Peaceful Political Revolution in America
"The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government."
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, James Wilson, Thomas Paine, and many other American patriots and revolutionaries completely agreed with this simple but compelling statement made by President Washington. Yet today, very few Americans know what the basis of our form of government is, let alone understand what it means.
This Podcast will dive into the most important and most censored story in America. We will uncover the myths behind our constitutional history and reveal some of the startling facts about our founding as a nation. Hang on tight! If you haven't honed up on your American history, if you think you understand our American political system, you may be in for a shock.
Peaceful political revolution is your unique American heritage. It is what makes our democracy so special and what makes your role in American politics so important. Are you ready for a peaceful political revolution? Where does it come from? How does it happen? What can you do to change our political system for the better?
We will address these questions and many more in the upcoming Podcasts, so hang on. If you think our politics are bad and only getting worse, you may find that a peaceful political revolution is the antidote.
Peaceful Political Revolution in America
S1 E9 Death by a Thousand Cuts with Matt Qvortrup
Welcome to the Peaceful Political Revolution in America podcast.
Democracy is under attack. The rise of Trumpism has created a lot of anxiety amongst those who believe in democracy, and for good reason. We have all witnessed the recent attack on our capital, on our electoral system, on our right to vote, on vaccine mandates, and on immigration. There has been a sharp rise in white nationalist sentiment in America, and it's not only in the South. It has been fueled in part by the exponential increase of disinformation and increasingly difficult economic realities in our communities. The country is increasingly ravished by homelessness and hunger. One in three Americans have been affected by Climate Change and over 400 counties in America are reporting an increase of more than 1.5 degrees in average mean temperatures. More and more people are getting desperate. Is the rise of autocracy inevitable, or could there be a peaceful and more democratic alternative awaiting our future?
As noted in the previous episode with Richard Wolff, Chile and Portugal have both recently created new and more effective Democracies. They have it appears, successfully dealt with the disintegration of democratic principles and the very real impacts of autocratic leaders like Agusto Pinochet and the Estado Novo.
Putting the current crisis of democracy into historical perspective, Death by a Thousand Cuts chronicles how would-be despots, dictators, and outright tyrants have finessed the techniques of killing democracies. Matt Qvortrup is Professor of Political Science at Coventry University. He is Joint Editor of the top-academic journal European Political Science Review. His acclaimed biography, Angela Merkel: Europe's Most Influential Leader, has been translated into 5 languages and he has published more than 40 peer-reviewed articles and more than a dozen books on comparative politics and constitutional law. He has served as a consultant to several governments around the globe and is described by the BBC as 'the world's leading expert on referendums', and he is here today to talk about how democracies die, and what happens next.