Historian Heather Cox Richardson: GOP “Has Become an Extremist Faction” | Amanpour and Company

The Supreme Court is just one example of the eroding of public trust in America’s institutions. For decades, an elite majority has weaponized language and promoted false history, according to historian Heather Cox Richardson. Her new book "Democracy Awakening" explores how this process has drawn some Americans into authoritarianism. She joins Michel Martin to discuss.
Originally aired on October 6, 2023
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Major support for Amanpour and Company is provided by Candace King Weir, the Leila and Mickey Straus Family Charitable Trust, Jim Attwood and Leslie Williams, Mark J. Blechner, Seton J. Melvin, Charles Rosenblum, Koo and Patricia Yuen, Barbara Hope Zuckerberg, Jeffrey Katz and Beth Rogers, Bernard and Denise Schwartz, the JPB Foundation, the Sylvia A. and Simon B. Poyta Programming Endowment to Fight Antisemitism and Josh Weston.
Subscribe to the Amanpour and Company. channel here: bit.ly/2EMIkTJ
Subscribe to our daily newsletter to find out who's on each night: www.pbs.org/wnet/amanpour-and-...
For more from Amanpour and Company, including full episodes, click here: to.pbs.org/2NBFpjf
Like Amanpour and Company on Facebook: bit.ly/2HNx3EF
Follow Amanpour and Company on Twitter: bit.ly/2HLpjTI
Watch Amanpour and Company weekdays on PBS (check local listings).
Amanpour and Company features wide-ranging, in-depth conversations with global thought leaders and cultural influencers on the issues and trends impacting the world each day, from politics, business and technology to arts, science and sports. Christiane Amanpour leads the conversation on global and domestic news from London with contributions by prominent journalists Walter Isaacson, Michel Martin, Alicia Menendez and Hari Sreenivasan from the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in New York City.
#amanpourpbs

[@zbaby82]

Register and vote people. While you still can.

[@LadyAtheOnly]

Indeed 💯

[@sgrvtl7183]

❗️VOTE BLUE🩵‼️👌💯💙 BE True bluuu 🌊 🌊 🌊

[@deborahedelman2659]

👍👍

[@robertjohnston8876]

Yes If Trump and his followers have their way it will be the last election ever Wake up America

[@imperialmotoring3789]

Even if i am here illegally? Ok!

[@guitsynthcw]

The insanely uneven distribution of wealth in this country, and the ability of a small number of absurdly wealthy people to influence the decision making from the local level all the way to the three branches of government, is in my mind the root cause of the loss of democracy in our country. Our country is an oligarchy, not a democracy.

[@paulwheeler6609]

Absolutely.

[@virginiamoss7045]

Well said and succinct. That's the whole thing in a nutshell. Not anything else.

[@grahamfloyd3451]

Sir, I fully appreciate the sentiment. But is there any historical basis to it? For example we were more elitist in our past than in our present. Are we not becoming more democratic? See the first graph here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_turnout_in_United_States_presidential_elections What I appreciate about Professor Richardson is her analysis grounded in history. Now none of what I said should be twisted to mean things I haven't said. I would like to see our oligarchs have less power, and don't feel having a billionaire class produces more benefit than harm.

[@vnrkain1169]

Well said.

[@paulwheeler6609]

@@grahamfloyd3451 The elite are simply better hidden than in the past.

[@sarashann]

My 80-year-old Mother, who was a Republican until the 1980s, will absolutely tell you this is absolutely NOT your Mother's Republican Party. She despises what the GOP has become.

[@lanceash]

My experience is exactly the opposite. My mother is also 80. All through my childhood my parents were both Democratic voters. They were both postal employees and postal union members who firmly believed that the GOP would privatize the USPS and put them out of a job. After Reagan became President, however, even though neither of them ever voted for him, both his approach to governance and policy positions and the increasing identification of Christians with the GOP became something that appealed to them and impossible for them to resist. I remember how excited my father was when Reagan fired the air traffic controllers! Now, even though my mother was once an enthusiastic Carter supporter, she believes everything FoxNews and its ilk tell her and thinks that Trump is, in her words, "the right man for the job." I blame almost all of this on theistic thinking in general and fundamentalist Christianity in specific. The Christians are so hell-bent on turning back the clock to a cultural paradise that never existed that they are willing to tear down everything in order to do so.

[@FriedChairs]

@@lanceash You have to dig some to realize it but you are absolutely right that at the core religion is the cause of this. The reason it’s like this now is because record numbers of people are losing their religion and it’s causing a backlash from the religious. Unfortunately for them mixing religion and politics is detrimental to their purpose and is exactly a major cause of the increasing numbers of people leaving religion. It’ll take some time but I believe overturning Roe v Wade will turn things around and force Republicans to think more about cooperation with Democrats.

[@imperialmotoring3789]

But the Democrats are the same?

[@melindaunknown6411]

@@imperialmotoring3789 The democrat party has it problems, but they do like votes to be counted.

[@imperialmotoring3789]

@@melindaunknown6411 Yes, democrats want every fraudulent vote counted. You nailed it!

[@edbudzynski729]

The insanity in Congress is a threat to our existence. Defeat the GOP in the polls. Protect democracy.

[@amyd7794]

Yes but its also the responsibility of democrats to loudly and articulately show the American people that they are feeding it and that democracy is worth protecting. I love Biden but that piddly stiff speech he gave the other day about democracy was not nearly enough.

[@dentalcare1]

Lol. You need to take your meds.

[@LoriKasprzak-yk6nc]

We didn't need Richardsons' book to tell us the obvious.

[@michaelcap9550]

Liberals are the new fascists.

