Episode 2114: M. Steven Fish on why Trump's dominance-style politics will win in November (didn't anyone tell the Democrats?)

In the wake of Biden’s pathetically dismal performance last week, it’s worth remembering that some progressive thinkers have been warning for months about this catastrophe. Back in May, the New York Times ran an op-ed by UC Berkeley political science professor M. Steven Fish entitled “Trump Knows Dominance Wins, Someone Tell Democrats”. Even though The Times functions as the Pravda of the Democratic Party, obviously nobody did tell the Dems, which explains why the dominantly dishonest Trump trounced the submissively honest Biden last week and pretty much guaranteed a second Trump term. Meanwhile, the prolific Steve Fish has a new book out, Comeback: Routing Trumpism, Reclaiming the Nation, and Restoring Democracy’s Edge. Let’s hope the apparatchiks in the Democratic party reads this essential warning and recognize that unless they purge old man Biden, all will be lost in November.

One caveat on this conversation: I interviewed Steve in his UC Berkeley office earlier in June, so there’s no mention of the debate last week. But we will work on getting Fish back on the show to discuss the latest debacle and what we can do about it.

M. Steven Fish is a comparative political scientist who specializes in democracy and authoritarianism, religion and politics, and constitutional systems and national legislatures. His most recent book is Comeback: Routing Trumpism, Reclaiming the Nation, and Restoring Democracy's Edge (2024). Previously he published Are Muslims Distinctive? A Look at the Evidence (2011), which was selected for Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles, 2012: Top 25 Books. He is also author of Democracy Derailed in Russia: The Failure of Open Politics (2005), which was the recipient of the Best Book Award of 2006, presented by the Comparative Democratization Section of the American Political Science Association, and Democracy from Scratch: Opposition and Regime in the New Russian Revolution (1995). He is coauthor of The Handbook of National Legislatures: A Global Survey (2009) and Postcommunism and the Theory of Democracy (2001). Fish writes and comments extensively on international affairs and the rising challenges to democracy in the United States and around the world. He appears on BBC, CNN, and other major networks, and has published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The American Interest, The Daily Beast, Slate, and Foreign Policy. He has served as an expert consultant to U.S. federal agencies and international organizations such as the European Commission for Democracy through Law.

Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

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