Episode summary: What will it take to make the United States a more fully-functioning democracy, and how can we, as citizens, bring about that change? By host and producer John Biewen, with series collaborator Chenjerai Kumanyika. Interviews with Michael Waldman, Jennifer Cohn, and Sanford Levinson. The series editor is Loretta Williams. Music by Algiers, John Erik Kaada, Eric Neveux, and Lucas Biewen. Music consulting and production help from Joe Augustine of Narrative Music.
Amazing finale to an amazing series. I wonder, when they started working on this, whether they had any idea what the political climate would be when it came to an end. Obviouly not the detail, but the general tone. I suspect so, at least to some extent, otherwsie why pick democracy, now. The real eye-opener for me was the section on the undemocratic nature of the current constitution, at least if you consider one person one vote a foundamental part of democracy. Sanford Levinson’s contribution was simple, informative, and really scary, because if the United States really did agree to a new constitutional convention, it could of course decide anything it wanted, less democratic, rather than more. Be careful what you wish for.
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