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by Matt Blumberg
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- Feb 16, 202554 min
Finale - Does Country Over Self exist?
In this episode, Noah Feldman and Alexis Coe join Matt to discuss a wide range of Presidential anecdotes beyond the 12 Presidents covered in the series, wrap up learnings from Country Over Self, and attempt to answer the question of whether or not selflessness exists in American politics.To learn more about Country Over Self or to check out other episodes head to Countryoverself.com. If you have an idea for an episode or want to reach Matt directly, please email podcast@countryoverself.com Country Over Self is edited and produced by Culture Collaborative Media.
- Jan 2, 202546 min
George Washington's many courageous acts with Alexis Coe
Originally recorded on 11-27-2024In this episode, Matt and Alexis talk about the 1st President, George Washington, the "foundingest father," who was incredibly conscious that everything he did would set precedent for the young country he founded. Washington had as much ego, as much to prove, and as much interest in power as the 44 men who have followed him in office, but he balanced his unmatched service to his country with his desire to have a private life in a way that defines virtue in the highest office in the country. Alexis Coe Alexis Coe is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling presidential historian and senior fellow at New America, a bi-partisan think tank. Coe is the leading presidential biographer of her generation, known for her unique insights, engaging style, and ability to reach larger, more diverse audiences in different mediums. Her books have achieved critical and commercial success. She is the author of, most recently, You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George of Washington. Her next book, Young Jack: A Biography of John F. Kennedy, 1917-1957, will be published in 2025, and her first book, Alice+Freda Forever: A Murder in Memphis, debuted in 2014. In 2024, Coe went on a 13-stop cross-country discussion tour for New America. Her project, "How Should a President Be," is in anticipation of America's 250th anniversary in 2026. Coe frequently appears on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, History, PBS, and other networks. She was a consulting producer on, and featured in, Doris Kearns Goodwin's Washington series on the History Channel. She is a frequent guest on NPR and hosted the podcasts No Man's Land and Presidents Are People Too! She has been featured in and written for most major publications, including the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Best American Essays. Coe has given keynote lectures and appeared on and moderated panels at Georgetown, the Library of Congress, West Point, the New York Historical Society, the National Constitution Center, the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, and many more. She curated the ACLU'S 100 exhibitions. While in grad school, she was a project-based oral historian at the Brooklyn Historical Society. She went on to be a Research Curator in the Exhibitions Department at the New York Public Library in Bryant Park. Coe serves on the 2024 Honorary Committee of the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film and has long served on the board of advisors for the University of Georgia's History in the Headlines series. She is a member of Biographer's International. She is based in New York. 00:00 Introduction to Country Over Self 00:33 Meet Alexis Coe: Presidential Historian 01:56 Discussing George Washington's Legacy 04:14 Washington's Relationship with Power 05:32 Washington's Early Life and Struggles 06:49 Washington's Rise to Prominence 11:55 Washington's Reluctance and Presidency 18:35 Washington's Second Term and Legacy 22:52 Washington's Decision to Retire 24:08 The Impact of Washington's Legacy 24:59 Modern Parallels: Biden's Presidency 27:20 Washington's Family and Political Advantage 31:42 Washington's Toughest Decisions 32:37 The Whiskey Rebellion: Washington's Misstep 36:35 Rapid Fire Questions: Presidential Reflections 41:30 Strengthening Democracy: Proposed Changes 43:24 Current Projects and Future Aspirations 45:30 Closing Remarks and Farewell To learn more about Country Over Self or to check out other episodes head to Countryoverself.com. If you have an idea for an episode or want to reach Matt directly, please email podcast@countryoverself.com Country Over Self is edited and produced by Culture Collaborative Media.