[@jamesratliff5164]

@@amyd7794 It is to the advantage of the people to keep democracy live and well in America. Joe has done a great job. Trump was a total embarrassment on the world stage. They all hated him. Putin and other despots used him to try and break up The United Nations. I wonder how much classifed information Trump sold and who did he sell them to? How many people did he get killed in the process of selling classified information. We don't know who Trump has sold top secret information to, and that could really hurt America. Why? to advance Putin's interests? Or was it just to make money for Trump? Joe got the most votes of any president in our history. Biden. Votes Trump. Votes Other. Votes U.S. Total Yes 81,282,916 74,223,369 2,891,441 Recent administrations with the MOST criminal indictments: Trump (Republican) - 1000 so far and counting. Nixon (Republican) - 76 Reagan (Republican) - 26 "Recent administrations with the LEAST criminal indictments: Obama (Democrat) - 0 Carter (Democrat) - 1 Clinton (Democrat) - 2 Notice a pattern?" If you remember when Trump was running against Hilary. He said if someone pleads the 5th, it shows they are guilty. He also said if someone is being investigated by the FBI they should not be allowed to run. MAGA are just braindead lying hypocrites. Finding a Biden informant, Is like finding a Christian at a trump rally. Rare as hens teeth. Now just take a look at what the democrats with Joe have done in less than 4 years for all Americans. Joe got the vaccine distributed and saved many lives. 'Pretty remarkable': Yale economist praises Biden omics for financial growth 'across the board. Plus the fact that Joe has done some really good things while he has been in office. Over 13 million new jobs - a record for a new president. More than the last four republican presidents combined! Plus now today 10/06/2023 I just read that this quarter Blockbuster jobs report is nearly double what they thought it would be. Wages increased by 5.6% for working people. Last quarter Manufacturing contributed more to the GDP Then in the last 40 years. We are investing in America and building the economy from the middle out and bottom up. Trickle down only worked for the people at the top. FDR had things right and Biden is fixing the things republicans have messed up. 1 year ago Biden signed into law the Chips in Science act, a once in a generation investment in America itself and we invented a semiconductor this law is bringing more of the production of micro chips and the jobs and innovations that come from them back home. - Unemployment down to 3.2% - three years ahead of predictions. - Applications for new small businesses up 30%. - The fastest economic growth in nearly 40 years. the best retail sales in 17 years. Today unemployment numbers the lowest since 1969! Also remember the cash payments we got 1400 dollars per adult. That helped a lot of people. Prescription drug prices are down, especially for those diabetics that needed insulin. He got infrastructure going. Projects all across the country that are in need of repairs or replacement. Today inflation is dropping to 2/3rds of what it was. Plus we have the lowest inflation on the planet. The economy is going at 4% growth. The most it ever did with trump was 2.5%.

[@entasis.fifty-four]

Heather Cox Richardson is an exceedingly prolific authority on her subject matter. It is utterly terrific seeing her here. For those who want more of what she has to offer I urge you to sign up for her newsletter.

[@user-wu7qg8xo2u]

B C

[@KarlBean-pb9zf]

She’s brilliant! I read her factual newsletter everyday. These MAGA folks should give a look-they might actually learn some genuine history and perspective about what the hell’s going on in their country.

[@BLACK-AUTUMN-MAGICK]

Do you even know what "prolific" means??? In no way does proliferation represent "authoritative" command of a discipline. donald trump has been "prolific" in selling his bullshit playing cards in nft form, along with the rest of his bullshit lies that he sells to his constituency, and he is no authority of any kind... We have seen countless examples of the "proliferation" of garbage in our american culture... Proliferation is by no means any kind of measure for testing value, or expertise.

[@user-wu7qg8xo2u]

@@KarlBean-pb9zf well she can't be that brilliant...if she can't identify the problem and how this net work can use her for there own designs...and other side of set up rivels who between each other and Rupert Murdoch...they leave out of equations and who we didn't vote for as front runner's...and with main media and Bernie Sanders are not interested were Warrens went...or these stories...and there international racket.and what media blocked out or with Trump's.. visit to Turkey witnessed how Erdogun fired his party in exchange for crook's such as himself and removed all Supreme Court Justices!yet notice how people s protest across country.were kept off media system...and for us not make connections with international racket for puppets and media system..as what Trump came back to do with our country as well...and Boris's Johnson in UK who said Trump his MENTOR

[@user-wu7qg8xo2u]

@@KarlBean-pb9zf this outlet ..station protecting Rupert Murdoch..and placeing blame on Putin...while protected Rupert Murdoch to platform Trump...

[@reginaerekson9139]

7:57 a fisherman in Maine actually believes Trump is for The Working Man and that’s why he is a loyalist - omfg

[@lyndamedley543]

Sad isn't it!!

[@Soapandwater6]

How can they believe that they have anything in common with a billionaire? How can they not see that they are being USED?

[@jcharris6557]

“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." -LBJ

[@curtcaudle5900]

The alternate reality

[@imperialmotoring3789]

Illegals are replacements.

[@ssb1056]

Heather Cox Richardson kept us sane through the Trump years!

[@55points]

Is it "authoritarianism" to bring Peace to the Mid east for the first time in a thousand years? Is it authoritarianism to have the lowest poverty level in American history? Is it Authoritarianism to protect our borders from seven million people crossing? Is it Authoritarianism to protect the rights of free speech ? Or Is it Authoritarianism to censor half the country? Is it Authoritarianism to put Americans first for a change? Is it Authoritarianism to try to stop wars before they start with genius foreign policy? Is it Authoritarianism to protect freedom of religion or to call Catholics domestic terrorists pro life people, soccer moms in school board meetings ? or is Authoritarianism currently in the WH who ignores the constitution and shits on it every chance they get? WHO is wanting to pack the courts? Who ignores the laws of this country, who lies about russia collusion and hunters laptop 51 traitors who tell us the laptop is russia disinfo right before a presidential election? Pick which one and live with it. We are a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC and NOT A DEMOCRACY. You should be "intelligent" enough to know that. omg take a look at the world since Trump was unseated by many nefarious ways. terrifying.

[@aprilb9888]

​@@55pointsspoken like a devout cult member

[@johannjohann6523]

Are you better off now, or when Trump was in office? And after Biden just released $6 billion dollars to Iran, I think we know which party supports Islamic terrorists, and which party supports Israel.

[@marialipscomb6988]

@@55points you forgot your meds today!

[@luv2garden132]

​​@@55points What's terrifying is that you actually believe your word salad. _That_ is utterly terrifying!

[@judithsullivan9703]

If we're going to survive as a democratic republic we must have citizen journalists and truthful experts who actually have a grasp on the reality. Heather Cox Richardson is both!

[@imperialmotoring3789]

Constitutional Republic. Not a "democratic" republic. The word "democracy" does not appear in our Constitution.

