Jon always excelled at these ‘dry’ Subjects interviews. If the constitution was created perfectly, there wouldn’t be all those amendments.

@NopeUghUghAbsolutelyNot

2 ай бұрын

Or instructions for major overhaul

@Pete_952

2 ай бұрын

That's the difference between a Democracy and a Republic.

@RemedialRob

2 ай бұрын

Except I'm a 53 y/o man and there have been no substantial changes or improvements to our Constitution in my lifetime. American's got lazy and started depending on a relatively liberal Supreme Court to redefine what the Constitution meant to further the progression towards equity and justice because the tyranny of the minority became so onerous it started to become impossible to get even small, common sense changes to the Constitution passed. And of course that was the Democracy loving left's Achilles Heel in that once the more liberal court was replaced with a conservative one it was easy to reinterpret the reinterpretations. And that brings us to now where our rights to privacy are being eroded, cops are abusing the populace on the daily, Democracy itself is in danger, and we can't even keep the most high tech killing weapons of war out of the hands of civilians. The Constitution was supposed to be a living document but it's mostly been on life support since the 50's when we allowed the SCOTUS to usurp it's authority.

@shawnduddridge

2 ай бұрын

How did he excel at the interview?? They started talking about the last book, then got completely sidetracked.. zero mention of ruling class and financial influence. Then the interview ended with his endorsement of millennials who, by the cheering, are clearly the current audience. 😂

@BoB-Dobbs_leaning-left

2 ай бұрын

@@Pete_952 What is the difference between a Republic and a Democracy? Please tell, oh wise one. Inform us lesser mortals.

Our country is in trouble when a comedian knows more about the Constitution than many of our elected representatives do.

@JimHolder-pk2kk

2 ай бұрын

Listening to this comedian, mocking the foolish elected representatives, organizing and voting is how we get out of this trouble.

@justcheckin_in

2 ай бұрын

Nah, trouble started long ago and the Comedian is much more than that.

@JJNow-gg9so

2 ай бұрын

CORRECT... 😔 SO many dumb 🤡

@hippymoustacherides

2 ай бұрын

Someone has to be the voice of reason. Get out and vote.

@trowawayacc

2 ай бұрын

Dont blame the elected officials blame the voters that dont give a dam. Thinking it will last forever with minimum effort.

Combined with this week's main Jon segment, it really is beautiful to see someone in the U.S. simultaneously understand how 1. The Constitution is a work-in-progress, and 2. Those who claim to champion it are, in fact, missing its point entirely. 👏❤

@derekbaker3279

2 ай бұрын

Excellent points!👍👍 As Jon & Prof Levitsky mentioned, Democracy is a grind. I liken it to a successful marriage & functional family. It requires commitment, communication, hard work, faith in the process, faith in the goals, valuing people who you don't agree with, and NOT viewing everything exclusively from a 'transactional'/"what's in it for me?" perpective. FWIW, one thought that immediately follows from Jon & Prof. Levitsky's conversation is that one of the enemies of Democracy is what I call 'intellectual laziness'. I'm not talking of intelligence, education, background, etc....I mean a willingness to vet sources of info, learn the facts, understand what is going on, draw one's own conclusions, then discuss/debate issues that impact society & participate in the problem-solving process. Quite frankly, what we're seeing today in much of 'western' society..and most notably in the U.S.A., is that people lack the means (critical thinking skills, 'media literacy', etc.) and the motivations to do these things. Finally....it may be the cart, or it may be the horse...but one of the other big problems, especially in a nation as populous as the U.S.A. is that is easy for people to pass off responsibility to their representatives at all levels, to feel that their needs & opinions do not matter, to feel that government doesn't care about them, etc. In fact, the reason that Trump can be so successful, despite clearly being a horrible human being in all respects, is that there is a significant portion of voters who feel disenfranchised, are filled with fear, anger & even desperation (...and the Republicans have always worked to intensify these negative emotions & misunderstandings...), so many voters are willing to 'sell their souls' in order to stop feeling these negative emotions, start believing that they can impact what goes on in Washington, D.C., and even punish their fellow citizens & politicians for (..what they perceive as...) being ignored & disenfranchised.

@francescaa8331

2 ай бұрын

​@@derekbaker3279nice post.

@t.j.3101

2 ай бұрын

​@derekbaker3279 Another mark of intellectual laziness is that no one bothers to bring up how the Electoral College would work better if it hadn't been purposely broken almost a century ago by the Reapportionment Act of 1929 that artificially capped the House at 435 members (and therefore capped the Electoral College at 538 votes). And rather than talk about "pie in the sky" notions like "abolish the Electoral College" (which would require 2/3 vote from both houses of Congress including many smaller states voting against their own electoral interests), we should be talking about abolishing this law. The House and Electoral College are supposed to grow every 10 years following the Census. And they did every 10 years until 1910! If we just established a way for the House to grow predictably and not balloon to an unmanageable size (look up "Cube Root Rule" and "Wyoming Rule"), then we could fairly quickly get the medium and large states the representation due to them in accordance to how much their populations have grown since 1910 without depriving small states the bare minimum representation due to them as outlined in the Constitution (1 House Rep + 2 Senators = 3 Electors).

