Episode 1975: Ira Shapiro explains how Mitch McConnell Betrayed America

In episode 1975, Andrew talks to Ira Shapiro, author of THE BETRAYAL, about what he sees as Mitch McConnell's grave and unprecedented crime against American democracy.

Ira Shapiro spent the first half of his 45 year Washington career as a Senate staffer and Clinton administration trade ambassador before writing a series of books about the Senate which William A. Galston, Brookings scholar, calls an "epic trilogy." Mr. Shapiro's current book, to be released on May 17, is The Betrayal: How Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans Abandoned America. Robert B. Reich said: "Ira Shapiro holds Mitch McConnell and the Republican Senate accountable for their deliberate and catastrophic failure to stop Donald Trump even when American lives and American democracy were at stake. A gripping narrative and a must-read." Ira's first book, The Last Great Senate: Courage and Statesmanship in Times of Crisis (2012), was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Richard A. Baker, Senate Historian emeritus, described it as "a historically and politically artistic work of great brilliance." Ira's second book, Broken: Can the Senate Save Itself and the Country? (2018), also received critical acclaim. Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State, called it "an unflinching account...which takes a wider lens to describe how dysfunction in the Senate helped open the door to Donald Trump."

Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

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