Podcasts about democracy in chains

In the five years since I recorded this conversation with NANCY MAC LEAN about her book, DEMOCRACY IN CHAINS: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America, events have confirmed her analysis and her warnings. We now have minority rule, led by Mitch McConnell, Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, and the radical 6-3 Supreme Court. She has been passionately attacked on the Right, and passionately celebrated by those who care about democracyYou can learn more her at scholars.duke.edu - search for Nancy MacLean.

Nancy MacLean is a historian and professor at Duke University. Her book Democracy in Chains details how the radical right, funded by billionaires, has slowly molded the American political landscape to change the rules of democracy in their favor… all with the help of an economist you have likely never heard of.  Today's episode is guest hosted by Amanda Weinstein. She studies the quality of life in suburban America and is the co-host of the podcast, The Suburban Women Problem. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to https://RocketMoney.com/boats Visit https://Lomi.com/BOATS and use code BOATS at checkout to save $50! Get a free thirty-day supply of SuperBeets Heart Chews and a free full-sized bag of turmeric chews valued at $25 by going to boatsbeets.com Head to https://Rhone.com/BOATS and use code BOATS to save 20% off your entire order! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a free excerpt of this week's bonus show. To access the full discussion, our archives, receive all episodes ad free, invites to events like our live taping and audience Q&A with Terrell Starr of the Black Diplomats podcast this Tuesday at 12pm ET, subscribe to the show at the Truth-teller level or higher and join our community of listeners who sustain much-needed independent journalism. Become a member today: www.Patreon.com/Gaslit    Should we drop out of society and organize mass orgies given the state of the world? That and more are discussed in this week's bonus episode.   This discussion was inspired by a question from our Patreon community and is an urgent argument for why Biden must declare a climate emergency, especially if he wants to boost his poll numbers. Gen Z is voting in larger numbers, running for office, building grassroots organizing machines, and they're demanding their elected leaders ensure a livable future. Biden will drive out the vote of an increasingly influential Gen Z by declaring a climate emergency, and at the same time energize a new generation of leaders to help strengthen and protect our democracy. It's not up to Gen Z to save us, but it is up to us to listen to Gen Z. Biden did just that by rolling back oil leases to protect pristine wilderness. Now it's time to hyper-speed a renewable energy revolution by declaring a climate emergency. The latest research by the Cassandras of the climate crisis like James Hansen, the former NASA scientist who testified to Congress in 1988 that we were headed towards collapse, warn that the heating of the planet is accelerating.   Declaring a climate emergency is urgently needed national security and foreign policy. The sooner we achieve a post-oil world, the sooner we put gas station dictatorships like Russia and Iran out of business. China, another major producer, buys cheap oil from Russia, financing its genocide in Ukraine, while Iran provides killer drones slaughtering civilians. To defund these repressive mass-murdering regimes, expand the transition to renewable energy with executive emergency powers. The Department of Defense elevated climate change as a national security priority, because if we don't move faster the world will become ungovernable. The fascist far-right trying to overthrow our democracy is deeply embedded with Big Oil like the Koch political network, as discussed in our interviews with Anne Nelson, author of The Shadow Network, and historian Nancy MacLean, author of Democracy in Chains. Making fossil fuels obsolete defunds the shadowy backers of America's far-right threat, supported in a global fascist alliance by oil producer Russia. Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Vivek Ramaswamy, and other Kremlin mouthpieces are just the lobbyist puppets of the fossil fuel industry.   Even if the Supreme Court were to strike down or curb efforts by Biden to unlock executive emergency powers for meaningful climate action, the court's far-right Republican majority would be met with backlash at the voting booth, as we saw in the 2022 midterms. A Roe v. Wade blue wave ensured Democrats kept the Senate and that Republicans only got a fragile majority in the House, defying historical trends of the president's party losing badly in midterm elections. People left, right, and center are terrorized by the reality of extreme fires, hazardous smoke, and killer super storms. The horrifying new normal of the climate emergency breaks through far-right disinformation machines like Fox News, with young Republicans demanding action on climate change and traditionally conservative farmers working with the federal government on climate crisis projects. The very real fears and destruction of the existential threat we all live with now is a unifying moment that a president must meet by declaring a climate emergency. Morally it's the right thing to do and long past time.   Leadership at the top and at all levels of government must speed up the renewable energy revolution. Biden has led on uniting the democratic alliance against Russia, and bold leadership bringing us closer to a post-carbon world will defund Russia's war machine. And his re-election will be guaranteed if he energizes Gen Z's grassroots base by giving civilization a fighting chance. There's still time, but only if we unite against "feel good" pledges and demand bold executive action now.   You can contact the White House by sharing this essay or your own arguments, and raise your voice on social media demanding a climate emergency. Contact your local reps in your state government, too. Local changes can trickle up. There's more info and ways to take action below from the Sunrise Movement: Millions of young people: @POTUS end fossil fuels Biden: *cancels all remaining oil and gas leases in the Arctic Refuge and protects 13 million acres in the Western Arctic* It's clear he's listening. Demand that he declare a climate emergency next ⬇️ https://twitter.com/sunrisemvmt/status/1699888163467219004 Announcements: Tuesday September 12 at 12pm ET – Terrell Starr of the Black Diplomats podcast will join a special live taping of Gaslit Nation. A link to join that virtual event will go out to our Patreon community at the Truth-teller level and higher on the morning of the event. Join the conversation in our audience Q&A! Monday September 18th at 7pm ET at P&T Knitwear – Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, the author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, and Russian mafia expert Olga Lautman will join me, Andrea, to discuss the new Gaslit Nation graphic novel Dictatorship: It's Easier Than You Think! It's free. There will be a special meet up at 6pm before the event for our Patreon community. I will have N95 masks for those who need one. Come say hi! Here's the event link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/andrea-chalupa-presents-gaslit-nation-a-live-podcast-recording-tickets-699829909097 Show Notes:   James Hansen: There Is a Lot More Warming in the Pipeline (Summary of Report) https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/12/25/2143836/-James-Hansen-There-Is-a-Lot-More-Warming-in-the-Pipeline   Peer & Public Review of James Hansen's “Global Warming in the Pipeline” http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2023/Peer+PublicReview.21July2023.pdf   MUST READ: James Hansen Op-Ed: President Biden's Legacy http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2022/BidensLegacy.08August2022.pdf   VIDEO: Global Warming in the Pipeline - Discussion by Climate Emergency Forum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-ArA_xYxfs   ‘We are damned fools': scientist who sounded climate alarm in 80s warns of worse to com https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/19/climate-crisis-james-hansen-scientist-warning   Steve Bannon Saw the ‘Monster Power' of Angry Gamers While Farming Gold in World of Warcraft https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/07/steve-bannon-world-of-warcraft-gold-farming.html   Steve Bannon Targeted 'Incels' Because They Are 'Easy to Manipulate,' Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower Says https://www.newsweek.com/steve-bannon-targeted-incels-manipulate-cambridge-analytica-whistleblower-christopher-wylie-1468399?utm_campaign=NewsweekTwitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter   Climate change: More than 3bn could live in extreme heat by 2070 https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52543589  