@warlockman-ri2jr

2 ай бұрын

A lot like you it seems

@noelsonkwa

2 ай бұрын

What’s weird is that folks pretend like no other documents exist. The Constitution comes from Rights Of Man and Common Sense but it’s obvious so many including this guy are ignorant about the other documents that inform the Constitutions creation. America has become an official Oligarchy and theirs no mention of it during this conversation.

Over the many years of Jon Stewart's Daily Show, I have to say I've learned so much from the many guests, often authors, he's had on. This one was no exception. Thank you!

@interdimensionalsteve8172

2 ай бұрын

Indeed! Started reading 'Sapiens' by Yuval Noah Harari this week, and it's amazing so far. Another Thank you from me!

@t.j.3101

2 ай бұрын

Unfortunately you weren't informed by this guest but rather misinformed by him. Abolishing the Electoral College is a fool's errand when the core issue is the Reapportionment Act of 1929 (that broke both representation in the House and therefore the Electoral College). Before 1910 the House (and therefore Electoral College) grew every 10 years following the Census in alignment with the national population and in accordance with the Constitution. What we grew up learning, that the House is set at 435 members and therefore the Electoral College is set at 538 Electors (435 House Reps + 100 Senators + 3 Electors for Washington DC) is a fabrication created by the unconstitutional Reapportionment Act of 1929. The House should be much bigger. States from California to New York to Colorado and Texas should all have way more Representatives (and therefore Electoral College votes). And when larger states are represented properly in both the House and Electoral College, we can stop trying to deprive smaller states (Vermont, the Dakotas, Montana, Alaska, etc.) of their bare minimum representation as outlined in the Constitution--LITERALLY 1 REPRESENTATIVE + 2 SENATORS = 3 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES. 3/435 and 3/538 overrepresentation isn'tmanageable, but if you increase the denominator substantially now and then KEEP DOING IT EVERY 10 YEARS AS OUTLINED IN THE CONSTITUTION then it's less of an issue.

@AfricanLionBat

2 ай бұрын

​@@t.j.3101what will that fix?

@michaelk4295

2 ай бұрын

@@t.j.3101For one thing, doing that would be even harder than amending the Constitution, since it’s directly counter to the interests of every single member of Congress. More to the point, it wouldn’t fix the winner-take-all problem of the Electoral College.

@k8marlowe

2 ай бұрын

I remember a poll, back in the early 2000s, that showed a majority of adults trusted The Daily Show as a news source above other news outlets. I think he’s back because he has such a compelling way to get people to see reason and think critically, and we need that desperately. Hoping it works this time, too.

1. All campaign contributions need to be public where the money trail can be audited or it's illegal. 2. Congressmen and Senators serve 4 year terms. Senators alternate every 2 year cycle. 3. Congressmen and Senators are not allowed to fundraise in session. 4. Congressmen and Senators absences must be reported and made public. 5. Congressmen and Senators will be graded by their peers and their scores made public.

Sounds like we need some serious constitutional reforms. Perhaps we could start by closing any and all loopholes and ambiguities regarding Presidential accountability. I'd propose that leaders should be held more accountable before the law, not less.

@helios7212

2 ай бұрын

Agreed 💯 They are finding and exploiting loop holes in the system, and have been for a long time 🤦‍♂️ like the constitutional government version of Russian hacker gangs 🙄 #justsayin

@zebrazagadore4827

2 ай бұрын

I'd start by mandating all presidential candidates release their tax returns.

@helios7212

2 ай бұрын

Agreed 💯 Along with banning dark money campaign contributions / overturning of Citizens United, and strict enforcement of no quid pro quo campaign donations and politics. Least imo and as a starting point

@jeffm8155

2 ай бұрын

Indeed. Another big one is disinformation, and that's going right to the 1st amendment. Businesses can't lie about their products/services (FTC) but news organizations can somehow lie about obvious facts without consequence (FCC).

@Synodalian

2 ай бұрын

Unfortunately, in order for _any_ of this to happen, we would have to overcome the conservative supermajority in the Supreme Court either by waiting to appoint new progressive judges once the old ones croak, _or_ through court-packing. _Both_ would require securing Democratic supermajorities in both houses of Congress _and_ several successions of Democrat presidents. Those two tasks in themselves will take a _dramatic_ shift in our strategy towards the Democratic Party, as there is no viable third-party option to work with either until we change the Electoral College system, _itself_ requiring supermajorities in the House and Senate.

I think people have a misunderstanding of how dictatorships and democracies respond to change, which Jon sort of eluded to around 7:00. Dictatorships are MUCH worse at handling change. The strength of dictatorships is that there's relatively long periods of consistent government and an explicit mandate to crush any dissent i.e. change. This means dictators can plan things out 10-20 years in advance in a way a democracy can't, but they have a hard time undoing any bad policies or coming up with dynamic new policies. Democracies are much better at handling change because they, by their very nature, require people to revisit and change out their government every couple of years.

@keirfarnum6811

2 ай бұрын

Well stated.