[@gregpendrey6711]

She is righteous, dude.

[@judithsullivan9703]

@@imperialmotoring3789 I know... It's a republic using a democratic process to choose leadership that fulfills the responsibility of the Constitution. particular word usage or phraseology isn't the point. We need citizen participation to correct course. We're dangerously ver the boundaries.

[@imperialmotoring3789]

@@judithsullivan9703 Using the democratic process to elect representatives is not the definition of democracy. Let's not play games here. The open border is unconstitutional, and Biden must be impeached.

[@CyberspacedLoner]

if the US Constitution was written to prevent Democracy it should be repealed after the civil war

[@dolinaj1]

There are many historians, starting with Howard Zinn, who assume a public platform outside academia, to address contemporary social, cultural, political, and legal controversies. HCR happens to be an articulate and prolific credentialed historian and citizen who should be more widely known.

[@siyiroancreint]

I love this woman. I hate academia, but this HCR, you called her, knows history. This is the kind of down the middle expert that keeps a conservative like me watching Amanpour. ❤️

[@connerclark3678]

Zinn’s work is a trash fire that deliberately tells a slanted history and openly says it takes sides rather than even try to be objective. It’s no better than the Lost Cause mythology. For anything generally seen as a positive, he overhypes it as connected to socialists and communists. Anything that can’t plausibly be connected to socialism (like the Revolution) Zinn opts to tar-wash instead of white-wash. The niche topic I personally know the most about what he gets wrong is the colonial/State militias, which he smears as press gangs for enforcing political loyalty. He describes the Revolution essentially as an elite conspiracy to seize power rather than a genuine social and movement, which is laughable. He actually has to write something to the effect of “this is not to suggest they all got together in a room and decided to seize power” because that’s exactly what he’s been lying about and he keeps lying after.

[@marshcreek4355]

I subscribe to her daily newsletter and share it with my family as much as I can. I'm absolutely amazed she's not on MSNBC from time to time sharing her wonderful historical perspective. They stopped having NYT best selling author and researcher Sarah Kendzior on (Hiding in Plain Sight, They Knew, and The View from Fly Over Country) I guess because she kept implying the MSM was also complicit in the coming lost of our democracy.

[@davidthompson7817]

@@marshcreek4355 You sound like you’ve conceded w/ that last sentence. Save your comments for some other place. We needs to be uplifted but not from YOU obviously.

[@imperialmotoring3789]

Zinn is a socialist. No one cares what he says.

[@Ewelllad]

This is the national conversation we need to have.

[@virginiamoss7045]

@@googlenazicompany5935 Care to share that piece?

[@ia1530]

Wake up, we are way past "national conversation." But if you are so eager for conversation, go a coffee shop.

[@user-po3ir2tx5z]

@@googlenazicompany5935 Help me understand: lwhich part of the puzzle is she missing in this interview?

[@templejell2688]

@@googlenazicompany5935Nope, she pretty much covers all bases.

[@mebeingU2]

@@ia1530, I think you meant to type, “go to a coffee shop.” Looking past snappy online gotcha statements, what is your solution? Do you foresee risk of our democracy surviving?

[@hezigler]

"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." Louis D. Brandeis

[@imperialmotoring3789]

USA is not a democracy and never will be, I hope!

[@buzoff4642]

There is one and only one way to be as exorbitantly wealthy as some have become: taking far too much from far too many in exchange for far too little. This habit alone: Swipe that credit card, cha ching!, a fee to the big banks every single time. For sake of "convenience". Yes, the banks will promote tax advantage for online buying. Statistic heard just this week, 40% of the population don't carry any cash.

[@imperialmotoring3789]

@@buzoff4642 Are you impoverished? No, no you are not. Please stop with your pathetic virtue signaling. I am sure you have a nice place to live and all that you want to eat.

[@mjhzen8313]

Massive wealth inequality and income inequality in America gave rise to the belief that a dictator could fix the problem ("I, alone, can fix the problem."). In other words, the greed of the rich may cause the destruction of democracy in America.

[@nancychandler3673]

Hitler also said that.

[@linguaphile42]

HRC is the real deal. Thank you for featuring her.

[@user-wu7qg8xo2u]

B C

[@Shelsight]

HCR. Although HRC was also the real deal…

[@linguaphile42]

@@Shelsight OMG -- I didn't even see that I did that! Thanks for catching it 🙂

[@matthunter4868]

Heather Cox-Richardson and Ruth Ben-Ghiat both provide the same badly-needed supply to the segment of the populace starved for relevant, irrefutable information critical to understanding why we're in the perilous situation we're in. Bravo to both of these bold intelligent women!👏

[@linguaphile42]

@@matthunter4868 I did not know about Ruth Ben-Ghiat, but just signed up for her Substack. Many thanks!

[@JavierBonnemaison]

I love Heather's daily newsletter. It's amazing how she can produce quality reporting and analysis on a daily basis, on top of her day job. Hats off.

[@KarlBean-pb9zf]

She’s fantastic!

[@sgrvtl7183]

Agree! I get an email summary daily. It is very good!!

[@ontrada]

Thanks to you, I'm a new subscriber!

[@I2Bemily]

She's so smart. Such a voice of wisdom and reason. More people need to listen to her.

[@longforgotten4823]

Agreed

[@kurtzwar729]

The GOP has been the singular racist party in the USA since 1960. When the Dems backed Blacks in the Civil Rights era of the 1950s, the racist wing of the Dems (the Dixiecrats) left the Dems. Nixon convinced the racist Dixiecrats to join with the traditionally racist GOP. That happened in 1960 and was part of Nixon's racist "Southern Strategy". The traditionally racist GOP has been pulled hard right by the MAGA haters. Hating Blacks, Latinos, women, immigrants, LGBT is what the fully Fascist and Racist MAGA GOP has become. Vote Blue forever.

[@Rhythmicons]

Except democrats now ENABLE republicans. 22 million on fringe candidates radicalizes rural whites.

[@davidthompson7817]

Yup! Good reminder of how Nix took the racist stance.

[@imperialmotoring3789]

Democrats are fascists. Trump is the greatest President ever.

[@Rhythmicons]

It's fallacious to argue that racism left either party since their inception.

[@imperialmotoring3789]

@@Rhythmicons Good point. Also add that the illegals are very racist.