Marianne Williamson speaks with author Nancy MacLean about the stealth campaign to limit the power of democracy on today's Firelight Chat. Learn more and donate: https://marianne2024.com/

What are the proper metrics of success for a society, and what happens when those metrics don't align with our capitalist system bound by short-term profits? In this episode, spiritual teacher and former Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson discusses the urgent need for transformational leaders who can heal a democracy that is dangerously close to the precipice.In this episode we cover:0:05:34 – Transformational Leadership0:06:08 – Death of Mahsa Amini0:07:43 – Morality Police0:08:33 – Islamic Fundamentalists0:10:52 – Iranian Revolution0:11:58 – Elijah McClain0:12:58 – Black Lives Matter Protests0:13:31 – Protests in Iran0:14:25 – Persian Culture0:16:13 – Contraction of Democracy0:17:06 – Primacy of Property Rights0:18:18 – Tyranny of the Minority0:19:26 – Gerrymandering0:20:20 – Citizens United0:21:19 – Corporate Power0:27:18 – Nonviolence0:28:56 – Presidential Candidacy0:32:04 – Neoliberalism0:34:08 – Corruption0:42:01 – Democracy0:49:58 – NAFTA0:52:05 – Marianne's Political Story0:55:21 – Metrics of Societal Success1:06:54 – Nonviolent Revolution1:14:32 – Internal Purification1:21:16 – CompassionLearn about Commune and check out all our health, nutrition, and functional medicine courses free for 14 days at onecommune.com/trial.

What are the proper metrics of success for a society, and what happens when those metrics don't align with our capitalist system bound by short-term profits? In this episode, spiritual teacher and former Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson discusses the urgent need for transformational leaders who can heal a democracy that is dangerously close to the precipice. In this episode we cover: 0:05:34 – Transformational Leadership 0:06:08 – Death of Mahsa Amini 0:07:43 – Morality Police 0:08:33 – Islamic Fundamentalists 0:10:52 – Iranian Revolution 0:11:58 – Elijah McClain 0:12:58 – Black Lives Matter Protests 0:13:31 – Protests in Iran 0:14:25 – Persian Culture 0:16:13 – Contraction of Democracy 0:17:06 – Primacy of Property Rights 0:18:18 – Tyranny of the Minority 0:19:26 – Gerrymandering 0:20:20 – Citizens United 0:21:19 – Corporate Power 0:27:18 – Nonviolence 0:28:56 – Presidential Candidacy 0:32:04 – Neoliberalism 0:34:08 – Corruption 0:42:01 – Democracy 0:49:58 – NAFTA 0:52:05 – Marianne's Political Story 0:55:21 – Metrics of Societal Success 1:06:54 – Nonviolent Revolution 1:14:32 – Internal Purification 1:21:16 – Compassion Learn about Commune and check out all our health, nutrition, and functional medicine courses free for 14 days at onecommune.com/trial.

