Steve Teles on cost-disease socialism, why American political parties need factions, and why abundance advocates should create their own faction.

This is the first of two conversations with Steve Teles, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University and the Niskanen Center. In this conversation, which was recorded on September 13, we talk about why American political parties need more factions, why the abundance movement needs to be one,  and how scarcity emerged when, as Steve says, “we traded majority tyranny for minority tyranny.” Please subscribe to my YouTube channel, which includes my textile-history videos as well as podcasts and assorted other material.Come see me on SundayOn Sunday, November 3, I will be selling and signing copies of The Fabric of Civilization and The Power of Glamour at the Southern California Handweavers’ Guild’s Weaving & Fiber Festival (WeFF) at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center. Admission and parking are free. Doors open at 10, and it’s a fun day for anyone with an interest in fiber arts. I will be working in the members’ boutique, where you can also buy beautiful handwoven items that make great holiday and hostess gifts and vintage garments, made from the 1940s to the 1970s with handwoven cloth, at incredibly low prices.Virginia's Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Virginia's Newsletter at vpostrel.substack.com/subscribe