Chatter: Our Fascination with the Presidency with Tim Naftali
The Lawfare Podcast
The Lawfare Institute
4.7 • 6.4K Ratings
🗓️ 5 November 2024
⏱️ 67 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
It’s Election Day, but we’re not talking about the campaign. Shane Harris welcomes Tim Naftali back to the show to talk about Americans’ fascination with the presidency. When did the “modern presidency” begin? When did voters and the press become fixated on presidents’ private lives? And what do we get wrong about the nation’s highest office?
Naftali, a presidential historian, was last on Chatter in June 2022 to talk about Watergate, a subject on which he’s one of the country’s leading experts. Today’s conversation helps put the momentousness of this year’s election in some historic perspective. Have a listen while you’re standing in line to vote!
People, plays, and policies discussed in this conversation include:
- Theodore Roosevelt, the first modern president: https://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt/life-in-brief
- Oh, Mary! by Cole Escola: https://www.ohmaryplay.com/
- The presidential “kill list”: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/newly-declassified-document-sheds-light-on-how-president-approves-drone-strikes/2016/08/06/f424fe50-5be0-11e6-831d-0324760ca856_story.html
- The Jimmy Carter “running” photo: https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2025424_2025864_2025986,00.html
- Teddy White: https://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/16/obituaries/theodore-white-chronicler-of-us-politics-is-dead-at-71.html
- Read more about Naftali and his work: https://www.sipa.columbia.edu/communities-connections/faculty/timothy-naftali
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The following podcast contains advertising. |
| 0:04.4 | To access an ad-free version of the Lawfare podcast, become a material supporter of Lawfare |
| 0:10.8 | at patreon.com slash lawfare. That's patreon.com slash lawfare. |
| 0:18.2 | Also, check out Lawfare's other podcast offerings, Rational Security, Chatter, Lawfare No Bull, |
| 0:26.9 | and The Aftermath. |
| 0:31.7 | Zero Small Business Accounting Software puts more financial control at your fingertips. |
| 0:39.1 | So you have the might to master everyday admin, like raising invoices, staying on top of VAT, managing payroll, and controlling |
| 0:47.5 | your cash flow. Let your clever little digits loose on zero and get smarter accounting for |
| 0:54.1 | your small business |
| 0:54.9 | at your fingertips. Search zero with an X and keep your finger on the button. |
| 1:03.1 | The future is unpredictable at times that the Open University are the experts in distance learning, |
| 1:10.4 | allowing you to fit study around your life. |
| 1:13.4 | What's more, you'll have support from dedicated tutors every step of the way. |
| 1:18.2 | Now, suddenly your possibilities are open. |
| 1:22.3 | Search the Open University to find out more. |
| 1:30.4 | The Open University, the future is open. |
| 1:38.4 | This is chatter. |
| 1:39.9 | I'm Shane Harris. |
| 1:45.7 | This week, historian Tim Naftali on our fascination with the presidency. |
| 1:53.3 | We are talking not on election day. |
| 1:56.6 | This podcast is going to drop on election day. |
| 1:58.1 | We're talking on Halloween. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Lawfare Institute, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Lawfare Institute and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.