Podcast / The Time of Monsters / Sep 15, 2024

The Plutocratic Threat to Democracy

On this episode of The Time of Monsters, David Sirota on how the Powell Memo created a plan for corporate domination.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

The Plutocratic Threat to Democracy | The Time of Monsters
byThe Nation Magazine

On this episode of The Time of Monsters, Jeet Heer is joined by David Sirota to discuss how the Powell Memo created a plan for corporate domination.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. announcing his retirement from the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. announcing his retirement from the Supreme Court.

(Diana Walker / Getty Images)

Kamala Harris and many other Democrats often warn that Donald Trump is a threat to democracy. This is true enough, but it raises the question of how a ridiculous reality-TV star got in a position to be so dangerous. The excellent new podcast Master Plan shows that democracy has been under siege in the United States for decades due to a concerted effort to let corporations dominate the commanding heights of power. I talk to David Sirota, who along with the team at The Lever, created the podcast. We take up the crucial role of Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell, whose influential 1971 memo created out a blueprint for big business to roll back democracy.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Gaza and Elite Accountability w/ Connor Echols / The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer
byThe Nation Magazine

Many of Joe Biden’s closest advisors are now well-ensconced in the sinecures reserved for the elite, working at think tanks, academia, and major media outlets. Normally, they could expect to have future jobs when the Democrats retake the White House. But this cozy situation is being disrupted by ongoing reporting showing the extent of their complicity in the Gaza genocide and other US crimes in the Middle East. I spoke about this with Connor Echols, managing editor of Responsible Statecraft, who wrote an excellent article on the efforts to hold these officials accountable.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Jeet Heer

Jeet Heer is a national affairs correspondent for The Nation and host of the weekly Nation podcast, The Time of Monsters. He also pens the monthly column “Morbid Symptoms.” The author of In Love with Art: Francoise Mouly’s Adventures in Comics with Art Spiegelman (2013) and Sweet Lechery: Reviews, Essays and Profiles (2014), Heer has written for numerous publications, including The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, The American Prospect, The Guardian, The New Republic, and The Boston Globe.

More from The Nation

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva waves to supporters after casting his vote during general election day on October 25, 2026, in São Paulo, Brazil.

Brazil Also Fought Fascism!—With Andre Pagliarini Brazil Also Fought Fascism!—With Andre Pagliarini

Andre Pagliarini joins the show to discuss Lula’s election victory in Brazil, the country’s far right, and what the results might mean for the fight against authoritarianism.

Jonathan Smucker, Matt DaSilva, and Aaron Regunberg

In Every City, There Is a Palestine—With Hatem Bazian 

In Every City, There Is a Palestine—With Hatem Bazian  In Every City, There Is a Palestine—With Hatem Bazian 

“The insanity of the settler colonial mindset has no limit.”

Shilpi Chhotray and Mindy Ramaker

El Salvador Deploys Troops to Haiti, UN Ends Western Sahara Mission, Israeli Opposition Moves to Oust Netanyahu

El Salvador Deploys Troops to Haiti, UN Ends Western Sahara Mission, Israeli Opposition Moves to Oust Netanyahu El Salvador Deploys Troops to Haiti, UN Ends Western Sahara Mission, Israeli Opposition Moves to Oust Netanyahu

Danny and Derek unpack the week’s global news, from Iran and Israel to tensions in East Africa, Ukraine peace talks, European protests, and developments in Venezuela and Haiti.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

Abdul El-Sayed during an election-night watch party on November 4, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan.

Emergency Election Episode Emergency Election Episode

Matt, Aaron, and Smucker discuss Democrats’ election victories, Zohran Mamdani’s political influence, and the emerging field of potential 2028 presidential candidates.

Jonathan Smucker, Matt DaSilva, and Aaron Regunberg

James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa at a Whataburger after an election-night watch party on November 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas.

Our Historic Victories and How We Won Our Historic Victories and How We Won

On this episode of Start Making Sense, John Nichols talks about what we won and how we won on Tuesday, and Harold Meyerson analyzes the voters and the votes. What we won this week,…

Podcast / Start Making Sense

Theodor Adorno on May 28, 1968, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

How the Right Invented “Cultural Marxism”—With A.J.A. Woods How the Right Invented “Cultural Marxism”—With A.J.A. Woods

A.J.A. Woods joins Danny and Derek to trace the history of the “cultural Marxism” conspiracy theory, its antisemitic roots, and its influence on today’s anti-woke politics.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

x