Podcasts Government Politics in Question
Politics in Question

Politics in Question

60 episodes

A podcast about how our political institutions are failing us and ideas for fixing them. Join hosts Lee Drutman, Julia Azari, and James Wallner, three lively experts on American political institutions and reform, 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 R Street Institute.

Podcasts

Why is it amateur hour on Capitol Hill?

Published: July 8, 2024, 8:17 p.m.
Duration: 36 minutes 12 seconds

Listed in: Government

Is American democracy in crisis?

Published: July 1, 2024, 12:31 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 6 minutes 34 seconds

Listed in: Government

What is the state of American Democracy?

Published: May 16, 2024, 6:53 p.m.
Duration: 42 minutes 41 seconds

Listed in: Government

Do white rural Americans pose a threat to democracy?

Published: April 29, 2024, 12:45 p.m.
Duration: 52 minutes 38 seconds

Listed in: Government

What is the right way to do politics?

Published: March 25, 2024, 7:38 p.m.
Duration: 46 minutes

Listed in: Government

Is the House broken?

Published: Feb. 23, 2024, 2:33 p.m.
Duration: 35 minutes 52 seconds

Listed in: Government

Why can't Americans compromise?

Published: Feb. 12, 2024, 8:52 p.m.
Duration: 46 minutes 38 seconds

Listed in: Government

Are Americans democracy hypocrites?

Published: Feb. 4, 2024, 1:45 a.m.
Duration: 37 minutes 45 seconds

Listed in: Government

What does 2023 tell us about what could happen in American politics in 2024?

Published: Jan. 8, 2024, 2:11 p.m.
Duration: 38 minutes 36 seconds

Listed in: Government

How can Americans bridge the urban-rural divide in their politics?

Published: Dec. 30, 2023, midnight
Duration: 46 minutes 45 seconds

Listed in: Government

What does political polling miss?

Published: Dec. 4, 2023, 9:04 p.m.
Duration: 52 minutes 20 seconds

Listed in: Government

Why are political leaders important?

Published: Nov. 27, 2023, 8:51 p.m.
Duration: 46 minutes 55 seconds

Listed in: Government

What will American democracy look like in the 21st century?

Published: Nov. 20, 2023, 4:18 p.m.
Duration: 58 minutes 31 seconds

Listed in: Government

Why does the House need a Speaker?

Published: Oct. 30, 2023, 4:15 p.m.
Duration: 56 minutes 19 seconds

Listed in: Government

What can social movements teach us about American politics?

Published: Oct. 19, 2023, 1:34 p.m.
Duration: 42 minutes 6 seconds

Listed in: Government

What's wrong with American politics and how can we make it right?

Published: Oct. 10, 2023, 1:39 p.m.
Duration: 27 minutes 44 seconds

Listed in: Government

Are state legislators really accountable to their voters?

Published: Sept. 18, 2023, 4:28 p.m.
Duration: 50 minutes 37 seconds

Listed in: Government

How did Trump threaten American self-government when he was president?

Published: Aug. 22, 2023, 1:30 p.m.
Duration: 29 minutes 4 seconds

Listed in: Government

Where do busy people find the time to participate in democratic self-government?

Published: July 25, 2023, 3:07 p.m.
Duration: 48 minutes 40 seconds

Listed in: Government

What can storytelling teach us about politics?

Published: July 14, 2023, midnight
Duration: 43 minutes 14 seconds

Listed in: Government

Why Congress?

Published: July 10, 2023, 2:09 p.m.
Duration: 43 minutes 56 seconds

Listed in: Government

Why is it so hard to buy things with nickels? (plus questions about the debt limit debate and 2024 presidential election)

Published: June 30, 2023, midnight
Duration: 45 minutes 1 second

Listed in: Government

Does America have a representation problem?

Published: June 20, 2023, 8:16 p.m.
Duration: 41 minutes 11 seconds

Listed in: Government

Can podcasts save America?

Published: June 8, 2023, 11:14 a.m.
Duration: 32 minutes 56 seconds

Listed in: Government

How does public opinion influence policymakers?

Published: May 22, 2023, 8:03 p.m.
Duration: 51 minutes 3 seconds

Listed in: Government

Should lawmakers use the debt limit as leverage to cut spending?

Published: May 8, 2023, 5:01 p.m.
Duration: 38 minutes 17 seconds

Listed in: Government

What is the relationship between populism and nationalism in American politics?

Published: April 29, 2023, 6:44 a.m.
Duration: 41 minutes 50 seconds

Listed in: Government

How do Americans define democracy?

