2min chapter

The New Yorker Radio Hour cover image

Nancy Pelosi, the Power Broker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

CHAPTER

Exploring Nancy Pelosi's Influence and Current Societal Challenges

This chapter explores Nancy Pelosi's pivotal role in California's 11th congressional district, addressing major societal issues such as economic inequality and environmental concerns. It also mentions the podcast 'On The Media,' which examines the narratives influencing contemporary events.

00:00
Speaker 3
Okay, we have a final question for viewer, ma'am, which is a reminder that we do welcome questions from our audience. If you want to pose a question to Sean H. R. Neil, you go to hoover.org forward slash ask good fellows. That side again is hoover.org forward slash ask good fellows. Our question this week comes from Spencer in London, England, who writes for the applied historians, can you review historical cases in which countries grew as divided as we are today? And then came back together, teaching us about how they did so reading Tom Holland's Roman history trilogy, recently made me think Trump and Biden who are worryingly good, solid and marius comparison. Maybe since Clinton's impeachment or since Robert Bork, the game seems to be 10 and a half for down to hell. Victor, are we currently living something similar to the Roman Civil War of the first century BC? I hope
Speaker 1
not because the solution that brought people together was Augustus, who ended the Republic. And I hope we're not at that point. And the French Revolution was ended by Napoleon. And the Weimar chaos was ended by Hitler. So we don't want that to happen. And we have to show a lot of self restraint. But it's getting very scary because it's a geographical force multiplier now. And our federal system, people are moving to areas where they feel comfortable. The red paradigms work in the blue ones failing, but they're dividing. And so I can see it in my own family. I mean, people, siblings that don't speak to me. So it's scary.
Speaker 3
John, can you think of a country that managed to work out its differences?
Speaker 4
Yeah, I've been trying to harm now. Yes, many instances, but usually when they come together over an external threat, you know, the US was pretty divided in 1939 and we all came together in 1941. And so, you know, thanks to the Japanese, but you like to not do it that way. Of course, the US was also pretty divided in the 1850s. And we came together at another great cost of life. I'd like to not do it that way either. And I'm especially finding it difficult to find a case where the problem has been the political takeover and the rot of the institutions, the norms, the restraints, the the the don't bring a gun to a knife fight kind of approach where people cared about keeping the institutions, the country going in now. As I think we've said several times on the show watching the institutions, the country become politicized, as well as just the opinions of people is a very dangerous moment. So I'm not the historian. And I can't, I can't think of one where that all resolved peacefully, but I hope one of you guys can.
Speaker 3
Let's go to the story. HR saw. Can you give us an example of a divided country that came together?
Speaker 2
Well, there are many examples, but I'm trying to think of examples that didn't involve a great deal violence, right? And then, and then people coming together after they had looked over or experienced, you know, the falling off the precipice of of disaster. So I think maybe a useful examples are some of the ones that John just mentioned are the leaders who brought together a country that had become increasingly divided, right? And and emphasize our common identity. I think there are great examples in American history. I mean, beginning with George Washington, I mean, it was it was not an easy task, obviously, to to bring the country together who had identified mainly as individual colonies and then individual states under any kind of federal authority, the revision of the form of government into the Constitution took leadership. Obviously, you know, after the Civil War, it was very difficult to bring the country together. That accommodation happened largely at the expense of black Americans. It was accommodation mainly between white, Northern whites and Southern whites. We struggle with that through the Civil Rights Movement. I mean, America has always been a work in progress. I think of the Reagan era as a period in which we regained our confidence. So I think just to maybe not to answer your question, but a different one, Bill, is, you know, look at examples when we've had leaders who have brought Americans together, we've always been divided, right? Divisions aren't new. It's really the degree to which we're confident in our leadership and as we've talked about here today in our institutions, such that we have a say in how we're governed, that we do enjoy the rule of law. We have to restore our confidence. A lot of that has to do with what we've talked a lot about in this program. Maybe we have Victor back to talk about this, which is, you know, the curriculum of self-loathing in our institutions, the teacher, young people that our country may not be worth defending. You know, so I really think there's so much to work on. But let's get after it. Let's work on it.

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