Covid (Again?) + Last Week's Digest
Read Now

— Spectacles —

The news tells you what happened.
Spectacles explains why that matters for democracy.
Instantly receive our exclusive handbook on how to spot the biggest threats to democracy when you confirm your email!
Special Announcement + Last Week's Digest

How the Soviets helped the Nazis, gerrymandering in New York, too many Senate-confirmable appointments, and why the Supreme Court needs reworking.

Special Announcement + Last Week's Digest

How the Soviets helped the Nazis, gerrymandering in New York, too many Senate-confirmable appointments, and why the Supreme Court needs reworking.

Spectacles  — 03 May 2022

Hello once again! I know I'm getting this out late (sorry!), but it's a good thing I am because we've got some cool news for you.

Tomorrow, Harry and I will be guests on the KC Morning Show podcast! It's our first bit of earned media—appearing on someone else's platform—and we're super excited about it. It's even better since it's been voted two years running as the best podcast in Kansas City, my hometown.

The show and the host, Hartzell, are both pretty high energy, so if you're looking for an exciting conversation about Spectacles, democracy, and democratic health, you can find us there. Here's a link to the podcast. I think it's live somewhere, but I'm not sure.

We'd love for any of you to tune in, and we're especially excited to hopefully bring some fresh new members to this community. Wish us luck!

Everything from last week

Unusual Comrades: Stalin and the Nazis
Whether Communist, monarchist, or Nazi, any opponents of German democracy in the ’20s could find a friend in the Soviet Union.
Philip relates a fascinating and under-appreciated snippet of history: how Stalin and the Soviet Union helped rebuild the German military and bring Hitler to power.
New York Gerrymandering: Coloring Inside the Lines
New York Dems have been denied their gerrymander. They’ll need to find more productive ways to push the boundaries.
Harry looks to some interesting historical anecdotes to help us answer how far is too far when trying to counteract anti-democratic efforts.
Interim Interruptions | Insight
The Senate is making it harder to fill key posts in the government. The ready fix may not be a fix at all.
Harry breaks down a somewhat overlooked problem, that our government seems empty, and explains what's going on.

One from the archive

The Supreme Court: Political, Unaccountable, and All Too Powerful | Focus
The Supreme Court has exercised too much authority over American political life for centuries, and the urgent need for reform pre-dates today’s conservative court.
The Supreme Court is back in the news. However you feel, it probably proves that it's a mess of an institution we'd do well to reform.
Great! You’ve successfully signed up.
Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.
You've successfully subscribed to Spectacles Media.
Your link has expired.
Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.
Success! Your billing info has been updated.
Your billing was not updated.