The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Suzanne Mettler (@SuzanneMettler1), John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions in the Government Department at Cornell University, joins us to discuss her new book, The Government-Citizen Disconnect.

On today's show: Omarosa's tape of Trump call post-firing: "Nobody even told me about it." Sam sends Brendan to do his dirty work.

Suzanne Mettler, author of The Government-Citizen Disconnect, joins us. According to Mettler's research, Americans have gotten worse at connecting the taxes they pay with services the government provides. With the exception of means-tested programs that address immediate needs (food stamps, Medicaid), people's use of government programs does not impact their attitude towards the government. Despite welfare shrinking down to basically nothing over the past few decades, negative attitudes towards it have risen, particularly among the middle class. What factors are driving this paradox? Mettler's answer involves the GOP propaganda war, racist dog whistles, the decline of union power, and more.

On the fun half: John from San Antonio on how progressive candidates did in the recent spate of primaries. Omarosa shares recording of John Kelly firing her: "very obvious" it was a threat. Nancy Pelosi accuses NBC of trying to "undermine" her chances as speaker. Fox News says Unite the Right white nationalists "peacefully exercised" free speech while counter-protesters were "chaotic." What purpose does Candace Owens serve for the right? What can the left do to get more people of color on board? CBS on-the-ground report from Unite the Right 2 in DC, where neo-nazis were drastically outnumbered by counter-protesters. Heather Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, speaks where her daughter was killed in Charlottesville. A caller on establishment attempts to smear Jeremy Corbyn as an anti-Semite. Sam interrogates a caller who didn't vote for Bernie in the primary because he's "not even a Democrat." Sam tells a story about an aggrieved white male actor. Listener Brenda discusses the allegations against Keith Ellison.

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Direct download: 8-13-Suzanne_Mettler-pub.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:51pm EDT

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