#205: How the Right Rules (Jacob Hacker)

The Republican Party seems to be divided: Is it the old guard, advocating for small government and tax cuts? Or has it moved into more of an America-first, isolationist space under the leadership of President Donald Trump? In this episode, Jacob Hacker of Yale University joins Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang to discuss how the current combination of plutocratic economic priorities and right-wing populist appeals threatens the pillars of American democracy. This is the subject of Hacker’s latest book with Paul Pierson of the University of California at Berkeley: “Let Them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality.” Hacker is the Stanley B. Resor Professor at Yale University and director of the Institution for Social and Policy Studies. He is known for his research and writings regarding health policy, especially his development of the so-called public option.