@mortisCZ

2 ай бұрын

That's correct yet I would like to add that dictators can say that something will be done in an instant and that feels more flexible even though it might be a total lie. They don't need to wait for their pariaments to assemble, argue and ponder things. There's no need for commitees to prepare plans ahead of decision. The fact is that once they decide it might take much longer until their plans come to fuition as nobody could fix their mistakes before the promise was given and now the nation is bound to a path that might be slower, more painful and have a dead end. But it seemed faster at first.

@Jesters_Thorny_Crown

2 ай бұрын

There is a downside to this though. Inefficiency through inconsistency. Every 4 years, resources are delegated to create momentum for a party of ideals (one or the other), often in direct opposition to the “other” party. This party takes power, puts new people in new positions of authority and mobilizes assets and resources for their cause. 4 years later, not only does that momentum need to be “overcome “ by the opposition party, but it has to be spent over correcting to the other side of the spectrum. Let’s build a wall. Let’s not. Let’s have troops in X. Let’s bring ‘em home. Let’s have healthcare. Let’s not. Let’s have green energy (or drill for oil). Let’s not. Let’s bolster our education. Let’s not. The amount of energy and resource lost to this inefficiency is probably unmeasurable. Ultimately, the disequilibrium in the system is going to cause us to topple over. The rate of change is increasing. What this country needs (any system really) is consistency. If Google or Apple changed their entire leadership platform every 4 years and replaced it with opposing ideas, it would crash into the ground within a decade. I’m not sure why we expect a system of government that’s infinitely more complex to do any better.

@offtarget1758

2 ай бұрын

Fantastic points!!

@mariners_platter

2 ай бұрын

Well said. But Stewart himself recently made a point about the re-election rate vs approval rate of Congress. It’s nice that we have 4-year terms and a 2 term limit for Presidents. But not having term limits for Congress and Senators is preventing America from discussing new ideas and solutions. Thus, our country got fed up with career politicians and the establishment which paved the way for Trump and MAGA. We can sit here and criticize dictatorships all day, but our system is far from perfect, and now we are struggling to clean up the feces that is Trump and MAGA.

Very interesting discussion. As a German I absolutely can’t understand the pedestal the US constitution is put upon. It’s been written 250 years ago and naturally it might be outdated. We here in Germany are updating ours regularly, and nobody throws a tantrum

@Theomite

2 ай бұрын

American Exceptionalism tends to prompt us to look at the components of our society as something grandiose. We look at other countries using similar models and think "Hey! We did it first! They wouldn't be a democracy without us! It all starts with us! Truly, we are more than just magnificent! Our things...must be miraculous..." It also doesn't help when most of the major innovations the world uses today rolled out of American industrial practice with the aid of the Private Sector. Compare the last 200 years with the previous 5,800 and it looks pretty easy to think something downright magical must have happened to make such a drastic change. But since it isn't magic, then it has to be exceptional genius which could only come from exceptional people with an exceptional belief system. So you can see how this progressive awe for the founding document of the nation grows and grows. Also, the Constitution is the legal foundation for giving and taking away rights. Currently, the conservative end of our government wants to take a lot of rights away and the Constitution is the vehicle for that agenda, and in order to get the public to support it, they have to flaunt the "holiness" of the Constitution in order to sway the voters who also look at the document the same way.

@toober1066

2 ай бұрын

Germany has a far more mature polity than the US. European political culture has far deeper roots than the US. As nation-states go, America is in it's adolescence, and we act like it.

@daqueda1577

2 ай бұрын

Something missing in that assessment and the replies. Is that the founding documents are the binding factor for Americans rather then any shared culture or history. Being culturally German means something. America is an immigrant culture so the citizens don't share history, tradition, or genetics. Americans are American because of the documents they agree define being American. Changing the constitution changes that definition, making it really difficult to adapt it to modern problems.

@Milkmans_Son

2 ай бұрын

"I absolutely can’t understand the pedestal the US constitution is put upon" says the country responsible for both world wars.

@ek6321

2 ай бұрын

America is narcissistic, with all the problems, and the inevitable destruction they bring, this fact entails.

We have desperately NEEDED Jon this past decade (feels like twice that.)

I bought the book after reading "how democracies die" both fantastic pieces of work

@helios7212

2 ай бұрын

👏👏 Adding them to the top of my summer reading list 🙏

I learned stuff on a TV comedy show! Super interesting look back at our foundation. Well done...

@GeorgeKane-fw2bd

2 ай бұрын

Charles Wright Mills

@BoB-Dobbs_leaning-left

2 ай бұрын

@@GeorgeKane-fw2bd John Stewart Mill? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stuart_Mill

@t.j.3101

2 ай бұрын

Learning is a strong word, because the Reapportionment Act of 1929 didn't come up once. So you only go like 20% of the story.

@QueenoftheDaddies

2 ай бұрын

​@@t.j.3101it's still 20% we didn't know, which is called learning

@GeorgeKane-fw2bd

2 ай бұрын

@@BoB-Dobbs_leaning-left C.Wright Mills . A sub genius....the power elite

Excellent description of the Constitution abstract. A must read book.

@bobbyrabii6119

2 ай бұрын

THIS!

@Redfoot138

2 ай бұрын

He got his hooks in me. Just ordered this.

