Episodes

Democracy reform needs a target. We can say things like "representative democracy must be representative," but what does that exactly mean? In this episode, we speak with Harvard Law Professor Nick Stephanopoulos about his conception of representativeness — "alignment" — and what that says about the reforms we should be pressing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Even great ideas need to be studied and understood scientifically. Jennifer Heerwig has done more than anyone studying the effects of the voucher experiment in Seattle, Washington. In this episode, we hear what she has learned, and what that could mean for reform more generally. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The single best reform for the way we fund campaigns would be democracy vouchers. In this episode, we speak to the man who heard about this idea and then made it real in Seattle. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The assumption of most lawyers — or Americans — who know the word "SuperPAC" is that the Supreme Court has declared that the First Amendment protects SuperPACs. In this episode, you'll learn why that assumption is flat-out false, and about the fight to end SuperPAC money in America's democracy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Reform is possible. Congressman John Sarbanes is proof. Sarbanes is the most important architect of democracy reform in Congress today. In this episode, Lessig and Sarbanes speak about the For the People Act, and where reform will continue. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The new season of Another Way is finally here! In this episode, Lawrence Lessig outlines his plan for the season, which will eventually be turned into a book. Listeners are invited to reconceptualize the crisis that American democracy faces and to join Lessig in the search for democracy's "lifeboats". Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Lawrence Lessig outlines our plan to fight back against SuperPACs. He explains the logical mistake in SpeechNow v. FEC, why we launched a video competition (with a $50,000 prize!), and the legal strategy that could render SuperPACs largely powerless. For more information on the video contest, visit: cancelsuperpacs.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Lessig speaks to Ron Fein, the Legal Director for Free Speech For People. The two discuss a major legal mistake made by the courts, which, if corrected, would allow states to regulate SuperPACs. They discuss efforts by Free Speech For People and Equal Citizens to bring to light this mistake. If you are interested in learning more about the $50,000 video contest, visit www.equalcitizens.us

In this episode, Lawrence Lessig speaks to Tristan Harris, the co-founder and Executive Director of the Center for Humane Technology, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to align technology with humanity’s best interests. Lessig and Harris discuss the (real, not sci-fi-inspired) threats posed by generative A.I. (artificial intelligence) technology and some potential guardrails that could guide the technology in a way that benefits — not harms — society. This episode is the first of two pre...

Adam Eichen speaks with Jonathan Mehta Stein (Executive Director of California Common Cause) and Vernetta Woods (IVE Team leader at Oakland Rising Action). They discuss the innovative fair elections initiative that will appear on this year's midterm ballot in Oakland and how it could inspire similar efforts across the nation. They also speak about what keeps them from burning out, even during an intensive ballot initiative campaign.

Adam Eichen speaks with Rabbi Michael Pollack, Executive Director of March on Harrisburg, a Pennsylvania-based anti-corruption organization. They talk candidly about feeling fear and how to face the growing risks to democracy without becoming paralyzed. They also discuss the difficulties of long term organizing for democracy in the midst of a contentious midterm election.

Another Way is back! Adam Eichen and Lawrence Lessig have a candid conversation about the state of our democracy, feelings of loss (post-Freedom to Vote Act campaign), and what keeps them motivated in a very disturbing political time.

After a hiatus, Another Way is back! In this episode, Larry Lessig speaks with Bill Galson, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Co-Founder of No Labels. The two discuss the origins of No Labels, the rise of political polarization in Congress and whether democracy reform is needed to combat it, and if and how the filibuster should be reformed. Lessig and Galson also tackle the infamous No Label phone call leak and in what ways reform organizations should spend their money in the political process.

Lawrence Lessig reads aloud his updated New York Review of Books essay, which was originally released on December 10th. In it, he outlines the latest developments on the Freedom to Vote Act, the United States' descent into minoritarianism, and the pathway forward. Lessig ends with a plea for listeners to participate in the final push to get the Freedom to Vote Act across the finish line.

On this special episode of Another Way, Lawrence Lessig and Matthew Seligman speak to John Eastman, former Chapman University law school professor and lawyer who represented former President Donald Trump in 2020 election-related lawsuits. The three discuss Eastman's controversial memo written to former Vice President Mike Pence about what authority Pence had to reject Biden slates of electors.

On this episode of Another Way, Adam Eichen is joined by End Citizens United's Adam Bozzi and American Progress' Michael Sozan. The three discuss the media's handling of the fight to pass the For The People Act and why the pundits have missed the mark.

On this episode, Adam Eichen speaks to Elizabeth Hira, Spitzer Fellow and Policy Counsel with the Brennan Center for Justice. The two discuss Elizabeth's new report, Equity For The People, and go into detail about little-known provisions of the For The People Act. Equity for the People: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/equity-people Elizabeth's Medium article: https://elizabeth-hira.medium.com/at-what-cost-democracy-remembering-jfks-covert-interventions-on-guyanese-independence-day-fa111dd40ae4 Elizabeth's blog post about the For The People Act as the next great civil rights bill: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/people-act-americas-next-great-civil-rights-bill

How do we protect our democracy if the Senate filibuster stands in our way? What steps should we take to fix the filibuster and pass the For The People Act and Voting Rights Advancement Act? In this episode, we rebroadcast the audio from our August 5th, 2021 event, entitled "Fixing The Filibuster To Save Democracy", where we answered these questions. The event featured Lawrence Lessig, Cliff Albright (co-founder of Black Voters Matter), Eli Zupnick (spokesperson for Fix Our Senate), and Jana Morgan (director of the Declaration for American Democracy).

In this episode, Adam Eichen speaks to Michael Li, senior counsel for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program. The two discuss gerrymandering, what the For The People Act would do to stop it, and the meaning of the upcoming Census deadline. Note: When the episode was recorded, the Census Bureau planned to release its data on August 16th. Since then, the date was moved to August 12th.

In this episode, Lessig shares the audio from a short lecture he wrote about why the preservation of the filibuster cannot be justified.

On this episode of Another Way, Lessig shares the audio of his recent speech at “Peaches and Politics” in New Durham, New Hampshire. In it, he describes the stakes of the fight for the For The People Act,and makes the case that tough love is now needed for President Biden.

On this episode of Another Way, Adam Eichen speaks with Jana Morgan, Executive Director of the Declaration for American Democracy coalition. They discuss the latest developments in the fight for the For The People Act, what the pundits are missing about the movement for reform, and what we should expect over the next few weeks.

On this episode of Another Way, Equal Citizens Executive Director Adam Eichen speaks with Eli Zupnick, spokesperson for the Fix Our Senate Coalition (https://www.fixoursenate.org/) . The two discuss the stakes of the filibuster fight, what filibuster reform might look like, and the prospects for reform.

On this episode, we rebroadcast our June 4th event with Lawrence Lessig, Seinfeld's Jason Alexander, and the Brennan Center's Elizabeth Hira. The three discuss the ins and outs of H.R. 1 — the For The People Act — and what we can do to ensure its passage to save our democracy.