Ezra Klein, co-founder of Vox and host of a popular podcast, teams up with Derek Thompson, a staff writer at The Atlantic, to discuss their new book on transforming scarcity into abundance for the Democratic Party. They argue that bureaucratic hurdles obstruct growth, leading to affordability crises in blue states. The conversation delves into innovative housing solutions like 'yimbyism,' critiques of current governance, and the role of technology in shaping a sustainable future. Ultimately, they advocate for a government that prioritizes effective infrastructure and community needs.
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Liberal Policies and Affordability Crisis
Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson argue that well-meaning liberal policies have created an affordability crisis.
This crisis is driving voters away from blue states and hindering progressive goals.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Building to Combat Rising Prices
Build more housing to combat rising prices in successful cities.
This is a proven solution, as demonstrated by historical examples like New York City and mid-century California.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Marin County's Water Restriction
Marin County restricted water access to limit housing growth, creating vulnerability to drought.
They later had to build a costly pipeline, demonstrating the unintended consequences of such policies.
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In 'Why We're Polarized,' Ezra Klein argues that America’s political system is polarizing due to the merging of partisan identities with racial, religious, geographic, ideological, and cultural identities. The book explores how these merged identities have led to a dysfunctional political system and traces the feedback loops between polarized political identities and institutions. Klein also discusses the role of media and psychological factors in exacerbating polarization, providing a comprehensive analysis of the current state of American politics[2][3][5].
Abundance
The Future Is Better Than You Think
Peter H. Diamandis
Steven Kotler
In this book, Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler present a contrarian view that the future is brighter than commonly perceived. They document how exponential technologies, DIY innovators, technophilanthropists, and the rising billion (the world's poor empowered by modern communication technology) are conspiring to solve global problems such as access to clean water, food, energy, healthcare, education, and freedom. The authors provide examples and strategic roadmaps for governments, industries, and entrepreneurs to address these challenges, offering a optimistic outlook on the potential for technological innovation to improve human living standards[2][4][5].
Hitmakers
Ana Andjelic
In 'Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture', Ana Andjelic explores how modern brands have evolved into 'hitmakers', focusing on creating cultural hits through collaborations, merchandise, entertainment, and other cultural products. These strategies replace traditional advertising methods and can significantly boost brand popularity and sales. The book provides practical examples and tools for brand strategists to produce cultural hits.
Scarcity is a policy choice — one liberals need to reject and replace with abundance, according to journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson in their new book, Abundance. They say that by building a wall of bureaucracy in front of growth, Democrats have created an affordability crisis, hindering their own progressive goals and leading voters to flee blue cities and states. Kara talks to Klein and Thompson about concerns around equity and access; the tech industry’s culpability in all of this; which Dems are best positioned to pursue an abundance agenda; and how pursuing abundance can help fight the Trump-Musk agenda of cruelty.
Klein hosts the popular New York Times podcast The Ezra Klein Show and writes an accompanying column on the intersection of politics, policy and society. Thompson is a staff writer at The Atlantic, writes the weekly Work in Progress Newsletter, and hosts the Plain English podcast.
Correction: Ezra Klein was a founder of Vox.com, a news site created in 2014. He was not a co-founder of Vox Media, the company that publishes On With Kara Swisher.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Instagram and TikTok @onwithkaraswisher
On with Kara Swisher 
