Our special guest this week, David Polansky is a political theorist and commentator who lives in Canada. A frequent contributor to Wisdom of Crowds, he joins Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic to discuss two excellent recent essays. The first one, titled “Does Canada Exist?” is about Canadian national identity, an issue that has become more relevant since Donald Trump has taken to calling Canada the 51st state, and while some in the western Canadian province of Alberta has floated the idea of seceding from the rest of Canada. Polansky’s article was quoted in the New York Times and National Post.
David’s most recent peace, “Michael Jordan Yes; Winston Churchill No?” is about what makes politicians great and whether political greatness (in terms of impact) can be distinguished from moral goodness. After one hundred days of Trump, it is an important question to ask.
What follows is a rollicking and often hilarious conversation in which various politicians — Justin Trudeau, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump — are sized up according to the standards of classical greatness and found wanting. Damir and Shadi nevertheless argue that Trump is the most consequential president since FDR. Polansky argues that Trump’s impact is in large part due to the fact that the Left is lost right now. It is lost, he argues, because it cannot create a new identity, and instead tries to forge unity around “niche issues,” like the Palestine question.
In our bonus section for paid subscribers, the gang muses on Trump’s relationship to shame; Polansky distinguishes between courage and guts, and why Trump has the latter but not former; Shadi asks, “What do you think about Stalin?”; Damir explains why Trump is like a character in a science fiction novel; Polansky argues that “there’s a grandeur to America, but there’s also a ridiculousness to America”; Shadi interrogates Polansky on hierarchy and greatness; and the three men ponder whether Eisenhower was a great president.
Required Reading and Viewing
* David Polansky, “Michael Jordan, Yes; Winston Churchill, No?” (WoC).
* David Polansky, “Does Canada Exist?” (WoC).
* David Polansky, “Pundit Don’t Preach” (WoC).
* David’s Substack, Strange Frequencies.
* Where the “Worthwhile Canadian Initiative” meme comes from (Paul Krugman’s Newsletter).
* “What to Know About Alberta’s Potential Separation From Canada” (TIME).
* Carl Schmitt (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).
* Chantal Mouffe on “agonistic” democracy (Pavilion).
* Stephen Kotkin talk about Stalin (YouTube).
* Isaac Asimov, the Foundation trilogy (Amazon).
* “Trump says Houthis showed ‘bravery,’ believes they will honor truce deal” (Times of Israel).
* Polansky’s “Cabots and Lodges” reference (Berkshire Edge).
* Analysis of Bill Clinton’s 2012 DNC speech (CNN).
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