Master Plan
How did our democracy get replaced by a kleptocracy?
Discover the truth on Master Plan, a new podcast from The Lever. Hosted by David Sirota, former speechwriter for Bernie Sanders and Oscar-nominated co-writer of Don’t Look Up, Master Plan exposes the deliberate scheme to legalize corruption in the U.S., allowing the wealthy to buy policies that benefit themselves and screw everyone else.
The Lever has unearthed never-before-reported documents proving this 50-year plot was a coordinated effort by wealthy individuals and political ideologues. Over the course of 10 episodes, the series follows the historic thread from Watergate in the ’70s through the Citizens United decision and the current Supreme Court scandals. It’s a tale of famous villains you already know like President Richard Nixon, Senator Mitch McConnell, and Fox News boss Roger Ailes, plus operatives and oligarchs you’ve never heard of.
Listen early and ad-free at masterplanpodcast.com
Episodes
Going Big
An anti-abortion legal activist starts using the federal courts to chip away at campaign finance restrictions, setting his sights on the Supreme Court. Indiana lawyer James Bopp Jr. engineers the Citizens United case and hand-tailors it for Justice Anthony Kennedy’s storied swing vote — setting him up for an explosive 5-4 ruling that would devastate campaign finance law.Get Master Plan episodes early and ad-free by becoming a paid subscriber. Enjoy bonus episodes, exclusive content, and support this show. Visit masterplanpodcast.com.
Master Plan Special: 50% off a Lever subscription! Access bonus episodes, articles, and more. Support independent journalism at LeverNews.com/50.🚨MASTER PLAN is a finalist for two Signal Awards!Vote now before the Oct 17th deadline:Best Writing - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/craft/best-writingNews & Politics - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/general/news-politics
15/10/24•1h 1m
Shock and Awe
As President George W. Bush declares “Mission Accomplished” in the Iraq War, his administration wages a different war with swing-state senators defying his judicial nominees. Operatives like Leonard Leo and Brett Kavanaugh seize the moment to try to dramatically shift the balance of the Supreme Court. But when Bush goes off script and nominates a trusted legal aide for a Supreme Court vacancy, the conservative legal movement launches an insurgency. This is part two of our story about the creation of the Roberts Court.Get Master Plan episodes early and ad-free by becoming a paid subscriber. Enjoy bonus episodes, exclusive content, and support this show. Visit masterplanpodcast.com
Master Plan Special: 50% off a Lever subscription! Access bonus episodes, articles, and more. Support independent journalism at LeverNews.com/50.🚨MASTER PLAN is a finalist for two Signal Awards!Vote now before the Oct 17th deadline:Best Writing - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/craft/best-writingNews & Politics - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/general/news-politics
08/10/24•50m 21s
Rise of the Machine
After a series of setbacks in the push to legalize corruption, the master planners know they must take over the U.S. Supreme Court and halt the trend of Republican-appointed justices siding with campaign finance reformers. So in the early 2000s, they deploy their new judicial machine in an epic battle to try to permanently change the courts from the bottom up. This is part one of a two-part story about how the Roberts Court was built.Get Master Plan episodes early and ad-free by becoming a paid subscriber. Enjoy bonus episodes, exclusive content, and support this show. Visit masterplanpodcast.com
Master Plan Special: 50% off a Lever subscription! Access bonus episodes, articles, and more. Support independent journalism at LeverNews.com/50.🚨MASTER PLAN is a finalist for two Signal Awards!Vote now before the Oct 17th deadline:Best Writing - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/craft/best-writingNews & Politics - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/general/news-politics
01/10/24•55m 46s
The Maverick
When five U.S. senators get caught pressuring a regulator on behalf of a financial magnate, they become known as the “Keating Five.” The public is predictably outraged. But what no one expects is that one of those senators will learn from his mistakes and become the staunchest campaign finance reformer in decades. Get Master Plan episodes early and ad-free by becoming a paid subscriber. Enjoy bonus episodes, exclusive content, and support this show. Visit masterplanpodcast.com
Master Plan Special: 50% off a Lever subscription! Access bonus episodes, articles, and more. Support independent journalism at LeverNews.com/50.🚨MASTER PLAN is a finalist for two Signal Awards!Vote now before the Oct 17th deadline:Best Writing - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/craft/best-writingNews & Politics - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/general/news-politics
