The Republican party has increasingly relied on incendiary appeals from the social right to win over voters, while advancing policies that cater less to the average voter and more to wealthy donors. That’s according to political scientists Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson. In their fourth book together, "Let Them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality," they break down the GOP’s strategy of acquiring populist voters through fear-mongering and race-baiting. And now, during the Trump administration, the authors write that “the ‘dog whistle’ invoking racialized themes has given way to the bullhorn.” Hacker and Pierson join us to discuss their latest book and why the GOP continues to advance unpopular policies -- and stall popular ones in the Senate -- even in an election year.
Political Scientists Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson on ‘How the Right Rules’
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Supporters cheer after the National Anthem during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump at the BOK Center, June 20, 2020 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Guests:
Jacob S. Hacker, political science professor and director, Institution for Social and Policy Studies, Yale University; co-author, "Let Them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality"
Paul Pierson, political science professor, UC Berkeley; co-author, "Let Them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality"
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