This is the On the Media Podcast Extra. I'm Michael Lohenger.

This week, we're bringing you an interview from our friends at the New Yorker Radio Hour,

a conversation between host David Remnick and Democratic Congressman Chris Murphy.

Murphy is the junior senator from Connecticut and a vehement critic of leaders in his party

who've taken a business-as-usual approach

in dealing with the Trump administration. He opposed Chuck Schumer's negotiation to pass the

Republican budget and keep the government running, and he advocated for the Democrats to skip

the president's joint address to Congress en masse.

He believes that the Democrats have a winning formula if they just stick to a populist anti-big-money agenda, and he despairs that some in his party aren't responding appropriately

to what he sees as a crisis.

While you're listening to this interview, by the way, keep in mind that Remnick sat down

with Murphy a couple of weeks ago at this point.

So, yeah, things have happened since then that won't be covered in this conversation.

Here's David Remnick.

Senator, I wonder if we could try to define the crisis that we're in. I'm of the opinion that

the Trump administration is intent on creating a kind of American-style authoritarian situation. Do you

agree with me? I do. Long ago, the Republican Party decided that they cared more about power than they did democracy.

That's what January 6 was all about, regardless of who won the election. They wanted to make sure that their person was in charge.

They believe, and if long, believe, that the Democratic Party progressives are an existential threat to the country, and thus any means justifies the end, which is making sure that a Democrat never again wins a national election.

So this seems pretty purposeful and transparent, this decision to rig the rules of democracy, so that you still hold elections.

But the minority party, the opposition party, is rendered just weak enough and the rules are tilted towards the majority party just enough so that Donald Trump and Republicans and the Trump

family rule forever. And of course, this is not an unfamiliar system. This is Hungary. This is Turkey.

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