@Joey-ct8bm

2 ай бұрын

Except for the part he lost me at the very start. San Marino constitution is the first constitution of the world. This is a professor of Harvard.🤣 We in Europe get real educations. Oh man, that is bad. Gym professor at Harvard? That school is supposed to be the best in the US. What!?

@willsparklin

2 ай бұрын

@@Joey-ct8bm Yep. I was like... unless a small country on a hill landlocked by Italy doesn't count, this interview is still steeped in American exceptionalism.

@thomasvcf

2 ай бұрын

​​@@Joey-ct8bm"there was never a republic before" laughs in Greek / Latin / pick your old world republic

It’s remarkable so much can be unpacked in an 8 min dialog.

I hope everyone pays attention. Thank (insert your deity) Jon is back!

@GGoAwayy

2 ай бұрын

Thank Jon Stewart Jon is back!

@helios7212

2 ай бұрын

👏👏👏👏💯 Great interview here, just the kind of discussion we need to put things in historical comparision, esp vs the authoritarian movements of the last century that devolved into totalitarian regimes and plunged the world into violence and chaos 😔💔

@helios7212

2 ай бұрын

Welcome back Jon!!!! 🙏🙏 Back to true form tonight fr, spot on interview putting things in great historical perspective 🙏

@j.s.t.6515

2 ай бұрын

Thanks flying spaghetti monster!

@daveymcdonald1114

2 ай бұрын

I hope he doesn't retire again!! There's no one else like him!!!

Don't sit around idle this electoral year while a loud, radical, minority decides the future of our country. Please inform yourself, vote, and get involved. 🇺🇸💙

North and South Dakota have about 3 Million people and get 4 senators, California has nearly 40 million and gets 2.

@mjm.9082

2 ай бұрын

Wow... Sobering information

@Rockermom59

2 ай бұрын

When the framers wrote the Articles of Confederation, they all had to compromise over and over again to come up with a fair government. The 13 colonies had a more equal population distribution so the final compromise was two senators per state regardless of size. We could amend the current constitution to change this, but the states in question would have to agree to it (none would), and adding an amendment to our constitution is a very difficult and lengthy process. This in fact is the only thing in the Constitution that is considered unamendable. It hasn't been amended since 1992. Before that, it was 1971 that the 26th Amendment was signed - the right to vote at age 18.

just want to point out that "the young people will save us" is a very old mantra. Elder millenial myself. This was also said about us. I don't want to take away what gen z or gen alpha (once they get there) can and will do, but let's not put the whole burden at their feet. That said, if gen z wants to produce a whole bunch of John Browns, I won't object.

@carl1367

2 ай бұрын

yeah its up to the people in charge now, the boomers to save us, but they have decided the ive got mine F you mentality. im a millennial and what am i supposed to do, cant afford a house, cant pay rent, so im supposed to take off work and run for congress? i think the minimum to run for congress even in the cheapest state is over 100000 just to even try.

@Silverhawk100

2 ай бұрын

And a bit hypocritical since we keep stuffing a gerontacracy into our government.

@jawstrock2215

2 ай бұрын

For it to happen, the older people needs to leave and let them take over.. but they just linger way past their expiration date now.

@miguelvelez7221

2 ай бұрын

I wish people would understand how demographic change is no silver bullet. Point blank... How many Occupy Wall Street types, well known figures mind you, are totally in the tank for Trump and MAGA these days? That wasn't that long ago and all those "Progressives" now talk about being "Anti-Woke" and screeching about the horrors of "Socialism". Alex Jones, Vivek Ramaswammy, Nick Fuentes, Ben Shapiro... They ain't "Boomers". For that matter "Gamergate" wasn't Boomers either. I'm late Gen X and... Am I embarrassed for my generation in how many are in lock step with MAGA.

@LindaC616

2 ай бұрын

​@jawstrock2215 for it to happen, Z and Alpha have to toughen up and go through a looot of adulting...bc look how the millennial are passing the buck already

Thanks for showing the people can talk about and think about our democracy and constitution. Common sense not being very common. ## ** ❤

@mjm.9082

2 ай бұрын

well said!

I hope ProfesorrLevitsky does a Zoom course (affordable & available to all) on the historical facts of U.S. democracy.

@TruthrConsequences

2 ай бұрын

Why not just choose to investigate the path that led from Plato to Leviathan to Jefferson?

@t.j.3101

2 ай бұрын

I don't. Any discussion of the Electoral College that doesn't bring up the Reapportionment Act of 1929 is wholly inadequate.

I tried explaining this to my cousin and he just went on and on about how the US was perfect and the better than any other country and system ever. In truth we were one of the first and other countries learned from us. Now some of it is terrible outdated. The blind nationalism of some of these people is disturbing.

@warlockman-ri2jr

2 ай бұрын

I find Your lack of faith disturbing....

@warlockman-ri2jr

2 ай бұрын

A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything

@jgallone

2 ай бұрын

@@warlockman-ri2jr Never eat spinach with a stranger

@knivesdive3278

2 ай бұрын

@@warlockman-ri2jr Darth Vader?

