Another Way, by Lawrence Lessig
212 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 175 ratingsThrough interviews with politicians, journalists, activists, and the latest and greatest names in the fight to restore our democracy, the Another Way podcast explores the plans and policies for returning power to the people.
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Episodes
S5E26: Lifeboats: Jon Stever
February 20, 2024 17:00 - 1 hour - 60.2 MBIn 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, Jon Stever launched an extraordinary experiment to draw together a representative sample of the world to discuss the climate and ecological crisis the world is facing. In this conversation, I talk to him about how he and his team did that, and what it teaches us about the potential for citizen assemblies generally.
S5E25: Lifeboats: David Farrell
January 30, 2024 17:00 - 56 minutes - 51.9 MBIreland has been perhaps the most impressive example of citizen assemblies addressing national issues in a new and edifying way. David Farrell is an academic who has studied the Irish example. I talk with him about what Ireland can teach the rest of the world.
S5E24: Lifeboats: Katrín Oddsdóttir
January 26, 2024 17:00 - 1 hour - 55.6 MBKatrín Oddsdóttir is a founding mother of the still-not-ratified Iceland Constitution. In 2012, the people of Iceland told their Parliament to adopt a constitution based on the draft that she and 24 other Icelanders crafted. They had crafted their draft based upon the results from two citizens assemblies. We hear about that history and what it can teach us going forward.
S5E23: Lifeboats: Claudia Chwalisz
January 23, 2024 17:00 - 51 minutes - 47.2 MBClaudia Chwalisz is a social entrepreneur, spreading the gospel of citizen assemblies. In this episode we talk to her about citizens assemblies' potential and how they are spreading across the world.
S5E22: Lifeboats: Kim Polese
January 19, 2024 17:00 - 49 minutes - 45.5 MBNot all AI is democracy ending AI. Some can support democracy and make it better. In this episode, I talk to Kim Polese, whose career launching transformative technologies (beginning with Java) has landed with a democracy enhancing AI, CrowdSmart. We talk about its potential, as well as the open source alternative, pol.is.
S5E21: Lifeboats: David Van Reybrouck
January 16, 2024 17:00 - 47 minutes - 43.1 MBDavid Van Reybrouck's book, Against Elections, helped crystalize a movement for citizen assemblies. In my conversation with him, we talk about the origin of this idea, and how it could complement democracy.
S5E20: Lifeboats: Chloe Maxim / Canyon Woodward
January 12, 2024 17:00 - 55 minutes - 51.2 MBChloe Maxim and Canyon Woodward built a people focused movement in rural Maine to change the way politics works. I talk to them about their book, Dirt Road Revival, and the organization they've launched, DirtRoadOrganizing.org, aiming to change how we do politics, for the better.
S5E19: Lifeboats: Eli Pariser
January 09, 2024 17:00 - 59 minutes - 54.6 MBEli Pariser, Executive Director of MoveOn at 23, and founder of UpWorthy, talks to me about creating healthy online spaces, and democratic activism that builds up democracy rather than tearing it down.
S5E18: Lifeboats: Josh Greene
December 29, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBAfter hope, we need health. Josh Greene, professor of psychology at Harvard University and author of Moral Tribes talks to me about building healthier engagement between increasingly polarized citizens.
S5E17: Lifeboats: Jennifer Pahlka
December 26, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 58.9 MBJennifer Pahlka, founder of the Code for America and former Deputy CTO, talks with me about improving digital governmental capacity, working from her new book, Recoding America: Why Government is Failing in the Digital Era and How We Can Do Better.
S5E16: Lifeboats: Brink Lindsey
December 22, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 55.1 MBOur first lifeboat is hope — hope that government could actually do good. Brink Lindsey, formerly of the Cato Institute, and now Director of the Open Society Project at the Niskanen Center, talks to me about governmental capacity, and how we could make it better.
S5E15: Lifeboats: Intro
December 19, 2023 17:00 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBWe can make our unrepresentative representative democracy representative. But AI may mean that's not enough. This episode introduces the final section of this season — lifeboats: the changes we could make to make it so democracy can survive.
S5E14: Gashed Hull: AI: Tristan Harris
December 15, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 66.4 MBAI has already affected our society fundamentally. That effect first happened through social media. In this episode, we speak with Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, about that first effect, and what we can expect as AI evolves.
