The Dig: Democracy in Chains with Nancy MacLean

<p>For libertarians, liberty means something different. It’s about liberty for property owners. And in their quest to preserve that absolute freedom for the ownership class — whether their assets be human slaves, factories, or extractive industries — democracy must be curtailed and the power of the people must be checked and repressed.</p><p>This is the argument put forward by Dan’s guest, historian Nancy MacLean, in her book<i> Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America</i>. The book makes a powerful argument for the anti-democratic origins and trajectory of free market fundamentalist, Koch Brothers-aligned economists who have come to profoundly shape and warp American politics to fit their dystopian vision. The book has also been controversial.</p><p>Thank you to Verso Books. Check out <i>Deport, Deprive, Extradite: 21st Century State Extremism</i> by Nisha Kapoor <a href="http://versobooks.com/books/2551-deport-deprive-extradite" rel="nofollow">versobooks.com/books/2551-deport-deprive-extradite</a>.</p><p>Thank you to the Socialism 2018 conference. Register now at <a href="http://socialismconference.org" rel="nofollow">socialismconference.org</a>!</p><p>Want to get access to our stellar weekly newsletter? You can do so by making a contribution to the long-run viability of this show at <a href="http://Patreon.com/TheDig" rel="nofollow">Patreon.com/TheDig</a>.</p><p></p>