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OST Full Show: Julian Zelizer's 'Burning Down The House;' In Athens, A Tree That Owns Itself
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Julian Zelizer's new book, "Burning Down The House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party" offers one explanation for today's divisive political atmosphere; examining the history behind "The Tree That Owns Itself" in Athens
Partisan and ideological divisions have hobbled the nation’s response to the pandemic and our sinking economy. For one theory on how American politics became so toxic, Princeton professor and best-selling author Julian Zelizer turns to former Georgia Congressman and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. In his latest book, Burning Down The House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party, Zelizer proposes that Gingrich’s name-calling, win-at-all-costs style turned politics-as-bloodsport into a winning strategy, and changed the rules of congressional warfare for the decades that followed. Zelizer joined On Second Thought host Virginia Prescott for a virtual author talk sponsored by A Cappella Books to share more.
Athens’ tallest tax-exempt landowner is a 78-year-old white oak tree. On Second Thought explores the story of “The Tree That Owns Itself” — and where it stands in the complex landscape of Southern history.
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