@eliasmontanez

2 ай бұрын

Happens all the time when I talk about democracy, people simply fall into their brainwashing talking points

Wish the interview was longer

…“Democracy is fragile because in order for it to be truly democratic in a pure sense, it leaves itself to be open to be taken over by fundamentally anti-democratic forces“… Ash Sarkar

@eliasmontanez

2 ай бұрын

You don’t need democracy in a “pure sense” you need it in a sense that it works for the people

what an insightful comment Jon said about democracy foundationally being an analog system, unwieldy in a digital world, giving a shine to authoritarianism principles, democracy is a grind

I believe Jon has a very solid piint about Democracy needing to adapt from analog to digital.

@brickedmemorandum

2 ай бұрын

Digital isn't so great. It is more expensive to maintain and doesn't work as reliably.

@MarcStollmeyer

2 ай бұрын

Digital in a literal sense means either/or, a “1” or a “0”, without room for anything in between. It is frankly a terrible analogy coming from a guy who is famously so non-partisan. What he probably meant was the figurative analogy, using “digital” as a relative term to define modern technology, ergo a more modern era. Which yes we should adapt to modern challenges but the core issue is one that has been here since the beginning: The US does not have a direct democracy, allowing for the protection of minority rule.

@oldrrocr

2 ай бұрын

What I read into that was the need for the government to be adaptive to quick changing life in the modern world... can we start with the supreme court please.

@helios7212

2 ай бұрын

​@@MarcStollmeyer👏👏👏🎯 Well said 💯

@helios7212

2 ай бұрын

Agreed 💯 as long as the adaptation to digital (metaphorically) is an update democracy - not a chucking it out the window like a Russian journalist for a system with NO checks and balance in power to replace it #justsayin Dictatorships and authoritarian rule are Always the worse option. History has proven this many times over

Great book, Florida will ban it for sure

@cactustree505

2 ай бұрын

that's always a great recommendation for a book these days! 🤣

@Social_Pugatory

2 ай бұрын

@@gezenewsOh yea just like how conservative states don't ban people in blue cities and urban areas from voting they just deter them by shutting down polling locations so that the lines for 8 booths wrap around the building so it takes 8 hours to spend 15 minutes casting your ballots. (Lived experience last primaries)

@helios7212

2 ай бұрын

😂😂😂😂😂😔 Underrated all too real comment. They never come for the guns first.... 📚

@donnawestbrook8992

2 ай бұрын

Yes, and Texas.

Fascinating and well articulated by both men..

Had to read how democracy dies in grad school and it stuck with me

There are positives and negatives with having a written document which creates the foundation for your democracy. The positives are always talked about, but a couple of the notable negatives include the judiciary taking a document written centuries ago literally, and amendments to the document needing to be tabled and ratified to fit a changing society (eg. Voting rights).

The electoral college was much more about the smaller states than the southern states. Most of the compromises were. The 3/5 clause was the main compromise that was really about slavery. During that debate, it was interesting to read their arguments. The Northerners were arguing slaves were property and shouldn't count and the Southerners were arguing they were people and should, both calling the other hypocrits. That's because counting them as people gave more power to the southern states and that power would only have been weilded by the free people. But the electoral college, they didn't really think would be all that important. They expected most states to elect their "favorite sons" and spent much longer on what happens if nobody gets a majority than they did on how the majority is counted. Fun fact: Georgia voted with the large states. They weren't large... but they really thought they would be one day. And they were planning for that. So Georgia often voted with Massachusetts, Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania.

@brickedmemorandum

2 ай бұрын

I want to learn about these times and these perspectives you're sharing... where do I start?

@Sam_on_YouTube

2 ай бұрын

@@brickedmemorandum 2 books I'd recommend: The Constitutional Convention, a Narrative History by Larson and Winship and Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution by Pauline Maier Read them in that order. They don't work the other way around. The first one is an easier read than you'd expect. The second has a very nice audio version of you don't care about the excellent footnotes. The primary documents for the first are available free from Avalon, a project of Yale University. But the edited version creates a story that is much easier to follow with modern spelling, punctuation, paragraph markers and footnotes. For the second, it is basically a 500 page narrative summary of the 35,000 page Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution. That enormous project is nearing completion after 50 years of work. The book came out when it was only mostly done, but she worked with the editors and did some of the research they hadn't yet finished to get the full story a little early. Most volumes are available free online from the Wisconsin Historical Society. Only the most recent one or two are behind paywalls. But I highly recommend Maier's version as an introduction. You cannot understand the way all these different events impact each other as the first real national conversation from the primary sources. Her compilation is indispensable. If you want to go into a very interesting tangent, my absolute favorite book of all time is Constitutional Brinksmanship by Russell Caplan. That will fill in a lot of context that is missing in the other books. Though it is specifically about Article V of the Constitution, my area of expertise.

@brickedmemorandum

2 ай бұрын

@@Sam_on_KZread I really appreciate you taking out the time to write this. Not often will you find someone willing in to do more than write a short embroiled comment on the internet. Thank you so much. Is your career in law?

@Sam_on_YouTube

2 ай бұрын

@@brickedmemorandum Yes. I'm National Counsel for Wolf-PAC. You should look into it. We always love to have curious people like you involved.

@Sthunderrocker

2 ай бұрын

And today we have illegal immigrants who count toward apportionment (house seats and electoral college) but don't legally vote. 10 million people is 13 congressional districts in mostly democratic areas.

Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first. Charles de Gaulle

@JKB-ji6xl

2 ай бұрын

There's a lot of hate in the USA today...and talk about vengeance against "vermin". Thanks 4 sharing.

Levitsky's been one of my favorites for years. He has a very clear view of democracy's variables - for and against, and it was great seeing him visit the set.

I never warch interviews normally, its hard to fund journalists who push back and ask tough questions. Johns interviews always keep me captivated

Major. Campaign. Finance. Reform.

Should be watch by all voters...Real Historical Facts.

John, John, John. I really missed you , man! Welcome back!

What I really like about this video is that it emphasizes that the Constitution needs to continue to grow and improve. That idea is almost never brought up, and while it's brought up to a somewhat limited extent here, the fact that it's brought up at all is in my view a win. Near the beginning of this video they talk about how we could have had a completely different system of government, such as a parliamentary system. I think there are legitimate cons of such a system, but the fact that we don't even consider alternative forms of government, and simply view the US branches of government as perfect, is a real problem.

@JKB-ji6xl

2 ай бұрын

Lately I keep thinking a parliamentary government might work better here. It's less of a winner-takes-all system & more representative.

@ezra7088

2 ай бұрын

@@JKB-ji6xl what I also like about such a system is that there's always a governing coalition, instead of a split government that has trouble accomplishing anything. In US politics, the party not in the White House is incentivized to block everything and accomplish nothing, and then blame that lack of accomplishments on the president and opposing party. That isn't a problem in parliamentary systems

I think it was Madison (don't quote me on the name) that said very shortly after that he wished he could re-write the consituition. A lot of the founding fathers said that it should be reviewed and corrected every 20 yrs - it was never meant to be a permanent, as written, document. The 3/5th line was written to appease the southern elite to get them to agree to the consitution !

@JesusFinale

2 ай бұрын

I think that was Jefferson. And even Washington said something similar

@chetsavage2536

2 ай бұрын

Agreed. I think it's a legacy of religion, namely Christianity, to view a document as permanent and true by definition. A document that was always designed to be updated, though not on a whim, has become sacrosanct...and stifling.

@veronicareitherreese6671

2 ай бұрын

Or conservative justice excuses to stall progress unless it benefits their donors.

Another great interview. Thanks Jon

Great book title! This is exactly what is happening now in the US.

@eliasmontanez

2 ай бұрын

Yep, but people have been brainwashed to repeat old talking points against real democracy

Jon is spot on. People don't like it but rules are written in blood, and most change has come through violence. Its why we need to be very careful about being lazy about change, because if we don't listen to the people then they will make us listen

I highly recommend BBC's In our time episode on the founding of the US. Interesting bit - the founding fathers thought one major benefit of unification was that it would be impossible to manipulate or influence the results on such a high level (as opposed to state level)

So glad you are back Jon!

Dear Daily Show, These 05 style interviews mean the world to me. Thanks for helping me connect the dots between vast ideas as always Jon ❤

The constitution was meant to constantly change but conservative voices have made it stagnate. Any government that is stagnant will be weakened by that. Conservatives don’t want things to change but that doesn’t coalesce with reality

The kids these days… are my children, and I stand in awe of them.

Jon, have an anarchist on the show. The alternative to democracy is not just fascism. Anarchism was described by Benjamin Tucker as "unterrified Jeffersonianism."

@5amiann

Ай бұрын

I agree. Many people do not understand what they will get with anarchy. Or dissolving the government and all regulations. India of the 1960s and the worst environmental disaster of all time...

Genuinely can't wait to read this book. I love what Jon pointed out - how the Constitution is really about the mechanics of government and IMO to be read with an eye towards more democracy. I think we've OVERCORRECTED on the issue of mob rule. We've done some amazing things in our evolution as a country and we need to keep moving forward, not cave to the people who want hold our nation in some status quo - some made up "greater time". That's absurd and it is outside the notion that we're supposed to win some and loose some and when we loose - we seek to find win again by persuasion, NOT violence.

All of this was fantastic. I just wish they had addressed the downsides of a two-party system and the potential benefits of a democracy where there were realistic options other than red or blue. Hoping ranked-choice voting starts to become far more prevalent.

@t.j.3101

2 ай бұрын

If you want more options, get ranked choice voting (RCV) across the finish line in your state. Alaska, Maine, and (hopefully soon) Nevada have RCV and don't have to deal with the permanent Republican/Democrat duopoly like the rest of us are stuck with. Seriously, RCV helped prevent Sarah Palin from torturing us again because voters in Alaska were able rank all of their choices and she was lower on the list for the sane majority.

@5amiann

Ай бұрын

Oregon needs it. Even the Democrats can't hold the Democrats in power accountable.

Thank you for coming back Jon!

Welcome back Jon, this is why you are still around to break it down.

Plato seems to have been correct about the Ship of State. Democracy isn't guided by reason & intellect, but through rhetoric, riches, & intoxicants.

@eliasmontanez

2 ай бұрын

Easy answer, improve education instead of suppressing democracy. We need experienced people at the helm of the ship, sure. But it is the passengers who get to choose the direction/destination of the ship, not the people steering it.

@TheRealGigatess

2 ай бұрын

@@eliasmontanez Yes. Excellent comment!

