Let this video help you reimagine our broken democracy

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Support our nonprofit journalism]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     April 12, 2024 Hey readers, MJ digital producer Sam here. It seems like everyone these days is yelling about democracy. "We need to save democracy!" "Democracy is on the ballot!" "This election is between democracy and authoritarianism!" My response? To hell with our American democracy. Hear me out. The first election I was able to vote in was in 2016. (We all know how that went.) So, I hardly see American democracy as something to model or replicate. But my frustrations with US democracy go much deeper than 2016. In fact, it goes back to this country's founding. As I explain in a [new video]( to accompany [Ari Berman’s latest piece on minority rule,]( the Constitution was designed to include explicitly anti-democratic features. It was built to favor the rich and the white. As much as Joe Biden wants voters to prove that US democracy "isn’t a relic of history," Ari makes crystal clear that 2024's threats against democracy, including Donald Trump himself, are so much older and more profound than the former president. But our broken democracy is something I also see as fixable. I hope this [video helps decipher the roots]( of what needs to be changed for everyone frustrated with how a minority of white, wealthy, religious conservatives have taken over every aspect of American life despite the majority of us wanting something different. Because I don’t care what the Founding Fathers wanted for democracy. — Sam Van Pykeren P.S. Stick around for a [silly post-credits]( scene! Advertisement [Listen Now to Leyla McCalla’s Sun Without The Heat]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [The Conservative War on Democracy Was Over 200 Years in the Making]( Democracy is on the ballot in 2024—just not in the way you think. TEXT BY ARI BERMAN, VIDEO BY SAM VAN PYKEREN FROM MOTHER JONES   Mother Jones and Grist team up for an Earth Week event! Join Mother Jones, Grist, and the Tishman Environment and Design Center at The New School on April 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET as leaders in the environmental justice space discuss equity, infrastructure, jobs, and the urban energy transition. Featuring the “father of environmental justice,” Dr. Robert Bullard (Texas Southern University, Bullard Center for Environmental & Climate Justice), Jade Begay (Indigenous rights advocate and climate researcher), and Leah Thomas (intersectional environmentalist), we’ll dig into the issues, opportunities, and solutions driving an equitable transformation for America. For tickets, click this [link](. [Trending] [Why a porn star-payoff is exactly the right first criminal trial for Donald Trump]( BY DAVID CORN   [Communicating with Elon Musk's X is like traversing a scorched hellscape]( BY MICHAEL MECHANIC   ["Abortionist": The label that turns healthcare workers into criminals]( BY KATIE HERCHENROEDER   [Will anti-fracking congresswoman Summer Lee hold her Pennsylvania seat?]( BY KEERTI GOPAL AND KILEY BENSE Advertisement [Listen Now to Leyla McCalla’s Sun Without The Heat]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Can Maine Lead the Way to a Future without Forever Chemicals?]( As the EPA rolls out limits in water, PFAS compounds lurk on farms and in food. BY BRIDGET HUBER MOTHER JONES MEMBERSHIP UPDATE   An important update on our finances We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals—and we can’t sustain coming up short on [donations]( month after month. It is [impossibly hard]( in the news business right now, and the [crisis]( facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. Neither is Mother Jones. Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and [joined forces]( with the Center for Investigative Reporting, which creates the amazing podcast and public radio show [Reveal]( and other investigative projects. It’s going to be hard making it all work, and we simply can’t afford to fall behind our fundraising targets month after month. If you can part with even just a few bucks, [please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today](. And thank you so much to everyone who recently has. We’re grateful. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Share it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755