Brad Rourke’s Blog
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The Long Haul: How Long Will America’s Autocracy Last?
A friend visiting from Europe told me about their visa application. They had to provide their social media accounts and make them open for inspection. If you want to visit the United States, you must bare your digital self. In How Will We Know When We Have Lost Our Democracy?, Steven Levitsky, Lucan Way, and…
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Rebranding Power, Rebranding America Through Culture and Spectacle
This week, a massive banner featuring President Donald Trump’s portrait was draped across the Department of Labor building in Washington, D.C., alongside an American flag and Theodore Roosevelt. It carried the phrase “American Workers First.” In announcing it at a Cabinet meeting, Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-Deremer said, “Mr. President, I invite you to see…
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Note From a New Dissident
I have worked my entire career in the democracy space, primarily working towards bridging divides and developing stronger, deeper democratic life. The work that has occupied my decades now feels inadequate to the times I find myself in. I live in the Washington, DC area. Heather Cox Richardson’s “Letters From An American” from August 22,…
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The Quiet Yes
I have been thinking about the quiet yes. This week, I faced choices that tested me. There were challenges. At such times I have learned to strive for acceptance. The universe is inexorable, and fighting it can lead to despair. Over and over, life has taught me: acceptance is the key. But there is a…
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Understood the Assignment: Challenge Accepted
The New York Times reports that the Trump administration, in its effort to purge the federal government of anything that might be seen as “woke,” has issued a list of problematic terms to avoid. I thought I might try to use them all. The administration may not like this piece. Democracy is Inclusive Democracy is…
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Welcome to The Stakes
Over the past few months I have had the honor of hosting a number of interviews for the Kettering Foundation with high-profile newsmakers where we talk about an important and timely aspect of inclusive democracy. I’m happy to announce that we have named this series The Stakes and collected them all at our website. We…
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The Power of Daily
Since May 4, I have been practicing yoga every day without fail. A longtime yoga practitioner (I started in 2010), I’ve pursued a very wide variety of approaches to fitness and wellness — but I always come back to yoga because it makes me feel amazing, clear, and present. I have always gone through more…
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Luttig and Katyal: Trump v. US Unconstitutional
I have had the honor over the past few months to do a number of interviews with newsmakers on key topics in democracy (Ilyse Hogue on the Supreme Court and abortion; Christine Todd Whitman on the rule of law). Most recently, I featured Kettering senior fellows Neal Katyal and Judge J. Michael Luttig talking about…
Brad Rourke 