Redesigning the Federal Government for All

Baratunde Thurston reconvenes with PolicyLink CEO Michael McAfee and President Ashleigh Gardere to talk about how to redesign the federal government so that it actually works for everyone.  The episode opens with an honest acknowledgment: the federal government is failing most people right now, and cynicism feels rational. But checking out only hands power to those who want to use government to enrich themselves.  Instead of just responding to those who have an exclusionary vision for this country, they talk about how do a wholesale redesign of the federal government from our own vision – one grounded in the 13th and 14th Amendments' promise that government has an affirmative duty to ensure safe housing, clean water, excellent education, and good jobs for all people.  They imagine how we could become “14th amendment people” that bring this vision to life, and take inspiration from historical movements from Seneca Falls to the environmental justice movement – groups that have pushed forward transformation despite being small in numbers.