Ep. 84: Zach Lewis and Elliot Lewis on a Democratization Program for the American Left

<p><em>“The lack of democracy in this country and the broader problems with capitalism and the rise of Trumpism were all tied together. I think it’s hard to understand why so much of the country supported Trump, including large parts of the working class, unless you look at the democratic deficit of this country and the lack of a multi-party system, lack of real political alternatives, and the way that Bernie was sort of shunted aside.”</em> </p><p>Lucas and Luke talk with Zach and Elliot, authors of the recent <em>Jacobin</em> article, “<a href="https://jacobin.com/2026/06/authoritarianism-democratization-constitution-elites-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">How to Democratize the United States</a>,” which presents a four-point program for reshaping our political terrain. The conversation touches on why folks should think twice before putting faith in the federal courts as a bulwark of democracy, where the Constitution fits into the democratization program, what Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) can do to further a democratization program, the impact of the Bernie Sanders campaign, <a href="https://newrepublic.com/post/212420/mike-johnson-democratic-socialist-dsa-platform-fearmongering" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Majority Speaker Mike Johnson’s concerns about DSA’s program</a>, and why so many Americans—including some law students—are ready for a change. Luke mentions several other interviews, including with labor lawyer <a href="https://democraticconstitutionblog.substack.com/p/the-democratic-constitution-blog-37e?utm_source=publication-search" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Thomas Geoghegan</a> and DSA congressional candidate <a href="https://democraticconstitutionblog.substack.com/p/the-democratic-constitution-blog-37e?utm_source=publication-search" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Oliver Larkin</a>. </p>