[@paulwheeler6609]

We are not a democracy. We are an economy. The leaders of that economy have dictated policy and procedure for decades. Those policies and procedures have allowed 10 percent of the population to control 70 percent of the national economy and wealth. I work in education and watch every day as homeless kids come to school totally unprepared or indifferent to learning. This economy and it's practitioners have created this and the political class has enabled it. It is utter dystopia. I don't underestimate.

[@grahamfloyd3451]

@googlenazicompany5935 sir I appreciate the sentiment, but is it grounded in history? As government has grown in our country at a rate that exceeds other measures of growth, therefore playing a larger role in our lives, have we not become LESS libertarian than in the past?

[@paulwheeler6609]

@@grahamfloyd3451 The growing population of homeless and impoverished students in my classes says no.

[@grahamfloyd3451]

@@paulwheeler6609 I sure hope you teach your students how to differentiate between anecdotal and empirical evidence sir. But absolutely we must always strive locally to improve the conditions of people.

[@deborahedelman2659]

👍👍

[@VvpandoravV]

@@grahamfloyd3451how do you differentiate between anecdotal and empirical evidence, when all of this “anecdotal” evidence keeps increasingly piling up and becoming empirical evidence across the country, and especially when it’s directly affecting his students lives, Sir? Sounds like that old saw about bootstraps and only helping those that “deserve it” in fancier verbiage, Sir. Maybe they should just beg for another bowl of gruel, Sir.

[@kymbartley8104]

This is exactly what I've witnessed in the last few years. I love the truth tellers - thank you HCR!

[@imperialmotoring3789]

Trump is a Truth Teller!

[@carlostuggle6515]

​@@imperialmotoring3789 When the Don places his hand on the Bible and swears to tell the truth. The whole truth. And nothing but the truth At his NY fraud trial. I expect his head to explode.

[@Rilianawakened321]

@@imperialmotoring3789 Trump couldn't identify the truth if it bit him in the ass . . . he is the living antithesis of a "truth teller". Trump is a "lying liar who lies".

[@fredgarvinMP]

You've witnessed your fears and biases confirmed by an unethical pundit?

[@mistayu]

I doubt very much that you and your ilk would know the "Truth" even if it walked through your soup. Glad to see that you have no ability of discernment whatsoever, these women are self aggrandizing fantasists.

[@terryrafferty7559]

I read Heather's letters everyday. I depend on her for a deeper understanding of current events.

[@lyndamedley543]

Yes I do as well.

[@fredgarvinMP]

@@lyndamedley543 This is my first time seeing her and I get a real propagandist vibe. Her repeating certain buzzwords is a dead giveaway.

[@disorderling]

​@@fredgarvinMPYou are spot on! I have a family member that forwards me her newsletter everyday, and I can tell you that she is (intentionally or not) a propagandist for Biden and the Democratic Party. She absolutely hates Trump and the Republicans and has to mention the former in every single update even though he has been out of office for going on three years now. She’s obsessed with him and can’t move on. I feel sorry for folks who rely on her as their only source for political news because they are being conditioned to believe the Democrats can do no wrong. She understands that wealth inequality is driving the divisions in this country but is okay with one of the two parties perpetuating that inequality because “the other side is so much worse.” I like learning history from her though, she’s pretty good at that.

[@deannachilian1848]

She’s an expert on the history of Republican Party. You are missing her entire point: clowns like DJT, MTG and all of the other self-aggrandizing clowns are not actually Republicans or even conservatives if you put them in a historical context. They are grifters enthralled with authoritarianism because they think they will fare very well under that kind of regime. And everyone else be damned

[@tommas2674]

that's why OUR CONSTITUTION was/ is so important, but subversives of hater aggressor countries came inside and brought politicals and corp. "heads" with hidden pocket linings and perversions, on the left mostly, to make big changes and bogus divisive add ons, those whose minds are not developed till at least 25 yo pushed to vote 1970, and so on,... but, is that woman "educated" OR LONG LIFE EXPERIENCED. of Caring for AMERICA fellow AMERICANS. ?

[@joshisnot11]

This is one of the most brilliantly laid out diagnosis of our society I’ve ever heard. Ordering her book right now.

[@irasetmoralespenderequi8903]

If everyone in America will have the same curiosity that you have for READ a book like that , all the problems and disagreements between Americans will ends , at list people will start to understand them own society.

[@africancat581]

😂😂😂😂

[@tommas2674]

that's why OUR CONSTITUTION was/ is so important, but subversives of hater aggressor countries came inside and brought politicals and corp. "heads" with hidden pocket linings and perversions, on the left mostly, to make big changes and bogus divisive add ons, those whose minds are not developed till at least 25 yo pushed to vote 1970, and so on,... but, is that woman "educated" OR LONG LIFE EXPERIENCED. of Caring for AMERICA fellow AMERICANS. ?

[@notlih11]

Good comment, but: *diagnoses* (plural)

[@science-not-scientists3876]

Only if you are a liberal.

[@kitthroneberry1577]

Heather Cox Richardson is truly a national treasure.

[@travcat756]

You know things are bad when a historian becomes popular

[@davidthompson7817]

Soo true!🤣

[@lisaahmari7199]

😅😂 Hopefully this time, "the people" will pay attention. Plenty of historians spoke out globally pre WWll and people poo poo'd them, calling them hysterical.

[@judyposner6199]

aint that the truth!

[@codylarkhart261]

Doesn't that mean it's good? People are finally waking up from their dormant state caused by the same system that is rotting from corruption.

[@krismountainfield2380]

We’re awaking

[@mn-ru4li]

You can support the GOP *OR* Democracy, but you can't do both

[@KarlBean-pb9zf]

It’s like writing a term paper every day and she does it brilliantly! What a treasure!

[@ToniGlick]

Divide and Conquer is a powerful tool used by the rich, whom we should be blaming for poverty, rather than other poor people who have different colored skin.

[@jannetteberends8730]

The same happened, more or less, to the tories (the conservatives) in the United Kingdom. When the uk was still in the European Union, the tories worked together with the extreme right parties of other countries, like the French Front National. In other European countries extreme right also became more prominent.

[@kevinjenner9502]

The Downing Street Memos. War criminals Bush and Blair joined at the hip.

