We just spoke with David Sirota, journalist, screenwriter, editor of The Lever newsletter, and author (with Jared Jacang Maher) of the new book Master Plan: The Hidden Plot to Legalize Corruption in America, which tells the story of the Powell Memo, the 1971 document that laid out the plan for the right-wing takeover of American politics — and how it brought us Donald Trump and Project 2025.
Sirota told us about how corruption has become so normalized in American politics that politicians and the people now assume it’s just the way business is done, how states can work right now to change their laws to stop the influence of dollars on elections, and why he believes an anticorruption message — and Democratic candidates capable of delivering it — is the way to win voters, even across party lines.
You won’t want to miss this one. Just click on the video player above to watch the entire conversation.
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Join us for more Live conversation this week!
On Friday, October 17, also at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, The Ink Book Club will meet with historian Jill Lepore to talk about her new history of the Constitution, We The People.
To join and watch, download the Substack app (click on the button below) and turn on notifications — you’ll get an alert once we’re live, and you can watch, chat, and even participate in the conversation during our Book Club meetings from your iOS or Android mobile device. If you’re using a computer, you can also watch (and ask questions in the text chat) on our homepage.
This coming Saturday, October 18, is a national day of action, meant to make it clear that Americans want No Kings. Find an event near you at nokings.org, make a plan to attend, invite some friends, and make your voices heard!
