Marshall and Saagar answer biweekly questions for Supercast subscribers on the following: collapsing institutions and the quality of elites, how should young men get into suits, book recommendations on WWI, blue states vs. red states, and more....Go to realignment.supercast.com to subscribe to the show and get the full episode.
Matthew Ball, author of The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything, joins The Realignment to argue the Metaverse represents the "next internet," explains why the term is everywhere, defines what the concept is (and isn't), and how it could upend the digital and real worlds alike.
Due to technical difficulties, we're releasing today and tomorrow's episodes next week. After next Friday, we're taking the week of July 25th off before coming back the week of August 1st. Check the show notes of this recording for links to our Supercast subscription, sign up for tomorrow's Substack, and our Bookshop.
Nick Seabrook, author of One Person, One Vote: A Surprising History of Gerrymandering in America, joins The Realignment to discuss the history of gerrymandering and its costs, the need for responsive politics, why despite its long history, gerrymandering is particularly harmful today, and the reasons why campaign finance reform, electoral reform, and new parties won't solve America's polarization problem.
Peter Leyden, Host of the Civilization Salons at The Long Now Foundation and former Managing Editor of Wired Magazine, joins The Realignment to discuss his optimistic perspective on America's future, why California's recent political history is a preview of America's long-term trajectory, the forces and dynamics that will shape the 21st century, and looks back on The Long Boom, his 1990s era imaging of the present day.
Balaji Srinivasan, author of The Network State, returns to The Realignment to discuss why he thinks internet-native "Network States" are the successors to the nation-state, how he sees American and global politics reorienting around cryptocurrencies in the 2020s, compares and contrasts the prospects of the United States, China, and India, and why mainstream elites will struggle to navigate this emergent order.
Subscribe to The Realignment on Supercast to listen to this episode, and all of our other bonus content: https://realignment.supercast.com/. In this teaser of today's bonus episode for Supercast subscribers, Marshall and Saagar answer questions from our Supercast AMA page. Go to https://realignment.supercast.com/ to join in, support the show, and access exclusive content.
Steven McGregor, co-author with Brendan Simms of The Silver Waterfall: How America Won the War in the Pacific at Midway, joins The Realignment to discuss how the lessons of the U.S. victory in the Pacific apply to today, how the Battle of Midway revealed the country's fundamental strengths, the state of naval readiness, and the new challenge to the status quo in the Asia-Pacific region.
Saagar and Marshall reflect on this week's episodes with a16z's Marc Andreessen and Katherine Boyle and discuss how last week's Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade will shift short, medium, and long-term American politics. They conclude with lighter segments arguing for the importance of suits and ties (at least sometimes) and Saagar's deeper explanation of his critique of Europe that went viral on Twitter.
Katherine Boyle, general partner at a16z and co-lead of the firm's American Dynamism practice, joins The Realignment to discuss how the frame of American Dynamism as a response to technological and societal stagnation, her optimism about the United States, and why the ability to "build," hold oneself accountable, and deliver results will be increasingly prized in founders and politicians alike.