Today's re-air is in honor of Glenn Brooks, Michael's father. Today marks one year since his passing. TMBS 61 aired on October 16th, 2018, episode summary: Michael explains the long term anti-democratic strategy of the radical-Right. Shoutout to the animal kingdom, gorillas in Rwanda have begun to tear down poacher's traps. We are joined by crew Anoa Changa (@thewaywithanoa) Co-Managing Editor of the Progressive Army and host of The Way With Anoa, who calls in to talk about the upcoming election in Georgia and how the left can win in the South. During the GEM (Griscom Economic Minute) David breaks down the recent stock sell-off and reminds us the stock market is not the economy. Lech regulates rich people and their pissing dogs. TMBS ReAirs come out every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts and on The Michael Brooks Show YouTube Channel. This program has been put together by The Michael Brooks Legacy Project. To learn more and rewatch the postgame content visit https://www.patreon.com/TMBS

Guest-host Jefferson Smith reviews the recent super gain in Congress with the Democrats' sweeping health care and climate bill, the Inflation Reduction Act. Author of Democracy in Chains, Nancy MacLean joins the show to explain how the radical right played and won the long game and what is at stake for the next election. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is Part II of our interview. In this two-part interview, we take a deep dive into a right-wing hellhole with acclaimed scholar Nancy MacLean, the author of the bestseller Democracy in Chains, which discusses how anti-democratic networks run by powerful plutocrats came to hold the United States hostage. MacLean discusses the Koch dark money network and its shadowy political partners, the decades-long libertarian takeover of the Republican Party by far-right mercenaries, the infrastructure of this extremist network and how it has sustained itself for so long, the rise of the neo-confederacy, and the dystopian plans billionaires have for the American future. We also get MacLean's opinions on recent crises like the pandemic, the Trump Crime Cult's Capitol attack, and the assault on voting rights. And of course we ask her how we best battle these insidious adversaries, break America's Koch addiction, and get our country back!

In this two-part interview, we take a deep dive into a right-wing hellhole with acclaimed scholar Nancy MacLean, the author of the bestseller Democracy in Chains, which discusses how anti-democratic networks run by powerful plutocrats came to hold the United States hostage. MacLean discusses the Koch dark money network and its shadowy political partners, the decades-long libertarian takeover of the Republican Party by far-right mercenaries, the infrastructure of this extremist network and how it has sustained itself for so long, the rise of the neo-confederacy, and the dystopian plans billionaires have for the American future. We also get MacLean's opinions on recent crises like the pandemic, the Trump Crime Cult's Capitol attack, and the assault on voting rights. And of course we ask her how we best battle these insidious adversaries, break America's Koch addiction, and get our country back!

DEMOCRACY IN CHAINS FORGED BY MONEY IN POLITICS   At this 86th zoom session of the Grassroots Emergency Election Protection Coalition we are joined by activist NICOLE DVORAK who has pioneered powerful new means of tracking the purchase of politicians by giant corporations.  Nicole's work offers a roadmap for building the critical data base needed to expose exactly how our democracy is being destroyed by big money.   We also proudly host NANCY MACLEAN of Duke University, whose landmark DEMOCRACY IN CHAINS digs deep into the destruction of our essential government structured by a greedy Uber-rich class of fascists and autocrats who threaten us all.  Nancy is interviewed by the great Tatanka Bricca, whose detailed knowledge of what plagues our electoral system sets a critical framework from a truly unique discussion.   Central Ohio's STEVE CARUSO also reports on the insane attempts of the Ohio Republican Party to sabotage efforts to draw fair representational districts in the Buckeye State. Those assaults have been shockingly resisted by Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor of the Ohio Supreme Court in one of the great sagas of actual courage in American politics.   Unless we find more of it, this nation is doomed.    

The ascension of far right politics in this country didn't happen overnight - it was manufactured over decades. Marianne Williamson talks to author Nancy MacLean about her book “Democracy in Chains,” chronicling how proponents of property rights absolutism thought they could only succeed by putting “democracy in chains.” Democracy in Chains MarianneWilliamson.Substack.com  

Ukraine here II Peace Activist Alan Griffiths gives us some insights into what is at stake in the Ukraine infoDemocracy in Chains here II Author/ academic Nancy MacLean talks to us about her fascinating book which outlines the stealth mission of the far right in America to defeat majority rule with lessons for Australia.Australia leading into Fed Elections here II Don Sutherland continues his discussion of the Australian political landscape has we move towards the next Federal election.

We Welcome House Member Kerri Barber and Her Sidekick, Andy, from the Hair of the Dog Show! Now Running on the All-New houseofpublicdiscourseradio.com your source for everything progressive! Where Our House, Is Your House   Russia has enacted a prohibition on "extremist groups" in its election laws. Before you join the bandwagon and cry 'foul' discover what exactly they are so afraid of and why it all looks eerily familiar to U.S. politics.

Nancy MacLean’s book Democracy In Chains exposes the philosophical lineage of the radical libertarian ideas that have infiltrated modern American political discourse. Her work credits many of these ideas to James M. Buchanan, who is referred to frequently throughout this article. Engaging with these ideas raises questions such as “What does liberty mean?”, “Who has …

This podcast was first posted on October 26, 2017 and then reposted a year later. Her book, “Democracy in Chains,” deals with the long game of the Koch brothers and their ilk, which may now finally be coming to fruition in this country. The idea was to create a constitutional convention, which would codify laws in such a way that progressive regimes would be unable to move their programs forward, thanks to the courts, and based on how the Pinochet regime was able to control Chile after giving up power. That convention idea didn't work in this country, but thanks to Mitch McConnell and his refusal to bring Obama nominees to a vote, followed by the Trump Administration's packing of all the courts, the Koch plan wound up working anyway. In this interview, Nancy MacLean goes back to the origins of the plan, and brings us forward. Nancy MacLean, author of “Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America” in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Duke University Professor Nancy MacLean, in researching the life of libertarian professor James Buchanan, discovered the philosophical underpinnings of what Hillary Clinton (almost unknowingly) called the “vast right-wing conspiracy.” Funded by Charles Koch and other donors, they've taken over the GOP and have an agenda, she says, that ultimately will allow minority rule in the United States for the forseeable future. In this interview, she discusses the role of Buchanan and the Mont Pelerin Society in the underpinnings of this gradual take-over of the state and federal government, and what the goals are, according to her research.       The post Nancy MacLean, “Democracy in Chains”, 2017 appeared first on KPFA.

