Presidential Ambition and Institutional Limits

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, author Wright Thompson joins Chuck Todd to discuss his new book The Barn and the enduring struggle to tell the stories of civil rights in America. Wright delves into the history of Emmett Till, the ongoing battle over how Black history is taught in the South, and the limitations of projects like 1619 in capturing the full scope of systemic racism. He reflects on how the South’s “lost cause” imagery and historical amnesia continue to shape politics, culture, and education, and why remembering Till’s story is essential for understanding the roots of American dysfunction. Along the way, Wright also explores how sports have historically led society in moral leadership, from civil rights breakthroughs to the integrity of figures like LeBron James.

Thompson also tackles broader questions about American governance and society, from the failures of individual politicians to the structural incentives that keep the country in political spirals, the challenges of the modern presidency, and the looming threats of drone warfare and algorithm-driven polarization. He offers insights from his journey as a sportswriter, illustrating how cultural narratives—from the 1940s to today—shape our national conversation. This episode is a deep dive into history, morality, and the complexities of chronicling America’s past while grappling with its present and future.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Wright Thompson joins the Chuck ToddCast

01:00 Why Wright wanted to write “The Barn”

02:15 The MAGA project wants to go back to pre civil rights era

03:30 How Emmit Till and civil rights are taught in the south

05:00 The war on black history has been embodied in textbooks

06:15 The biggest flaw of the 1619 Project is it didn’t go far enough

08:00 The barn where Emmit Till was killed isn’t a national landmark

10:15 The south still drapes itself in the “lost cause” civil war imagery

12:30 So many bomb throwing politicians aren’t built for governing

13:30 There was huge overseas money propping up the south in 1860’s

15:00 America required catastrophes to pull out of political death spirals

16:00 The battle against powerful forces just to tell civil rights stories

17:45 Emmit Til is a symbol, but he was also just a boy

19:00 It’s incumbent on Americans to remember Til’s name

20:15 The seeds of our dysfunction were planted between Vietnam & NAFTA

21:15 You have to understand Mississippi to understand America

23:30 If Garfield had lived we may have passed civil rights 80 years sooner

24:30 Separating your own politics from the era you are writing about?

25:30 There were many political fence sitters in World War 2 France

27:15 People are willing to ignore/participate in atrocities during civil war

27:45 How Wright got into sportswriting

29:15 Sports leaned into civil rights before society as a whole did

30:30 Michael Jordan wouldn’t be able to fence sit in modern America

32:45 From the 1940’s-60’s, sports heroes were rooted in morality

35:00 Greatest written sports profiles

36:45 The hubris of wanting to be president should disqualify you for it

38:45 The American tribe has been under relentless assault for 30 years

40:00 The American experiment is an incredibly difficult endeavor

40:45 Individual politicians are less important than incentive structures

42:30 America hasn’t had a recent galvanizing event requiring collective sacrifice

44:15 The coming drone wars are terrifying

46:15 America longs for a radical centrism

48:30 People need to realize the algorithm is the enemy, not another person

50:30 Obama v Trump could be the cultural showdown America needs

51:30 Trump didn’t realize the employees didn’t come with the White House

52:30 The presidency is an impossible job

54:00 Whose sports profile do you want to write but can’t get access to?

57:00 LeBron has managed to keep a squeaky clean profile despite his stardom

59:30 Why the podcast format is a better way to talk to people

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