The Silent Threat To Democracy (And How We Stop It) | Sen. Cory Booker

Defending Democracy with Marc Elias

Democracy Docket

News, Politics

4.9 • 702 Ratings

🗓️ 27 December 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Senator Cory Booker sits down with Marc Elias to discuss the real and growing threats to American democracy. Booker explains why economic insecurity, extreme inequality, and normalized corruption are not just policy failures but existential dangers to democratic stability. He warns that rising costs, collapsing trust in institutions, authoritarian abuses of power, and the politics of cruelty are driving cynicism and disengagement—and creating fertile ground for democratic backsliding. Rather than focusing only on stopping Donald Trump, Booker argues that democracy can only be saved by restoring trust, redeeming the American promise, and offering a bold, forward-looking moral vision that gives people something worth fighting for, not just something to fight against. Support independent journalism: https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/member-youtube Stay informed with the latest news and political analysis: https://newsletters.democracydocket.com/youtube Follow Democracy Docket: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/democracydocket.com Instagram⁠: https://instagram.com/democracydocket Facebook⁠: https://facebook.com/democracydocket X/Twitter⁠: https://twitter.com/DemocracyDocket TikTok⁠: https://tiktok.com/@democracydocket Threads: https://www.threads.net/@democracydocket

Transcript

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0:00.0	If one thing has become clear from Donald Trump's first year back in office, it's this.
0:04.3	Democracy won't defend itself. And how Democrats respond right now is going to determine
0:09.2	what happens in the midterms and in 2028. Senator Cory Booker, well, he's smack dab in the
0:14.5	middle of this fight. And earlier this year, he delivered the longest floor speech in Senate history.
0:20.8	That's right, a 25-hour stand for democracy that has become a... delivered the longest floor speech in Senate history.
0:20.8	That's right, a 25-hour stand for democracy
0:24.1	that has become a defining moment of this era.
0:27.6	Well today, Senator Booker joins me to break down
0:30.0	the story behind his marathon speech.
0:32.2	He tells us what Democrats are getting right
0:34.4	and sometimes wrong in taking on Donald Trump.
0:37.2	But before we get into it,
0:38.2	subscribe to this channel to stay informed about how you can defend democracy. Senator Cory
0:43.5	Booker, welcome to defending democracy. It is really great. It's not just a title, it's what
0:48.5	you do. And I'm, I just continue to be so grateful. You are really one of the unsung heroes in this fight to preserve our democracy,
0:56.3	our traditions, and just not just justice, but frankly, decency as well.
1:01.0	So I'm grateful for you, man.
1:02.6	All right. So I got to start by congratulating you on getting married.
1:07.9	How is, how is it treating you so far? You know, 17, 18 days in, and I highly recommend it.
1:14.6	I still feel like I'm in a state of bliss and had a really magical wedding as well.
1:20.6	So we're pretty happy.
1:21.6	Did you plan it?
	...

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