Politics in Question

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Jonathan Rauch joins Lee and James to consider why Americans can’t compromise. Rauch is a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program and the author of eight books and many articles on public policy, culture, and government. He is a contributing writer of The Atlantic and recipient of the 2005 National Magazine Award, the magazine industry’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. His many Brookings publications include the 2021 book “The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth”, as well as the 2015 ebook “Political Realism: How Hacks, Machines, Big Money, and Back-Room Deals Can Strengthen American Democracy.” Other books include “The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better after 50” (2018) and “Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America” (2004). He has also authored research on political parties, marijuana legalization, LGBT rights and religious liberty, and more.What is compromise? Where does it happen? What does it take to get it? And what is preventing Americans from doing it today, especially in Congress? Are lawmakers really trying to win in the House and Senate? These are some of the questions that Jonathan, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Lee and James talk about Bonnie Tyler, Tina Turner, and Americans’ views of democracy. What is democracy? How do Americans view it? Do they think about democracy differently when it gets in their way? Does that make them “democracy hypocrites?” Why are Americans holding out for a hero in such moments? And does democratic self-government need another hero to make it work? These are some of the questions Lee and James ask in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Julia, Lee, and James discuss what happened in 2023, and what could happen in 2024. What did we learn in 2023? Was American politics less fluid and surprising than it was in 2022? Will the 2024 presidential election be a rematch between President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump? What are the consequences of divided parties? Why is Congress such a hot mess? And why aren’t more people talking about the first-in-the-nation island primary? These are some of the questions Julia, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Jonathan Rodden joins Julia and Lee to discuss the challenges presented by urban-rural polarization in American politics. Rodden is a professor in the Department of Political Science at Stanford University. His work focuses on the comparative political economy of institutions. He has written on various topics, including federalism and fiscal decentralization, the geographic distribution of political preferences within countries, legislative bargaining, the distribution of budgetary transfers across regions, and the historical origins of political institutions. He is also the author of Why Cities Lose: The Deep Roots of the Urban-Rural Divide (Basic Books, 2019).What is urban-rural polarization? How do political parties perpetuate it? Does America’s presidential system exacerbate the underlying problem? And what reforms can help Americans bridge the urban-rural divide in their politics? These are some of the questions Jonathan, Julia, and Lee ask in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Lee takes a big picture look at political polling with Michael Podhorzer. Podhorzer is a senior fellow at the Center for American Process where he writes weekly on election data and political strategy. He is the former political director of the AFL-CIO. Podhorzer founded the Analyst Institute, the Independent Strategic Research Collaborative (ISRC), the Defend Democracy Project, and the Polling Consortium, and helped found America Votes, Working America, For Our Future, and Catalist.Does political polling account for place, community, and political organization? How does the present approach to polling overlook state and local dynamics? To what extent have the Democratic and Republican parties altered their geographical bases of support in recent decades? How have the cultural and economic aspects of place shaped the two parties? And is a kakistocracy? These are some of the questions Michael and Lee ask in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, James discusses the importance of political leadership with Daniel Stid. Stid is the Executive Director of Lyceum Labs. He previously served as the founding director of the Hewlett Foundation’s U.S. Democracy Program. From 2013-22, Daniel led $180 million in grantmaking to shore up U.S. democracy in a time of polarization. Earlier in his career, he was a partner at The Bridgespan Group, where Daniel advised nonprofit, foundation, and government leaders; a management consultant with The Boston Consulting Group; and a Congressional Fellow on the staff of House Majority Leader Dick Armey. He is the author of The President as Statesman: Woodrow Wilson and the Constitution. In his blog, The Art of Association, Daniel explores the interplay between civil society and democracy in America. He has a B.A. from Hope College, an M.Phil. in politics from Oxford University, and a Ph.D. in government from Harvard University.What role do political leaders play in making American politics work? What constitutes good leadership? Where do political leaders come from? And how do we get more? These are some of the questions that Daniel and James ask in this week’s episode.

Archon Fung, a professor at Harvard Kennedy School, discusses the state of American democracy in the 21st century. They delve into the impact of artificial intelligence on politics, erosion of trust, challenges in the digital public sphere, and the need for structural changes to enhance democracy.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Lee and James reflect on the House’s Speaker drama. Why did it take so long for the House to select a Speaker? What is the House for? Why does it need a Speaker - and other powerful leaders - to operate? And what can the House’s history teach us about alternative ways to manage the institution? These are some of the questions that Lee and Jams ask in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Julia considers social movements and political parties with Marcus Board Jr. Board is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Howard University. His research engages social movements, radical Black feminist theories of power, and public opinion. He is the author of Invisible Weapons: Infiltrating Resistance and Defeating Movements (Oxford University Press, 2022). Board most recently co-authored a chapter on social movements and political parties in the American Political Science Association’s Presidential Task Force on Political Parties report, “More Than Red and Blue: Political Parties and American Democracy” (July 2023).What is a social movement? How do they differ from political parties and interest groups? Can social movements benefit from joining forces with political parties? What are the implications for political parties when social movements try to transform our political institutions? And what can gumbo teach us about grappling with complicated political questions? These are some of the questions Marcus and Julia ask in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Lee and James assess what’s wrong with American self-government? Why is it dysfunctional? What will it take to change the status quo? And will Lee and James ever get a chance to open a vegetarian piano bar restaurant? These are some of the questions that they ask in this week’s episode.