S5E13: Gashed Hull: Media: Ben Smith
December 12, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 56.7 MBWhat happens when news must compete? How does that affect the news? In this episode, we talk to Ben Smith, a journalist and entrepreneur who played a central role in the transformation of media through social media. His book, Traffic, tells that story better than any other just now.
S5E12: Gashed Hull: Social Media: Jonathan Haidt
December 01, 2023 20:44 - 55 minutes - 50.8 MBNo technology in the last two generations has more affected ordinary life and ordinary politics more profoundly than social media. In this episode, we talk to NYU Stern School of Business Professor Jonathan Haidt about how social media has changed us, and especially our kids, and what we might do to respond.
S5E11: Gashed Hull: Broadcast Democracy: Markus Prior
November 28, 2023 18:33 - 1 hour - 62.3 MBWhat was media like? How has media changed? In this episode, we talk to Princeton Professor Markus Prior about the architecture of public media, over the period of what he calls "broadcast democracy," and in the period we're living within today. How does that architecture affect the politics that is possible?
S5E10: Gashed Hull: A Rational Public: Ben Page and Robert Shapiro
November 24, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 66.4 MBThere was a time when the presumption of democracy — that the people were rational and guided our democracy to reasoned conclusions — was true. Or tru-ish. In this episode, we speak with the authors of one of the most important work studying this relatively healthy period, Ben Page and Robert Shapiro. Their 1992 book — The Rational Public — presented an enormous amount of evidence demonstrating how democracy worked. We discuss what made that working possible.
S5E09: Gashed Hull: Intro
November 21, 2023 17:00 - 20 minutes - 18.3 MBThe premise of the first part to this season is that our broken democracy can be fixed. The solutions are clear and achievable. Many of them would be enacted if the Democrats regained sufficient control of our government. But in this part, we explore why these solutions won't be enough. We can right the overturned tables for sure; but there's a gash in the hull that will make even these changes not enough.
S5E08: Overturned Tables: The Senate: Marty Paone
November 17, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 69.4 MBThe obscure rules of the Senate are an important part of the dysfunction of American democracy today. In this episode, we speak to a former Secretary for the Majority of the United States Senate and, for the last two years of the Obama administration, the Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs at the White House, Martin Paone. There is perhaps no one in America with a better sense of how our Senate works — or doesn't work — or with a better intuition about how to fix it.
S5E07: Overturned Tables: Primaries: Nick Troiano
November 14, 2023 17:00 - 59 minutes - 54.5 MBJust 8% of voters elect 83% of the House: This is the fact standing behind the reform proposed by Nick Troiano in his book, The Primary Solution, which we discuss in this episode. The problem is truly astonishing. And the solution is quite genius.
S5E06: Overturned Tables: Representativeness: Nick Stephanopoulos
November 10, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 63.1 MBDemocracy reform needs a target. We can say things like "representative democracy must be representative," but what does that exactly mean? In this episode, we speak with Harvard Law Professor Nick Stephanopoulos about his conception of representativeness — "alignment" — and what that says about the reforms we should be pressing.
S5E05: Overturned Tables: Vouchers: Jen Heerwig
November 07, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 61.5 MBEven great ideas need to be studied and understood scientifically. Jennifer Heerwig has done more than anyone studying the effects of the voucher experiment in Seattle, Washington. In this episode, we hear what she has learned, and what that could mean for reform more generally.
S5E04: Overturned Tables: Vouchers: Alan Durning
October 31, 2023 16:28 - 48 minutes - 44.3 MBThe single best reform for the way we fund campaigns would be democracy vouchers. In this episode, we speak to the man who heard about this idea and then made it real in Seattle.
S5E03: Overturned Tables: SuperPACs: Ron Fein
October 27, 2023 19:19 - 52 minutes - 47.7 MBThe assumption of most lawyers — or Americans — who know the word "SuperPAC" is that the Supreme Court has declared that the First Amendment protects SuperPACs. In this episode, you'll learn why that assumption is flat-out false, and about the fight to end SuperPAC money in America's democracy.
S5E02: Overturned Tables: Democracy Reform: John Sarbanes
October 24, 2023 18:25 - 1 hour - 78.8 MBReform is possible. Congressman John Sarbanes is proof. Sarbanes is the most important architect of democracy reform in Congress today. In this episode, Lessig and Sarbanes speak about the For the People Act, and where reform will continue.