Exposing The Radical Right’s Toxic Plan For America. Nancy MacLean returns to talk more about her book, Democracy In Chains. The book, which was meticulously researched and documented, has deeply angered the Koch-backed Libertarians who have taken over the Republican … Continue reading →

The far-right has been coming after democracy for decades and we may be just one election away from a total takeover. Join NBN host and rhetorical scholar Lee Pierce (she/they) for a robust discussion of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America (Viking, 2017) with award-winning historian Nancy MacLean and attorney Mary Whiteside. Get ready for an explosive expose of the right’s relentless campaign to undermine civil rights and alter the Constitution forever. Democracy in Chains tracks the development of a secretive political establishment—the capitalist radical right or “property supremacists”—working to alter the rules of democratic governance. Behind their advance is James McGill Buchanan, a Nobel Prize-winning political economist who developed a diabolical plan to preserve the white elite’s power in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education. Using the language of economics and recruiting corporate billionaires and academics alike, Buchanan has systematically undermined the ability of the majority to use its numbers to level the playing field between the rich and powerful and the rest of us. Joining forces with billionaire Charles Koch, Buchanan and his steal group of radical libertarians have broken ranks with conservatives (while co-opting their values and catchphrases) and now have one of their own, Mike Pence, in the White House. Democracy in Chains draws on a decade of research to tell a chilling story of right-wing academics and big money run amok. This revelatory work of scholarship is a call to arms to protect the achievements of twentieth-century American self-government; this episode is one that you don’t want to miss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The far-right has been coming after democracy for decades and we may be just one election away from a total takeover. Join NBN host and rhetorical scholar Lee Pierce (she/they) for a robust discussion of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America (Viking, 2017) with award-winning historian Nancy MacLean and attorney Mary Whiteside. Get ready for an explosive expose of the right’s relentless campaign to undermine civil rights and alter the Constitution forever. Democracy in Chains tracks the development of a secretive political establishment—the capitalist radical right or “property supremacists”—working to alter the rules of democratic governance. Behind their advance is James McGill Buchanan, a Nobel Prize-winning political economist who developed a diabolical plan to preserve the white elite’s power in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education. Using the language of economics and recruiting corporate billionaires and academics alike, Buchanan has systematically undermined the ability of the majority to use its numbers to level the playing field between the rich and powerful and the rest of us. Joining forces with billionaire Charles Koch, Buchanan and his steal group of radical libertarians have broken ranks with conservatives (while co-opting their values and catchphrases) and now have one of their own, Mike Pence, in the White House. Democracy in Chains draws on a decade of research to tell a chilling story of right-wing academics and big money run amok. This revelatory work of scholarship is a call to arms to protect the achievements of twentieth-century American self-government; this episode is one that you don’t want to miss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The far-right has been coming after democracy for decades and we may be just one election away from a total takeover. Join NBN host and rhetorical scholar Lee Pierce (she/they) for a robust discussion of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America (Viking, 2017) with award-winning historian Nancy MacLean and attorney Mary Whiteside. Get ready for an explosive expose of the right’s relentless campaign to undermine civil rights and alter the Constitution forever. Democracy in Chains tracks the development of a secretive political establishment—the capitalist radical right or “property supremacists”—working to alter the rules of democratic governance. Behind their advance is James McGill Buchanan, a Nobel Prize-winning political economist who developed a diabolical plan to preserve the white elite’s power in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education. Using the language of economics and recruiting corporate billionaires and academics alike, Buchanan has systematically undermined the ability of the majority to use its numbers to level the playing field between the rich and powerful and the rest of us. Joining forces with billionaire Charles Koch, Buchanan and his steal group of radical libertarians have broken ranks with conservatives (while co-opting their values and catchphrases) and now have one of their own, Mike Pence, in the White House. Democracy in Chains draws on a decade of research to tell a chilling story of right-wing academics and big money run amok. This revelatory work of scholarship is a call to arms to protect the achievements of twentieth-century American self-government; this episode is one that you don’t want to miss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The far-right has been coming after democracy for decades and we may be just one election away from a total takeover. Join NBN host and rhetorical scholar Lee Pierce (she/they) for a robust discussion of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America (Viking, 2017) with award-winning historian Nancy MacLean and attorney Mary Whiteside. Get ready for an explosive expose of the right’s relentless campaign to undermine civil rights and alter the Constitution forever. Democracy in Chains tracks the development of a secretive political establishment—the capitalist radical right or “property supremacists”—working to alter the rules of democratic governance. Behind their advance is James McGill Buchanan, a Nobel Prize-winning political economist who developed a diabolical plan to preserve the white elite’s power in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education. Using the language of economics and recruiting corporate billionaires and academics alike, Buchanan has systematically undermined the ability of the majority to use its numbers to level the playing field between the rich and powerful and the rest of us. Joining forces with billionaire Charles Koch, Buchanan and his steal group of radical libertarians have broken ranks with conservatives (while co-opting their values and catchphrases) and now have one of their own, Mike Pence, in the White House. Democracy in Chains draws on a decade of research to tell a chilling story of right-wing academics and big money run amok. This revelatory work of scholarship is a call to arms to protect the achievements of twentieth-century American self-government; this episode is one that you don’t want to miss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Protests erupted into flames but the real culprit lighting these fires might surprise you! Do you smell anything suspicious besides the ashes of our democracy? Will Minnesota protesters be able to put the killer cops responsible for the untimely death of George Floyd behind bars... or will agent provocateurs disrupt the movement! Could the difference in the coverage of protest really be about racism? Thom Hartmann reveals the disturbing truth.For the Book Club, Thom reads from "Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America" by Nancy MacLean, and "All Politics Is Local: Why Progressives Must Fight for the States" by Meaghan Winter.

