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Interesting Times with Ross DouthatAug 14, 2025

Abolish the Senate. End the Electoral College. Pack the Court.

Summary, books mentioned, source context, and timestamps for Abolish the Senate. End the Electoral College. Pack the Court. on Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

Books mentioned

The Right of the People, Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding Charisma in American Life The Right of the People+1 more

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Abolish the Senate. End the Electoral College. Pack the Court. includes mentions of The Right of the People, Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding, Charisma in American Life by Molly Worthen, The Right of the People, and Unruly Americans by Woody Holton, with indexed source context and timestamps where available.

The Right of the People, Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding Charisma in American Life The Right of the People Unruly Americans

3 books from this episode

The Right of the People, Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding

Indexed context: The host mentions the book to highlight the radical ideas proposed by the author regarding the need for a constitutional revolution in response to pe…

Charisma in American Life

Molly Worthen

Indexed context: The host mentions 'Charisma in American Life' to explore the role of charisma in political leadership and its impact on voter appeal. They discuss ho…

The Right of the People

Indexed context: The host mentions 'The Right of the People' to explore radical ideas that could reshape Democratic Party politics in response to recent electoral fai…

Episode summary

For Democrats, President Trump’s victories have revealed the antidemocratic flaws at the core of our government. But could it be an opening for a constitutional revolution as the party searches for its next leader? This week, Ross explores what that revolution would entail with Osita Nwanevu, the author of the book, “The Right of the People: Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding.”

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The Right of the People, Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding

The host mentions the book to highlight the radical ideas proposed by the author regarding the need for a constitutio…

Card

Charisma in American Life

Molly Worthen

The host mentions 'Charisma in American Life' to explore the role of charisma in political leadership and its impact…

Card

The Right of the People

The host mentions 'The Right of the People' to explore radical ideas that could reshape Democratic Party politics in…

Card

Unruly Americans

Woody Holton

The host references 'Unruly Americans' by Woody Holton to illustrate the economic distress and political context surr…

Card

Book mentions4

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What is Abolish the Senate. End the Electoral College. Pack the Court. about?

Summary, books mentioned, source context, and timestamps for Abolish the Senate. End the Electoral College. Pack the Court. on Interesting Times with Ross Douthat.

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What are the main takeaways from Abolish the Senate. End the Electoral College. Pack the Court.?

These themes are drawn from the indexed episode description and linked mentions for Abolish the Senate. End the Electoral College. Pack the Court..

The conversation centers on Democratic Party politics.
A second recurring theme is American founding and democracy.
Referenced books include The Right of the People, Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding and Charisma in American Life by Molly Worthen.
Related interests include Political analysts and engaged citizens and Political theorists and those interested in leadership dynamics.

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Which books are mentioned in Abolish the Senate. End the Electoral College. Pack the Court.?

The Right of the People, Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding, Charisma in American Life by Molly Worthen, and The Right of the People are the clearest linked books in this episode, each tied back to source cards and timestamps where available.

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How can I check the source context for Abolish the Senate. End the Electoral College. Pack the Court.?

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Topics

Democratic Party politics(2)American founding and democracy(1)charisma in politics(1)

Mention types

Deep Dive(4)

Related interests

Political analysts and engaged citizensPolitical theorists and those interested in leadership dynamicsPolitical analysts and those interested in democratic reformHistorians and political science students

Books Mentioned

The full list below is ranked by how useful each mention is to a listener: stronger recommendation language, clearer source context, and better timestamp support rise first.

The Right of the People, Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding

Best for Political analysts and engaged citizensOften cited around Democratic Party politics

Indexed context

The guest makes an argument in his new book about the need for a constitutional revolution in America, suggesting that the current democratic system is flawed.

View mention details

Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: Democratic Party politics

For: Political analysts and engaged citizens

Indexed context: That's the kind of argument that my guest today makes in his new book, The Right of the People, Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding.

The host mentions the book to highlight the radical ideas proposed by the author regarding the need for a constitutional revolution in response to perceived failures in American democracy. This discussion sets the stage for exploring how these critiques might influence future Democratic strategies.

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Charisma in American Life

Molly Worthen

Best for Political theorists and those interested in leadership dynamicsOften cited around charisma in politics

Indexed context

The speaker mentions reading a new book by Molly Worthen about charisma in American life, discussing its role in politics and democracy.

View mention details

Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: charisma in politics

For: Political theorists and those interested in leadership dynamics

Indexed context: There’s a religious historian, Molly Worthen, who has a new book out about charisma in American life that I’ve been reading in recently.

The host mentions 'Charisma in American Life' to explore the role of charisma in political leadership and its impact on voter appeal. They discuss how figures like Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump exemplify the importance of charisma in their political success.

Amazon search results · affiliate link

Find on Amazon

The Right of the People

Best for Political analysts and those interested in democratic reformOften cited around Democratic Party politics

Indexed context

The concept of the will of the people is very troubled, theoretically. I call my book The Right of the People because I think that phrase better encompasses what I think is actually going on.

View mention details

Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: Democratic Party politics

For: Political analysts and those interested in democratic reform

Indexed context: That's the kind of argument that my guest today makes in his new book, The Right of the People, Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding.

The host mentions 'The Right of the People' to explore radical ideas that could reshape Democratic Party politics in response to recent electoral failures. The book argues for a constitutional revolution, suggesting that the current democratic framework may not be sufficient to address the challenges posed by populism and authoritarianism.

Amazon search results · affiliate link

Find on Amazon

Unruly Americans

Woody Holton

Best for Historians and political science studentsOften cited around American founding and democracy

Indexed context

The speaker references Woody Holton's book for readers interested in understanding the economic distress during the American founding period.

View mention details

Sentiment: Deep Dive

Trigger: American founding and democracy

For: Historians and political science students

Indexed context: There's a lot of colorful writing that Woody Holton goes through in Unruly Americans if people want another read on this.

The host references 'Unruly Americans' by Woody Holton to illustrate the economic distress and political context surrounding the American founding. Holton's work provides a colorful narrative that challenges conventional views of the founders' intentions regarding democracy and governance.

Amazon search results · affiliate link

Find on Amazon

Book picks by email

Get more book picks with podcast context.

The Right of the People, Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat · 1:13

Indexed context: The host mentions the book to highlight the radical ideas proposed by the author regarding the need for a constitutional revolution in response to pe…

Charisma in American Life

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat · 49:38

Indexed context: The host mentions 'Charisma in American Life' to explore the role of charisma in political leadership and its impact on voter appeal. They discuss ho…

The Right of the People

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat · 32:16

Indexed context: The host mentions 'The Right of the People' to explore radical ideas that could reshape Democratic Party politics in response to recent electoral fai…

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