No Competition, No Democracy
Breaking down the Supreme Court's Louisiana ruling, the state of our national finances, and why prom season has us worried about a generation that won't dance
Both before and after we recorded this episode, Sarah and I talked about our emotional states. Sarah is struggling with how angry she is. I’m struggling with how sad I feel. We’re both experiencing something like overstimulation and trying to adjust what we can in our lives and work habits to find some kind of balance.
Everywhere I look, I see signs that we’re all a little out of balance. I once read a description of trying to put clothes on a young toddler as wrestling an octopus. That’s about how I feel with the news right now.
The Voting Rights Act and our fiscal health are so complicated, so laden with history and expectation, with emotion and with data that doesn’t always match the emotion. Discussing these things in a way that generates progress takes a tremendous amount of precision and sturdiness. In this climate, it just feels like wrestling an octopus.
Just as I kept putting clothes on my toddlers, I want to keep talking about important issues. Tending to our country doesn’t just happen in the grand moments. It’s more than elections, landmark cases, and legislative packages. It also happens in the moments when we sigh or yell or cry and say, “me, too, friend.” - Beth
Topics Discussed
The Supreme Court guts the Voting Rights Act
The Federal Budget is Ballooning
Outside of Politics: Prom and the value of leaving our comfort zone
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Episode Resources
Every Black Republican Is Leaving the House, Erasing Diversity Gains (The New York Times)
Some Voters Say Congress Is Too Old. These Black Democrats Aren’t Leaving. (The New York Times)
‘Point of no return’: New Orleans relocation must start now due to sea level, study finds (The Guardian)
More to Say About the Voting Rights Act (Pantsuit Politics Premium)
Episode Transcript
Coming soon…
Show Credits
Pantsuit Politics is hosted by Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers. The show is produced by Studio D Podcast Production. Alise Napp is our Managing Director and Maggie Penton is our Director of Community Engagement.
Our theme music was composed by Xander Singh with inspiration from original work by Dante Lima.
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I’m going to put my head in the sand on the main topic for now. I hate what’s happening and my mind spirals. On Prom…. Kids here are definitely going to the dance. They better because tickets are over $100/person! My daughter says it’s basically a giant mosh pit for 3 hours. She loves this. I would hate it. What I love more than anything is that kids are just going in friend groups and not necessarily with dates. The girls will make each other bouquets, take pics, and go have fun. And if they have dates it’s a fun excuse for a nice dinner beforehand. I only went to my senior prom because no one asked me to any others. I’m happy the girls don’t feel that pressure today.
If you've been considering a paid subscription, Beth did a More to Say on the Supreme Court ruling on Monday that was incredibly well done... as they always are. A paid subscription gets you 2 More to Say and 4 Good Morning news briefs a week... that's 24+ extra tidbits a month (less than a dollar per extra). I loved the free podcasts when I started listening, and upgrading to the paid subscription raised the experience to a whole new level!