Why We're Polarized, with Jamelle Bouie (live!)

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Vox Media Podcast Network

Politics, News, News Commentary, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.5 • 11.1K Ratings

🗓️ 30 January 2020

⏱️ 72 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Why We’re Polarized book tour kicked off this week with a wonderful event at Sixth and I in Washington, DC. My conversation partner for this one was New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie. Our interview was great, and then the audience questions were so good we had to keep them in as well. We discuss: • Why things were far worse in the “golden age” of the 1950s and ’60s than they are today • Why the key question isn’t so much “why are we polarized?” as “why weren’t we polarized?” • Why “moderate” Republicans end up losing to conservatives • Why demographic change is the core cleavage of American politics today • How polarization makes bipartisanship irrational and political dysfunction the norm • Why Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell are not the causes of polarization but rather the most clear manifestations of it • That more information doesn’t rescue politics • Why America today is not functionally a democracy (and why I hate when people claim it is a “republic” to justify our current system) • Why the most underrated divide in American politics is not that between left and right but between the informed and the uninformed • Why we can’t reverse polarization and instead need to reform our political system so that it can function amid polarization New to the show? Want to listen to Ezra's favorite episodes? Check out The Ezra Klein Show beginner's guide. Also, we’ve announced more tour dates! Go to WhyWerePolarized.com for all the details. My book is available at www.EzraKlein.com. Want to contact the show? Reach out at ezrakleinshow@vox.com You can subscribe to Ezra's new podcast Impeachment, explained on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts, or your favorite podcast app. Credits: Editor - Jeff Geld Researcher - Roge Karma Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Thank you all for coming out tonight. Now please help me give a warm welcome to Ezra Klein and Jamal Buy
0:16.7	Hello, welcome to the client show on the Vox Media podcast network
0:19.4	This one was such a pleasure. It was the first night of Booktor at six-and-ice synagogue in DC
0:24.4	It was sold out so many of you were there is awesome to meet you
0:27.6	I was in conversation with Jamal Buy who is great. He's a friend of mine. He is a New York Times columnist
0:32.7	Just everything about this was a pleasure
0:34.7	A quick update on tour. We've got a bunch of sold out events
0:38.0	But we still do have tickets in Boston on the 31st in LA on the 4th in San Francisco
0:43.6	I think some of those are not sold out totally so go check that out
0:46.8	Seattle on the 10th Portland, Oregon on the 12th
0:50.1	That I'm going to be in Austin, Texas during South by Southwest March 13th to 15th doing some stuff in the official program there
0:56.4	Some stuff not so you can come even if you do not have a ticket box media is gonna have a really cool installation
1:01.6	That we're going to Chicago and Greenville and Nashville in April all the information about the tour is at why we're polarized.com
1:08.8	Again, why we're polarized.com
1:11.1	But here live at six-and-ice is me and Jamal Buy
1:16.5	What are y'all doing here? You know, you know, you could just download these free as a podcast, right?
1:22.4	Before we start actually want to say thank you
1:24.1	This is the first event of the book tour in a city that means a lot to me in a venue that means a lot to me
1:30.9	And it means a lot to me that you're all here working on a book is a solitary strange experience
1:35.7	And to see if there are real human beings out there who care is a wonderful thing. So thank you all for being here
1:47.8	So Ezra
1:50.6	I saw your book
	...

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