On today’s podcast, I talk with Harold McDougal, a Professor of Law at Howard University, about this year’s election and the many impacts it could have, depending on the outcome, on socioeconomic justice. If you’re thinking to yourself that this sounds familiar, today’s podcast is nothing like my prior podcast with Professor Jeremy Bearer-Friend. Today’s conversation looks less at specific policies and more at the roadblocks and how to overcome those roadblocks to public policy that could enact socioeconomic justice.
Roadblock 1 is the obvious one – the 2020 general election. All the big policy ideas that are being discussed by Democratic candidates – Medicare for All, free or affordable college for all, expanded parental leave – go nowhere unless a Democrat wins in 2020. Like I said, obvious enough. Roadblock 2 is the courts. Something Prof. McDougal pointed out in our conversation is the Warren era on the US Supreme Court was a historical anomaly. The institution that wrote Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade is the same institution responsible for Dredd Scott, Plessy v. Fergusen, and Citizens United. Essentially, don’t look to the judiciary to assist in making progressive change.
So where do the people turn then, to advance progressive changes? The plan/movement/vehicle is a campaign the SEIU is spearheading, unions for all. The concept fits with some of Prof. McDougal’s writings on civic infrastructure with unions for all being an accelerated form of the process.
As always, you can find the conversation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, and everywhere else you listen to podcasts. And also as always, we really appreciate it if you take the time to subscribe to the podcast and leave a five-star review if you haven’t already.
If you’re interested in following Prof. McDougall more, you can find his research here, or you can visit his Howard University faculty page.