đ§ How to Strengthen American Democracy
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A proud Never Trumper and a founding editor at The Dispatch, Jonah Goldberg believes that capitalism and liberal democracy have long been the foundations of America's success. But as the country fractures, Goldberg fears weâre throwing all that away - and threatening to crash American democracy itself.
In this weekâs episode, Yascha Mounk and Jonah Goldberg sit down to discuss the meaning of the assault on the U.S. Capitol, the future of the GOP, and whether to impeach Donald Trump.
Please do listen and spread the word about The Good Fight. If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following this link on your phone.
Email: goodfightpod@gmail.com
Twitter: @Yascha_Mounk
Website: http://www.persuasion.community
Podcast production by John T. Williams and Rebecca Rashid
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I absolutely loved the finale (at 54:25) in which Mounk and Goldberg layout why they see a silver lining in the Capitol riot. When a friend called and told me what was happening, my first reaction was, âI think this will be a good thing.â
My reasoning had not been as insightful as Mounkâs and I did not make my point with Goldbergâs vehemence. His imagining of the climactic events as an over-the-top Oliver Stone documentary is not to be missed.
I now feel reassured that I was on the right track â the riot proves once and for all how dangerous Trump was and where he was heading. And as expected, it damaged Trump and his Republicans.
Overall, this is an excellent podcast and itâs a great start to filling in the missing week of analysis (which feels like an eternity) here on Persuasion. So the whole thing is worth a listen.
I would have liked more clarification of what to make of the rioters. Yes, condemn the violent leaders, and condemn all participation. As Goldberg says, of the argument that you canât make this into a big deal because it makes the right-wing snowflakes feel like victims â âscrew that.â But there is a huge difference between condemning what they did and condemning who they are. And neither Mounk nor Goldberg discusses this.
This difference is the result of Trumpâs stolen-election conspiracy theory, which was effective and resulted in a brainwashed mob honestly believing they were protecting American democracy. These people know Trump was leading them on, and they know that a day later he threw them under the bus. This opens the door to many interesting questions and to strategies for dividing Trump from his base. Perhaps in the next podcast ...
What a pleasure this has been. I was thrilled to hear the discussion about role that social media and entertainment news played in electing an obviously unpresidential man into the White House. In my perfect world, the shamefully divisive mediums would simply die of asphyxiation from itâs own vomit. Hereâs the rub... The problem is my husband. He lives on a steady diet of MSNBC and CNN. 24/7. So he is in a constant state of agitation. Every topic, no matter how far removed from politics, takes his mind immediately to the demon Right. âLook at the way that idiot parked. Must be Trumper!â While I read most of my news once a day and move on. I can stay abreast of current events without drowning in them. Thus, I am still able to maintain my belief in the basic decency of people. We all know social media and entertainment will not change until and unless âmy husbandâ changes. The media will eventually follow suit. I am hoping for discussions like this to somehow break the sound barrier of my husbandâs bubble of fear, and anger. How do we make THAT happen? Especially during an isolating pandemic. This is not a rhetorical question.