[@yvonnemccalla7282]

Steve Bannon & Cambridge Analytics in London. That man deserves a place in hell.

[@user-wu7qg8xo2u]

This happened.. because Kahzar Boris copyed Trump as his Mentor and he said so himself for deep state and how they axed.. Corbin for supporting human rights... Basically Trump is eon Paisley...not Putin

[@sergegainsbourgii1852]

​@@yvonnemccalla7282Bullseye! This is a coordinated, transnational attack on democracy & democracies by oligarchs.

[@imperialmotoring3789]

No one cares about Europe. Wrong comment section.

[@jcharris6557]

HCR is a national treasure! Her weekly FB politics chat is an absolute must when trying to figure out what is really going on. Thank so much for spotlighting the conversation! ❤️🇺🇸💙

[@shalilalewis9463]

👍 Thank you for having Heather Cox Richardson on! I read her daily 🇺🇸 "Letters from an American" 🇺🇸 and so happy to have come across one of her letters a few years ago! 😃 I have been sharing her letters, podcasts and political chat videos ever since. I hope everyone reads her new book "Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America." 🇺🇸 💗✌️😊🤙

[@wildhorses6817]

Yes, her Daily Letters are a Necessity in these times where there are few FACTS provided by the media in general. Her Book, Democracy AWAKENING is Excellent and a Must Read ❗

[@OsoViejo7]

I applaud Heather for so effectively explaining the predicament that our country is currently in. The wild card in this situation is mainstream media which does not hold the Republicans or Trump to account for their radical ideas / actions. bravo Heather!!!

[@torridscene]

Heather is stunningly sharp. Talk about "laying it all out" -- Wow!

[@bridgettchandler3109]

So grateful for HCR's mind and heart. Such a gift for explaining WHY and HOW we're in the fix we're in and WHAT we need to do to educate ourselves and act for a just future. Support genuine journalism!

[@buzoff4642]

Half the story, may be accurate, but is not whole truth. Historic rhythm, oligarchy wax and wane, and right now, their interests run both parties and their policies.

[@Suspend02]

Heather has been my teacher since I found her letters in 2020, at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. Thanks to PBS and NPR for reporting on her new book. Her perspective is calming. We need balance in the midst of all this madness and chaos.

[@susanharrison2941]

Heather and her free daily newsletter is the only thing that kept me sane during the Trump years. I urge EVERYONE to subscribe to her FREE newsletter to keep abreast of daily events written with a very easy style and great explanations and historical context. An amazing woman.. TY.

[@Smokygirl56]

Do you have a link to her newsletter?

[@kimhayes3828]

Ditto!

[@markg.7865]

Just compare her intellect with the lies spewed on Fox fake news on a daily basis.

[@CliveNDerek]

Listening to HCR is the smartest thing any citizen who cares about this country can do. What a brilliant scholar and an effective writer, speaker and teacher she is!

[@wardka]

I came prepared to say "We didn't need an historian to tell us the GOP has become an extremist faction," but the interview is so much more than that. It's an informed explanation of what is happening in depth rather than in sound bytes. We're in desperate need of that these days, but the internet has eroded our ability to focus for more than a few seconds. That too may be a big part of our current political issues. (I have no practical idea of what to do about our collective ADHD however. I'm as guilty as the next.)

[@buzoff4642]

Democrat party is also an extremist faction. The issue is the 15% of Far Left/Far Right voters claim to speak for us all. Higher level: this author (Yascha Mounk) claims Far Left is doing more damage than Far Right, with "don't even think about voicing anything I disagree with".

[@dadduorp]

Mrs. Richardson nails it perfectly and succinctly. These are facts and background to anyone who has studied history (as I have) and particularly, our own history. When I try to explain things like Robber Barons, Smedley Butler and the real cause of The Civil War, i get blank stares or an apathetic response. It’s a shame that for a country that drills into our heads from birth about patriotism, how little we know of our history. The current GOP is a VERY real threat to democracy as we’ve known it. I need to get her book.

[@OldHeathen1963]

Thank you. #realhistory

[@buzoff4642]

"how little we know of our history." That's intentional. When I asked as a kid why there wasn't anything in our history books on the Vietnam War, the instructor said, "There are too many still alive to refute what would be written." Told me _everything_ I need to know about our officially taught history.

[@jimbrown1559]

I first discovered Ms. Cox Richardson when the title of her previous book "How The South Won The Civil War" caught my eye. It's a masterful and eye-opening telling of the American story, and how oligarchies, some of them brought over from Europe by settlers and later immigrants, fought to "run things," including, but far from limited to, slavery. I strongly recommend it. Among other things, it prepared me for the masterful "The 1619 Project," addressing all the ways in which the descendants of enslaved people are still living with at least one hand tied behind their backs. When I learned that she was writing daily on Substack, I quickly subscribed, and look forward to reading each night before bedtime (I'm a nightowl living on the west coast). She often analyzes the events of the day in the perspective of our history.

[@buzoff4642]

Informative reading on "run things": White Trash, Empire of Cotton, Slavery By Another Name. Informative reading on nations who "run things": wikipedia pages "The Opium Wars", "coolie". History repeating itself.

[@TonPaulHatesBlacks]

Mostly limited to slavery and racism, though.

[@deborahedelman2659]

PLEASE have her on again!

[@alisonsmith1137]

A Letter From An American has given me a truthful version of American history. I am 71 so the American History I got in school is suspect at best. I love the history but I love how it pertains to today. Thank you Heather for all that you give us and the pictures are appreciated too !!!

[@annfarnell1642]

Heather Cox- Richardson is sooo smart! She’s a great teacher!

[@frankpaquet295]

I love what she says; it explains so much about why people are so confused and following the wrong people in the US now. I just hope we can get out of this craziness! And get rid of trump and the people that think he's worthwhile to follow. (from Sandi)

[@buzoff4642]

@@imperialmotoring3789 Not going to happen. We are now officially Open Borders. Pew's given up on even vague speculation on how many are now illegally present.

