"We Warned You"

That's what the framers would say if they popped out of a time machine and saw our politics today, argues John Opdycke. From the start, they cautioned against political parties. Forty-one percent of the country now identifies as independent, yet closed primaries in states like New York lock them out of the elections that actually decide who governs. Opdycke, who runs a group called Open Primaries, talks to Bradley about the effect nonpartisan primaries have had in California, why he's suing to overturn closed primaries in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Oregon, and how the DSA and New York's entrenched party establishment — despite hating each other — both benefit from keeping turnout low. The fight isn't ideological, he and Bradley agree, it's all about power.

This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.

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