Is Political Civility and Cooperation Still Possible. With Democratic super lawyer, Lanny Davis
The Bill Press Pod
BP Pods
4.7 • 601 Ratings
🗓️ 14 April 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
Bill talks with lawyer and former Clinton special counsel Lanny Davis about his book, Finding the Third Way, and the need to restore civility and “disagree agreeably” in U.S. politics. Davis recalls a Yale campus culture shaped by President Kingman Brewster that encouraged civil discourse and public service, even amid 1960s turmoil. He defines the “Third Way” as Bill Clinton’s principled blend of social liberalism, fiscal conservatism (balanced budgets and responsibility), and cultural moderation, offering a positive alternative to Trumpism. Davis argues most Americans want civil politics, but extremes dominate, and Democrats must stand for affordability, fiscal discipline, and tolerance—especially within their own party—while rejecting lies, racism, and attacks on the Constitution. He predicts a potential realignment with disenchanted Trump voters and says Democrats need younger leadership after Biden’s decision to run again. You can get a copy of Lanny's new book, coming our today, Finding the Third Way: Lessons in the Politics of Civility from My Journey through History here.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, good friends. |
| 0:08.0 | Welcome back to the Bill Press pod. |
| 0:10.4 | I don't have to tell you how broken American politics is today. |
| 0:14.4 | Most of us are old enough to remember the good old days when Republicans and Democrats, |
| 0:19.0 | despite all their differences, could still get along and still |
| 0:22.6 | work together to solve problems, when Tenney Kennedy could work on health care with |
| 0:28.0 | R. and Hatch. When Tom Dashel could bang out a budget with Trent Lott. But of course, |
| 0:33.5 | that was before Newt Gingrich and Donald Trump took over, who've made politics a blood |
| 0:39.1 | sport between two armed camps and who called Democrats not the political opposition, but |
| 0:45.6 | enemies. There are still some voices out there who argue we have to stop the bloodshed, |
| 0:51.9 | rebuild bridges between Republicans and Democrats, respect one |
| 0:56.5 | another, and get back to work together, building a better America. That's the thrust of a new |
| 1:03.0 | book out today called Finding the Third Way, written by one of those voices for a return to |
| 1:09.9 | civility and politics, our guests today, |
| 1:13.1 | Lanny Davis, a prominent lawyer, author, TV commentator, and one-time special counsel to President Bill Glinton. |
| 1:21.6 | Hello, Lanny Davis. Good to catch up again and thank you for joining us here today on the Bill Press pod. |
| 1:27.2 | It's an honor, Bill, |
| 1:28.2 | and nice to be on your great podcast. Thank you and congratulations on your new book out today, |
| 1:33.5 | finding the third way. So, Lenny, I got to tell you, I was so struck by the whole book, |
| 1:39.7 | but just starting to read your preface where you talk about, you take a walk through campus, |
| 1:46.7 | which is, it's not fiction as you walking across the Yale campus when you were there. |
| 1:51.9 | And the people you ran into, your classmates, three governors, three senators, two secretaries |
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