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This episode will serve as the first installment in a multi-part look at some flaws in American democracy, and what could be done about them. In this episode, I go back in time to imagine what might have been prevented had the Democratic Party taken advantage of their huge majorities in 2009 to fix some of the vulnerabilities in America's democratic system, and discuss some of what could be done now to start making American politics fairer and more representative of what the people actually want and are, in fact, voting (or attempting to vote) for.

In this episode, I review some of the negative impacts of the Trump presidency, and discuss the need for American voters to remember the damage that can be done in a single four-year Presidential term. We can't afford to gamble with our democracy by ever allowing something like this to happen again.

In this episode, we look at the January 6th attack by Trump supporters, incited by the President, on the Capitol. I discuss the recent history leading up to the attempted insurrection, and how the actions of not just Trump but a number of other figures in the Republican Party paved the way to the extreme-right violence we saw directed at our democracy. I also share the initial reactions of a number of folks from a wide range of countries around the world to seeing this sort of event take place in the building that is possibly the most famous symbol of democracy in the world.

After the 2010 U.S. Census, aided by massive midterm wins, the Republicans gerrymandered themselves into unbreakable control of the House for almost a decade. With Democrats in 2020 on the cusp of an election that might look a lot like the Republican landslide in 2010, Republicans have sabotaged the census. This represents yet another attack on a fundamental, constitutionally-mandated part of American democracy - one which has the potential to harm millions of Americans. The Democrats cannot and should not take this lying down.

Several months ago, I put out an pod about the ways in which the Republicans have been actively working to undermine democracy in America. Unfortunately "The Democrats vs. The Anti-Democrats" has aged fairly well - new reporting has detailed a plan by some in the Republican Party to create chaos in the election which will allow them to reinstall Trump in the White House regardless of how the actual vote turns out. In this episode, I discuss that plan, and how various relevant actors and institutions might respond in the case of an attempt to go around democracy. Linked below is The Atlantic article I draw on in the beginning of the episode https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/11/what-if-trump-refuses-concede/616424/ P.S. If you want to help keep this episode merely a hypothetical exercise, below are some resources for getting involved to help a campaign achieve a decisive victory before the election. https://votesaveamerica.com/adopt-a-state/ https://democrats.org/take-action/ https://www.eac.gov/voters/become-poll-worker

Ruth Bader Ginsberg's passing represents a devastating blow to her millions of fans, to American jurisprudence, and to the causes she fought for during her entire adult life - causes threatened by the Trump administration and the increasingly right-wing Supreme Court which will now lurch dramatically further in that direction with her passing. It also could represent very bad electoral news for the Democrats this November - I explore the political implications of RBG's passing in this brief episode of OK Talks.

Professor Andrew Latham joins the podcast again to discuss the breaking developments out of the Middle East of a deal struck between Israel and the UAE to normalize relations between the two countries in exchange for Israel halting plans to formally annex the West Bank.

In this episode, I'm joined by Professor Andrew Latham for a fairly open and broad conversation touching on Russia’s recent history, strategic culture and self-image, how those things bring it into conflict with the west, where that might lead, and what the west can do about it.

In this episode, I look at the 2020 election and who Joe Biden might pick to be Vice President. I also discuss how with the right VP candidate, the Democrats could radically alter the political balance around issues of national security and foreign policy.

In this episode, I describe dual threats posed to small-d democracy by the American Republican Party: their efforts to interfere with democracy by suppressing the vote (through voter ID laws and opposing measures to make voting safe in the context of COVID-19), and the potential that they'll ignore democracy altogether by rejecting the results of the 2020 election.

In this episode, I discuss differences in how conservatives and liberals protest in America, and the disparity between how conservative and liberal protests are responded to. This is highlighted and made especially relevant by the apparent toleration of armed anti-lockdown protests violating social distancing guidelines in the context of COVID-19.

In this episode, I give listeners an overview of Filipino politics under the rule of its colorful, extremely Trump-like President, Rodrigo Duterte. I'm also joined by Dr. Jerry Diaz, a physician in Manila, with whom I discuss the response to COVID-19, and the likely impact to Filipino politics and relations between the Philippines and China.

In this brief intro, I describe my background and qualifications, and what I envision for OK Talks.