- Dec 19, 202442 min
Abraham Lincoln and the balance of politics and sainthood, with Sean Wilentz
Originally recorded on 10-24-24 In this episode, Matt and Sean talk about the 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, and the Emancipation Proclamation, one of the most defining moments in American history. Although arguably not so much Country Over Self in the moment, the Emancipation Proclamation was difficult both politically and with the general population, and it took the shrewdness and communication skills of Lincoln to bring it to life and change the course of the Civil War and the nation. Sean Wilentz Sean Wilentz studies U.S. political and social history. He received his Ph.D. in history from Yale University (1980) after earning bachelor's degrees from Columbia University (1972) and Balliol College, Oxford University (1974). Chants Democratic (1984), which won several national prizes, including the Albert J. Beveridge Award of the American Historical Association, shows how the working class emerged in New York City and examines the changes in politics and political thought that came with it. In The Kingdom of Matthias (1994), Professor Wilentz and coauthor Paul E. Johnson tell the story of a bizarre religious cult that sprang up in New York City in the 1830s, exploring in the process the darker corners of the 19th-century religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening. Professor Wilentz is also the coauthor and coeditor of The Key of Liberty (1993) and the editor of several other books, including The Rose and the Briar (2004, Greil Marcus coeditor), a collection of historical essays and artistic creations inspired by American ballads. His The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln (2005), was awarded the Bancroft Prize and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Subsequent books include The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974-2008, a reconsideration of U.S. politics since the Watergate affair; Bob Dylan in America, a consideration of Dylan's place in American cultural history; and The Politicians & The Egalitarians: The Hidden History of American Politics, a thematic collection of essays covering American political history from the Revolution through the 1960s. His most recent study, No Property in Man: Slavery and Antislavery at the Nation's Founding, based on his Nathan I. Huggins Lectures at Harvard, appeared in 2018 and was the recipient of the annual Thomas A. Cooley Book Prize for the best book on the Constitution, awarded by the Georgetown University Law Center. In 2020, the Library of America published the first of three projected volumes of his authoritative edition of the writings of the historian Richard Hofstadter. Professor Wilentz has received numerous fellowships from, among other institutions, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the American Academy in Berlin. Formerly a contributing editor to The New Republic, and currently a member of the editorial boards of Dissent and Democracy, he lectures frequently and has contributed some four hundred articles, reviews, and op-ed pieces to publications such as the New York Review of Books, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, the London Review of Books, The American Scholar, The Nation, Le Monde, and Der Spiegel. He has also given congressional testimony, notably before the House Judiciary Committee in 1998. His writings on American music have earned him two Grammy nominations and two Deems Taylor-ASCAP awards. 00:00 Introduction to Country Over Self 00:33 Meet the Historian: Sean Wilentz 00:58 Abraham Lincoln: A Giant Among Presidents 02:22 The Emancipation Proclamation: Context and Challenges 13:10 Lincoln's Political Strategy and Manipulation 20:40 Lincoln's Conservative Stance and Emancipation Strategy 23:11 The Emancipation Proclamation's Impact on the War 24:07 Lincoln's Diplomatic Maneuvering and Military Challenges 26:46 Lincoln's Re-election and the End of the Civil War 29:04 Speculating on Lincoln's Second Term and Reconstruction 33:50 Closing Thoughts on Lincoln and Presidential Legacies 37:58 Final Questions and Reflections on American Politics To learn more about Country Over Self or to check out other episodes head to Countryoverself.com. If you have an idea for an episode or want to reach Matt directly, please email podcast@countryoverself.com Country Over Self is edited and produced by Culture Collaborative Media.
- Dec 4, 202433 min
George H.W. Bush's "famous last words" campaign promise, with Mark Updegrove
Originally recorded on 10-24-24 In this episode, Matt and Mark talk about the 41st President, George H. W. Bush, and his campaign promise of "Read my lips, no new taxes" during the 1988 presidential campaign, and how that promise clashed with the realities of governing that led to the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 and a balanced budget...and ultimately sowed the seeds of Bush's defeat in the 1992 election. Mark UpdegroveMark K. Updegrove is the president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation and serves as Presidential Historian for ABC News. From 2009 to 2017, he was the director of the LBJ Presidential Library, where in 2014 he hosted the Civil Rights Summit which included Presidents Obama, George W. Bush, Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Carter. Updegrove is the author of five books on the presidency including Incomparable Grace: JFK in the Presidency, published in 2022 and the executive producer of the CNN Original Series, "LBJ: Triumph and Tragedy." He has written for the New York Times, Politico, Time, National Geographic, the Daily Beast, and USA Today, and has conducted exclusive interviews with seven U.S. presidents. His next book, Make Your Mark: Lessons in Character from Seven Presidents, will be published in March 2025. Previously he was publisher of Newsweek and president of Time magazine's Canadian edition. He is married to Amy Banner Updegrove, the former publisher of Texas Monthly, and lives in Austin, Texas. 00:00 Introduction to Country Over Self 00:34 Guest Introduction: Mark Updegrove 01:05 George H. W. Bush's Impressive Resume 02:22 The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 03:54 Bush's Controversial Tax Decision 06:47 Impact of Bush's Tax Compromise 09:57 Rise of Conservative Media and Its Effects 11:39 Ross Perot's Populist Candidacy 17:30 Bush's Legacy and the Clinton Letter 24:54 Rapid Fire Questions on Presidential Choices 30:50 Final Thoughts and Closing To learn more about Country Over Self or to check out other episodes head to Countryoverself.com. If you have an idea for an episode or want to reach Matt directly, please email podcast@countryoverself.com Country Over Self is edited and produced by Culture Collaborative Media.
