Capitalism vs. Democracy

The current financial crises may have put capitalism under siege and highlighted the tensions between capitalism and American democracy. Yet this is not the first times these forces have been at odds.  The decades after the Civil War and the birth of the industrial revolution created massive industries, as we moved  from an agrarian economy to a new, never before tired, capitalistic model. Even then, some thought that this new form of capitalism would overpower democracy  itself. This period, often refereed to as the Gilded Age, is not only a fascinating story in its own right, but bears profound implications for the issues we face today. Never has the idea of repeating history that we don't learn from been more profound then in prize winning historian H.W. Brands' new book American Colossus: The Triumph of Capitalism, 1865-1900.

My conversation with H.W. Brands:

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A Citizen of the World

We often hear what sounds like a cliche, that one man can truly make a difference. In this complex, often overwhelming world, it seems more daunting than ever. Yet James Wolfensohn has indeed made a difference in the world. He is not only a hero to the world's poor, but a preeminent global leader in politics, philanthropy, business, the arts, international security and even sports.

James Wolfensohn was a prominent international banker, Chairman of Carnegie Hall and of the Kennedy Center; a world class cellist and one time Olympic fencer. He served as President of the World Bank for ten years and became the special envoy for the major powers, in overseeing Israel's disengagement from Gaza. He has written a moving and powerful memoir about his own personal journey.

He and I recently had a chance to discuss A Global Life: My Journey Among Rich and Poor, from Sydney to Wall Street to the World Bank:

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Is this man really dangerous or just crazy?

The American experience is filled with demagogues who are often brought on by tough economic times and periods of dramatic change. Fear mongering has long been a stable of our politics and our culture. Father Coughlin, Joseph  McCarthy, Huey Long, the populist James Curely, Robert Depugh and the Minute Men of the 1960’s and the John Birth Society; all tried to ride waves of fear and populist anger and in the end all failed. Today a new name has been added to this motley pantheon. One that not surprising comes out of  Fox News, talk radio and the worst of therapeutic culture. He is Glenn Beck and while unfortunately, like "Lord Valdemort," it gives him power just to speak his name, it’s important that we understand this modern day phenomenon.  I had the experience of meeting and listening to Glenn Beck this past Saturday, and since then having been trying to figure out if I had witnessed, a kind of right wing Oprah, Hitler or Howard Beal,or Joe McCarthy.

Dana Milbank, syndicated columnist with the Washington Post, tries to sort all of this out in his new book about Beck, Tears of a Clown: Glenn Beck and the Tea Bagging of America.

My conversation with Dana Milbank:

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Will we be swallowed up by a black hole?

It is the largest machine ever built by man. It is 16.5 miles long, housed in a circular tunnel 300 feet below the ground. It is the the coldest place in the universe, one degree lower than the temperature of outer space. It is engaged in what is perhaps the most anticipated experiments in the history of science. It is the Large Hadron Collider and physical science will never the name after it peers far deeper into the universe than ever before. Some think, as Dan Brown's story told us, it will swallow us up in a Black Hole. More likely it will change forever the way we see the world. Award winning science writer Amir Aczel, in his new book, Present at the Creation: The Story of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider takes us on a unique visit deep inside the LHC and tells the story of how it works and how it came to be.

My conversation with Amir Aczel:

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Waiting for SUPERMAN

Most of you have seen or at least heard about the movie "Waiting for Superman." The award winning documentary, has now spawned a book. A series of essays by cutting edge educational thinkers exploring reforms and how to fix our broken public school system.

One of the most astute of these analyses is Jay Mathews, the education columnist for The Washington Post. In the film and in his essay he argues that successful schools begin not with parents, or academic theories, or new building, but with great teachers.

My conversation with Jay Matthews about the movie and the book Waiting for "SUPERMAN": How We Can Save America's Failing Public Schools.

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The Founding Father

We are currently in a season embroiled in partisan politics. As such, it's more important than ever to understand our Republic and its historical antecedents

There is no place to better begin this journey then to look at our first President, George Washington. While much as been written about Washington, and many myths have emerged over the centuries, perhaps the real George Washington has yet to emerge. Award winning historian Ron Chernow in his new biography Washington: A Life, takes us though the formative events of America's founding based on fact, not mythology.

My conversation with Ron Chernow:

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Dreaming in Chinese

For most us when we think about China, it's in the context of 1.3 billion Chinese people as a kind of monolithic nation and culture. We see a growing international power, a competitor and a confusing, almost alien landscape. Perhaps because its culture and language is so different, the only way for a Westerner to try understand it, is from the inside, to be a part of it and not outside looking in.

That is precisely what Deborah Fallows did during her three years living in China with her husband, the distinguished journalist James Fallows. Deborah has written a story that is part memoir, part travelogue, part psychological profile.  Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons In Life, Love, And Language should be required reading for anyone visiting or doing business with China.

My conversation with Deborah Fallows:

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Washington's Scandal Culture

The history of muckraking journalism is very much the history of America. Our founders clearly understood the importance of a free press in a free society. Often times though, the work of the press has not served the interests of those in power and we’ve seen powerful push back as that power is threatened. We all remember The Pentagon Papers, the work of Sinclair Lewis, Walter Winchell, Woodward and Bernstein and today Julian Assange and Wikileaks. Back in the days of Richard Nixon, another powerful newspaperman, Jack Anderson, would seek to tear down the wall of censorship that surrounded the Nixon administration. As you might expect, Nixon sought to retaliate and in so doing was born new chapters in the scandal culture of Washington. University of Maryland Professor and award winning journalist Mark Feldstein takes us inside a conflict that defined modern political warfare in his book Poisoning the Press: Richard Nixon, Jack Anderson, and the Rise of Washington's Scandal Culture.


My conversation with Mark Feldstein:

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Badasses

Football today is big business. But back in the 1970's there were a group of guys that were a combination of castoffs, psychos and geniuses. Newcomers were from schools no one ever heard of and veterans had been cast off by every other "respectable" team. This group was the Oakland Raiders. John Madden was their neurotic and brilliant coach, Al Davis was their eccentric and imperious owner. They were like no other team at the time, and certainly like nothing we see today. Journalist Peter Richmond tells their story in Badasses: The Legend of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death, and John Madden's Oakland Raiders.

My conversation with Peter Richmond:

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