On this episode of Toppling the Duopoly, host Shawn Griffiths interviews Dan Falconer, director of the award-winning documentary film, UnRepresented. UnRepresented "reveals the driving forces behind political corruption and the unprecedented reforms to restore a government that better serves the people."
Shawn and Dan discuss the nuances of a topic that is not as simple as many might assume. When people think of corruption, they think of illegal forms of it, like bribery. But, what happens when partisan and moneyed-interests have an outsized influence over policymakers and the way they legislate and it is all perfectly legal?
Americans are silenced in a system that is supposed to be "of, by, and for the People," allowing private, gain-seeking interests to treat government like it exists to serve them, rather than voters. This is not just an issue of corruption, this is a voting rights issue... and a voter suppression issue.
UnRepresented features a host of luminaries and public leaders from across the political board and/or involved in the growing anti-corruption movement, including Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig, Center for Responsive Politics Executive Director Sheila Krumholz, FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, former US Rep. Justin Amash, Admiral Bill Owens (Ret.), RepresentUs Director Josh Silver, Take Back Our Republic Executive Director John Pudner, Unite America Executive Director Nick Troiano, and many, many more.
The documentary will soon rollout on PBS stations in markets across the country, starting in Southern California on the week of March 20, but over the course of the next month it will hit television markets from the West Coast to the East Coast. Want to know more about the documentary or when it might air in your city? Check out the film's website and be sure to check your local listings.
Don't miss this fantastic, uncut discussion between Dan Falconer and Shawn Griffiths, and be sure to follow or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening, and as always... stay independent.