The Good Fight Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt on the Tyranny of the Minority
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Sep 9, 2023 Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, authors of 'Tyranny of the Minority,' discuss American institutions and the distortion of majority governance, polarizing effect of race on the electorate, and the need for institutional reform and a more diverse Republican Party.
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Constitution's Countermajoritarian Legacy
- The U.S. Constitution is "pre-democratic" and enables political minorities to systematically thwart majorities.
- Levitsky and Ziblatt argue the US has stopped democratizing and must restore majority rule where appropriate.
Rural Overrepresentation Drives Power Imbalance
- Demographic change made the Republican Party primarily a rural party while Democrats became urban.
- This realignment lets Republicans gain power without winning national popular majorities.
Racial Realignment And Party Radicalization
- The GOP became an overwhelmingly white Christian party while the country diversified.
- That produced electoral losses and a segment of voters who felt existentially threatened and radicalized.