[@55points]

its brain rot! Is it "authoritarianism" to bring Peace to the Mid east for the first time in a thousand years? Is it authoritarianism to have the lowest poverty level in American history? Is it Authoritarianism to protect our borders from seven million people crossing? Is it Authoritarianism to protect the rights of free speech ? Or Is it Authoritarianism to censor half the country? Is it Authoritarianism to put Americans first for a change? Is it Authoritarianism to try to stop wars before they start with genius foreign policy? Is it Authoritarianism to protect freedom of religion or to call Catholics domestic terrorists pro life people, soccer moms in school board meetings ? or is Authoritarianism currently in the WH who ignores the constitution and shits on it every chance they get? WHO is wanting to pack the courts? Who ignores the laws of this country, who lies about russia collusion and hunters laptop 51 traitors who tell us the laptop is russia disinfo right before a presidential election? Pick which one and live with it. We are a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC and NOT A DEMOCRACY. You should be "intelligent" enough to know that. omg take a look at the world since Trump was unseated by many nefarious ways. terrifying.

[@artmoss6889]

​@imperialmotoring3789 That's just what American Indians said. What are you still doing here?

[@imperialmotoring3789]

@@artmoss6889 I am Native American, not that it has anything to do with my nation, USA, from protecting the border. I am not 600 years old, hopefully you realize that. God Bless the USA, and President Trump, and DEPORT EVERY ILLEGAL.

[@oneshoewoo]

I hope we all read this book and Anne Applebaum' s books too.

[@Soapandwater6]

👍Anne Applebaum helped me understand the authoritarian mindset. Miles Taylor's "Blowback" book is great, too.

[@joannevandyke5112]

Cuts through to the heart of the issues.

[@buzoff4642]

Well, part of the way there. Every time black citizens gain rights, oligarchy turns to importing a glut of cheap indentured labor, to replace them. Importation of black labor was to avoid paying for work. And so the oligarchy continues.

[@jamesb2059]

Heather Cox Richardson is extraordinary. Her daily 'Letters from an American' is always interesting and helpful, full of her inimitable historical insights. Listen to what she says.

[@mchyinLyons]

Thank you Dr Cox, you cut through the bull and provide a clear snapshot of our current challenges

[@lyndamedley543]

I read Heather Cox Richardson substack all the time; she is great writer/ historian

[@cindithompson6534]

I love HCR! I read her every night and she’s always informative and she has integrity.

[@wildhorses6817]

Yes, I totally Agree 💯 . I Read Dr Richardson letters Daily, will not miss one. Thank you Heather 💙💙💙💙💙

[@careyculbert5071]

Effin' love this woman so much. Her daily letters have kept me sane.

[@janiskinnie821]

Bravo, Heather Cox Richardson! Thank you for this lucid, enlightening interview. Heather's nightly letters and her ability to connect the past with the present, have helped me understand the current political situation in the US. She is brilliant! I am looking forward to reading her new book, "Democracy Awakening". Heather is like a breath of fresh air to those of us who have suffered tffg.🇺🇸 Love, from a Canadian.🇨🇦

[@55points]

This is brain rot. Is it "authoritarianism" to bring Peace to the Mid east for the first time in a thousand years? Is it authoritarianism to have the lowest poverty level in American history? Is it Authoritarianism to protect our borders from seven million people crossing? Is it Authoritarianism to protect the rights of free speech ? Or Is it Authoritarianism to censor half the country? Is it Authoritarianism to put Americans first for a change? Is it Authoritarianism to try to stop wars before they start with genius foreign policy? Is it Authoritarianism to protect freedom of religion or to call Catholics domestic terrorists pro life people, soccer moms in school board meetings ? or is Authoritarianism currently in the WH who ignores the constitution and shits on it every chance they get? WHO is wanting to pack the courts? Who ignores the laws of this country, who lies about russia collusion and hunters laptop 51 traitors who tell us the laptop is russia disinfo right before a presidential election? Pick which one and live with it. We are a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC and NOT A DEMOCRACY. You should be "intelligent" enough to know that. omg take a look at the world since Trump was unseated by many nefarious ways. terrifying.

[@travcat756]

"Some people are better than each other" The American Dream is financial not ethical. This is what has to change

[@grahamfloyd3451]

that's the American Dream for some, but not everyone, as evidenced by the various interpretations of that dream: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream

[@deborahedelman2659]

Agree travcat!

[@elizabethleung8168]

How do you convince poor whites to vote against their interests? Convince them they should be afraid of a bogeyman. Whatever bogeyman Republicans are telling them are coming after them. Minorities, illegal immigrants, drug dealers, anti-gun right groups, etc. Give them a grievance and the money stays hidden behind the curtain.

[@imperialmotoring3789]

You want everyone equally poor? Is Obama cool with this?

[@elizabethleung8168]

@imperialmotoring3789 Way to not add to a conversation. Obama didn't have a cult and has been term limited as President. He is out of politics. Move on.

[@markromine5103]

Excellent guest and interview.

[@sneak880]

That was a thoroughly interesting and very timely conversation between two learned, intelligent and articulate women. Thanks for posting 👍

[@55points]

Is it "authoritarianism" to bring Peace to the Mid east for the first time in a thousand years? Is it authoritarianism to have the lowest poverty level in American history? Is it Authoritarianism to protect our borders from seven million people crossing? Is it Authoritarianism to protect the rights of free speech ? Or Is it Authoritarianism to censor half the country? Is it Authoritarianism to put Americans first for a change? Is it Authoritarianism to try to stop wars before they start with genius foreign policy? Is it Authoritarianism to protect freedom of religion or to call Catholics domestic terrorists pro life people, soccer moms in school board meetings ? or is Authoritarianism currently in the WH who ignores the constitution and shits on it every chance they get? WHO is wanting to pack the courts? Who ignores the laws of this country, who lies about russia collusion and hunters laptop 51 traitors who tell us the laptop is russia disinfo right before a presidential election? Pick which one and live with it. We are a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC and NOT A DEMOCRACY. You should be "intelligent" enough to know that. omg take a look at the world since Trump was unseated by many nefarious ways. terrifying.

[@JohnHoffman65]

Heather has become one of my favorite historians and current event thinkers.

[@jeffwalther]

First sentence of the Constitution: "We the People of the United States of America in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure blessings of Liberty to ourselves and Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." How is the government doing?

[@Soapandwater6]

Those are beautiful words.

[@virginiamoss7045]

@googlenazicompany5935 Maybe you wrecked it and all those like you.

