Episode

How the U.S. has arrived at its most blatant era of oligarchy

Podcast: River to River
Published: May 20, 2026
Duration seconds: 2884
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Canonical source: https://www.iowapublicradio.org/podcast/river-to-river/2026-05-20/how-the-u-s-has-arrived-at-its-most-blatant-era-of-oligarchy
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Summary

After two centuries of expanding democracy, why has America become more unequal — not less? On this episode we listen to highlights from a recent conversation with political scientist Jeffrey Winters of Northwestern University. His new book, The Blind Spot: How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracy, examines the failure of democracy to address wealth inequality and why this issue is by design. This conversation was recorded on May 7 at the Englert Theatre, presented by the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council.