S5E01: Our own Titanic: Overturned tables, a Gashed Hull and the Search for Lifeboats
October 20, 2023 20:40 - 32 minutes - 30 MBThe new season of Another Way is finally here! In this episode, Lawrence Lessig outlines his plan for the season, which will eventually be turned into a book. Listeners are invited to reconceptualize the crisis that American democracy faces and to join Lessig in the search for democracy's "lifeboats".
Our Strategy to Cancel SuperPACs
October 12, 2023 16:00 - 35 minutes - 32.3 MBIn this episode, Lawrence Lessig outlines our plan to fight back against SuperPACs. He explains the logical mistake in SpeechNow v. FEC, why we launched a video competition (with a $50,000 prize!), and the legal strategy that could render SuperPACs largely powerless. For more information on the video contest, visit: cancelsuperpacs.com
A Pathway to Regulating SuperPACs, with Ron Fein
August 31, 2023 16:58 - 46 minutes - 42.5 MBIn this episode, Lessig speaks to Ron Fein, the Legal Director for Free Speech For People. The two discuss a major legal mistake made by the courts, which, if corrected, would allow states to regulate SuperPACs. They discuss efforts by Free Speech For People and Equal Citizens to bring to light this mistake. If you are interested in learning more about the $50,000 video contest, visit www.equalcitizens.us
Taking Seriously The Threats Posed by A.I., with Tristan Harris
July 21, 2023 23:42 - 1 hour - 75.1 MBIn this episode, Lawrence Lessig speaks to Tristan Harris, the co-founder and Executive Director of the Center for Humane Technology, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to align technology with humanity’s best interests. Lessig and Harris discuss the (real, not sci-fi-inspired) threats posed by generative A.I. (artificial intelligence) technology and some potential guardrails that could guide the technology in a way that benefits — not harms — society. This episode is the first of tw...
An Oakland Ballot Initiative That Could Inspire The Nation
November 04, 2022 12:00 - 40 minutes - 37.1 MBAdam Eichen speaks with Jonathan Mehta Stein (Executive Director of California Common Cause) and Vernetta Woods (IVE Team leader at Oakland Rising Action). They discuss the innovative fair elections initiative that will appear on this year's midterm ballot in Oakland and how it could inspire similar efforts across the nation. They also speak about what keeps them from burning out, even during an intensive ballot initiative campaign.
Acknowledging Our Fears, with Rabbi Michael Pollack
October 28, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 59 MBListen to Rabbi Pollack's appearance on Another Way from 2019: https://equalcitizens.us/how-a-rabbi-in-pennsylvania-is-fixing-democracy/
We're Back
October 19, 2022 02:28 - 43 minutes - 39.7 MBAnother Way is back! Adam Eichen and Lawrence Lessig have a candid conversation about the state of our democracy, feelings of loss (post-Freedom to Vote Act campaign), and what keeps them motivated in a very disturbing political time.
No Labels, Polarization, and Reform with Bill Galston
May 26, 2022 03:05 - 1 hour - 58.6 MBContext for the No Labels phone call leak: https://theintercept.com/2021/06/16/joe-manchin-leaked-billionaire-donors-no-labels/
On Our Own Failed Democratic State (And What's At Stake On January 17)
January 10, 2022 20:07 - 47 minutes - 43.8 MBA link to the updated New York Review of Books essay: https://medium.lessig.org/1759084fcf6f A link to the original New York Review of Books essay: https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2021/12/10/why-the-us-is-a-failed-democratic-state
Discussing The John Eastman Memo with John Eastman
September 27, 2021 15:07 - 1 hour - 99.1 MBEastman's op-ed clarifying his stance: https://americanmind.org/memo/setting-the-record-straight-on-the-potus-ask/ Full memo: http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2021/images/09/21/privileged.and.confidential.--.jan.3.memo.on.jan.6.scenario.pdf
The Pundits vs. The For The People Act
September 20, 2021 13:00 - 51 minutes - 47.5 MBOn this episode of Another Way, Adam Eichen is joined by End Citizens United's Adam Bozzi and American Progress' Michael Sozan. The three discuss the media's handling of the fight to pass the For The People Act and why the pundits have missed the mark.