[@annakatrina448]

Both parties have failed miserably. I see no redemption in the Democratic party anymore.

[@rsr789]

@@annakatrina448 Your false equivalence logical fallacy isn't a valid or factual, argument. Try, try again.

[@judithsullivan9703]

this government has been hijacked but it's been going down in flames for a while. We must have participants and citizen journalists with an unbiased grasp on the reality.

[@nancyloomis3046]

I want to read Cox's book...sounds like she's spot-on in her assessments.

[@JustAnotherGoddess52]

She is so brilliant. Explaining that conscious thought and rational deliberation is in absolute contrast to reactionary emotion based on images. Thank Goddess for you! .

[@bobgreenwald8715]

Heather Cox Richardson, even if not officially, is America's national historian. She records our history daily in detail, on her blog. A national treasure.

[@melindahase5807]

HCR is a National Treasure and her columns are beyond excellent. Will definitely read her book. She needs to do a public service announcement every day on Civics. Please read her articles if you have not.

[@marylynnacee4062]

What an EXCELLENT interview! Thank you Michel for such great questions & thank you Heather for all of your expertise & perspective!

[@lauriemccrackenalsted9778]

Wow! What a brilliant educator of history and how it contributes to our country’s politics today.

[@kathyeyesopen4078]

HCR is an incredible historian. I hope more people read her book and press her information to their representatives, family, friends, coworkers.

[@mv80401]

I appreciate her too, but if you want someone who is digging deeper into the past while illuminating the present read Naomi Klein's Doppelgaenger. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppelganger_(Klein_book), especially the chapter The Nazi in the Mirror.

[@GuitarNerdTexas]

Professor Richardson Cox is a national treasure. The fact that she simply exists gives me hope in the American Experiment.

[@sgrvtl7183]

Heather is a walking history ‘book’ she is incredible❗️👌 love her daily summary‼️

[@herecomesnanna]

I'm watching this days after a Referendum in Australia, aimed at giving the original inhabitants the right to advise parliament on laws that affect them, failed after a conservative and concerted campaign of fear and lies. All democracies live on egg shells and we must always be aware of how easily those egg shells can be crushed to dust. I look forward to reading this book.

[@corimcdermott2384]

Michel Martin has literally been the voice of reason on my radio (NPR) for years - and HCR is a (literal) expert contextualizer of American history against current events. Both of these women are national treasures! Your voices matter - thank you!

[@elbryant1226]

I wish HCR would run for President.

[@lohphat]

The Presidency is NOT an entry-level job. Being smart isn't enough -- being EXPERIENCED matters more. That's why most successful presidents are prior state governors. Governance and diplomacy are skills, a difficult skill. People should be elected becasue they have the ability to lead in crisis. What experience does she have there?

[@KJ-vc3sw]

For a moment I thought you said she ought to run for precedent. I had no idea what that even means.

[@KJ-vc3sw]

@@StarlynMunson Are you talking about my mom?

[@imperialmotoring3789]

I'm voting for Trump even if she runs.

[@TimeSurfer206]

@@lohphatPersonally, I think a historian would do a far, FAR better job than, say, some Orange Orangutan who bankrupted every business he couldn't manage to get shut down for fraud.

[@jasonphillips5393]

She puts out a great news letter.

[@AmethystWoman]

She's a gem. We need her so much right now. All y'all.

[@user-rq4zg1te1g]

Heather is my hero. Even with her crazy schedule she has keep her followers informed. 💙💙

[@janicebrowningaquino792]

This woman has succinctly articulated everything I believe our country has been experiencing for quite some time now. I do not have her level of education, her status or her experience but I was amazed that we have reached a conclusion that is so closely aligned that our differences are nonexistent. She tells it like it is-full stop.

[@oneshoewoo]

I have to read this book. I read Anne Applebaum' s, " Twilight of Democracy". I strongly suggest everyone one read

[@Soapandwater6]

I have. Anne helped me understand the GOP mindset. 👍 Was surprised that she used to be friends with Laura Ingraham!

[@fairygaslight8660]

Me too. The scariest part of her book was interviewees telling Anne they were surprised by the violence accompanying rising authoritarianism. AND we have a lot of guns.

[@ww-bp9el]

What a useful conversation ! MsRichardson should be heard from more often.

[@mlenehan]

I would love to see a conversation between Bernie Sanders and Heather Cox Richardson!

[@brigham2250]

Ah, the irony is that the people who need to watch this... won't... and if they did, they would likely double down in their insanity. Anyhow, great interview. We need more like her. Many, many more.

[@55points]

It is brain rot. Is it "authoritarianism" to bring Peace to the Mid east for the first time in a thousand years? Is it authoritarianism to have the lowest poverty level in American history? Is it Authoritarianism to protect our borders from seven million people crossing? Is it Authoritarianism to protect the rights of free speech ? Or Is it Authoritarianism to censor half the country? Is it Authoritarianism to put Americans first for a change? Is it Authoritarianism to try to stop wars before they start with genius foreign policy? Is it Authoritarianism to protect freedom of religion or to call Catholics domestic terrorists pro life people, soccer moms in school board meetings ? or is Authoritarianism currently in the WH who ignores the constitution and shits on it every chance they get? WHO is wanting to pack the courts? Who ignores the laws of this country, who lies about russia collusion and hunters laptop 51 traitors who tell us the laptop is russia disinfo right before a presidential election? Pick which one and live with it. We are a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC and NOT A DEMOCRACY. You should be "intelligent" enough to know that. omg take a look at the world since Trump was unseated by many nefarious ways. terrifying. NOW we have Clinton wanting to RE EDUCATE half the country! chilling.. nazi germany

[@JR-pr8jb]

I read Richardson's "How The South Won The Civil War." Excellent (if depressing) take on how the country got into its current mess.

[@corwin8558]

Authoritarianism is a measure of how despondent the population is. People will grasp at straws when pushed into a corner.

[@ipainthouses9591]

True. It is a very dark and desperate populace that wants and needs a strongman in power.

