How to Fix Democracy

Kevin Baker, discusses with host Andrew Keen the multifaceted changes and growth of American democracy between the two World Wars.

In this How to Fix Democracy episode, host Andrew Keen talks to Jill Watts, author of The Black Cabinet, about the untold story of African Americans and politics during the age of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Allida Black speaks with host Andrew Keen about the history of women in politics and the impact of their noteworthy political and social activism, which dates back a time well before the Women's Right to Vote.

In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, host Andrew Keen engages in a conversation with the author and historian Richard Norton Smith, delving into a discussion about the Hoover presidency and its profound relevance for the United States during a time of upheaval and economic depression.

Paul Sparrow, former Director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, speaks with Andrew Keen about the immense challenges and legacies of FDR and his administration. Sparrow maintains that Roosevelt saved American democracy from an existential crisis caused by the Great Depression and the failure of previous administrations to provide for the welfare of the public.

In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, author and historian Derek Leebaert provides a revisionist account of President Franklin Roosevelt and four members of his Cabinet. According to Leebaert, the 1920s were beset by economic distress and labor unrest that culminated in the Great Depression.

In this 3rd episode of the season, host Andrew Keen talks to Robert Kagan, the distinguished Brookings Institute scholar of foreign policy, about America’s dramatically changing place in the world during the Twenties and Thirties.

In 1924, John Scopes, an instructor in a public school in Dayton, Tennessee, was indicted for violating the Tennessee Butler Act for teaching evolution in a publicly funded school. The "trial of the century," as it was called, revealed profound cultural and religious issues. Historian and legal scholar Edward Larson illuminates that history and relevance for us today.

In the first episode of Season 5, host Andrew Keen sits down with Adam Hochschild, historian, journalist, and award-winning author of “American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis." Hochschild takes us on a journey to America in the aftermath of World War I – a country divided by labor strife, xenophobia, and massive violations of civil rights.

On October 20, 2022, Moisés Naím joined host Andrew Keen for a live episode of How to Fix Democracy in the Bertelsmann Foundation office in Washington, DC to discuss how authoritarian leaders wield and maintain power in contemporary politics.

Author Larry Diamond joins host Andrew Keen to discuss the state of democracy in the United States post-January 6th.

In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, he joins host Andrew Keen to discuss the implications for the current and upcoming voting rights legislation, as well as the need for bipartisanship in order to defend democracy in the United States.

In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, Dana Milbank joins host Andrew Keen to discuss the new voices of the Republican Party, how they came to power, and whether or not the party will be forced to change. Take a listen!

In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, Rebekah Caruthers joins host Andrew Keen to discuss the implications for the 2022 Midterm Elections and gives advice for citizens on Election Day.

“Trumpism'' has emerged as a powerful force in American political ideology since the 2016 election. In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, Darrell M. West joins host Andrew Keen to discuss how Trumpism came to be, and how it is influencing the structures of American democracy.

In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, Dahlia Lithwick joins host Andrew Keen to discuss the implications of the Dobbs Ruling, the decline in popularity of the U.S. Supreme Court, and whether or not the court can maintain its legitimacy moving forward.

In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, Katherine Stewart joins host Andrew Keen to discuss how religious nationalism has been cultivated by leaders on the far-right for political gain.

In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, Dr. Miller-Idriss joins host Andrew Keen to discuss the state of American democracy today, the rise of extremism and radicalization, and strategies for curing what is seemingly irreversible polarization.

In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, Andrea Young discusses the history of structural racial injustice in the United States, the need for a multicultural democracy, and the role that Georgia is playing in paving the way to a stronger democratic system in which everyone’s voice can be heard and affirmed.

What does it mean to engage with someone on the other side of the political aisle? Mónica Guzmán has made it her mission to answer this question and facilitate thoughtful, constructive dialogue between the political left and right in the United States. In this episode of How to Fix Democracy, she joins host Andrew Keen to discuss the dire state of the political landscape in the United States today, as well steps that we can take to fix it.

In the latest episode of How to Fix Democracy, Peter Wehner and Jon Rauch join host Andrew Keen to discuss the history and implications of the stark transformation undergone by the Republican Party during and after Donald Trump’s presidency. As conservative researchers, they have a unique position to observe and analyze the recent shifts in the American political right.

Host Andrew Keen kicks off Season 4 with a discussion of Tocqueville's famous observational text, "Democracy in America." Our fourth season of the podcast will focus on just that: democracy in the United States.