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Making the Case for Liberalism Without Apology: A Video Roundup
Our late-October collection of clips
Democrats Need Both Subpoenas and Supply
Trump’s corruption demands accountability, and voters expect a serious plan to bring down costs
 • Gary Winslett
An Enthusiasm Gap Foreshadowed the GOP’s Midterm Troubles This Summer, an ISMA Survey Finds
Trump’s populist coalition and the partisan loyalty of his nonpopulist support have shrunk substantially compared with the other side’s
 • Thomas Shull
Rubio’s Grotesque Defense of Western Civ
In his pseudo-history, Caesar and other European conquerors are the models for the US
 • Cathy Young
Ukrainian Civilians Died Because America Cut Off Intel and Satellite Links
Along with Trump’s diesel deal with Russia, these tactics represent an in-kind contribution to Putin’s war
 • Jason Jay Smart

New in The UnPopulist

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Trump’s Attack on Congresswoman Omar Is an Attack on Congress Itself
It’s a classic authoritarian move to weaken and intimidate institutions that can check his abuses
 • Andy Craig
Even Perfect Liberal Governance Could Not Have Stopped Reactionary Populism
A British author gets it. An economics Nobel laureate doesn’t.
 • Jonathan Rauch
Trump Is Abusing Executive Tools to Target Ilhan Omar, Lisa Cook, TV Networks, and Cassidy Hutchinson for Daring to Stand Up to Him: An…
Our mid-October selection of the president’s latest and greatest assaults on the rule of law
 • Executive Watch
India’s Gen Z Gandhians Are Exposing the Brutal Side of Modi’s Hindu Nationalist Regime
The new Cockroach movement is braving massive state violence to demand accountability for the ruling party’s vote rigging
 • Madhavan Narayanan
ICE Is a Death Machine
The rogue agency is setting new records of migrant deaths in detention
 • Birch Smith
Israel’s Democracy Is on the Line in the Upcoming Election
If Netanyahu hangs on to power, he will eviscerate the ‘constitution’ and courts, the only check on his abuses
 • Paul Gross
Jon Ossoff Is the Article I Candidate
More candidates should embrace his blend of affordability, anti-racism, and restoring congressional checks on abusive executives
 • Robert Tracinski
The British Radical Who Used the American Revolution to Curb the Crown
Danielle Allen’s valuable history of Charles Lennox shows the two sides weren’t foes but allies for popular sovereignty against tyranny
 • Andy Craig
How to Hold Authoritarians Accountable Without Fueling a Backlash
Reconstruction, postwar Germany, and Poland’s recent democratic restoration offer lessons for a post-Trump America
Trump Eyes China Arms Sales. We Toast the 5th: A Video Roundup
Our mid-October collection of clips
A Former Right-Winger’s Guide on How to Defeat Her Old Side
Democrats will ignore Sarah Longwell’s communication advice at their peril
 • Paul Crider
Democratic Voters Have Become More Anti-Elite but Not More Populist
ISMA’s survey finds that they are not showing a greater attachment to a political leader or tolerance for strong-arm tactics right now
 • Thomas Shull

The UnPopulist Presents:

The UnPopulist Video
Short clips, medium-length vids, and longform video essays from The UnPopulist
Executive Watch
Tracking presidential abuses of power
 • Executive Watch
The UnPopulist
The UnPopulist
Defending liberal democracy against authoritarianism in the U.S. and around the world.

Podcasts

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54:25
Abolish ICE Before Its Abusive Tactics Spread to Other Law Enforcement: A Conversation With Radley Balko
The agency has gone rogue and cannot be reformed
 • Shikha Dalmia
54:30
Liberals Need to Loosen Up to Play the Social Media Game Against Authoritarians: A Conversation with Renée DiResta
Their need to stay on message makes them less effective communicators
 • Berny Belvedere
35:34
Is Trump's Populist Coalition Shrinking?: Zooming In With Andy Craig and Tom Shull
ISMA's new survey suggests that the president's use of extralegal power is losing its appeal to even his most committed supporters
 • Andy Craig and Thomas Shull
1:09:06
Dismantling the Legacies of Illiberalism Haunting the US: Zooming In With Jamelle Bouie, David French, Danielle Allen
'Is a utopian liberalism possible?' A LibCon2026 podcast
 • Aaron Ross Powell
49:42
Fixing America's Negative Polarization With Proportional Representation: A Conversation With Lee Drutman
Presidentialism plus single-member districts is a bad combination that incentivizes leaders to consolidate power by fueling division.
 • Andy Craig
58:01
Trump Has Not Turned Americans Against Immigrants: A Conversation with Greg Sargent
The administration’s cruelty has deeply disturbed the country, opening the door for reforms with more legal pathways
 • Shikha Dalmia
Recommendations
View all 24
Liberal Currents
Liberal Currents
Liberal Currents
If you can keep it
If you can keep it
Protect Democracy
The Argument
The Argument
The Argument
Telos News
Telos News
Ryan Lizza
State Court Report with Alicia Bannon
State Court Report with Alicia Bannon
Brennan Center
The latest from
Andy Craig
Trump’s Attack on Congresswoman Omar Is an Attack on Congress Itself
User's avatar
Birch Smith
ICE Is a Death Machine
User's avatar
Shikha Dalmia
Abolish ICE Before Its Abusive Tactics Spread to Other Law Enforcement: A Conversation With Radley Balko
User's avatar
Berny Belvedere
Liberals Need to Loosen Up to Play the Social Media Game Against Authoritarians: A Conversation with Renée DiResta
User's avatar
Landry Ayres
The Revolution Is Dead, God Save King Trump: A Video Roundup
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Book Reviews

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Even Perfect Liberal Governance Could Not Have Stopped Reactionary Populism
A British author gets it. An economics Nobel laureate doesn’t.
 • Jonathan Rauch
The British Radical Who Used the American Revolution to Curb the Crown
Danielle Allen’s valuable history of Charles Lennox shows the two sides weren’t foes but allies for popular sovereignty against tyranny
 • Andy Craig
A Former Right-Winger’s Guide on How to Defeat Her Old Side
Democrats will ignore Sarah Longwell’s communication advice at their peril
 • Paul Crider
Can Elite Rule Be Reconciled with Democracy?
A liberal theorist offers an intriguing if imperfect framework for an age-old question
 • Matt McManus
Liberal Societies Need Grand Stories About Themselves
An interesting new book by a former Economist writer says that would jolt individuals out of their ennui
 • Jonathan Rauch
Does Immigration Lead to ‘Democratic Drain’ and Illiberalism in Native Countries?
A fascinating book by a political scientist says yes—but, in fact, there is strong evidence for the opposite case, too
 • Stan Veuger
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