Matt and Sam are finally joined by the show's longtime bête noire, Marshall Steinbaum, for a deep dive into the Chicago school of economics and the wreckage it's supported—from welcoming the birth defects caused by deregulating the pharmaceutical industry to justifying massive resistance to desegregation to being put in the service of Coronavirus truther-ism. Where did this iteration of libertarianism come from, intellectually and institutionally? Who are the key figures in the Chicago school? How have their ideas infected the way we all think about economics and politics? It's a sordid, depressing tale of rightwing money, intellectual dishonesty, and a gleeful desire to discipline the forces of democracy.Sources and further reading:Marshall Steinbaum, The Book That Explains Charlottesville, Boston Review,  August 14, 2017Marshall Steinbaum, Economics after Neoliberalism, Boston Review, February 28, 2019Isaac Chotiner, The Contrarian Coronavirus Theory that Informed the Trump Administration, New Yorker, March 30, 2020Nancy MacLean, Democracy in Chains (Penguin-Random House, June 2017)Edward Nik-Khah, Neoliberal Pharmaceutical Science and the Chicago School of Economics (Social Studies of Science 2014, Vol. 44(4) 489–517)

Democracy in Chains is required reading around the Civic Ventures office, and Paul is happy to explain why it’s earned must-read status. Listen, be convinced, go read!  Democracy in Chains: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781101980965 Paul’s twitter: @paulconstant Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com/ Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is sponsored by A New Creation- an organization that guides your community in the faith-filled, accessible, collaborative creation of theological art. Learn more at https://www.hereisanewcreation.com A talk by Nancy MacLean, author of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America. Democracy in Chains blows open the doors to the unknown history of the relentless campaign by the radical rich to eliminate unions, suppress voting, privatize everything from schools to Medicare and Social Security, stop action on climate change, and alter the U.S. Constitution. MacLean traces this game plan back to the Nobel Prize-winning political economist James McGill Buchanan, who forged his ideas in an attempt to preserve the white elite’s power in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education. As much of America (and the world) reels from a seemingly unexpected swing to populism and far-right rhetoric, Democracy in Chains offers a peek behind the curtain to reveal just how we got here and what the future will hold. The Nation magazine has named it “the most valuable book” of the year. Nancy MacLean Nancy MacLean is an award-winning scholar of the twentieth-century U.S., whose new book, Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America, has been described by Publishers Weekly as “a thoroughly researched and gripping narrative… [and] a feat of American intellectual and political history.” Booklist called it “perhaps the best explanation to date of the roots of the political divide that threatens to irrevocably alter American government.” history.duke.edu/people/nancy-maclean

How did corporations come to possess rights? How did democracy come to be defined as selfish individualism? Or money as free speech? Most people would blame Trump, but the man himself is just a distraction from the deeper and more troubling right wing agenda. Award-winning historian Nancy MacLean takes us undercover to look at how the radical right's influence in the US has grown to undermine democracy. From its intellectual foundations in the work of economist James Buchanan to the long-term efforts of libertarian billionaires like the Koch brothers, she examines the stealth strategies that that have been deployed to undermine trust in government and influence policy debate. This event is presented in partnership with the Adelaide Writers' Week.

Nancy MacLean, Bill Press

Nancy MacLean, author of “Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America” in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Duke University Professor Nancy MacLean, in researching the life of libertarian professor James Buchanan, discovered the philosophical underpinnings of what Hillary Clinton (almost unknowingly) called the “vast right-wing conspiracy.” Funded by Charles Koch and other donors, they've taken over the GOP and have an agenda, she says, that ultimately will allow minority rule in the United States for the forseeable future. In this interview recorded October 20, 2017, she discusses the role of Buchanan and the Mont Pelerin Society in the underpinnings of this gradual take-over of the state and federal government, and what the goals are, according to her research. “Democracy in Chains” was on the short list for the 2017 National Book Award. The post Encore Podcast: Nancy MacLean, Democracy in Chains appeared first on KPFA.

