On today’s briefing:
The Unsettling Irony That Presiding Over the Celebration of 250 Years of American Democracy is a President Out to Destroy American Democracy
We begin as we approach the 250th anniversary of American democracy, with the unsettling irony that the celebrations are being presided over by a president who is doing everything in his power to subvert and overthrow American democracy. Joining us is Lincoln Mitchell, who teaches in the School of International and Public Affairs and the Department of Political Science at Columbia University. He has written numerous books and articles about international affairs, American politics and baseball. His new book is Three Years our Mayor: George Moscone and the Making of Modern San Francisco, and he is the author of the popular Substack Kibitzing with Lincoln where his latest article we discuss is, “Metaphor, Fascism and Democracy: America at 250.”
How a Government Of the People, By the People and For the People Can Be Reborn 250 Years After the American Revolution
Then we speak with Allan Lichtman, a political historian who teaches at American University and has studied both the American right and the presidency. The author of The Case For Impeachment and The Keys to the White House: A Surefire Way to Predicting the Next President, his prediction system has correctly predicted the outcomes of all US presidential elections between 1984 and 2020. His recent books include The Embattled Vote in America and Thirteen Cracks: Repairing American Democracy After Trump, and his forthcoming book is Great American Presidents: The Twelve Who Transformed the Nation. He has a weekly show on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 PM EST @allanlichtmanyoutube and we discuss how a government of the people, by the people and for the people can be reborn 250 years after the American revolution.
Former Majority Leader Gephardt and Senator Tim Worth’s Warning That Trump is Building the Infrastructure of Authoritarian Control
Then finally we speak with Kent Harrington, a former senior CIA analyst who served as National Intelligence Officer for East Asia and Chief of Station in Asia. He has an article at his Substack First and Second Thoughts we discuss, “The Last Election: Then and Now: The Nazis brutalized their opponents to win in the 1933 Reichstag elections and cement Hitler’s power. It was all legal. In November don’t be surprised to see the same thing.”
Background Briefing offers an educational approach to providing information in an era of “fake news.”