2021 National Convention: How to Save our Democracy by Deconcentrating Wealth and Power

Many of the key debates about the health of our democracy concern the concentration of wealth and power. Markedly unequal power in the marketplace has been coupled with the Supreme Court’s weakening of worker rights and protections and the underenforcement of antitrust law. And while institutions like the electoral college and the U.S. Senate were intended to protect against the “tyranny of the majority,” they arguably now cement a “tyranny of the minority.” These developments have led some commentators to call for an “anti-entrenchment” agenda that would counter the cumulative effects of rising economic inequality and the capture of our political system through voter suppression, gerrymandering, and the corrupting influence of “big money.” What would an anti-entrenchment agenda look like? What structural reforms are necessary and what constitutional potholes should reformers plan for so that America’s democratic promise can be realized?

Panelists:
Elie Mystal, Justice Correspondent, The Nation
Kate Andrias, Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School; ACS Board of Academic Advisors; Faculty Advisor, ACS University of Michigan Law School Student Chapter
Josh Chafetz, Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center
Janai Nelson, Associate Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
Sandeep Vaheesan, Legal Director, Open Markets Institute