24/09/24•1h
Corporations Are People, My Friend
You might remember Mitt Romney’s infamous line: “Corporations are people, my friend.” But where did this idea come from? In this episode: how the Ford Administration and the Powell Memo movement turned to the Supreme Court to establish the precedent that legalized corruption: money is speech, and corporations are entitled to First Amendment rights. Get Master Plan episodes early and ad-free by becoming a paid subscriber. Enjoy bonus episodes, score exclusive content, and support this show. Visit masterplanpodcast.com
Master Plan Special: 50% off a Lever subscription! Access bonus episodes, articles, and more. Support independent journalism at LeverNews.com/50.🚨MASTER PLAN is a finalist for two Signal Awards!Vote now before the Oct 17th deadline:Best Writing - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/craft/best-writingNews & Politics - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/general/news-politics
17/09/24•49m 50s
The Secret Task Force
How did corporate executives and politicians turn Lewis Powell’s memo from a blueprint into a master plan — and begin executing it? In this episode, we uncover proof of a secret “Powell Memo Task Force,” as well as clandestine meetings involving America’s most powerful businessmen, a future president, and an ambitious young media consultant. The results would change history.Get Master Plan episodes early and ad-free by becoming a paid subscriber. Enjoy bonus episodes, exclusive content, and support this show. Visit masterplanpodcast.com
Master Plan Special: 50% off a Lever subscription! Access bonus episodes, articles, and more. Support independent journalism at LeverNews.com/50.🚨MASTER PLAN is a finalist for two Signal Awards!Vote now before the Oct 17th deadline:Best Writing - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/craft/best-writingNews & Politics - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/general/news-politics
10/09/24•47m 50s
The Powell Memo
A seemingly moderate corporate lawyer grows alarmed by anti-corruption reformers’ policy wins and writes a manifesto detailing how corporations and oligarchs can dominate American politics. Months later, he’s confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court by senators unaware that his manifesto is going viral among the business elite. View related materials here. Get Master Plan episodes early and ad-free by becoming a paid subscriber. Enjoy bonus episodes, exclusive content, and support this show. Visit masterplanpodcast.com
Master Plan Special: 50% off a Lever subscription! Access bonus episodes, articles, and more. Support independent journalism at LeverNews.com/50.🚨MASTER PLAN is a finalist for two Signal Awards!Vote now before the Oct 17th deadline:Best Writing - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/craft/best-writingNews & Politics - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/general/news-politics
03/09/24•52m 53s
The Other Watergate
There’s a lost tale behind Watergate: corporate bagmen, suitcases of illegal cash, and Nixon circumventing the very campaign finance rules he’d just signed into law. Amid the blowback, Nixon leaves a ticking time bomb in the heart of Washington.Get Master Plan episodes early and ad-free by becoming a paid subscriber. Enjoy bonus episodes, exclusive content, and support this show. Visit masterplanpodcast.com
Master Plan Special: 50% off a Lever subscription! Access bonus episodes, articles, and more. Support independent journalism at LeverNews.com/50.🚨MASTER PLAN is a finalist for two Signal Awards!Vote now before the Oct 17th deadline:Best Writing - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/craft/best-writingNews & Politics - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/general/news-politics
27/08/24•43m 51s
Milk Money
Ever wonder how America became so corrupt? It didn’t have to be this way. Our series begins in 1971, a time when hot pants were hot, bell bottoms were swinging, and campaign cash flowed like… milk. Get Master Plan episodes early and ad-free by becoming a paid subscriber. Enjoy bonus episodes, exclusive content and support this show. Visit masterplanpodcast.com
Master Plan Special: 50% off a Lever subscription! Access bonus episodes, articles, and more. Support independent journalism at LeverNews.com/50.🚨MASTER PLAN is a finalist for two Signal Awards!Vote now before the Oct 17th deadline:Best Writing - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/craft/best-writingNews & Politics - vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/limited-series-specials/general/news-politics
27/08/24•33m 11s
Trailer — Legalizing Corruption
A secret plot. A public theft. A democracy corrupted.Discover the truth. The first two episodes of Master Plan, a new podcast from The Lever, will be available on August 27 wherever you get your podcasts.Listen early and ad-free at masterplanpodcast.com
05/08/24•2m 13s
