Be it Resolved, the elites have betrayed America

Long-held notions of the role of government, trade and economic policy, foreign policy and immigration are being challenged by populist thinkers and movements. They argue that the government has been captured by an elite, college-educated class, and their policies benefit a privileged few while ignoring the needs of the middle and working class. Populist’s critics argue that the rising tide in anti-establishment thinking ignores the incredible progress in health care, education, and tech that has been realized under the governance of these intellectual elites. Populist anger, they warn, represents a grave threat to western democracy and the trusted institutions that paved the post-war path to peace and prosperity. Arguing in favour of the resolution is Batya Ungar-Sargon, opinion editor of Newsweek and author of the new book Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women. Arguing against the resolution is Joel Stein, journalist and author of In Defense of Elites. SOURCES: radiowv, Charlie Rose   The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths  Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to [email protected].   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 15+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Producer: Daniel Kitts Editor: Kieran Lynch