Introducing: The Democracy Americana Podcast

A place for in-depth conversations about the past, present, and future of democracy in the United States and beyond. Relentlessly big picture.

By Thomas Zimmer, November 11, 2026

Dear all,

I am really excited to introduce you to The Democracy Americana Podcast.

The first episode dropped this morning: Historian Seth Cotlar joins me to discuss our main takeaways from the midterms. We try to unpack what happened last week and grasp the broader political as well as historical significance that goes far beyond the question of who is going to be in charge in Congress.

Here is a link to the episode on Apple podcasts – but it should also be available everywhere else, wherever you commonly get your podcasts:

I am also including the RSS Feed, which should enable you to find the podcast in whatever podcast player you are using:

This episode is a good introduction to what this podcast will be: It’s a wide-ranging discussion, no hot takes, just a sincere attempt to take two steps back from the endless noise of the news cycle and provide some perspective. 

The podcast is, in other words, very much an extension of the essays I write and publish via the newsletter. And that is exactly what I want Democracy Americana to be. I never thought of it as a newsletter only. The newsletter is a delivery system: It allows me to send out my analysis to thousands of people – and it allows all of you to get my analysis delivered straight to your inbox.

In fact, I have never been super comfortable describing Democracy Americana as a newsletter. Understood as a genre of publication / published text, the term “newsletter” suggests something that is shorter, focused on takes and opinions, or perhaps a news roundup of sorts. That is, as you all know, very much not what I do here. The main genre of text that I offer is the long-form essay, something you might prototypically associate with a piece in a political magazine.

I understand Democracy Americana as an independent publication that offers a newsletter. And here is the great news: That publication now also offers a proper podcast.

The plan is for the regular podcast episodes to come out biweekly. For now, they are audio only. Eventually, there might be video podcasting and livestreaming… But you will have to be patient with me. Democracy Americana is a solo operation. It is just me. I am only now learning how to edit a podcast recording…

For the podcast, I will be bringing on people whose work I admire, whose analysis and observations help me make sense of the world. That is what I am most excited about: The chance to introduce those people to you and share our conversations with all of you.

At this point, you might be asking: Ok, but do we really need yet another politics podcasts? I hear you. But I truly believe that the type of conversation you will get here is tremendously valuable.

The overarching goal of everything I do here at Democracy Americana is to provide perspective. And to make that perspective accessible to as many people as possible. Podcast conversations allow me to think through and talk through the important questions we are facing with people worth listening to and worth learning from. I will speak for myself: I love podcasts. And I believe the conversational format is also accessible in a way that long-form essays may not always be for everyone.

To be clear: Nothing else changes.

The podcast is not replacing anything else. It is an addition to everything else you have been getting from Democracy Americana so far.

Regular free episodes of the podcast will be available everywhere, across all the common podcast players. However, there will also be bonus episodes reserved for paid members of Democracy Americana - just as there already are essays / newsletters accessible only for members almost every week. If you have been on the fence about whether or not a paid membership is worth it, perhaps the podcast might finally get you there?

But there are other ways to help me get this show off the ground. Letting people know that the podcast exists will be crucial. Any help spreading the word is much, much appreciated!

I’m really proud to be offering the podcast in addition to the newsletter and all my writing. And I am exciting to continue this journey with you!

Take care, Thomas