Gaby Goldstein@professorkalb Hi Johanna, thank you so much for your important work!
Johanna Kalb@Gabygoldstein right back at you - musing on your great response to @BlackAzizAnansi
@professorkalb @BlackAzizAnansi ah, thank you for reading and musing! i'm super troubled by the deep deficit we face in the idea game when it comes to federalism. progressives have essentially ceded all ground here, there is almost *no* credible claim to any progressive federalism discourse (heather gerken, perhaps, carries a solo torch?), and it seems totally unnecessary to me - and scary, as we watch states grow more ascendant in their power. would be so curious for your thoughts!
Heidi Li Feldman@professorkalb @BlackAzizAnansi @Gabygoldstein I’m coming into this conversation mid-stream; forgive me if I’m off-topic. I’ve been developing an academic article on the distinctive role for state AGs in progressive federalism. I’d also to see scholars and activists examine state constitutions and consider how to protect their progressive features and possibly add more. Crucially, we also need progressive model statutes so state legislation can be scaled.
Black Aziz Anansi [In Exile]@heidilifeldman @professorkalb @BlackAzizAnansi Heidi, this is fantastic! I can’t wait to read it. I’d love to chat sometime about your thoughts about this area of scholarship in general and ways to pull scholars together who might have (perhaps interdisciplinary) interest in progressive federalism.
@professorkalb @Gabygoldstein @BlackAzizAnansi Absolutely, Gaby, happy to chat. You can dm me here or email me (feldmanh at georgetown dot edu). No rush - I bet you are just a bit busy right now!
@Gabygoldstein @BlackAzizAnansi agreed and beyond the state to the hyper-local. Jamila Michener @ Cornell is the most interesting theorist in this space. Her book Fragmented Democracy looks at how federalism shapes Medicaid and its impacts on democratic participation by program recipients. If you haven’t read, highly recommend!
@professorkalb @BlackAzizAnansi oh it’s fantastic, I couldn’t put it down! Also Andrea Campbell’s work + Jacob Grumbach’s Laboratories Against Democracy. These def provide compelling cautionary tales of federalism’s often deleterious effects on health + democracy. But I’m eager for us to push towards a more positive vision.Here’s a recent piece where I explain a bit: https://www.salon.com/2022/07/06/progressives-must-take-the-fight-to-the-states-thats-now-the-only-way-to-win/