#1379 Tell Stories, Not Myths: Democracy in America
Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Jay Tomlinson
4.5 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 11 November 2020
⏱️ 72 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Air Date 11/10/2020
Today we take a look at the long and shifting history of the myth of democracy in America. We've never had it since the beginning but the reasons have shifted, ebbed and flowed over time. Now, in the midst of an attempted slow-motion coup, we look back at this most central American myth.
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Transcript
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SHOW NOTES
Two of the last three presidents — George W. Bush and Donald Trump — came to office after losing the popular vote. "The Framers who met at the Constitutional Convention really had no idea what they were doing when they established how to pick a president"
Ch. 2: The Second Revolution - Scene On Radio - Air Date 2-19-20
After the Civil War, a surprising coalition tried to remake the United States into a real multiracial democracy for the first time. Reconstruction, as the effort was called, brought dramatic change to America. For a while.
Ch. 3: Democracy: Past, Present... and Future? - The Laura Flanders Show - Air Date 6-26-19
Don't remember the past? Does that mean you're condemned to repeat it? What does our country's past tell us about our present— and how can it help us imagine a better future? This week, two leading thinkers on the tricky challenges of democracy.
Ch. 4: More Democracy - Scene on Radio - Air Date 6-10-20
What will it take to make the United States a more fully-functioning democracy, and how can we, as citizens, bring about that change?
By host and producer John Biewen, with series collaborator Chenjerai Kumanyika.
Take action! Click the title and/or scroll down for quick links and resources from this segment.
Ch. 6: Our democracy no longer represents the people. Here's how we fix it - TEDx - Air Date 10-20-15
Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig makes the case that our democracy has become corrupt with money, leading to inequality that means only 0.02% of the United States population actually determines who's in power.
Ch. 7: The Right's Long History of Ignoring the Will of the People - On the Media - Air Date 11-6-20
Rick Perlstein, historian of American conservatism and author, most recently, of Reaganland: America's Right Turn 1976-1980, has tracked this anti-majoritarian current in the American right for centuries.
Ch. 8: The Republicans' War on Voting Rights, Protesting and Democracy - Some More News - Air Date 10-22-18
In this week's episode of Some More News, we do a deep dive on the Republicans' attacks on our voting rights, our right to protest and, well, Democracy. Which is bad and not good.
Ch. 9: Schooled for Democracy - Scene on Radio - Air Date 5-13-20
In most American schools, children *hear about *democracy, but don’t get to *practice *it. What would a more engaged brand of civics education look like?
Sam hosts Cornell Professor of American Institutions Suzanne Mettler to discuss her latest book, Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy and what we can learn from history to understand American democracy's vulnerabilities.
VOICEMAILS
Ch. 11: Changing the caucus party - Erin from Philly
Ch. 12: What happens if they somehow steal the election? - Nick from California
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 13: Final comments on action being the only antidote to anxiety
TAKE ACTION
EDUCATE YOURSELF
'The Rise Of The New South': Black Women Organizers Turn Georgia Bluish (WBUR)
Activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham’s Post-Election Road Map (W)
#15: If We’re Not Organizing White People, Somebody Else Is (Organizing Upgrade - SURJ)
Written by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):
- Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr
- Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent
- Activism Music: This Fickle World by Theo Bard
- Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to this episode of the award winning best of left podcast in which we shall learn |
| 0:07.3 | about the long and shifting history of the myth of democracy in America. |
| 0:12.2 | We've never had it since the beginning, but the reasons have shifted, ebbed and flowed |
| 0:17.2 | over time. |
| 0:18.2 | Now, in the midst of an attempted slow motion coup, we look back at this most central of |
| 0:24.1 | American myths. |
| 0:25.5 | Clips today come from democracy now, seen on radio, the Laura Flanders show, a TED Talk |
| 0:31.8 | by Lawrence Lessig, on the media and the majority report. |
| 0:41.8 | We turn now to look at the case for abolishing the Electoral College. |
| 0:45.8 | Two of the last three presidencies, Donald Trump's included, have gone to the candidate |
| 0:51.2 | who lost the popular vote in 2000. |
| 0:53.9 | The Supreme Court halted the Florida recount handing the election to George W. Bush. |
| 0:58.3 | It was later determined vice president Al Gore actually won the election by half a million |
| 1:02.0 | votes. |
| 1:03.0 | In 2016, Hillary Clinton received almost three million more votes than Trump, but Trump |
| 1:08.0 | still won. |
| 1:09.0 | The Electoral College enshrined in the U.S. Constitution by the wealthy white founders, |
| 1:14.6 | many of whom were slaveholders, has allowed these victories where the loser wins. |
| 1:20.9 | But a mass movement is building to elect the president through a national popular vote. |
| 1:25.4 | For more on this effort, we're joined by journalist Jesse Wegman, member of the New York Times |
| 1:29.1 | editorial board, author of, let the people pick the president, the case for abolishing |
| 1:34.0 | the Electoral College. |
... |
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