I get it would be awful for clips… but i would love it if there was a companion podcast or even a slightly extended version of these conversations. There’s always so much material and it can only be discussed so superficially in these 10ish minute segments

Thoughtful interview. Thanks.

Excellent interview.

It's kind of amazing how 300+ million people are able to make this work, as bad as things are. Part of the problem is that we're held hostage by two parties. One promising fascism and the other that says vote for us or we'll let the fascists win. A lot of people recognize how undemocratic that is but no one knows how to fix it.

@miguelvelez7221

2 ай бұрын

Seems the reverse is true right now and in the past. We have one party that has been on the road to Authoritarianism for decades and another middle of the road Center-Left (By American standards) party and it's currently Progressives saying "Do exactly what we want or we'll let the Fascists win" without an ounce of irony. If the rebuttal is something about Gaza... Point blank I am not going to give the terrible current reality of what is happening there more consideration than the government take over here by Trump's coterie of White Nationalists. Your moral high ground is based on the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in harms way? Well... My moral framing is based on living in a city where we had to walk by refrigerator trucks filled with dead Americans while the then President and supporters told me it was no big deal even after it was clear millions were gonna die. As bad as the situation is for the Palestinians I am not risking my life or the lives of my community again on the competency and ethics of Trump and his MAGA Goofball Brigade.

@necordektox879

2 ай бұрын

​@@miguelvelez7221 You just assumed a lot about me. I am voting for Biden because yeah I don't want an open fascist who hates democracy to win. As bad as things are for Palestinians now we have no hope of making it better for them under Trump. I also don't think it's unreasonable to point out how awful the system is. That was the point of my last sentence, this is so messed up and no one knows how to fix it.

@JKB-ji6xl

2 ай бұрын

The Palestinians voted in Hamas, just as Israel chose Netanyahu. Just sayin', Oct. 7th & over 30k deaths in Gaza since R all both tragic & the consequences of the choices of voters in those countries.

Thank you for the great discussion Jon! Have to check his book out, great description of the historical context and design of the Consitution, along with very apt authoritarian parallels of the last century.. 😔

Democracy must be tempered as much as dictators. The constituton tempers both. It's beautiful.

Love watching this because I'm learning stuff, thank you.

Jon was there 2015 reacting to trump coming down the escalator thinking like everyone else it's just another publicity stunt. Jon retired. Trump became president. Yeah. Jon is back for a reason everyone.

@Sean-wm1gn

2 ай бұрын

yeah and that reason is apple TV and him had a big disagreement.

@iainherridge6253

2 ай бұрын

​@@Sean-wm1gnyeah he wasn't willing to sell out!

@JKB-ji6xl

2 ай бұрын

Probably for many reasons. I'm just happy he's back.

If we thought the failed gas-lighting promises from totalitarian regimes and dictators last century was bad.... just imagine what they could have done with social media and AI... 😔🤦‍♂️ #justsayin

@thebiowatchlist

2 ай бұрын

Our children will find out over the next 100 years.

@JKB-ji6xl

2 ай бұрын

We are finding out now.

Great points! "Analog system ” ❤

Thanks so much

What an excellent interview.

Quite interesting conversation.

Crazy that this came out right as I'm reading parts of Levitsky's book for one of my classes

I always enjoy watching the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. With "The Guy on the Internet" comments made me want to obtain a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Sciences at ITT (International Telephone and Telegraph)Technical Institute.

It amazes me that only recently have US Americans started to debate whether their electoral system is truly democratic or not (hint: it isn't) after FIVE candidates have already won the popular vote yet lost the elections under the rules of the electoral college, TWO of them in the past 25 years...

@jawstrock2215

2 ай бұрын

It just wasn't as much of an issue before, where presidents would get near 100% of the country.

@t.j.3101

2 ай бұрын

It's getting worse because of the artifical cap of 435 members on the House of Representatives introduced by the Reapportionment Act of 1929. Prior to 1910, the Census actually mattered a lot more, and made more sense. The House is supposed to grow in size every 10 years following the Census. And the Electoral College is supposed to be mostly weighted in alignment with the popular vote (size of House + size of Senate + 3 votes for Washington DC), but we're stuck with a House that aligns with the population from 1910. I'm sure FiveThirtyEight loves that their site and podcast don't need to change their names every 10 years, but I consider the Reapportionment Act of 1929 to be unconstitutional. 538 Electoral College Votes is arbitrary. If the House was larger in alignment with the current US population (using the Cube Root Rule, the Wyoming Rule, or the implied square root formula from Madison's Apportionment Amendment), then that number could be 700 or 800 or 1000. And then we could stop caring if Vermont or Wyoming or Alaska or Montana get their measly 3 Electoral College votes (minimum guaranteed by the Constitution; 1 House Rep + 2 Senators = 3 Electors).

@LegionarioCruel

2 ай бұрын

@@t.j.3101 Or just get rid of the electoral college altogether...

@t.j.3101

2 ай бұрын

@@LegionarioCruel repealing the Reapportionment Act of 1929 is more practical since it doesn't require a Constitutional Amendment (that none of the smaller states will agree to among the 2/3 votes needed across both houses of Congress to pass), and it accomplishes 90% of what we want quickly.