Published: April 24, 2023, 2:25 p.m.
Duration: 35 minutes 57 seconds

Listed in: Government

How do we regulate political parties?

Published: April 14, 2023, 1:55 p.m.
Duration: 45 minutes 32 seconds

Listed in: Government

Is America too polarized or too fragmented?

Published: March 16, 2023, 3:01 p.m.
Duration: 56 minutes 43 seconds

Listed in: Government

How do factions impact American politics?

Published: March 6, 2023, 7:08 p.m.
Duration: 36 minutes 41 seconds

Listed in: Government

What is the State of the Union?

Published: Feb. 22, 2023, 2:08 p.m.
Duration: 31 minutes 55 seconds

Listed in: Government

What is conservative populism?

Published: Feb. 13, 2023, 1:37 p.m.
Duration: 44 minutes 59 seconds

Listed in: Government

How do extraordinary ordinary people change the world?

Published: Feb. 3, 2023, 6:19 p.m.
Duration: 42 minutes 50 seconds

Listed in: Government

How much money should Americans spend on their elections?

Published: Jan. 24, 2023, 5:19 p.m.
Duration: 25 minutes 4 seconds

Listed in: Government

What does the House Speaker election say about the Republican Party?

Published: Jan. 14, 2023, 5:05 p.m.
Duration: 35 minutes 17 seconds

Listed in: Government

What happened in 2022?

Published: Dec. 20, 2022, 3:53 p.m.
Duration: 47 minutes 51 seconds

Listed in: Government

How do winner-take-all elections harm American democracy?

Published: Dec. 10, 2022, 2:31 a.m.
Duration: 57 minutes 35 seconds

Listed in: Government

How can business help solve America's democracy crisis?

Published: Dec. 4, 2022, 1:07 p.m.
Duration: 41 minutes 42 seconds

Listed in: Government

What do the 2022 midterm results mean?

Published: Nov. 21, 2022, 4:29 a.m.
Duration: 35 minutes 22 seconds

Listed in: Government

How do the politics of race impact the American presidency?

Published: Nov. 16, 2022, 9:07 p.m.
Duration: 36 minutes 55 seconds

Listed in: Government

Is America on the cusp of a realignment?

Published: Nov. 4, 2022, 5:57 p.m.
Duration: 45 minutes 1 second

Listed in: Government

What can we learn from political polls?

Published: Oct. 13, 2022, 6:33 p.m.
Duration: 41 minutes 30 seconds

Listed in: Government

What does it mean to be a good citizen in the United States?

Published: Sept. 22, 2022, 9:19 p.m.
Duration: 34 minutes 22 seconds

Listed in: Government

What's wrong with the Constitution?

Published: Sept. 15, 2022, 7:50 p.m.
Duration: 49 minutes 25 seconds

Listed in: Government

How does electoral reform happen?

Published: Sept. 13, 2022, 8:11 p.m.
Duration: 35 minutes 11 seconds

Listed in: Government

Is there a generation gap in American politics?

Published: Sept. 9, 2022, 3:39 p.m.
Duration: 42 minutes 38 seconds

Listed in: Government

What's wrong with primary elections?

Published: Sept. 6, 2022, 6:42 p.m.
Duration: 37 minutes 38 seconds

Listed in: Government

What decisions do political parties make after losing an election?

Published: Aug. 9, 2022, 6:07 p.m.
Duration: 30 minutes

Listed in: Government

Why are Americans so upset about politics?

Published: July 29, 2022, 11:05 p.m.
Duration: 31 minutes 32 seconds

Listed in: Government

Is it time to rethink how we understand political parties?

Published: July 14, 2022, 6:55 p.m.
Duration: 40 minutes 47 seconds

Listed in: Government

Is it a good idea to require Americans to vote in federal elections?

Published: July 6, 2022, 2:36 p.m.
Duration: 31 minutes 6 seconds

Listed in: Government

Is the Supreme Court's legitimacy at risk?

Published: June 22, 2022, 2:56 p.m.
Duration: 42 minutes 32 seconds

Listed in: Government

What will it take to change how the federal government budgets?

Published: April 26, 2022, 8:31 p.m.
Duration: 31 minutes 38 seconds

Listed in: Government

What if things happened differently?

Published: April 11, 2022, 12:44 p.m.
Duration: 39 minutes 4 seconds

Listed in: Government

Is Trumpism in decline?