The Next Great Civil Rights Bill? With Elizabeth Hira
September 05, 2021 16:02 - 1 hour - 72.6 MBEquity for the People: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/equity-people Elizabeth's Medium article: https://elizabeth-hira.medium.com/at-what-cost-democracy-remembering-jfks-covert-interventions-on-guyanese-independence-day-fa111dd40ae4 Elizabeth's blog post about the For The People Act as the next great civil rights bill: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/people-act-americas-next-great-civil-rights-bill
Fixing The Filibuster To Save Democracy
August 18, 2021 15:36 - 1 hour - 66.1 MBA link to the video recording of the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkFI2W5Tta0&t=13s
The Gerrymandering Deadline with Michael Li
August 10, 2021 13:00 - 44 minutes - 40.4 MBMichael's Washington Post article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/02/voting-fix-that-cannot-wait-stopping-partisan-gerrymandering/
Why The Filibuster is a Fraud
August 09, 2021 08:50 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MBWatch the video recording of the lecture here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxoMcWxUP7w To find out more about where your senators stand on the filibuster, visit www.equalcitizens.us/itmustgo
Lessig Goes To New Hampshire
August 06, 2021 19:41 - 25 minutes - 23 MBOn this episode of Another Way, Lessig shares the audio of his recent speech at “Peaches and Politics” in New Durham, New Hampshire. In it, he describes the stakes of the fight for the For The People Act,and makes the case that tough love is now needed for President Biden.
For The People Act Update with Jana Morgan
August 02, 2021 18:55 - 40 minutes - 37.2 MBFor more information about DFAD, visit: https://dfadcoalition.org/ http://recesscanwait.org/
Is Filibuster Reform on the Horizon? With Eli Zupnick
August 01, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 55.4 MBOn this episode of Another Way, Equal Citizens Executive Director Adam Eichen speaks with Eli Zupnick, spokesperson for the Fix Our Senate Coalition (https://www.fixoursenate.org/) . The two discuss the stakes of the filibuster fight, what filibuster reform might look like, and the prospects for reform.
Seinfeld's Jason Alexander asks: “What’s the deal with H.R. 1?”
June 17, 2021 18:36 - 1 hour - 70.9 MBA video recording of the event is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4ruZdpFWP8
An Update on H.R. 1 from Rep. Mondaire Jones
June 04, 2021 17:59 - 40 minutes - 37.2 MBIn this episode, Lawrence Lessig speaks to U.S. Representative Mondaire Jones. They discuss Rep. Jones' first few months as a member of Congress, the latest on H.R. 1, the need for a Third Reconstruction, and the filibuster.
The Quest To Understand "The People" with Frank Luntz (Part Two)
May 27, 2021 10:51 - 53 minutes - 48.7 MBThis conversation builds off a February 5th, 2021 interview, available here: https://equalcitizens.us/the-quest-to-understand-the-people/
Exploring The Informational Ecosystem with Jimmy Wales
April 29, 2021 15:00 - 1 hour - 63.7 MBOn this episode of Another Way, Lawrence Lessig speaks with Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia and wt.social. Lessig and Wales discuss the origins of Wikipedia, its architecture, and its ad-free commitment to neutrality. They also attempt to unpack the growing polarization in the media, digital algorithms and the addictiveness of technology, and how to reform the informational ecosystem to ensure better deliberation.
The Fight For Voting Rights Reform
April 22, 2021 14:04 - 1 hour - 77.2 MBFor this week's episode, we are re-broadcasting the audio of an Equal Citizens event held on March 31st, 2021 entitled, "The Fight For Voting Rights Reform: The Path To H.R. 1 and H.R. 4". The event featured Lawrence Lessig moderating a conversation between Duke Law Professor Guy-Uriel Charles and Emory Professor Carol Anderson. The three scholars discuss voter suppression, the bills that Congress is currently considering to tackle it — the For The People Act and the Voting Rights Advancement...
Breaking The Two-Party Doom Loop with Lee Drutman
April 15, 2021 14:16 - 1 hour - 56.3 MBBuy Lee's book here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/breaking-the-two-party-doom-loop-9780190913854?cc=us&lang=en#
Swamp Stories With Weston Wamp
April 08, 2021 14:46 - 1 hour - 66.4 MBCheck out Weston's fantastic podcast Swamp Stories here: https://www.swampstories.org/