Politics in Question

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Daniella Ballou-Aares joins Lee and James to discuss the relationship between business and democracy. Ballou-Aares is the CEO and cofounder of the Leadership Now Project, a membership organization of business and thought leaders taking action to protect and renew American democracy. Ballou-Aares began her career at Bain & Company, working across the firm’s offices in the US, South Africa and the UK. She spent five years in the Obama Administration as the Senior Advisor for Development to the Secretary of State, serving under Secretaries Clinton and Kerry. What is the state of democracy in the United States? How much responsibility does business bear for the present state of democracy? And how can business change the status quo? These are some of the questions Daniella, 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 this year’s midterm elections. Is the Red Wave a superhero or college mascot? Why didn’t it appear on Election Day? Was the midterm outcome a surprise? How did political institutions influence it? What does the outcome tell us about American politics more broadly? And when will Julia announce her 2024 presidential bid? 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, Robert C. Smith joins Julia to discuss race and the American presidency. Smith is a professor emeritus of political science at San Francisco State University. He is a nationally-recognized expert on African American politics. His research has examined comparisons between President Barack Obama and President John F. Kennedy and the relationship between conservatism and racism in the United States. Smith is the author of numerous articles and books on national and African American politics, the presidency, and Congress, including Polarization and the Presidency: From FDR to Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, and the Politics of Ethnic Incorporation and Avoidance. His most recent article is “Presidential Responsiveness to Black Interests From Grant to Biden: The Power of the Vote, the Power of Protest” in Presidential Studies Quarterly.Are recent presidents hostile or complacent about the needs of African Americans? Is their record on these issues reflective of broader forces in the political system? How enduring is white racial liberalism in the modern Democratic Party? And what is Obama’s racial legacy? These are some of the questions Robert and Julia ask in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode, Timothy Shenk joins Lee and James to discuss electoral politics in the United States. Shenk is a historian of the modern United States in the Department of History at the George Washington University, where he researches and writes about American political and intellectual history. He is the author of Realigns: Partisan Hacks, Political Visionaries, and the Struggle to Rule American Democracy (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2022).Is America on the cusp of a realignment in which a new majority will emerge to shape our politics for the next generation? Or are Americans stuck in a cycle of anxiety-producing, high-stakes elections that are closely contested year after year? What can we learn from the past about the present moment in American politics? These are some of the questions that Tim, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Elliott Morris joins Julia and Lee to discuss political polling. Morris is a data journalist and US correspondent at The Economist, where he writes on American politics, elections, and public opinion. Morris previously worked for an elections returns start-up and the Pew Research Center and has contributed articles to the New York Times. He is the author of Strength in Numbers: How Polls Work and Why We Need Them.How does polling work? Can polls tell us something that we don’t already know? Are polls misleading? Is the practice good or bad for democracy? These are some of the questions that Elliott, Julia, and Lee ask on this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Sara Wallace Goodman joins Julia and Lee to discuss citizenship and its impact on politics. Goodman is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). Her research examines citizenship and the shaping of political identity through immigrant integration. She is the author of Citizenship in Hard Times: How Ordinary People Respond to Democratic Threat (Cambridge University Press, 2022), co-author of Pandemic Politics (Princeton University Press, 2022), and author of Immigration and Membership Politics in Western Europe (Cambridge University Press, 2014). Her work has also appeared in the Journal of Politics, World Politics, Comparative Political Studies, International Organization, and other venues.What does it mean to be a good citizen? Can it be taught? Do conservatives and liberals define citizenship differently? How does partisanship influence Americans’ citizenship definitions? These are some of the questions Sara, Julia, and Lee ask in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode, Sanford Levinson joins Lee and James to discuss constitutional reform. Levinson holds the W. St. John Garwood and W. St. John Garwood, Jr. Centennial Chair in Law at the University of Texas Law School. He is also a professor in the Department of Government at the University of Texas. Levinson is the author of numerous articles and books, including Our Undemocratic Constitution: Where the Constitution Goes Wrong (And How We the People Can Correct It) and Framed: America’s 51 Constitutions and the Crisis of Government. His most recent book is Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Graphic Novel (Macmillan, 2020).Is the United States Constitution undemocratic? Does its complex institutional structure prevent Americans from doing big things in politics? Or does it ensure that no one rules America? What would a more democratic Constitution look like? What does it take to change the Constitution? And can Americans change it without empowering a majority to rule? These are some of the questions Sandy, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Jack Santucci joins Lee to discuss electoral reform. Santucci is an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Politics at Drexel University. His research examines American political institutions in comparative and historical perspectives. He is the author of More Parties or No Parties: The Politics of Electoral Reform in America (Oxford University Press, 2022).What makes an electoral reform successful? How is it sustained? What can Americans learn from the history of efforts to advance proportional voting in the United States? And what mistakes does that history help them to avoid? These are some of the issues Jack and Lee ask in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Kevin Munger joins Lee to discuss the generation gap in American politics. Munger is the Jeffrey L. Hyde and Sharon D. Hyde and Political Science Board of Visitors Early Career Professor of Political Science and Assistant Professor of Political Science and Social Data Analytics at Penn State University. His research has appeared in leading journals like the American Journal of Political Science, Political Behavior, Political Communication, and Political Science Research & Methods. Munger is the author of Generation Gap: Why the Baby Boomers Still Dominate American Politics and Culture (Columbia University Press 2022).Is there a generational divide in American politics? What issues do young people care about most? How can they influence what’s happening in Washington, D.C.? And is it time for an older generation to pass the torch? These are some of the issues Kevin and Lee ask in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Matt Germer joins Julia and Lee to discuss election reform. Germer is a resident elections fellow for the Governance Program at the R Street Institute. Before joining R Street, he was a policy counsel and strategic planning coordinator at the Washington House of Representatives. Prior to that, Germer served as nonpartisan staff in the Oregon state legislature.What are primary elections and why do they exist? Do primary elections help polarize American politics? And if they are a problem, how should primary elections be reformed? These are some of the questions Matt, Julia, and Lee ask in this week’s episode.