Published: April 3, 2022, 6:08 p.m.
Duration: 27 minutes 51 seconds

Listed in: Government

What do Americans think about immigration policy?

Published: March 24, 2022, 9:17 p.m.
Duration: 38 minutes 54 seconds

Listed in: Government

Why did Russia invade Ukraine and what can the United States do about it?

Published: March 17, 2022, 9:01 p.m.
Duration: 30 minutes 17 seconds

Listed in: Government

What's stopping the United States from changing its energy policy?

Published: March 11, 2022, 9:36 p.m.
Duration: 45 minutes 24 seconds

Listed in: Government

Where is the Republican Party headed?

Published: March 4, 2022, 9:30 p.m.
Duration: 22 minutes 43 seconds

Listed in: Government

Did conservatives transform the Supreme Court?

Published: Feb. 25, 2022, 2:23 a.m.
Duration: 34 minutes 52 seconds

Listed in: Government

Why is everyone talking about the Supreme Court?

Published: Feb. 11, 2022, 12:36 a.m.
Duration: 34 minutes 34 seconds

Listed in: Government

Why can't the Senate pass voting rights legislation?

Published: Jan. 31, 2022, 10:18 p.m.
Duration: 36 minutes 49 seconds

Listed in: Government

What will American politics look like in 2022?

Published: Jan. 14, 2022, 2:38 p.m.
Duration: 40 minutes 47 seconds

Listed in: Government

Is America's constitutional order on the brink of collapse?

Published: Dec. 29, 2021, 8:23 p.m.
Duration: 41 minutes 11 seconds

Listed in: Government

Should the Senate eliminate the filibuster to pass the Freedom to Vote Act?

Published: Dec. 22, 2021, 2:34 p.m.
Duration: 42 minutes 20 seconds

Listed in: Government

What is thermostatic politics?

Published: Dec. 9, 2021, 9:36 p.m.
Duration: 40 minutes 18 seconds

Listed in: Government

Building the Relationships for Collaborative Governance: Interview with Colorado State Senator Faith Winter

Published: Dec. 2, 2021, 8:46 p.m.
Duration: 37 minutes 15 seconds

Listed in: Government

What the hell is going on with the Republican Party?

Published: Nov. 8, 2021, 10:23 p.m.
Duration: 29 minutes 12 seconds

Listed in: Government

What issues should Democrats emphasize ahead of the 2022 midterm elections?

Published: Oct. 20, 2021, 5:26 p.m.
Duration: 52 minutes 4 seconds

Listed in: Government

How do congressional elections fuel dysfunction in Congress?

Published: Oct. 12, 2021, 1:50 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 18 minutes 20 seconds

Listed in: Government

What can Congresss present dysfunction teach us about our politics and how to make it better?

Published: Oct. 1, 2021, 12:34 p.m.
Duration: 36 minutes 14 seconds

Listed in: Government

How much conflict is too much conflict in politics?

Published: July 22, 2021, 9 a.m.
Duration: 41 minutes 4 seconds

Listed in: Government

What is affective polarization?

Published: July 20, 2021, 4:07 p.m.
Duration: 40 minutes 7 seconds

Listed in: Government

Should lawmakers be afraid of taking votes?

Published: May 20, 2021, 10:17 p.m.
Duration: 51 minutes 13 seconds

Listed in: Government

Should House Republicans fire Liz Cheney?

Published: May 7, 2021, 9 p.m.
Duration: 41 minutes 7 seconds

Listed in: Government

Is American democracy backsliding?

Published: May 5, 2021, 12:55 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes 59 seconds

Listed in: Government

Can Biden transform American politics?

Published: April 30, 2021, 9:08 p.m.
Duration: 45 minutes 5 seconds

Listed in: Government

What does presidential rhetoric say about the state of American politics?

Published: April 23, 2021, 8:15 a.m.
Duration: 35 minutes 22 seconds

Listed in: Government

Why can't Congress do its job?

Published: April 14, 2021, 7:16 p.m.
Duration: 38 minutes 38 seconds

Listed in: Government

What are the prospects for elections reform at the federal level?

Published: April 3, 2021, 8 a.m.
Duration: 49 minutes 4 seconds

Listed in: Government

How do independent voters impact American politics?

Published: March 29, 2021, 7:03 p.m.
Duration: 49 minutes 22 seconds

Listed in: Government

How does conspiracism impact American Politics?

Published: March 15, 2021, 5:11 p.m.
Duration: 57 minutes 16 seconds

Listed in: Government

What makes American democracy work?

