#29: American democracy is in trouble. In this episode, constitutional scholar Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of UC Berkeley School of Law, joins us for a sobering conversation about the structural flaws embedded in the U.S. Constitution—and how they’re driving today’s political polarization to the brink.

Chemerinsky’s latest book, No Democracy Lasts Forever, argues that the compromises made more than two centuries ago have created a fragile system ill-equipped to meet the demands of modern governance. From the Electoral College to the Senate’s skewed representation to the lifetime tenure of Supreme Court justices, he lays out why these outdated structures are accelerating a democratic crisis.

We explore what reforms could make the system more resilient, the political realities that make change so difficult, and why understanding the Constitution’s design flaws is key to grappling with the turbulence of our time.