Episodes

Since World War 2, the US has operated under the mantle of being a champion and protector of democratic values. At the same time, its policy in the Middle East has involved close relationships with autocratic regimes, and military engagements more reflective of an imperial power than a defender of...

The filibuster and Electoral College are often grouped together as institutions necessary to prevent swings in popular opinion having undue influence over federal policy. On the surface, they both seem to fit into America’s unique brand of federalism, where laws governing the whole of the country...

Many of the past 86 episodes of YDHTY have been dedicated to railing against America's two party duopoly as the main source of today's polarized political climate. After recording this episode, I may need to issue a few qualifiers to that statement. Raymond La Raja, Professor of Politics at the...

The For the People Act (colloquially known by its very official name, H.R. 1) passed the House on a predictable near-party line vote. To the right, H.R. 1 represents an attack on electoral integrity on the part of a Democratic-led federal government. To the left, the bill represents a response to...

In 2018, Americans learned data-analytics firm, Cambridge Analytica, micro-targeted millions of voters in the 2016 election with campaign messaging built around specific personality traits, such as neuroticism and openness to new experiences. More surprising, was the fact this information was...

Maryland's 3rd congressional district has been described as everything from a broken-winged pterodactyl to blood spatter at a crime scene. It's a district so egregiously carved, you need a boat to travel across it without crossing into another district (it should be noted the district contains no...

In 2019, a poll done by Georgetown University showed over 80% of respondents were frustrated by the lack of civility among members of Congress and thought compromise should be one of their chief goals. One year later, roughly the same percentage of those in the House of Representatives won...

One of the more unfortunate aspects of today’s polarized political climate has been the destruction of personal relationships over political differences. Social media, once a place where you could reconnect with old friends from school and work, became a place where people cut themselves off from...

Believe it or not, most people working in Washington D.C. head there hoping they can change their country for the better. Upon arrival, they find the polarized culture is anything but an accident, and is something that's easier to work around than to fix. Caleb Paxton, after working on the Hill as...

If the riot at the Capitol was a signal of the populist right's mistrust and discontent with the establishment, the recent run up in the price of GameStop's stock by a mob of Redditor's at the expense of hedge funds might be the populist left's. Since September 2020, a group of average investors on...