The Democracy Group

Latest Episodes:

Breaking Down the Jan 6 Hearings with Jill Wine-Banks | Our Body Politic Jul 06, 2022

Show notes

This week, Our Body Politic presents a special episode where Farai exclusively speaks to former Watergate prosecutor, legal expert and MSNBC analyst Jill Wine-Banks about the House Select Committee’s investigation into the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Wine-Banks offers insight into the shocking evidence that is coming out of the ongoing public hearings, the real life harm election officials are facing across the country due to disinformation, and answers OBP listeners questions surrounding the proceedings and what the outcome could mean for the future of U.S. democracy.

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Our Body Politic Podcast

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Is the Supreme Court's legitimacy at risk? | Politics in Question Jul 04, 2022

Show notes

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Julia, Lee, and James discuss the Supreme Court and democratic legitimacy in front of a live audience at The Washington Center in Washington, D.C. How does public opinion influence the Supreme Court? What role does the Court play in the federal government? Is it the ultimate arbiter of controversial policy questions? And should it be reformed? These are some of the questions Julia, Lee, and James discuss in this week’s episode.

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Politics in Question Podcast

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Your Political Influence as a Consumer | TDG Twitter Spaces Jul 01, 2022

Show notes

A recording from our Twitter Space Event with Voting Smarter.

Hosts

Justin Kempf, Host of Democracy Paradox

Guests

Terry Crandall, Founder of Voting Smarter

If you would like to listen and ask questions live, follow us @GroupDemocracy or subscribe to our newsletter are democracygroup.org/newsletter to be the first to know about upcoming events.

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Past, Present, Future | Democracy in Danger Jun 29, 2022

Show notes

Coming to you live this week from the American Political History conference at Purdue University, it’s Democracy in Danger's season finale. Will and Siva speak with three historians — Liette Gidlow, Derek Musgrove and Thomas Zimmer — about the past, present and future of government by the people. Our guests ponder the Jan. 6 hearings, D.C. statehood, social mobilization and the structural problems of the Constitution itself. Did America’s founders sign democracy’s death warrant at its birth?

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The Asian-American Vote: Sung Yeon Choimorrow | Future Hindsight Jun 27, 2022

Show notes

Sung Yeon Choimorrow is the executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, whose mission is to elevate AAPI women and girls to impact policy and drive systemic change in the United States. We discuss age-old and hardened stereotypes, changing the narrative about who Asian-Americans are, and activating Asian communities to take civic action.

The term model minority was coined by a white sociologist to pit Japanese Americans against Black Americans. Many Asian-Americans have used the model minority myth to protect them, though in the end it does not insulate them from discrimination and racism. In fact, the objectification of Asian women for entertainment persists, and Asian-Americans are perpetually seen as foreign.

Follow Sung Yeon on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/schoimorrow

Follow Mila on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/milaatmos

Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/

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Evan Lieberman on South Africa. Democracy in Hard Places | Democracy Paradox Jun 22, 2022

Show notes

When you hear people talk in such disparaging tones, that everything is broken, that nothing is possible, you need to ask yourself, is that right? When you look around, the answer is no. There are these examples where things do go right, where people work together and create a neighborhood or a community for themselves in which they can be prosperous and build better lives. And that's really what the democratic project is all about.

Evan Lieberman
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Evan Lieberman is a Professor of Political Science and Contemporary Africa at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Director of the MIT Global Diversity Lab, and the faculty director of the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI). He is the coauthor with Rorisang Lekalake of the recent article "South Africa's Resilient Democracy" in the Journal of Democracy and author of the forthcoming book Until We Have Won Our Liberty: South Africa after Apartheid.
Key Highlights

Why is Evan Lieberman optimistic about democracy in South Africa
Role of Nelson Mandela on South Africa's democracy
Importance of South Africa for democracy in the world
Account of the housing community Ethembalethu
What the 2019 election says about democracy in South Africa

Key Links

Until We Have Won Our Liberty: South Africa after Apartheid by Evan Lieberman

"South Africa’s Resilient Democracy" by Evan Lieberman and Rorisang Lekalake in Journal of Democracy

Learn more about Evan Lieberman at www.evanlieberman.org

Follow Evan Lieberman on Twitter @evlieb

Democracy in Hard Places edited by Scott Mainwaring and Tarek Masoud

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January 6th Committee Hearing Debrief with Former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt | Swamp Stories Jun 20, 2022

Show notes

Over the next few weeks, the bipartisan House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol is holding a series of historic hearings to shed light on the events leading up to and on January 6, 2021.

During the hearings, “Swamp Stories” is having a special series to bring listeners in-depth analysis by some of the country’s leading political experts on what we are learning and how the country is reacting.

In the first episode of the series, host Weston Wamp speaks with Dick Gephardt, former House Majority Leader from Missouri, and member of Issue One’s ReFormers Caucus and the National Council on Election Integrity.

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Introducing: When the People Decide Jun 17, 2022

Show notes

In this reported series, Jenna Spinelle tells the stories of activists, legislators, academics, and average citizens who changed their cities, states, and the country by taking important issues directly to votes — like Medicaid expansion in Idaho, sentencing reform in California, and LGBTQ workplace protections in Ohio.

From The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State, When the People Decide explores the pros and cons of this largely overlooked tool of government and its impact in the last half century.

Learn more about the podcast at thepeopledecide.show, subscribe in your podcast app, and follow the show on Twitter @PeopleDecidePod.

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We're Less Divided Than We Think: Tony Woodlief | Let's Find Common Ground Jun 15, 2022

Show notes

Every day on social media and cable TV, in newspapers and magazines, we're told that we live in a red-versus-blue world of rigid divides. Our podcast guest, Tony Woodlief, begs to differ.

"In reality, most people fall somewhere in the middle, or else have a complex blend of views from both sides of the aisle, Tony tells us. His new book "I, Citizen" uses polling data, political history, and on-the-ground reporting to make the case that party activists and partisans are attempting to undermine the freedom of Americans to govern themselves and make decisions that have a direct impact on their lives.

Many people have fallen for a false narrative promoted by leaders of political parties, academia, media, and government, that we're all team red or team blue, he argues. In this episode, we learn a different perspective and discuss how all of us can find common ground in our local neighborhoods and national discourse.

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Let's Find Common Ground Podcast

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Can American democracy have nice things? | Democracy Works Jun 13, 2022

Show notes

In 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting, E.J. Dionne and Miles Rapoport argue that all members of a democracy must participate in elections. Universal voting would be the surest way to protect against voter suppression and the active disenfranchisement of a large share of our citizens. And it would create a system true to the Declaration of Independence's aspirations by calling for a government based on the consent of all of the governed.

The system works in Australia, but can it work in the United States? Would it become just another tool in partisan warfare? Can American democracy even handle something like universal voting? We explore those questions this week.

Dionne is is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a syndicated columnist for the Washington Post, university professor at Georgetown University, and visiting professor at Harvard University. He is the author of Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save Our Country.

Rapoport is the Senior Practice Fellow in American Democracy at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School. He formerly served in the Connecticut state legislature and as secretary of the state. He also served as president of Demos and of Common Cause.

100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting