Sep 27, 2018
Working-class citizens have been historically underrepresented in
American politics. In this episode, Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang
discuss the influence of money in politics — both in terms of who
rises to elected office and how those elected govern — with
political scientist Nicholas Carnes. Carnes asserts that government
would be more responsive to what the general public wants if the
socioeconomic backgrounds of politicians were more in line with
those of the general public. Carnes then explains the cash barriers
that exist, which bar working-class Americans from running for
office.