Published: March 5, 2021, 6:20 p.m.
Duration: 59 minutes 16 seconds

Listed in: Government

Who disciplines bad behavior in government?

Published: Feb. 19, 2021, 9:33 p.m.
Duration: 54 minutes 39 seconds

Listed in: Government

Did the filibuster break the Senate?

Published: Feb. 12, 2021, 9:25 p.m.
Duration: 59 minutes 40 seconds

Listed in: Government

Will Americans pay for government if they don't trust it?

Published: Feb. 8, 2021, 1:56 a.m.
Duration: 56 minutes 10 seconds

Listed in: Government

Why do Americans celebrate presidential inaugurations?

Published: Feb. 3, 2021, 9:20 p.m.
Duration: 31 minutes 11 seconds

Listed in: Government

What is the future of the Republican Party?

Published: Jan. 17, 2021, 6:18 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 2 minutes 52 seconds

Listed in: Government

Will Congress change how it operates in 2021?

Published: Jan. 1, 2021, 4:09 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 1 minute 29 seconds

Listed in: Government

What is the best way to pick United States senators?

Published: Dec. 24, 2020, 2:32 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 13 minutes 28 seconds

Listed in: Government

How did losing to Trump in 2016 help Democrats win the presidency in 2020?

Published: Dec. 17, 2020, 7:53 p.m.
Duration: 59 minutes 40 seconds

Listed in: Government

Does it really matter which party controls Congress next year?

Published: Dec. 10, 2020, 4:57 p.m.
Duration: 43 minutes 33 seconds

Listed in: Government

Can a new agency improve national elections in America?

Published: Dec. 3, 2020, 1:19 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 2 minutes 13 seconds

Listed in: Government

How should Americans interpret the results of the 2020 election?

Published: Nov. 20, 2020, 8:41 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 4 minutes 11 seconds

Listed in: Government

Did American democracy win on Election Day?

Published: Nov. 11, 2020, 9:38 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 13 minutes 48 seconds

Listed in: Government

Do presidential debates help Americans make better choices when they vote?

Published: Oct. 30, 2020, 5 p.m.
Duration: 45 minutes 55 seconds

Listed in: Government

Should the Democrats play hardball in 2021?

Published: Oct. 23, 2020, 4:31 p.m.
Duration: 55 minutes 39 seconds

Listed in: Government

How should the United States select its judges?

Published: Oct. 14, 2020, 4:48 p.m.
Duration: 52 minutes 38 seconds

Listed in: Government

How well do our political parties represent us in government?

Published: Oct. 9, 2020, 5:45 p.m.
Duration: 55 minutes 40 seconds

Listed in: Government

What can we learn from other nations about pernicious polarization in the United States?

Published: Oct. 2, 2020, 4:06 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 4 minutes 54 seconds

Listed in: Government

How will the debate to replace Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg end?

Published: Sept. 24, 2020, 5:29 p.m.
Duration: 51 minutes 14 seconds

Listed in: Government

What did the political conventions tell us about the state of the 2020 presidential campaign?

Published: Sept. 18, 2020, 9:58 p.m.
Duration: 58 minutes 53 seconds

Listed in: Government

How important is expertise and experience in Congress?

Published: Sept. 14, 2020, 3:16 p.m.
Duration: 49 minutes 7 seconds

Listed in: Government

What Are the Pillars of Democracy?

Published: Aug. 28, 2020, 8:12 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 7 minutes 55 seconds

Listed in: Government

How did the suffrage movement win the right to vote for all women in the United States?

Published: Aug. 19, 2020, 8:54 p.m.
Duration: 58 minutes 22 seconds

Listed in: Government

When should Americans remove statues of historical figures from the nation's public square?

Published: Aug. 12, 2020, 5:17 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 2 minutes 30 seconds

Listed in: Government

How is identity politics impacting the 2020 presidential election?

Published: July 29, 2020, 6:43 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 56 seconds

Listed in: Government

How do Republicans win elections?

Published: July 22, 2020, 7:50 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 18 minutes 57 seconds

Listed in: Government

What will a Biden presidency look like?

Published: July 16, 2020, 3:34 p.m.
Duration: 49 minutes 40 seconds

Listed in: Government

How will public opinion on democracy impact the 2020 presidential election?

Published: July 9, 2020, 2:31 p.m.
Duration: 54 minutes 7 seconds

Listed in: Government

How did the Great Migration help shape today's politics?

Published: July 1, 2020, 10:25 p.m.
Duration: 58 minutes 28 seconds

Listed in: Government

What will it take to achieve racial justice in American politics?

