David Axelrod on Why ‘Democracy is Messy’ and the Future of Politics
Big Brains26 Nov 2018

David Axelrod on Why ‘Democracy is Messy’ and the Future of Politics

David Axelrod departed Washington, D.C. because he knew it’d be hard to top his role in helping Barack Obama make history.

But when the president’s former senior adviser began the next chapter in his illustrious career, he looked to his alma mater to make an impact.

Axelrod, AB’76, founded the non-partisan Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago in 2012. In the years since, Axelrod has helped build upon the University’s tradition of wide-ranging debate by welcoming guests ranging from Senator Bernie Sanders to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. He’s also interviewed hundreds of celebrities and politicians—most recently, President Obama—as host of the “Axe Files” podcast.

But as he said on Big Brains, Axelrod takes the most satisfaction in helping inspire UChicago students to get involved in public service and politics.

“I go home feeling optimistic every day. These are trying times, and there are a lot of reasons to be concerned about the future,” Axelrod said, “I feel much better about the future having spent all this time with these young people who are skeptical but they’re not cynical, and they believe they have a role to play in the world.”

On this episode of Big Brains, Axelrod discusses the 2018 midterms, how seeing JFK at age 5 inspired a career in politics, and how today’s divisive political climate emerged following Obama’s 2008 election.

Follow Big Brains:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/big-brains-podcast/

X: https://x.com/BigBrainsUC


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episoder(217)

How Bioelectronics Could Heal Our Bodies And Minds, with Bozhi Tian

How Bioelectronics Could Heal Our Bodies And Minds, with Bozhi Tian

Imagine a future in which Band-Aids talk to your cells, pacemakers are powered by light and your gut microbiome gets a tune-up—all thanks to tiny bioelectric devices. Sounds like sci-fi, right? Think ...

23 Jan 202529min

Could A Fungal Pandemic Be “The Last of Us?", with Arturo Casadevall

Could A Fungal Pandemic Be “The Last of Us?", with Arturo Casadevall

Five years after COVID became a global pandemic, could another health crisis be on our horizon? According to scientists who study diseases, the possibility of a fungal pandemic—the subject of science ...

9 Jan 202527min

The "Magic Words" That Turn Resolutions Into Reality

The "Magic Words" That Turn Resolutions Into Reality

As we step into 2025, many of us are thinking about how to turn our New Year's resolutions into lasting changes. But what if the secret to success lies not in willpower but in the words we use every d...

2 Jan 202532min

What’s The Truth About Alcohol’s Benefits And Risks? with Tim Stockwell

What’s The Truth About Alcohol’s Benefits And Risks? with Tim Stockwell

We have long heard the claims that a glass of red wine is good for your heart, but it turns out that the research that fueled this wisdom was actually skewed. Some studies made it appear like moderate...

19 Des 202433min

What Happens When We Die? with Sam Parnia

What Happens When We Die? with Sam Parnia

For centuries, death has been seen as a final, inescapable line—a moment when the heart stops and the brain ceases to function. But revolutionary research asks: What if everything we thought we knew a...

5 Des 202430min

The Illusion of Moral Decline

The Illusion of Moral Decline

This year’s election might have been the most contentious in modern memory. It's not just that politics have changed, but it seems that people have too. You’ve probably heard this phrase: “People aren...

21 Nov 202432min

Can We Predict The Unpredictable? with J. Doyne Farmer

Can We Predict The Unpredictable? with J. Doyne Farmer

What if we could predict the economy the way we predict the weather? What if governments could run simulations to forecast the effects of new policies—before they happen? And what if the key to all of...

14 Nov 202433min

Unlocking The Secrets Of ‘SuperAgers’, with Emily Rogalski

Unlocking The Secrets Of ‘SuperAgers’, with Emily Rogalski

https://haarc.center.uchicago.edu/We used to think aging inevitably led to memory loss, but a small group of people—known as SuperAgers—are defying the odds. These individuals, all over 80, have the m...

31 Okt 202422min

Populært innen Fakta

fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
mikkels-paskenotter
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
foreldreradet
treningspodden
jakt-og-fiskepodden
rss-bisarr-historie
takk-og-lov-med-anine-kierulf
sinnsyn
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid
gravid-uke-for-uke
fryktlos
hverdagspsyken
hagespiren-podcast
rss-kull
level-up-med-anniken-binz
rss-sunn-okonomi
rss-kunsten-a-leve