Ralph welcomes Duke University historian, Nancy MacLean, to discuss her book “Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America,” which delves into the destructive “libertarian” ideology the Koch brothers fund to keep the minority in power. Also, Ralph talks to English professor, Tymofey Wowk, about his strategies for teaching students in the age of social media.

For libertarians, liberty means something different. It’s about liberty for property owners. And in their quest to preserve that absolute freedom for the ownership class — whether their assets be human slaves, factories, or extractive industries — democracy must be curtailed and the power of the people must be checked and repressed. This is the argument put forward by Dan’s guest, historian Nancy MacLean, in her book Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America. The book makes a powerful argument for the anti-democratic origins and trajectory of free market fundamentalist, Koch Brothers-aligned economists who have come to profoundly shape and warp American politics to fit their dystopian vision. The book has also been controversial. Thank you to Verso Books. Check out Deport, Deprive, Extradite: 21st Century State Extremism by Nisha Kapoor versobooks.com/books/2551-deport-deprive-extradite. Thank you to the Socialism 2018 conference. Register now at socialismconference.org! Want to get access to our stellar weekly newsletter? You can do so by making a contribution to the long-run viability of this show at Patreon.com/TheDig.  

Consider this a two-part episode. This week, my 2011 conversation with JACOB HACKER & PAUL PIERSON, authors of WINNER-TAKE-ALL POLITICS: How Washington Made the Rich Richer - and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class. Next week, a NEW one w/ NANCY MacLEAN on her book DEMOCRACY IN CHAINS, which reveals the GOP’s strategy of Citizens United, gerrymandering, voter suppression, etc. to retain power no matter how unpopular their destructive policies.

Phil Magness returns to the podcast to discuss the life and work of James Buchanan and to defend him against some of the more bizarre criticisms levied against him. James Buchanan was a Chicago-school economist who created the field of public choice economics along with Gordon Tullock. He was awarded the Nobel prize in 1986. Buchanan has received criticism recently from Duke historian Nancy MacLean, whose book Democracy in Chains places Buchanan at the center of a grand right-wing conspiracy to maintain segregation and undermine democratic institutions. Phil shows that the theory of Buchanan as a segregationist falls apart under scrutiny. It all stems from a typo in a footnote that erroneously placed Buchanan's article on school choice in a segregationist newspaper (the Richmond News-Leader) when in fact the article was published in the competing (and not segregationist) Richmond Times-Dispatch.  

Before the Powell Memo, before the Kochs. In DEMOCRACY IN CHAINS: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America, NANCY MacLEAN tells the story of a Nobel prize-winning economist whose ideas fuel the right’s relentless campaign to gerrymander districts, eliminate unions, suppress voting, privatize public education, change the Constitution, and curb democratic majority rule. According to MacLean, James McGill Buchanan created the blueprint that ultimately makes Koch money so effective.

Democracy in Chains: The Origins of Today's Radical Right and the Crisis of American Democracy Author of the National Book Award finalist "Democracy In Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plans for America," Nancy MacLean will present an introduction to her thesis in this special All Souls Lifelines Program. Booklist calls "Democracy In Chains," “perhaps the best explanation to date of the roots of the political divide that threatens to alter irrevocably American government.” The Guardian said, “It’s the missing chapter, a key to understanding the politics of the past half century,” and The Nation magazine named it the “Most Valuable Book” of 2017. MacLean traces the history of the radical right’s thought in the United States, outlining how it informed campaigns to privatize everything from public education to Social Security. Beginning her story in the 1950s with the civil rights struggle to desegregate public schools, she traces the career of the Nobel Prize winning political economist, James McGill Buchanan, who taught wealthy libertarians like Charles Koch that for capitalism to thrive, democracy would need to be “enchained.” MacLean goes on to show how the Koch network’s strategic applications of Buchanan’s thinking has produced today’s relentless efforts to eliminate unions, suppress voting, stop action on climate change and alter the Constitution. Nancy MacLean is the William H. Chafe Professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University and immediate past President of the Labor and Working Class History Association. She is the author of several books, including "Behind the Mask of Chivalry: The Making of the Second Ku Klux Klan" and "Freedom is not Enough: The Opening of the American Workplace." She also served as editor of "Scalawag: A White Southerner’s Journey through Segregation to Human Rights Activism."

—————————————————— As you Lovers certainly know, this podcast is focused on the apparent crumbling of what we have called for the last few hundred years, The Church. Congregations are shrinking, the influence of churches is ebbing, and churches are being shut down. The church that I’m a part of is going through that process now. […]

Democracy in Chains begins as the story of James Buchanan, the Nobel Prize winning economist who popularized public choice economist. MacLean argues that Buchanan joined up with wealthy special interest individuals to influence politics. In partnership with the Koch brothers, MacLean argues that Buchanan and other public choice economists, worked directly to benefit a small group of propertied individuals over the will of the majority. The work was short listed for the National Book Award while also being widely and sharply criticized by conservative think tanks and public choice economists. Featuring host Jeffery Jenkins (@jaj7d ‏), and guests Matthew Kahn (@mattkahn1966), Anthony Orlando (@AnthonyWOrlando), and Abby Wood (@yesthatabbywood). For links and further reading, check out the showpage: https://bedrosian.usc.edu/bookclub/democracy-in-chains

Nancy MacLean, author of “Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America” in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Duke University Professor Nancy MacLean, in researching the life of libertarian professor James Buchanan, discovered the philosophical underpinnings of what Hillary Clinton (almost unknowingly) called the “vast right-wing conspiracy.” Funded by Charles Koch and other donors, they've taken over the GOP and have an agenda, she says, that ultimately will allow minority rule in the United States for the forseeable future. In this interview, she discusses the role of Buchanan and the Mont Pelerin Society in the underpinnings of this gradual take-over of the state and federal government, and what the goals are, according to her research. “Democracy in Chains” is on the short list for the 2017 National Book Award.   The post Nancy MacLean: Democracy in Chains appeared first on KPFA.

