Zephyr Teachout

Thanks so much for having us on.

Thanks so much for having us on.

Yeah, I mean, I appreciate how you led off because I do actually think there's a deep disagreement. I'll start with the deep disagreement and then there's some areas of genuine agreement and we should talk about those as well. But I gather you're having us on to really fight out the... I want the deep disagreement, yeah.

Yeah, I mean, I appreciate how you led off because I do actually think there's a deep disagreement. I'll start with the deep disagreement and then there's some areas of genuine agreement and we should talk about those as well. But I gather you're having us on to really fight out the... I want the deep disagreement, yeah.

There's an area of deep disagreement and there's areas of specific disagreement. So the deepest disagreement is actually what you started with, which is the question of focus.

There's an area of deep disagreement and there's areas of specific disagreement. So the deepest disagreement is actually what you started with, which is the question of focus.

And I think that we should be focusing democratic politics and politics in general on the problem of concentrated power and the way in which concentrated power is making it impossible to do things and also really crushing our democracy. That we really do have an oligarchy problem and that the anti-monopoly toolkit is then a response to that. So, like, with that focus, I would say...

And I think that we should be focusing democratic politics and politics in general on the problem of concentrated power and the way in which concentrated power is making it impossible to do things and also really crushing our democracy. That we really do have an oligarchy problem and that the anti-monopoly toolkit is then a response to that. So, like, with that focus, I would say...

OK, something good the Biden administration did, getting over-the-counter hearing aids, like a life changer for millions of Americans. Who blocked that? Well, it's an oligarchy in the hearing aid market. There's basically five companies that control the hearing aids, and they did everything they could to slow down the procedure that

OK, something good the Biden administration did, getting over-the-counter hearing aids, like a life changer for millions of Americans. Who blocked that? Well, it's an oligarchy in the hearing aid market. There's basically five companies that control the hearing aids, and they did everything they could to slow down the procedure that

The best friend of the Chamber of Commerce is a long notice and comment period that slows down government from doing something really good and meaningful. So I use that as a micro example, but the macro critique and disagreement is around focus.

The best friend of the Chamber of Commerce is a long notice and comment period that slows down government from doing something really good and meaningful. So I use that as a micro example, but the macro critique and disagreement is around focus.

I just want to make sure that we keep something I think that is really important, really central, which is democracy. And so when I'm thinking about examples, and you've done a lot more research in other countries, but in the United States, obviously we're going to look at FDR, and we aren't going to spend all our time on the New Deal.

I just want to make sure that we keep something I think that is really important, really central, which is democracy. And so when I'm thinking about examples, and you've done a lot more research in other countries, but in the United States, obviously we're going to look at FDR, and we aren't going to spend all our time on the New Deal.

But we see that for FDR in the first term, it was more of a top-down vision, right? Let's just get things done. And he found it didn't work. And the buy-in for that, he needed to bring an anti-monopoly agenda.

But we see that for FDR in the first term, it was more of a top-down vision, right? Let's just get things done. And he found it didn't work. And the buy-in for that, he needed to bring an anti-monopoly agenda.

And when you and I worked together, I think, eight years ago on visions of the Green New Deal, I think an underappreciated aspect of the Green New Deal is it's not just a technocratic top-down vision. It is very much about a vision of power.

And when you and I worked together, I think, eight years ago on visions of the Green New Deal, I think an underappreciated aspect of the Green New Deal is it's not just a technocratic top-down vision. It is very much about a vision of power.

I mean, housing is a global crisis right now. It's not just an American crisis, especially the cost of housing.

I mean, housing is a global crisis right now. It's not just an American crisis, especially the cost of housing.