Politics in Question
Julia Azari, Lee Drutman, and James Wallner
A podcast about how our political institutions are failing us and ideas for fixing them. Join hosts Lee Drutman and James Wallner as they imagine and argue over what American politics could look like if citizens questioned everything. Politics In Question is a joint venture of New America and the Foundation for American Innovation.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 14, 2022 • 41min
What will American politics look like in 2022?
In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Julia, Lee, and James consider what American politics will look like in 2022. Is American democracy in decline? What do we mean by democracy? Do Americans focus too much on elections and not enough on what happens in-between elections? What will come out of Congress over the coming year? Do Americans want major policy change to happen? And what will happen in the 2022 midterm elections? These are some of the questions Julia, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Dec 29, 2021 • 41min
Is America's constitutional order on the brink of collapse?
In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Julia, Lee, and James consider claims that America’s constitutional order is on the brink of collapse. Are supporters of former President Donald Trump actively plotting to overthrow the government if their candidate does not win the presidency in 2024? Is the effort presently underway in some state legislatures to change the laws that regulate elections an extension of the January 6 attack on the Capitol? And how can Americans protect their democratic-republic from any forces that threaten it? These are some of the questions that Julia, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Dec 22, 2021 • 42min
Should the Senate eliminate the filibuster to pass the Freedom to Vote Act?
In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Lee, and James discuss civic participation and voting reform. What is the Freedom to Vote Act? Why can’t the Senate pass it? And why should Americans care? Are there other ways to fix the broken electoral system in some states? these are some of the questions Lee and James ask in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Dec 9, 2021 • 40min
What is thermostatic politics?
In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Julia, Lee, and James discuss thermostatic politics. What is thermostatic politics? Does public opinion shift whenever the party in power changes in American politics? Why do people change their mind on public policy from election to election? Is this phenomenon driven by a lack of responsiveness in American politics more generally? And what is public opinion in the first place? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Dec 2, 2021 • 37min
Building the Relationships for Collaborative Governance: Interview with Colorado State Senator Faith Winter
In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Colorado State Senator Faith Winter discusses the successful collaborative governance process that led to Colorado becoming the first state in the country to enact statewide paid leave through a ballot initiative. Collaborative governance, or co-governance, is a democratic process where residents, activists, bureaucrats, and elected officials share in decision-making power to achieve common goals. In this interview, Faith discusses her involvement in the legislative efforts to pass statewide paid leave and working closely with the coalition that turned to a ballot initiative to get the measure passed.To learn more about Colorado’s initiative, as well as four other co-governance case studies, read New America’s recent report, Building the Relationships for Collaborative Governance: Case Studies from Across America, available here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Nov 8, 2021 • 29min
What the hell is going on with the Republican Party?
Lee and James talk Republican Party politics in this week’s episode of Politics In Question. Are Republicans becoming an illiberal and authoritarian party as their critics attest? Or is Republicans’ increasingly strident rhetoric on issues like vaccine mandates and critical race theory a distraction from their unwillingness to act to achieve their goals in institutions like the House and Senate? How does gridlock in Congress obscure divisions among Republicans over important issues like health care, immigration, and tax policy? And what will it take to change things on Capitol Hill? These are some of the questions Lee and James ask in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Oct 20, 2021 • 52min
What issues should Democrats emphasize ahead of the 2022 midterm elections?
In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Julia, Lee, and James discuss David Shor’s recent controversy-provoking advice for Democrats. What does Shor advise Democrats to do ahead of next year’s midterm elections? Why is his advice controversial? And what does the race-versus-economics debate that Shor’s advice sparked reveal about American politics more broadly and why our political institutions are dysfunctional? These are some of the questions that Julia, Lee, and James discuss in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Oct 12, 2021 • 1h 18min
How do congressional elections fuel dysfunction in Congress?
In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Katherine Gehl joins Julia, Lee, and James to take a fresh look at how Americans conduct their elections and to discuss the prospects for reform. Gehl is the founder of the Institute for Political Innovation, a non-profit, cross-partisan public policy organization that aims to reform American politics by using private-sector insights to improve congressional elections and - by extension - fix Congress. She is the author of The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy and the leading proponent of Politics Industry Theory.How do members of Congress get (and keep) their jobs? Does it help (or hurt) Congress’s ability to do its job? Is there a better way to elect lawmakers? What is Final Five Voting? Can it change how the House and Senate operate? And what is Politics Industry Theory? These are some of the questions that Katherine, Julia, Lee, and James discuss in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Oct 1, 2021 • 36min
What can Congress’s present dysfunction teach us about our politics and how to make it better?
In the season four opener of Politics In Question, Julia, Lee, and James unpack the rampant dysfunction on Capitol Hill. Why did Congress wait until the last minute to fund the government and raise the debt limit? What is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s, R-Ky., endgame? And will Democratic divisions prevent Congress from passing President Joe Biden’s agenda moving forward? These are some of the questions that Julia, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jul 22, 2021 • 41min
How much conflict is too much conflict in politics?
In this episode of Politics In Question, Amanda Ripley joins Julia, Lee, and James to discuss political conflict. Ripley is an investigative journalist and New York Times bestselling author. Her most recent book is High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out (Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2021). Ripley's writing has appeared in the Atlantic Magazine, Time Magazine, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Slate, Politico, the Guardian, and The Times of London.What is high conflict? How does it impact politics? Can participating in politics in institutions like Congress help solve the problems high conflict causes? And what exactly is a conflict entrepreneur? These are some of the questions Amanda, Julia, Lee, and James ask in this episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.


