The Weeds: our undemocratic primaries, Obama's new fiduciary rule, and the challenge of information polarization
There's been a lot of complaining this election cycle about the "rigged" rules of the game, and not without reason: Our presidential primary process can be a confusing, undemocratic mess.
It's also incredibly difficult to figure out how to improve. On this episode of The Weeds, with Sarah Kliff still on vacation, Ezra Klein and Matt Yglesias wrestle with just why so many voters feel frustrated by the primaries, whether that represents a genuine danger to trust in government, and what, if anything, can be done to make the system fairer.
Our Weeds hosts also explain a new regulatory initiative that could save the middle class billions — yay, fiduciary rules! They also look at some new research on media consumption and polarization, and discuss how it may or may not relate to the Donald Trump supporter on Matt's Facebook feed.
Show notes:
- The difference between an "open primary" and a "closed primary," and why New York's closed primary was particularly restrictive.
- A 2007 study by Larry Bartels and Christopher Achen about the relentless push in the American political system toward expanding the franchise.
- Why, exactly, Bernie Sanders has done so well in caucus states — and how that might make his criticisms of "closed primaries" come off as opportunistic.
- Why self-identified independents aren't actually moderates.
- Bernie supporters are inhabiting a magical Bernieland where Sanders should be winning the Democratic primary.
- A major new Obama administration rule on investment advisers that will require them to act in their clients' interests.
- A Bloomberg article on the massive rise of the people entering into passive funds.
- On how the Obama administration's bank regulations aim to cut into the size and excess of the financial services sector without trying to cripple it altogether.
- A new research paper by political scientist Seth Flaxman: "Filter Bubbles, Echo Chambers, and Online News Consumption."