"Nancy MacLean's Democracy In Chains not only sheds light on the history of the ideas that have come to dominate the best funded wing of U.S. conservatism (more accurately defined as radical libertarianism), it also sheds considerable light on the ideas behind the Jindal era in Louisiana politics. MacLean traces the intellectual and political history of James McGill Buchanan. She stumbled across Buchanan's name in footnotes in separate sources on separate issues and her curiosity was piqued. One of the footnotes referred to Buchanan's role in Virginia's attempted massive resistance against the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision. Buchanan, it turns out, was the brains behind the idea of proposing the state shut down and then sell all of its white public schools (Brown over turned the separate but equal ruling that came in Plessy v. Ferguson). Buchanan propose the state then issue vouchers to students whose families could then use the money to send their kids to segregation academies which could even buy the schools from the Commonwealth. Like a number of other ideas put forth by Buchanan over the next 50 years, the idea of getting Virginia out of the public education business was not  popular with a lot of people in that state, not the least of which was the business community which had started growing in Northern Virginia. It was a reality that would shape how Buchanan and the people who used his ideas talked about them. They learned that being clear about the intent of their policies would produce public opposition to them. So, a level of language corruption was essential to the promotion and spreading of these ideas. Buchanan was the leading light in what has become the public choice movement, which uses the concept of choice to undermine public belief in a broader common good and public interest. At the core of his beliefs is the idea that majorities are not to be trusted and that liberty is to be defined and measured in terms of wealth, property ownership and the extent to which the state can tax wealth and make claims on property that run counter to those of the owners. In short, when it came to government's ability to tax and its ability to make policy, Buchanan believed that unanimous decisions were the only ones that could be considered legitimate. Buchanan's ideas, then, would award political veto power to the smallest, yet most powerful minorities — the rich and the propertied. Buchanan provided intellectual aid and comfort to the 1%. In return, they funded the ostensibly economic but truly political centers he founded using the largesse of donors such as Charles Koch at the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and George Mason University. In addition to school vouchers, Buchanan's ideas include cutting taxes, shrinking the size of government, raising the cost of using government services — particularly higher education, removing government from the business of regulating business, and weakening any power that might challenge what businesses or wealthy individuals would do in any sector. If you live in Louisiana, or Wisconsin, or Kansas, these ideas probably sound familiar it's because governors in those three states (Bobby Jindal, Sam Brownback and Scott Walker – all connected to Charles Koch's money and networks) implemented versions of those ideas in their states. In order to understand the basic premise of how Bobby Jindal operated while governor of Louisiana, you need to read Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine. It provides the framework of Jindal's approach to government, starting with the creation of artificial emergencies which opened the way for him to radically reshape Louisiana government in ways that he could not have done without the existence of those emergencies. Jindal is an intelligent man who was served by smart people. It strains credulity to believe that they never could balance a state budget. The record shows that Jindal used recurring revenue shortfalls as the trigger mechanism to radically change state government in ways that we will be trying to recover from for years to come (think state cuts in higher education funding coupled with rising tuitions and think of the tax exemptions and incentives to companies that his administration threw at companies to get them to locate here). But, Democracy In Chains shows us were many of Jindal's worst ideas came from and they can traced back to Buchanan and places like the Mercatus Center at George Mason which Buchanan helped found and which consulted with Jindal's Commission on Streamlining Government which operated for about seven months in 2009 and early 2010. This commission was where everything from Jindal's so-called education reforms to the great severance tax razoo of 2010-13. Armed with those ideas (what Milton Friedman called a ""tool box"") Jindal entered his second term with his ideological guns blazing in what turned out to have been a bone-crushing failure of a presidential campaign. Jindal came into office with a surplus of $1 billion. By the time the tax exemptions were piled up, the incentives dished out and his administration's general indifference to the fate of state government and its impact on the people of the state, Jindal left office in 2016 as the most unpopular governor in the country (followed closely by Brownback and Walker) leaving his successor John Bel Edwards a $3 billion budget hole to close. Buchanan, MacLean writes, viewed himself as a theorist in the school of political economy. At none of his three academic centers were economists asked to deal with the actual math of economics. It was visionary work unencumbered by pesky numbers or even facts. What the records of Jindal, Brownback and Walker show is that Buchanan's ideas are not the kind that successful governments can be built upon. After reading MacLean's book, it's clear that breaking government was the objective — one which Buchanan, his office-seeking acolytes, and his supporters could not publicly reveal."

