Keeping Democracy Alive with Burt Cohen Burt Cohen

In his new book The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America, prolific author Larry Tye shares what he learned about the lives of the three men, now recognized as great Americans. The racism they faced their whole lives and the truly unique role Black musicians played in integrating America. In one example, he tells how the mobsters speakeasies opened otherwise closed doors.

Used to be Labour was left, Tories were conservative. Now it seems each party is trying to be just like the other. This right before PM Rishi Sunak shocked everyone by scheduling a new election for July fourth. And stirring it up is the infamous right wing racist Nigel Farage who plans to campaign for Trump and is head of he far right Reform Party. Meanwhile there’s the Greens who are a growing force.  Then there’s We Deserve Better, which is backing independents like former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose successor as Labour leader – and therefore contender to become Prime Minister – is Keir Starmer who our guest says is more Blair than Tony Blair. Embracing Tory positions.  Why should we in America care what happens? They are a lot like us, only different. And the fate of Britain matters a lot to the whole world. Just ask Gazans.

The final chapter in our guest’s new book, Liberalism as a Way of Life asks the question: Requiem for a Liberal Way of Life? Well, is it really over? Reached in Sydney Australia where he’s professor of politics and philosophy at the University of Sydney, Alexandre Lefebvre delves into the weeds of the overlooked but very real pervasiveness of liberalism, not just as politics but as a successful way of life. The freedom from rigid hierarchy of illiberalism scares the crap out of social conservatives and right wingers. And just as gays used to hide, now is the time for liberals to come out loud and proud.

Many Americans were appalled at the violent January 6th assault on the capitol. The thought was: That’s not who we are. But in truth throughout our history, a great number of Americans have supported hierarchies and authoritarianism; freedoim for us but not for those others. On this show Professor Steven Hahn author of Illiberal America: A History, talks about how pervasive this far right has been and continues to be. The liberalism of the 20th century was the outlier, not illiberalism.

They wanted to stop abortions, instead there were more after the Dobbs decision than before. One the first segment, Mother Jones magazine writer Julianne McShane tells how women are maintaining their reproductive rights despite the attacks. And on the second segment, senior Mother Jones reporter Julia Lurie tells the story of right wing promoted, taxpayer funded “baby boxes” where women can anonymously leave their babies with no human interaction. And the anti-choicers insist it empowers women. A safety net would actually do that.

Imagine a Supreme Court whose only agenda was “equal justice under law.” It was real. Unlike today’s court, which is openly an arm of the MAGA movement, when that court ended legal segregation 70 years ago, the Chief Justice was Earl Warren. Our guest, legal journalist Michael Bobelian tells how the Warren Court laid the foundation for reproductive rights and marriage equality. Though today little known, the Warren Court removed congress’s ability to harass citizens. He brought the court closer to America’s aspirations.