Council on Foreign Relations Essay: Competitive Authoritarianism

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck confronts the alarming rise of antisemitism following a mass shooting that targeted Jews in Australia on the first night of Hanukkah, reflecting on how hatred now crosses traditional political lines and sharing his own family’s experiences. He argues that social media has become a primary accelerant—profiting from outrage, trapping people in media silos, and rewarding the most extreme voices—while insisting that free speech does not guarantee unlimited reach. The conversation widens to the urgent need for tech reform, growing support for restricting smartphones for kids, and public backlash to Donald Trump’s hands-off approach to regulating AI. Chuck also examines Trump’s foreign policy actions, economic excuses, and erosion of constitutional norms, warning that the U.S. is drifting toward “competitive authoritarianism.” Despite the dangers of normalization and resignation, the episode closes with a reminder that America still has the capacity to push back and reclaim democratic guardrails.

Nick Troiano, executive director of Unite America, joins the Chuck ToddCast for a wide-ranging conversation about why America’s political system feels increasingly broken—and what reforms could actually fix it. Troiano explains how ranked-choice voting and primary reform can weaken the grip of the two-party system, produce more representative outcomes, and give voters in places like Alaska and Louisiana more meaningful choices. They unpack why partisan primaries reward conflict over problem-solving, how safe districts all but decide elections before voters reach the general, and why unaffiliated voters are often locked out of taxpayer-funded contests.

The discussion expands to the broader reform landscape, from redistricting and campaign finance to unconventional ideas like compulsory representation and even randomly selected legislatures. Troiano argues that periods of political turmoil and inequality have historically led to democratic breakthroughs—and that today’s moment may demand the same. As power continues to consolidate and parties work to protect their advantage, this episode explores whether structural reform, rather than new personalities, is the only path to a healthier, more functional democracy.

Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the political and cultural impact of The Simpsons, answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and recaps the latest in college football.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction

03:00 Mass shooting targets Jews in Australia on first night of Hanukkah

04:30 Antisemitism comes from both sides of the political aisle

06:00 Chuck’s family’s experience with antisemitism

07:15 Biggest culprit in rise in antisemitism is social media

09:45 Social media companies profit from destroying kids & country

11:00 People need to step out of their media silos

13:30 You have the right to speech but not to reach

16:00 Tech companies need to be the focal point for major reform

17:00 Trump’s “light touch” approach to regulating AI is very unpopular

18:45 Tech can get what they want by writing a check to Trump

20:15 Growing support for restricting smartphones for kids/teens

21:15 Most extreme content reaches the most online men*

22:30 Mark Warner says “double tap” strike was 40 mins later

23:30 Strike was indefensible, it’s why Pentagon won’t release video

25:30 Trump has no legal authority from congress for strikes

28:00 Trump basically admits Republicans will lose the midterms

29:00 Trump has begun the excuse making for a bad economy

30:15 Trump spent time working on DC’s golf courses

31:30 Foreign Affairs essay says USA is in competitive authoritarianism

34:30 Trump’s actions subvert rule of law & the constitution

35:15 Competitive authoritarians turn state power on enemies

37:45 Large swaths of the media have caved to the Trump administration

40:00 After Watergate, authoritarian abuse had disappeared… until Trump

41:00 America still has hope for turning away authoritarianism

41:30 Greatest danger is acceptance and resignation

49:15 Nick Troiano joins the Chuck ToddCast

50:30 How did you get started with Unite America

51:30 There’s been pushback to ranked choice voting in recent years

52:15 Ranked choice voting is a salve for partisan primaries

54:15 New York and Maine are only partially ranked choice system

55:45 There are good ways to present ranked choice results

56:15 The current non-ranked system favors the two major parties

58:00 Runoff elections get a bad rap

59:45 Louisiana has a more functional political system due to electoral reform

1:00:45 More Alaskan voters can cast a “meaningful” ballot due to ranked choice

1:02:45 Ranked choice seems to be more beneficial to center left than center right

1:04:00 Ranked choice opponents trying to repeal it in Alaska

1:05:15 The two party wants to protect their power & fight against ranked choice

1:06:15 The status quo is causing our current politics to unravel

1:06:45 What states do you expect to be on the ballot with primary reform?

1:08:00 There’s movement to allow unaffiliated voters to vote in primaries

1:09:00 Politics has become about fighting rather than solving problems

1:11:15 Why is it so hard to galvanize the centrist voters?

1:13:00 Without a representative congress, we’ll get terrible policies

1:13:30 Without competitive elections, we get bad career politicians

1:16:00 Is there an order democracy reforms will need to be passed?

1:18:15 There are multiple potential pathways to make democracy better

1:20:00 Periods of major turmoil & inequality historically lead to major reforms

1:21:15 Is it difficult to find wealthy donors to back nonpartisan reforms?

1:23:15 Strong executive leadership makes it easier for legislatures to follow

1:24:30 Redistricting reform had strong support & has gone in the opposite direction

1:25:30 Trump is weaponizing the primary system to force redistricting

1:27:45 90% of districts in the midterms will be decided before the general election

1:28:30 In safe districts you only can choose what type of Dem/GOP candidate

1:29:30 Should be able to vote on any candidate in taxpayer funded elections

1:31:15 It’s strange that government requires public party affiliation records

1:32:30 Parties shouldn’t be allowed to ask voters to sign party pledge

1:33:30 Campaign finance reform is a salient issue to most voters

1:35:15 We used to be far more engaged politically at the local level

1:37:45 What if we randomly selected legislatures like we do juries

1:38:45 Rural states might be open to compulsory representation

1:40:15 Thoughts on a constitutional convention?

1:41:45 The electoral college is working as intended, but needs updating

1:42:30 The bar is very high for ratification during a convention

1:43:15 If power continues to consolidate, a convention becomes more necessary

1:44:00 Any itch to run for office again?

1:44:45 What are the major issues running as an independent candidate?

1:46:15 There are fewer gatekeepers for getting attention as a candidate

1:48:15 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Nick Troiano

1:49:15 ToddCast Time Machine December 17th, 1989

1:49:30 Debut of The Simpsons

1:50:45 Simpsons has outlasted entire media eras

1:51:15 Simpsons is brilliant at parodying politics & culture

1:52:00 Burns runs for governor teaches lessons of campaigns

1:52:45 Monorail episode shows failures of debt financing infrastructure

1:53:45 Lisa goes to Washington a great explainer of how DC works

1:54:30 Sideshow Bob rigs an election and wins anyway

1:56:00 Simpsons has had cameos from major political voices

1:56:30 Simpsons spawned an entire industry for adult animation

1:57:30 South Park’s “Simpson’s Did It” was the perfect omage

1:58:15 The Simpsons made audiences smarter about how to consume politics

1:58:30 Ask Chuck

1:59:15 Did Adam Schiff hurt or help Mandella Barnes by endorsing him?

2:02:00 A “shave your head” bet between you and Cillizza over A&M vs Miami?

2:05:15 Why has the donor class become the priority over the public?

2:09:15 Why can companies absorb tariff costs, but can’t raise wages?

2:12:30 College football update

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