The Broken Political System with Morgan Harper
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
Download Episode MP3 File
The file will open in a new window. Click down arrow to download the file.
Location: New York
Date: Friday 10th December
Project: Democratic primary for 2022 US Senate election in Ohio
Role: Democratic candidate
It is a common refrain that US politics is broken: a two-party system limiting serious debate, corporations corrupting politics via PACs and lobbyists, media monetizing rage, a polarised electorate demonizing the opposition. The themes are well worn, but nothing seems to change.
At the same time, society is beset by a growing list of material issues: rising inequality, a squeezed middle class, unprecedented levels of debt, impacts of technology on jobs, climate change, the rise of China, etc. etc. etc.
There are strong grounds to suggest that such issues can only be only mitigated or solved through coordinated action managed by the government. There are equally persuasive arguments that rather than fix things, the government actually exacerbates problems.
If we are to start to repair society, we need to fix politics. This starts with having politicians citizens can trust, politicians that are informed, politicians not beholden to corporations, politicians that make decisions based firmly on the merit of an argument.
Cynicism is justified, but it does seem there is a new cohort of budding representatives on both sides of the political spectrum who want to bring such change.
In this interview, I talk to former senior advisor at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and prospective Democratic candidate for the 2022 US Senate election in Ohio, Morgan Harper. We discuss her political motivations, removing corporate money from politics, how Bitcoin can help level the playing field, and taking politics out of policy.
00:03:45: Introductions
00:06:48: Morgan's opposition for Senate
00:09:29: Avoiding political corruption
00:11:17: A vision of change for Washington
00:14:53: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
00:19:20: The 2008 Financial Crisis
00:24:08: Corporate PACs and campaign financial bribery
00:27:45: Broken democracy
00:29:10: Media in politics and the fairness doctrine
00:31:17: Big Tech political bias
00:37:57: Morgan and Bitcoin
00:42:15: The increasing political interest in Bitcoin
00:46:39: Lack of privacy in finance and Big Tech
00:50:05: Political labels
00:53:58: Elizabeth Warren
00:56:02: Final comments
SUPPORT THE SHOW
If you enjoy The What Bitcoin Did Podcast you can help support the show by doing the following:
Become a Patron and get access to shows early or help contribute
Make a tip:
Subscribe on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | YouTube | TuneIn | RSS Feed
Leave a review on iTunes
Share the show and episodes with your friends and family
Subscribe to the newsletter on my website
Follow me on Twitter Personal | Twitter Podcast | Instagram | Medium | YouTube
If you are interested in sponsoring the show, you can read more about that here or please feel free to drop me an email to discuss options.
SPONSORS
Connect with Morgan:
Mentioned in the interview:
Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema: the centrists blocking Biden’s agenda
El-Erian says ‘transitory’ was the ‘worst inflation call in the history’ of the Fed
The Superwealthy Are Snatching Up Superyachts as Pandemic Presents
The ‘Double Whammy’ That Is Slowing New York City’s Job Growth
Amazon’s strategy to squeeze marketplace sellers and maximize its own profits is evolving
Can Big Tech be tamed? And can we trust those doing the taming?
Janet Yellen Denies IRS Monitoring $600 Transactions Is Spying on Americans
US lawmaker planning to introduce comprehensive crypto bill in 2022: report
Other Relevant WBD Podcasts:
WBD438: Separation of Money & State with Matt Stoller & Peter Van Valkenburgh
WBD437: Bitcoin and The American Dream with CJ Wilson & Amanda Cavaleri
WBD408: Hidden Danger in the Infrastructure Bill with Abraham Sutherland & Greg Xethalis
WBD391: Gradually then Suddenly Pt 4: Bitcoin & The Money Printer with Parker Lewis
WBD316: The Nation State Case for Bitcoin with Balaji Srinivasan
WBD239: #Unity2020: Ending the Two-Party System with Bret Weinstein
WBD151: Caitlin Long, Trace Mayer & Tyler Lindholm on Reducing the Size of Government