According to all current polling, Graham Platner will be Maine's next senator--despite a Nazi tattoo, a history of "controversial" social media posts, and an almost-total lack of political experience. To try and understand what this tells us about the direction of the Democratic Party, Chance Phillips recently traveled to Maine to speak with Platner's supporters. Chance and Samantha Hancox-Li discuss his findings on this episode of Neon Liberalism. Democratic elites may want moderation and conciliation--but the Democratic base has different opinions. You can read Chance's full essay here: https://www.liberalcurrents.com/platners-supporters-in-their-own-words/

Samantha Hancox-Li and guest David Lay Williams, author of The Greatest of All Plagues, discuss the nature of extreme wealth inequality in America and across history, from Plato to Occupy Wall Street. Williams argues that extreme wealth warps the soul, leading to "pleonexia"--a restless desire for more and more that will never be fulfilled. Reducing wealth inequality is therefore not about redistribution or envy, but rather self-protection against overweening power.

Samantha and returning guest Jamelle Bouie take a step back and assess the overall arc of the Trump Administration. Bouie argues that Trump's theory of the case when he came into office was fundamentally based on speed: move fast, break things, and present American society with strongman rule as a fait accompli.

But instead of producing compliance and popularity, Trump's authoritarian policies have produced increasing backlash from numerous sectors of society. Now we see a presidency adrift, out of ideas and trapped in its own echo chamber. What comes next?