American Conversations: Marc Elias

Hi Folks:

One of the coolest things I have gotten to do over the past years is to talk to people who are in the trenches trying to protect American democracy. I’ve done a number of interviews here on Substack, but because I’m hoping to have roots in as many different social media platforms as possible in this rapidly changing world, most have been on my YouTube channel.

We’re starting today to post those American Conversations interviews on Substack, a medium that gives me some space to explain to people interested why a particular interview might resonate in this moment. These are completely separate from the nightly Letters from an American and will have the words “American Conversations” in the title.

Linked below is an interview I did with lawyer Marc Elias of Democracy Docket last week about the case he’s arguing before the Supreme Court tomorrow: National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission, which you’ll probably see referred to in the media with the alphabet soup name of “NRSC v. FEC.” Elias explains why this case about funding elections is so important and how it fits into a larger assault on democracy.