Such an insightful interview

I am both happy and sad that The Daily Show has better guests and more informed, thought-provoking conversations about a broad range of subjects that 99% of news and "serious" political programs. Cheers, team.

So spot on. Beware!

Great talk!!!

Great conversation. VOTE BLUE!

@dr1zzzy

2 ай бұрын

People should vote for the candidates that best represent their views

@helios7212

2 ай бұрын

​@@dr1zzzyThey should, but unless you want to live in a fascist/totalitarian oppressive state, this election the clear vote is blue. Once the wannabe tyrant is out of the way we can and should return to more nuanced discussions and third party candidates though, very much agree 👍

@dr1zzzy

2 ай бұрын

@@helios7212 I think you may be a little melodramatic, local politicians have a much larger impact on your day to day than the big federal government

@whatabouttheearth

2 ай бұрын

​@@dr1zzzy 😂 No surprise you're subscribed to Tim Poole.

@helios7212

2 ай бұрын

@dr1zzzy Not if an aspiring authoritarian like Trump gets office 🤦‍♂️ Ask how much local regional politicians mattered to Germany in the 30s or Russia under Stalin. Extreme focus and power in a centralized executive branch is a part of the problem - and just what the likes of Trump want to persecute their enemies

Very interesting conversation 🤔 we need to look into this more 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💙💙💙

Fascinating insight, book ordered!

Great stuff, we should always be critical of systems that rule us, change what isn't working for the majority to ensure that they do

Finally! The only conversation we should be having - the system is out of date and corrupted, so what contemporary approach should replace it.

@brickedmemorandum

2 ай бұрын

You're idiotic.

@gabbi111969

2 ай бұрын

No replacements. But yes to new Amendments.

@helios7212

2 ай бұрын

They system shouldn't be replaced - note his comparisions to the last centuries when democracy is chucked out the window entirely. But updated to keep bad actors from exploiting it and fight corruption in the system 💯💯

@edutainme7265

2 ай бұрын

@@helios7212 it's probably a moot point - the 🤖s will probably soon be our overlords.

Whatever kind of system there is, there must be human rights + human responsibilities underpinned by reflection, an honest, clear view of reality, a positive and inclusive vision for the future and the ability to change to improve things for people and planet. This is foundational. The rest is, largely, detailed elaborations on the above.

Excellent

Unfortunately, the folks that really need to learn how fragile democracy is aren’t really the reading types.

We have a way that works for now, and leaves room for improvement. We CANNOT destroy that.

@miguelvelez7221

2 ай бұрын

😂😂😂 That's what every landed gentry type that owned slaves said in 1859.

@JKB-ji6xl

2 ай бұрын

​@@miguelvelez7221 Actually they didn't respect a need for improvement.

I missed this. Thank you Jon.

Wow! Great conversation!

The best Churchill quote on this exact topic: "Democracy is THE worst form of government... except every other alternative!" 😀👍

@josephleonardis1508

2 ай бұрын

What Churchill said versus what he did are 2 entirely different things. He lusted for and used Fascism especially the Communists in the world

I love the author interviews! Missed these.

Excellent conversation and food for thought.

Fascinating 👍

You know what would improve democracy, doing the hard choice that only he has the calling to do, be the President himself! It’s not a job someone should want, it should be a calling. He has been called!

Fascinating conversation

Best tv in a very long time. Welcome back Jon

I always feel smarter after watching the Daily Show. This was a great conversation!

We need more time with this man... both of them!

Take only pictures, leave only footprints. Eschewing history and governance of a free republic is not sustainable through the looking glass. Navigating forward, requires thoughtful retrospective. Thank you Jon for all you do.

@TheFailingHumanExperieme-ge4ov

2 ай бұрын

Jon is quickly becoming a Zion-plant by having mostly Jouws on every week. Don't let us down, JS.

@trackzero0

2 ай бұрын

@@TheFailingHumanExperieme-ge4ov karma defeats dogma. If entropy were understood, mankind still wouldn’t have a foothold. That’s a fact, Jack.

Go Levitsky! 🎉

Best show yet

He does a better job at news than our real news and it’s very sad.

Thx Jon, it is great entertainment. Sprinkling in positions keeps us thinking.

Thanks for an interesting and important conversation.

"San Marino's constitution, dating back to 1600, is the world's oldest written constitution still in effect."

@LegionarioCruel

2 ай бұрын

Correct, the US Constitution is the oldest CODIFIED constitution in the world still in effect.

@Seajack64

2 ай бұрын

@@LegionarioCruel more like "most outdated"

Jon Stewart needs to run for president already! 🔴⚪🔵

@batgurrl

2 ай бұрын

He wouldn’t want that job

@theabristlebroom4378

2 ай бұрын

​@@batgurrl Which is why he is worthy.

@1RockieRacoon

2 ай бұрын

He has no solutions. While smart, he's an inch deep and a mile wide.

@samanthamariefreeman335

2 ай бұрын

Oh, NO! His sense of humor would instantly be destroyed!! That 'shix' not funny at all! 😉

@warlockman-ri2jr

2 ай бұрын

That's a terrible idea

Go Steve!!!!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