Dr. Matthew Taylor on the Christian Nationalist Threat to Democracy, Part 2

This episode features Larry Lessig, Harvard Law professor and founder of Equal Citizens, a nonprofit dedicated to democracy and campaign finance reform. Everyone blames Citizens United for Super PACs. Lessig says that's wrong. In this episode, Nancy and Larry will unpack how a case in Maine has the potential to get rid of Super PACs without overturning Citizens United. Larry explains how it was a 2010 lower court case, Speech Now, that actually opened the door to Super PACs and how that case got the law wrong. Nancy and Larry also discuss how the Maine case, Dinner Table Action vs Schneider, could give the Supreme Court the opportunity to overturn Speech Now using its own precedent and aligning with the majority’s own originalist philosophy. If the stars align, there is a chance that a Supreme Court ruling on this case could place limits on Super PAC contributions in time for the 2028 elections. Lawrence Lessig is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School. Prior to returning to Harvard, he taught at Stanford Law School, where he founded the Center for Internet and Society, and at the University of Chicago. Lessig is the founder of Equal Citizens and a founding board member of Creative Commons, and serves on the Scientific Board of AXA Research Fund. He clerked for Judge Richard Posner on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice Antonin Scalia on the United States Supreme Court. Thank you for being a listener! Stay up to date on New Faces of Democracy by signing up for the newsletter here. If you or someone you know would like to be a guest on the podcast, send us an email at [email protected]. If you like this podcast, please subscribe/rate/review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It makes a huge difference! Follow New Faces of Democracy on Instagram, Threads and Bluesky.

Nancy’s guest on this episode is Sarah Jakle, the founder of DemocraShe, a national leadership program for underserved high school girls, and for every public policy skill they teach, like public speaking or lobbying Congress, they pair it with a brain-science skill to keep girls from getting knocked off their path. The results: girls who can picture themselves as future candidates more than double in the program, and alumnae who have been the youngest elected officials in Maryland.

On this episode, Nancy speaks with Dr. Matthew Taylor, a visiting scholar at Georgetown's Center on Faith and Justice and a leading expert on Christian nationalism, religious extremism, and the role of religious pluralism in defending democracy. In this two part series, Matt and Nancy do a deep dive on the new religious right, the role this group played on January 6th, the power they hold at the highest levels of government, and lessons we can learn from other democracies threatened by religious nationalism. On this episode, Part 1 of the conversation, Matt and Nancy set the stage with a discussion of the fundamental concepts of independent charismatic Christianity and the New Apostolic Reformation, the leadership network of this group. They discuss the enormous popularity of this rapidly growing segment of Christianity with its exciting revivalist spirit, speaking in tongues and celebrity culture. Matt speaks about the apostles, prophets, demons and territorial spirits that populate the theology. And Matt walks listeners through the prophetic memes and coded symbols that serve as virtual carriers of theology and, when propagated by church leaders, ultimately led in a straight line to January 6th. For people on the outside, this can all sound completely bonkers but the reality is that this movement presents a dangerous threat to democracy. If that’s important to you, then this conversation is a must-listen. Be sure to listen to Part 2, out next week.

This episode features a conversation with Jeff Clements, cofounder and CEO of American Promise. American Promise is a nonprofit dedicated to undoing the damage wrought by the Supreme Court in Citizens United and returning the power to regulate money in politics back to We The People. The way to do this is by a 28th amendment to the Constitution. There is no easy fix to our troubled times, but there is also no question that unlimited amounts of money in campaigns and elections has a distorting and corrosive effect that is destabilizing our democracy. Billionaires, foreign entities, corporations, dark money or disclosed, all are overwhelming our political system with billions of dollars that drown out the voices of everyday Americans. Jeff and Nancy speak about how the Supreme Court is uniquely unsuited to resolve questions of complex political policy; why a constitutional amendment is the only solution; and the crosspartisan support behind the amendment with 24 states already on board. You can learn more, sign the citizen pledge, donate and volunteer at americanpromise.net. In addition to being cofounder and CEO of American Promise, Jeff is also a former Assistant Attorney General of Massachusetts and the author of Corporations Are Not People. Thank you for being a listener! Stay up to date on New Faces of Democracy by signing up for the newsletter here. If you or someone you know would like to be a guest on the podcast, send us an email at [email protected]. If you like this podcast, please subscribe/rate/review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It makes a huge difference! Follow New Faces of Democracy on Instagram, Threads and Bluesky.

If you’re a regular listener of this podcast, you know that it rarely features political candidates. Why? They are often way too boring! But that description does not apply to Jami Floyd who is running for Congress in New York City’s 12th Congressional district. This is not just any race but the highly coveted seat that has been held for decades by Jerry Nadler. Nancy recently met Jami and was so impressed with her intelligence, background and authenticity that she wanted to introduce her to podcast listeners as well. In this lively yet insightful conversation, Nancy and Jami speak about being a native New Yorker who knows how to fight, bringing the Democratic party together, and actually listening to voters to deliver what they need. Whether or not you’re a New Yorker, the fact that people like Jami are willing to step up and fight for democracy will give you hope for the future of our country. Jami Floyd was born and raised in New York City, and by age 15, she was working in restaurants and retail around the district, building the grit that carried her through college and law school. After practicing law, Jami served as a White House Fellow in the Clinton Administration. She then traded DC politics for journalism to elevate the voices of real people in NY. Jami went on to cover their challenges for national news outlets like MSNBC, ABC News, and WNYC, where she hosted All Things Considered. She’s still focused on helping her neighbors and today serves on Manhattan Community Board 7 where she sits on the Transportation Committee and chairs the Public Safety Task Force. You can learn more about Jami on her campaign website, jamifloydforcongress.com.