The Realignment The Realignment

Steven Teles, Johns Hopkins University Professor and Niskanen Center Senior Fellow, returns to The Realignment. Steven and Marshall discuss why political factions within the left and right will upend the last thirty years of party politics, the poor track record of moderate reform efforts, the importance of enhancing state-capacity, the abundance agenda's ability to confront economic stagnation, the need for a reform movement on the level of 19th century progressives, and the path to overcoming political polarization.

John Strausbaugh, author of The Wrong Stuff: How the Soviet Union Crashed and Burned, joins The Realignment. Marshall and John discuss the rise and fall of the USSR's space program, why the U.S. had the "Right Stuff" while the Soviet's had the "Wrong Stuff" needed for long-term success, how NASA lost its way after the Apollo Moon landings, and the implications for the second space race between the U.S., China, and the private companies like SpaceX caught in the middle.

Stephanie Ternullo, author of How the Heartland Went Red: Why Local Forces Matter in an Age of Nationalized Politics and Assistant Professor of Government at Harvard University, joins The Realignment. Marshall and Stephanie discuss how focusing on local contexts helps explain why White voters continue to shift to the right, why the New Deal coalition broke down, the debate over whether all politics is local or increasingly nationalized, and how these dynamics defined the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Kyla Scanlon, Bloomberg contributor and author of In This Economy?: How Money & Markets Really Work, returns to The Realignment. Marshall and Kyla discuss how she originated the term "Vibecession," and why it perfectly describes the mood of mid-2020s America, educational gaps when it comes to money and market related topics, using social media and publishing tools such as Substack to inform audiences, generational differences, and why she believes the "Abundance Agenda" is the best hope for improving economic opportunity.

In the latest edition of The Realignment's weekend Ask Me Anything and discussion series, Saagar and Marshall debate and discuss how the U.S. should have approached Israel's war against Hamas, the impacts of Israel-Palestine on the 2024 election, Biden vs. Trump's electoral prospects, Breaking Points's transition to Rumble, and more...

Heath Brown, author of Roadblocked: Joe Biden's Rocky Transition to the Presidency and Associate Professor CUNY's John Jay College of Criminal Justice, joins The Realignment. Marshall and Heath discuss the increasing political significance and attention paid to presidential transitions, why the transition from Trump to Biden went poorly, how outside interests groups influence incoming administrations, the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, and whether Biden should have aimed for a "transformational" presidency in the first place?