The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Democracy in crisis, part 1: Ross Douthat isn't too worried

Feb 3, 2022

Ross Douthat, an Opinion columnist for the New York Times, dives into the state of American democracy and its potential crises. He argues that fears of imminent civil war are overblown, pointing out the limited interest in violence among the public. The discussion also explores the role of extremist groups and the implications of voting restrictions, questioning if they signify a drift towards authoritarianism. Douthat provides a nuanced perspective on current political tensions, emphasizing that while polarization is real, it doesn't necessarily lead to a breakdown of democratic governance.

01:06:07

Episode guests

Ross Douthat

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

I think it could happen in the next few years, right?

01:58

Is America Going to a Civil War?

02:55

Electoral Subversion in the United States

05:11

Intro

3min

Civil War Speculation and Today's America

17min

Election Integrity and the Threat of Extremism

3min

Emerging Extremism: A Dangerous Landscape

16min

The Drift Towards Authoritarianism

18min

Democracy Under Scrutiny

4min

Evaluating Political Dynamics and Future Scenarios in U.S. Democracy

2min

Exploring the Future of American Democracy

3min

Just how worried should we be about the future of American democracy? This is the question at the center of a two-part series from Vox Conversations and host Zack Beauchamp.

For part one, Zack talks with New York Times columnist Ross Douthat about whether or not we'll soon see an increase in violent political conflict in the United States. They discuss the role of bellicose fringe groups in politics today, whether or not a recent spate of restrictive voting laws constitute creeping authoritarianism, and the prospects that we'll see future attempts to subvert elections modeled on Trump's efforts in 2020 — or even going further.

Be sure to catch part two in this series, on breaking the two-party system in America and other possible democracy reforms, coming Thursday, Feb. 10th.

Host: Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), Senior Correspondent, Vox

Guest: Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT), Opinion Columnist, New York Times

References:

"How does this end?" by Zack Beauchamp (Vox; Jan. 3)
"Let's Not Invent a Civil War" by Ross Douthat (New York Times; Jan. 12)
How Civil Wars Start by Barbara F. Walter (Crown; 2022)
"A Threat to Our Democracy: Election Subversion in the 2021 Legislative Session," Voting Rights Lab report (Sept. 29, 2021)
"Republican Party moves to replace GOP board member who voted to certify Michigan election" by Paul Egan (Detroit Free Press; Jan. 18, 2021)

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Editor: Amy Drozdowska
Engineer: Paul Robert Mounsey
Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall

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