[U]SA Ep. 2 (Part 2/2): Nick Coccoma from Assemble America

A few weeks ago, Nick and I had a follow up podcast to our part 1 because it felt like we were only beginning to scratch the service! In this episode, we continue our exploration of sortition systems, focusing on the themes of legitimacy and consent. We discuss the challenges of shifting cultural narratives around democracy, the potential of sortition to offer a more representative and egalitarian form of governance, and the historical and philosophical underpinnings of these ideas. We examine how sortition could transform political legitimacy and citizen engagement, offering a fresh perspective on the future of democracy.

I really enjoyed talking with Nick again and I’m sure this won’t be the last time we have him on the podcast! We experienced some technical issues again unfortunately :< I will be switching to a new podcast recording platform soon to hopefully avoid that in the future!

I have TWO really amazing recordings to share after this one which will come out in the next few weeks: one with Leonora Camner, ED of Democracy Without Elections and the second is a recording of our live event that took place in Manhattan on July 19th! Stay tuned for those ^.^

Chapter/topic list:

Introduction and Recap: Nick and I set the stage for the discussion, recapping previous conversations and introducing the focus on legitimacy and consent.

Cultural Narratives and Democracy: A deep dive into how cultural narratives shape our understanding of democracy and the challenges of changing these narratives.

Legitimacy in Sortition Systems: Exploring the concept of legitimacy in sortition, comparing it to traditional electoral systems.

Consent of the Governed: Discussing the philosophical and practical aspects of consent in governance, particularly in sortition systems.

Historical Context and Sortition: A look at historical examples of sortition and its philosophical roots.

Challenges and Opportunities: Addressing the potential challenges sortition systems face and the opportunities they present for more inclusive governance.

Future of Democracy: Speculating on the future of democracy and the role sortition could play in shaping it.

Closing Thoughts: Nick and I wrap up the discussion with reflections on the conversation and thoughts on future episodes.