[@elizabethleung8168]

I don't agree. We have a great economy. My retired parents are not struggling to pay their bills. I saw SUV owners complaining about the cost of gas. Maga Republicans are not starving. They are not choosing between which bills to pay. America's storage crisis and need for bigger and bigger houses says Americans are not fiscally responsible. We just want more money to spend, not because we need it, but we just want it. And if we don't have or are not making what we believe we should be, then someone must be taking it away from us. Money is a Republican trick. "Democrats want to take your money." Now the message has moved onto "Democrats want to take your guns, free speech, and religion." It is all proganda that is telling people that are not poor that they are.

[@brucemcclelland904]

What an amazing, articulate conversation this is. The shame, in my cynical opinion, is that it’s only people who see what these two extremely intelligent women are saying who will actually watch and listen and care.

[@billyo54]

HCR is a gem. She has constantly pointing out the dynamics of the modern dilemmas facing the US. One ignores her at ones peril.

[@westwoods4067]

HRC has essentially conveyed similar thoughts by Chomsky, Hedges, Nader. But she does so at an energy level as calm and pleasant as it is informative.

[@joannachen2499]

wonderful. Thank you. I love being educated by Heather Cox Richardson

[@barbarashea1975]

Appreciate this interview. Appreciate PBS. Please cover the changing Biden admin support to NLRB, DOJ Anti Trust actions. Need to highlight this info to inform voters of this admin change to support unions which was not happening for the past 40 years. This is key for voters to know. Thank you Michelle.

[@DennisMurphey]

Such an awesome lady, common sense, smart, knows history and can explain things. God Bless Heather. D

[@susan1302]

This was incredibly enlightening. HCR has a great way of teaching and boiling things down so that they take shape, and the interview questions were so on point - thank you!

[@vcooley9055]

Wow! I was so excited to hear this interview. I just put a library "hold" on Richardson's new book. It is on order at the Pierce County Public Library system in WA state. There are 46 holds ahead of me, so I hope they ordered several copies. Her explanation of how people are so invested in their belief system that they don't care about what is true, in my observations, is exactly what has been happening since the Reagan presidency. I look forward to reading her book and getting her substack newsletter.

[@tomiday66]

What a pleasure and honor it would be to share a bottle of wine with Heather and talk about the state of the country.

[@longforgotten4823]

A history professor worthy of the title.

[@patriciam.o.6450]

I m Looking forward to read this book!

[@Check.Your.Sources]

Wow! The transparent grasp this historian has on the state of our country is mind blowing. Over the course of a few minutes she’s managed to explain what (we all know) is wrong with this country… lobbying and elitism are ingrained facets of our government we really need to get rid of… if the merits and privilege of serving your country aren’t attractive enough to entice the smartest candidates, but money does? Then those are the sort of representatives we don’t need. Material wealth should NOT be a deciding factor for whether someone wishes to serve our country.

[@jeanettewaverly2590]

A brilliant scholar and all-around lovely human being.

[@us-Bahn]

Tour de force of an interview. She nails the imperative to restore democracy now and remove distractions, like border control, from the debate.

[@imperialmotoring3789]

The open border/ Great Replacement is a "distraction"???

[@danbaron9094]

Sadly, the situation that we find ourselves has devolved into some kind of a perverted college football game. Let's say, the two teams are Georgia vs Florida, the fanatics (fans) for each team don't care if their team cheats, hurts others or even if the referees get it the call wrong. They just want their team to win at any or all costs. Madness.

[@55points]

Is it "authoritarianism" to bring Peace to the Mid east for the first time in a thousand years? Is it authoritarianism to have the lowest poverty level in American history? Is it Authoritarianism to protect our borders from seven million people crossing? Is it Authoritarianism to protect the rights of free speech ? Or Is it Authoritarianism to censor half the country? Is it Authoritarianism to put Americans first for a change? Is it Authoritarianism to try to stop wars before they start with genius foreign policy? Is it Authoritarianism to protect freedom of religion or to call Catholics domestic terrorists pro life people, soccer moms in school board meetings ? or is Authoritarianism currently in the WH who ignores the constitution and shits on it every chance they get? WHO is wanting to pack the courts? Who ignores the laws of this country, who lies about russia collusion and hunters laptop 51 traitors who tell us the laptop is russia disinfo right before a presidential election? Pick which one and live with it. We are a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC and NOT A DEMOCRACY. You should be "intelligent" enough to know that. omg take a look at the world since Trump was unseated by many nefarious ways. terrifying.

[@buzoff4642]

The metaphor comes easily, as "news" is now more akin to sportscasting, what each team did or said about the other. I'm old enough to remember actual policy discussions on political shows.

[@danbaron9094]

@@55points Wow, a lot to unpack here. How exactly did you make the leap from tribalism regarding red and blue sides to Authoritarianism exactly? To tackle one of your claims: "..take a look at the world since Trump was unseated by many nefarious ways." These nefarious ways for which you speak, are what we, here in America, call elections and ballot counting. One other point, "If it's what you say it is, I love it!" - Donald Trump, Jr. on meeting with Russians hopeful to get damning info. against H. Clinton and her campaign in 2016. Trying to get help from the Russians during an election against your opponent is in itself an attempt at collusion. It may not fit the true definition of treason, but it sure is a treasonous act in my opinion.

[@tradinwiznit]

I am grateful Heather is out there preaching sanity to a very confused world. More people need to listen to her!

[@olga138]

I read Ms. Richardson's columns on Facebook all the time---she is brilliant.

[@melanieholmes7206]

Spot-on summary by a historian motivated by equity and equality for all. Thank you

[@fredgarvinMP]

Confirmation of your fears and biases is comforting but that doesn't make it spot-on.

[@lindagarland5223]

I will be purchasing her book this month. Heather is a treasure!❤

[@annennis30]

What a penetrating set of questions to ask. What penetrating answers. Thank you.

[@darylallen2485]

16:37 - I felt this line like a bucket of water dumped on my head. Incisive analysis!

[@rpeek]

I love Heather Cox Richardson and have read her newsletter daily since she started writing it. It informs my view of the world and I recommend it to anyone who wants to become knowledgable ...

[@jmdes8]

Heather Cox Richardson has the knowledge, intelligence and speaking ability to bring sanity to the turbulence our society is dealing with today.

[@schumdav]

Excellent interview, just got HCR's new book from my public library and diving into it today.

[@donnad634]

Excellent as usual! Thank you both!