The Unraveling Reflections on Politics without Ethics and Democracy in Crisis

It was interesting that he wrote this like sort of long look back about his life and time in politics and came away with his concerns about how unethical it all is. I think of him as like one of the more upstanding people we actually got to work with.

He couldn't comment, but I came away thinking that he's reprising his role as Donald Trump in the 2024 debate prep sessions.

And I say this with all love for Bob, but I can't think of a better person to do that.

You're not going to get a scathing review.

I was reading The Big Lie and it was largely about them. So mission accomplished on my part.

The Unraveling Reflections on Politics Without Ethics and Democracy in Crisis

And in this book, what I'm attempting to do is to show that at bottom, a democratic politics, an ethical democratic politics respects difference. It respects, I noticed in your last segment, a discussion of lies. It respects a difference between truths and falsehood.

The book I wrote is about how those of us who have a role in politics and government have an ethical responsibility to attend to the health of our democratic institutions in choices that are made every day.

I got into politics shortly after the Watergate affair. I graduated from law school. And at that time, there was still the basis for that sort of dialogue and a deep belief that it was a necessity, that it was something that, in effect, those in public life owed the public, owed the voters. And that has dissipated.

These are critical tenets that underlie the flourishing of the democracy. We have to get back to that.