: Why it’s absolutely fair and necessary to judge people, even polite people, by their politics. Follow The Show Follow Thomas Follow Lily Follow Perry

3. Elon Musk, Donald Trump – and Should Journalists Be Rooting for Democracy? Nov 18, 2022

Show notes

The fate of Twitter: The democratic stakes of having so much of our media infrastructure in the hands of billionaires; the fraud relationship between the libertarian-to-far-right tech oligarchy and democracy; Twitter’s importance as an essential part of the virtual public square – Midterms fallout: The major storylines and key narratives that have emerged; the deepening chasm between “red” and “blue” America; and why Donald Trump remains an acute threat – The relationship between journalism and democracy: Should the media be explicitly pro-democracy? What would this look like in practice? And what does it mean to prioritize “neutrality” when democracy itself has become a partisan issue?

2. The State of Democracy After the Midterms (Still bad; Could have been way worse) Nov 11, 2022

Show notes

A big-picture reflection on the midterms (what else!) and what they can tell us about the state of American democracy – Why the result, while heartening, doesn’t simply prove that “the system works” and why democracy is still very much in danger – What to make of Republican elites clamoring for DeSantis and why Trumpism without Trump is far more likely than a pivot to the center - What Democrats can learn and why the idea of neatly separating “kitchen table” from “culture war” issues is deeply misleading - And what’s behind the flawed mainstream media coverage that was all too eager to adopt rightwing talking points about a “red wave.” Follow us on Twitter Follow Thomas Follow Lily Follow Perry

Episode 1 - November 4, 2022 Nov 04, 2022

Show notes

Our mission statement: Podcasting about a democracy on the brink – Joe Biden says democracy is on the ballot: Is he right? – Midterm primer: Why the election is close (when maybe it shouldn’t be?) and what people are voting for; media coverage; Democratic messaging; and what worries us most going forward.

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