2764 - Stephen Breyer's Delusion of Democracy w/ Alex Pareene

It's Casual Friday! Sam and Emma host Alex Pareene, Contributing Editor at the New Republic and proprietor of the AP newsletter on Substack, to round up the week in news, as they dive into Breyer’s retirement and the role of the judicial branch moving forward, as well as look at the state of Omicron and COVID stances on the left. They begin with Breyer’s announcement and the emphasis he puts on the continuation of the American “experiment” that he’s so graciously ruled over in a lifetime position, walking through the fetishization of US governance and processes that has been stunting any material change for ages, and the central role liberals have had to play in it. Next, they get into the politics of replacing Breyer’s seat, particularly within the context of the Right’s obstructionism and Biden’s decision to solely consider Black women for the seat (but don’t worry, they’ll still be Ivy Leaguers), before this lovely conversation leads to one on the future of Democratic leadership, and whether they’ll decide to move away from bipartisan fetishization, and towards getting things passed. Alex, Emma, and Sam wrap up the interview looking at the US’s COVID restrictions (or lack thereof) in comparison with much of the rest of the West, and the incredible (and endangering) freedoms we’ve enjoyed amidst nonstop whining from libertarians and liberals alike. They also touch on the judicial decision to cancel Biden’s gas and oil leases, and a Tennessee school board’s banning of Art Spiegelman’s holocaust graphic novel “Maus.” And in the Fun Half: Micah from CA calls in to discuss promoting leftist candidacies, Ronald Raygun tears Sam a new one over not holding his kids to account, and Biden decides to leave another campaign promise up to the filibuster, with Jen Psaki shirking the responsibility over to the ever-productive Congress. The FL Senate Minority Leader is reminded by Florida's Surgeon General that science doesn’t have yes and no answers, Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson revel in the ability of people to do things that they know are bad, and Emma and Sam unpack the overwhelming response to Sam’s debate with off-brand philosophy bro Jackson Hinkle, to the point that countless Hinklers on Twitter happened to have identical responses, plus, your calls and IMs! Purchase tickets for the live show in Boston on May 15th HERE: https://thewilbur.com/artist/majority-report/ Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here:  https://madmimi.com/signups/170390/join Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Check out today’s sponsors: sunsetlakecbd is a majority employee owned farm in Vermont, producing 100% pesticide free CBD products. Great company, great product and fans of the show! Use code Leftisbest and get 20% off at http://www.sunsetlakecbd.com. And now Sunset Lake CBD has donated $2500 to the Nurses strike fund, and we encourage MR listeners to help if they can. Here’s a link to where folks can donate: https://forms.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/ Support the St. Vincent Nurses today! https://action.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/ Check out Matt’s show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Subscribe to Matt’s other show Literary Hangover on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/literaryhangover Check out The Nomiki Show on YouTube. https://www.patreon.com/thenomikishow Check out Matt Binder’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon’s show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out The Letterhack’s upcoming Kickstarter project for his new graphic novel! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/milagrocomic/milagro-heroe-de-las-calles Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada. https://www.patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at https://www.twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!) Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/ Subscribe to AM Quickie writer Corey Pein’s podcast News from Nowhere. https://www.patreon.com/newsfromnowhere  Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattBinder @MattLech @BF1nn @BradKAlsop Subscribe to Alex's podcast, "The Politics of Everything" here. The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/