Published: June 24, 2020, 10:50 p.m.
Duration: 52 minutes 47 seconds

Listed in: Government

What are the politics of protest?

Published: June 17, 2020, 5:35 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 7 minutes 47 seconds

Listed in: Government

What values are essential in a successful democracy?

Published: June 16, 2020, 12:49 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 7 minutes 31 seconds

Listed in: Government

How do democratic self-governments respond to extremism?

Published: June 10, 2020, 10:03 p.m.
Duration: 57 minutes 34 seconds

Listed in: Government

What role do norms and values play in democratic self-government?

Published: May 27, 2020, 3:15 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 6 minutes 55 seconds

Listed in: Government

How does populism threaten democracy around the world?

Published: May 20, 2020, 12:34 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 6 minutes 1 second

Listed in: Government

Does incivility weaken or strengthen democracy?

Published: May 13, 2020, 7:56 p.m.
Duration: 59 minutes 59 seconds

Listed in: Government

Will Americans hold the government accountable for its pandemic response?

Published: May 7, 2020, 12:53 p.m.
Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes 22 seconds

Listed in: Government

Did the media create political polarization?

Published: April 29, 2020, 7:21 p.m.
Duration: 53 minutes 12 seconds

Listed in: Government

The Never Trump Movement: Emergent Faction or Dwindling Group of Has-Beens?

Published: April 23, 2020, 10:35 p.m.
Duration: 55 minutes 36 seconds

Listed in: Government

How will COVID-19 impact the November elections?

Published: April 15, 2020, 7:09 p.m.
Duration: 48 minutes 43 seconds

Listed in: Government

Do ideas or interests drive our politics?

Published: April 8, 2020, 12:11 p.m.
Duration: 52 minutes 25 seconds

Listed in: Government

Filibuster or Filibusted?

Published: March 25, 2020, 10:10 p.m.
Duration: 36 minutes 34 seconds

Listed in: Government

What are the politics of the coronavirus pandemic?

Published: March 19, 2020, 3:42 p.m.
Duration: 52 minutes 47 seconds

Listed in: Government

Is there a better way to pick presidential nominees?

Published: March 11, 2020, 5:49 p.m.
Duration: 44 minutes 4 seconds

Listed in: Government

Should the House have more members?

Published: March 4, 2020, 8:27 p.m.
Duration: 34 minutes 32 seconds

Listed in: Government

What is unprecedented about our politics?

Published: Feb. 26, 2020, 1:01 p.m.
Duration: 40 minutes 56 seconds

Listed in: Government

Do we have too much judicial review?

Published: Feb. 19, 2020, 1:01 p.m.
Duration: 51 minutes 25 seconds

Listed in: Government

Did the impeachment process work?

Published: Feb. 12, 2020, 1:01 p.m.
Duration: 44 minutes 35 seconds

Listed in: Government

Is American politics too contentious?

Published: Feb. 5, 2020, 1:01 p.m.
Duration: 51 minutes 7 seconds

Listed in: Government

Do Americans need more parties?

Published: Jan. 29, 2020, 1:01 p.m.
Duration: 49 minutes 5 seconds

Listed in: Government

Is populism a problem?

Published: Jan. 22, 2020, 1 p.m.
Duration: 55 minutes 34 seconds

Listed in: Government

What's the deal with the separation of powers?

Published: Oct. 24, 2019, noon
Duration: 46 minutes 36 seconds

Listed in: Government

How should we think about impeachment?

Published: Oct. 9, 2019, 1:46 p.m.
Duration: 51 minutes 9 seconds

Listed in: Government

What is a gerrymander?

Published: Oct. 1, 2019, noon
Duration: 38 minutes 56 seconds

Listed in: Government

Should we abolish the Senate?

Published: Sept. 19, 2019, 12:56 p.m.
Duration: 46 minutes 45 seconds

Listed in: Government

Are we in a political realignment?

Published: Aug. 6, 2019, 12:20 p.m.
Duration: 41 minutes 13 seconds

Listed in: Government

Can ranked choice voting save us?

Published: July 23, 2019, 12:20 p.m.
Duration: 43 minutes 32 seconds

Listed in: Government

Are primary elections really that bad?

Published: July 9, 2019, 12:20 p.m.
Duration: 41 minutes 3 seconds

Listed in: Government

Should the Electoral College be abolished?

Published: June 26, 2019, 8:20 p.m.
Duration: 40 minutes 39 seconds

Listed in: Government