Slate's WeigelCast Creators & Guests

Eric "Rick" Perlstein is a historian, author, and journalist. His work has focused on the 1960's and 1970's and the American conservative movement. He is currently a contributing writer at The Nation.Formerly, Perlstein was chief national correspondent for the Village Voice and a former online columnist for the New Republic and Rolling Stone. His work has appeared in Newsweek and The New York Times. After university, Perlstein interned at Lingua Franca and became an associate editor. He also began writing book reviews for publications like The Nation and Slate. He won a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, which allowed him to continue his research and writing.Perlstein's first book, "Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus," was published in 2001. He has published three subsequent books.Perlstein did graduate study in American studies at the University of Michigan.

Ralph Nader is a political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney. He is best known for his advocacy for consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform. His first book, "Unsafe at Any Speed," was published in 1965 and established his reputation as a consumer advocate. Following the publication of Unsafe at Any Speed, Nader led a group of volunteer law students in an investigation of the Federal Trade Commission, which led to the overhaul and reform of the FTC. Nader established a number of advocacy and watchdog groups including the Public Interest Research Group, the Center for Auto Safety, and Public Citizen.Nader ran for President of the United States as an independent in 2000, 2004, and 2008.Nader is the author or co-author of more than 40 books. He was the subject of a documentary film, "An Unreasonable Man," which was released in 2006.Nader was educated at Princeton and Harvard.

Howard Dean is a physician, author, and former Vermont Governor.

Justin Amash is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 3rd congressional district since 2011. Originally a member of the Republican Party, Amash became an independent in July 2019 due to his disagreements with both political parties and concerns about excessive partisanship.