JANUARY 20th FOR THIS TO BE
OVER.
>> YEAH, THIS WAS A LEGACY
EVENT, NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.
HEY, JOHN, DAVID LEONHART OF
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" AS I LIKE
TO SAY PULLED A MEACHAM THIS
MORNING.
IN THE FOUR MONTHS BETWEEN
FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT’S ELECTION
AND HIS 1933 INAUGURATION MUCH
OF THE WORLD DESCENDED INTO
CHAOS.
THE PARLIAMENT BUILDING BURNED,
JAPAN QUIT THE LEAGUE OF
NATIONS.
IN THE U.S. HUNDREDS OF BANKS
SHUTDOWN, LYNCHES SURGED IN THE
SOUTH, THE COUNTRY NUMB AND
NEARLY BROKEN ANXIOUSLY AWAITED
DELIVER
DELIVERANCE AS DAVID KENNEDY
WROTE IN HIS PULITZER
PRIZEWINNING HISTORY OF THE ERA.
THIS IS USUALLY YOUR ROLE ON
THIS BROADCAST AND OTHERS ON
THIS NETWORK TO TELL US, TO
REASSURE US, TO REMIND US ONLY
THAT THINGS HAVE BEEN WORST --
WORSE IN THE PAST.
IS THAT STILL YOUR VIEW?
>> WELL, NOT NECESSARILY THEY’VE
BEEN WORSE BUT THAT THEY’VE BEEN
BAD AND WE’VE COME THROUGH IT.
AND WE’VE COME THROUGH IT
BECAUSE JUST ENOUGH OF US WERE
DEVOTED TO THIS NOTION THAT, IN
FACT, WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER
AS A WHOLE AS OPPOSED TO SEEING
POLITICS AS THIS PERPETUAL CLASH
OF INTERESTS.
FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT THE NIGHT HE
TOOK THE OATH ON THE EAST FRONT
OF THE CAPITOL, HE WENT BACK TO
THE WHITE HOUSE AND LIKE A GOOD
EPASS
EPISCOPALIAN HE WAS HAVING A
GLASS OF WHISKEY AND GOING TO
BED.
IF YOU SUCCEED IN THIS YOU’LL GO
DOWN AS GREATEST PRESIDENT AND
IF YOU FAIL YOU’LL GO DOWN AS
OUR WORST.
AND FDR LOOKED AT HIM AND SAID
IF YOU FAIL, I’LL BE OUR LAST. I THINK THAT THE REACTION IS A
I THINK THAT THE REACTION IS A
GOOD SIGN-IN TERMS OF THE HORROR
THE COUNTRY SEEMS TO BE
ADDRESSING THIS MOMENT.
BUT HERE’S THE THING WITH ALL
RESPECT TO MY LANE WHICH I LOVE.
TO SOME EXTENT THE MORE
IMPORTANT QUESTION TONIGHT AND
IN THE COMING SEASON IS LESS
ABOUT HOW HISTORY WILL VIEW
WHAT’S HAPPENED THIS WEEK AND
MORE ABOUT THE UNFOLDING STORY
OF WHAT DO PEOPLE WHO DECIDED TO
MAKE THEIR PEACE WITH DONALD
TRUMP NOT ONCE BUT TWICE IN TWO
NATIONAL ELECTIONS, MILLIONS
UPON MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, WHAT DO
THEY DO NOW?
ARE WE SO DESENSITIZED TO
GENUINELY TRANSFORMATIVE PUBLIC
EVENTS THAT SOMEHOW OR OTHER IN
THE SPAN OF A COUPLE OF DAYS,
COUPLE OF WEEKS THIS IS GOING TO
BE, WELL, MAYBE THE LIBERALS
WERE EXAGGERATING, OR YOU COULD
JUST SEE HOW SORT OF THAT PART
OF THE POLITICAL SWAMP AND
FOREST WILL TRY TO CHANGE THE
PERCEPTION OF THIS.
BUT THIS WAS A FUNDAMENTAL
REALITY.
AND IF A COUNTRY DOES NOT BEGIN
AGAIN TO SEE THAT POLITICS IS
ABOUT THE MEDIATION OF
DIFFERENCES AND THE RESOLUTION
OF PROBLEMS FOR A GIVEN PERIOD
OF TIME AND NOT A SHERMAN-ESQUE
ARENA FOR TOTAL CONSTANT
WARFARE, THEN THIS IS JUST A
CHAPTER IN AN UNFOLDING STORY.
IT’S NOT THE LAST CHAPTER.
AND I THINK THAT’S WHAT ALL OF
US AS CITIZENS AND NOT AS
JOURNALIST, NOT AS HISTORIANS,
AS CITIZENS WE HAVE TO THINK
ABOUT IS DO WE WANT TO LIVE IN A
WORLD WHERE POLITICS IS SO
CONSUMING AND SO DIVISIVE AND SO
ULTIMATELY DEPLETING THAT IT
KEEPS US FROM ADDRESSING THINGS
LIKE, OH, I DON’T KNOW, A GLOBAL
PANDEMIC THAT KILLED 4,000
PEOPLE TODAY IN AMERICA?
THIS ISN’T -- THIS IS NOT AN
ACADEMIC CONVERSATION.
THIS ISN’T SOMETHING YOU’RE
DOING TO FILL YOUR BROADCAST.
WE ARE FACING A DEADLY VIRUS, A
RISE IN POLITICAL VIOLENCE.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE
SUFFERING WHO LIKE THE GREAT
DEPRESSION ARE SEEING THEIR
FUTURE SLIP AWAY, THEIR
INABILITY TO PROVIDE FOR THEIR
FAMILIES.
THIS ISN’T PAINTBALL.
THIS ISN’T PRO-WRESTLING.
THIS ISN’T FUND-RAISING TEXTS.
THESE ARE PEOPLE BREAKING INTO
THE CAPITOL WITH GUNS KILLING A
POLICE OFFICER AND DISTRACTSING
THE REPUBLIC FROM ADDRESSING
FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
HEALTH, SAFETY AND SECURITY OF
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.