Newt Gingrich and the politics of warfare

Princeton professor Julian Zelizer discusses his book, "Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party."

Air Date: July 10, 2020 10:00 am
Listen 48:59
In this Sept. 27, 1994 photo, then-House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich of Ga., pauses while speaking to Republican congressional candidates on Capitol Hill during a rally where they pledged a

In this Sept. 27, 1994 photo, then-House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich of Ga., pauses while speaking to Republican congressional candidates on Capitol Hill during a rally where they pledged a "Contract with America."(AP Photo/John Duricka, File)

Guest: Julian Zelizer

Current partisanship is often attributed to the rise of Trump, but the political tactics of polarization is from the playbook he inherited by Newt Gingrich who has been using divisions for political gain since the 1980s. Princeton historian JULIAN ZELIZER traces the shift from bipartisanship in Washington to more divisive and ruthless politics back to the former House Speaker. Zelizer joins us this hour to talk his new book, Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party.  We’ll also discuss yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling on the President’s tax returns and his immunity from subpoenas.

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