For this 90-minute special, our guest is Nancy MacLean, Professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University and author of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America. This book has the Koch cadre at the Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation, The American Enterprise Institute, and George Mason …

An explosive exposé of the man and the ideas behind the well-heeled right's relentless campaign to eliminate unions, suppress voting, privatize public education, change the Constitution, and curb democratic majority rule
 
DEMOCRACY IN CHAINS The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America By Nancy MacLean 
“An erudite, searing portrait of how the late political economist James McGill Buchanan (1919–2013) and his deep-pocketed conservative allies have reshaped—and undermined—American democracy…. A thoroughly researched and gripping narrative… [MacLean] has delivered another deeply important book that will interest general readers and scholars alike. Her work here is a feat of American intellectual and political history.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review “For those who think the Tea Party, Freedom Caucus, and the alt-right are recent constructs, MacLean provides an extensive history lesson that traces the genesis of the right wing back to post-WWII doctrines…. A worthy companion to Jane Mayer’s Dark Money, MacLean’s intense and extensive examination of the right-wing’s rise to power is perhaps the best explanation to date of the roots of the political divide that threatens to irrevocably alter American government.” —Booklist, Starred Review “A chilling portrait of an arrogant, uncompromising, and unforgiving man, stolid in his mission to ‘save capitalism from democracy.’ … An unsettling exposé of the depth and breadth of the libertarian agenda.” —Kirkus Reviews “It’s happening: the subversion of our democratic system from within. How did the political Right do it? Nancy MacLean tells the long-overlooked story of the political economist who developed the playbook for the Koch brothers. James McGill Buchanan merged states rights’ thinking with free market principles and helped to fashion the inherently elitist ideology of today’s Republican Party. Professor MacLean’s meticulous research and shrewd insights make this a must-read for all who believe in government ‘by the people.’”
—Nancy Isenberg, author of White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America The Republican Party of today bears very little resemblance to the GOP of the past. What was once a movement to limit federal “overreach” in favor of individual and states’ rights has transformed into a concerted effort to curb democratic rule in favor of capitalist interests at every level of government, whatever the consequences. To many longtime Republicans, the party seems to have lost touch with their concerns, but to a powerful minority, it’s marching ever closer to the ultimate goal of reshaping the Constitution to protect moneyed interests. This gradual takeover of a major political party happened over several decades, and often in plain sight, but the true architects of this plan and their ultimate aim have never been fully exposed—until now. Nancy MacLean’s DEMOCRACY IN CHAINS: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America (A Viking Hardcover; On Sale June 13, 2017) blows open the doors to the unknown history of the relentless campaign by the radical rich to eliminate unions, suppress voting, privatize everything from schools to Medicare and Social Security, and change the Constitution. MacLean traces this game plan back to one man, the Nobel Prize-winning political economist James McGill Buchanan, who forged his ideas in an attempt to preserve the white elite’s power in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education. Painstakingly researched over ten years with unprecedented access to Buchanan’s personal files, DEMOCRACY IN CHAINS explores the genesis of this new radical right, from its beginnings in academia to the eventual embrace and financial backing of the billionaire Charles Koch. From his research centers, first at the University of Virginia and later at George Mason University, Buchanan developed a long-term strategy to prevent those of us without great property or power from using the democratic process to enact meaningful change. Jane Mayer’s Dark Money followed the money behind the rise of the radical right; DEMOCRACY IN CHAINS follows the ideas, exposing the intellectual arguments that Koch and company embraced and applied in their quest for an operational strategy to entrench the power of the wealthy. This is a frightening, important book, and required reading for voters on either side of party lines. For Democrats, it’s immensely important to understand the opposition’s motivations and the logic of its tactics and ultimate endgame. For Republicans, it’s an eye-opening look at the appropriation of their political party by a messianic wealthy elite. Using the architects’ own words and predictions, MacLean creates a chilling portrait of what is in store for the country should this movement succeed. As much of America (and the world) reels from a seemingly unexpected swing to populism and far-right rhetoric, DEMOCRACY IN CHAINS offers a peek behind the curtain to reveal just how we got here and what the future will hold. 
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nancy MacLean is the award-winning author of Behind the Mask of Chivalry (a New York Times "noteworthy" book of the year) and Freedom is Not Enough, which was called by the Chicago Tribune "contemporary history at its best." The William Chafe Professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University, she lives in Durham, North Carolina.

Why didn't Nancy MacLean speak with the scholars most familiar with the work of Nobel laureate James Buchanan when she wrote Democracy in Chains? Steve Horwitz comments on what he sees as errors in the book. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Who inspired the young James Buchanan decades before he received a Nobel Prize? Nancy MacLean presents a few ideas in her book, Democracy in Chains. Economic historian Phil Magness believes her bold claims need some scrutiny. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nancy MacLean is an award-winning scholar of the twentieth-century U.S. history at Duke University. She joins us this week to discuss her book on an important topic: "Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America." Why the Elite Libertarian project has been destroying American democracy. John C Calhoun and James Buchanan as forefathers of Neoliberalism. The still-operative property rights arguments that were born of defending slaves as property. Why the Koch Brothers’ time horizon was key to their success. The Koch’s goal of a constitutional convention to shackle majority will.

The new book Democracy in Chains paints Nobel Laureate and Cato Distinguished Senior Fellow James Buchanan as the scholar who would help bring down democracy using the methods of public choice. Michael Munger of Duke University comments. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.