335: The Frontlines of Democracy - Part II: Exurbia Now with David Masciotra
The Lincoln Project
The Lincoln Project
4.6 • 9.1K Ratings
🗓️ 2 April 2024
⏱️ 50 minutes
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Summary
Host Reed Galen is joined by author, journalist, and political analyst, David Masciotra. They discuss the rise of exurbia as a haven for those seeking to escape progressive culture and diversity along with as a breeding ground for the radical right-wing insurgency. Plus how the collapse of community and local media prevalent in exurban areas goes hand-in-hand with the erosion of our nation’s democracy. For more on these topics, be sure to pick up David Masciotra’s new book, Exurbia Now: The Battleground of American Democracy, available wherever fine books are sold. For more from Reed Galen, be sure to subscribe to “The Home Front”. If you’d like to ask a question or share a comment with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, everyone, it's Reed. Before we get started, this is a quick two-part mini-series on where the |
| 0:06.1 | front lines of democracy really are in those rural and ex-urban areas. Those places you always |
| 0:12.5 | see reporters go to and talk to people in diners, what's really driving the folks out there? |
| 0:17.6 | In the ex-erbs, what's really going on in those places where those who once lived |
| 0:22.8 | in cities or even suburbs have now fled? I hope you enjoy it. I hope you learn as much as I did |
| 0:28.8 | by interviewing these folks. And now, on with the show. |
| 0:42.5 | Welcome back to the Lincoln Project. |
| 0:44.8 | I'm your host, Reid Galen. |
| 0:49.8 | Today, I'm joined by author, journalist, and political analyst David Masiotra. |
| 0:58.0 | David's written for numerous publications about politics, including The New Republic, Salon, Progressive, Washington Monthly, and Counterpunch. |
| 1:07.4 | He's also written an array of books, including his newly released title, Excerb E&L, the Battleground of American Democracy, which is available wherever fine books are sold. |
| 1:12.4 | Today, David is coming to us from an exurb himself just outside Chicago, I think I might be in one, too, where he has watched the political and cultural transformation that has |
| 1:16.5 | taken place over the years. David, welcome to the show. Thank you for having me. We're looking |
| 1:21.0 | forward to it. I want to start small and I want to move big in my first question. So I think we can |
| 1:26.9 | all probably imagine what an |
| 1:29.6 | excerpt is. And you lay it out very well. Lots of four or eight lane roads, no sidewalks, |
| 1:38.3 | mini-mart shopping malls everywhere, lots of chain stores, sort of devoid of local character or culture and probably |
| 1:47.4 | local characters as well. It's this sort of anonymous place where people have fled because, |
| 1:55.8 | as you write, perhaps that's exactly what they're looking for. Yeah, that's a very good summary. |
| 2:01.4 | So most people want to know the difference between a suburb and an exurb. |
| 2:06.0 | And the easiest way to differentiate is to talk about distance and density. |
| 2:11.6 | So an exurb has greater distance from the metro area than a suburb, but less population density. |
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