- Nov 27, 202439 min
John Adams's rationale for virtue with Joseph Ellis
Originally recorded on 10-2-2024 00:00 Introduction to Country Over Self 00:33 Meet Joseph Ellis: Historian of John Adams 02:36 John Adams: The Most Human of the Founding Fathers 04:15 Adams' Role in the American Revolution 05:58 John Adams' Presidency and Political Challenges 11:23 Adams' Peace Treaty with France 26:25 Adams' Correspondence with Jefferson 34:00 Rapid Fire Questions and Reflections 38:58 Closing Remarks and Call to Action In this episode, Matt and Joe talk about the 2nd President, John Adams, his unusual rationale for making virtuous decisions, the remarkable story of his retirement correspondence with Thomas Jefferson, and the importance of remembering the details of the era you're contemplating as a historian. Joseph Ellis Joseph J. Ellis is one of the nation's leading scholars of American history. The author of thirteen books, Ellis was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Founding Brothers: the Revolutionary Generation and won the National Book Award for American Sphinx, a biography of Thomas Jefferson. His in-depth chronicle of the life of our first President, His Excellency: George Washington, was a New York Times bestseller. Ellis' most recent book, The Cause: The American Revolution and Its Discontents, was published by WW Norton in Fall 2021. In one of the most "exciting and engaging" (Gordon S. Wood) histories of the American founding in decades, Ellis offers thrilling accounts of the origins and clashing ideologies of America's revolutionary era, recovering a war more brutal and more disorienting than any in our history, save perhaps the Civil War. Taking us from the end of the Seven Years' War to 1783, The Cause interweaves action-packed tales of North American military campaigns with parlor-room intrigues back in England. Ellis' essays and book reviews appear regularly in national publications, such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, The New Republic, and The New Yorker. Ellis's commentaries have been featured on CBS, CSPAN, CNN, and the PBS's The News Hour, and he has appeared in several PBS documentaries on early America, including "John and Abigail [Adams]" a History Channel documentary on George Washington Ellis has taught in the Leadership Studies program at Williams College, the Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts, Mount Holyoke College, and the United States Military Academy at West Point. He lives in Vermont with his wife Ellen Wilkins Ellis and two big Labradoodles. He is the father of three sons. To learn more about Country Over Self or to check out other episodes head to Countryoverself.com. If you have an idea for an episode or want to reach Matt directly, please email podcast@countryoverself.com Country Over Self is edited and produced by Culture Collaborative Media.
- Nov 21, 202431 min
Richard M. Nixon and the fallacy of Country Over Self with Rick Perlstein
Originally recorded on 09-26-2024 In this episode, Matt and Rick talk about the 37th President, Richard Milhous Nixon as a case study of why there is no such thing as Country Over Self -- that successful politicians by definition fuse together their electoral success, their view of what's best for America, and therefore their actions while in office. Rick Perlstein Rick Perlstein is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan; Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America, a New York Times bestseller picked as one of the best nonfiction books of 2007 by over a dozen publications; and Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus, which won the 2001 Los Angeles Times Book Award for history and appeared on the best books of the year lists of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune. His essays and book reviews have been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Nation, The Village Voice, and Slate, among others. A contributing editor and board member of In These Times magazine, he lives in Chicago. 00:00 Introduction to Country Over Self 00:57 Discussing Richard Nixon's Legacy 02:06 Exploring the Concept of Country Over Self 03:56 Nixon's Environmental Policies 06:24 Historical Examples of Presidential Decisions 08:34 The Complexity of Political Morality 14:43 Watergate and Its Implications 17:29 The Controversial Pardon of Nixon 23:04 Nixon's Rehabilitation and Legacy 27:37 Concluding Thoughts and Future Outlook To learn more about Country Over Self or to check out other episodes head to Countryoverself.com. If you have an idea for an episode or want to reach Matt directly, please email podcast@countryoverself.com Country Over Self is edited and produced by Culture Collaborative Media.
- Nov 19, 202449 min
Gerald R. Ford's pardon of Nixon and Betty Ford making her private difficulties public with Richard Norton Smith
Originally recorded on 09-27-2024 In this episode, Matt and Richard talk about the 38th President, Gerald R. Ford, and his pardon of his predecessor, Richard Nixon, who resigned in disgrace and under threat of impeachment for the Watergate scandal - a move that almost certainly led to Ford's defeat in the 1976 election against Jimmy Carter. Matt and Richard also talk about First Lady Betty Ford's courageous decision to turn her private struggles with cancer and alcoholism public so as to raise awareness and reduce stigmatism. Richard Norton SmithBorn in Leominster, Massachusetts in 1953, Mr. Smith graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1975 with a degree in government. Following graduation he worked as a White House intern and as a free lance writer for The Washington Post. After being employed as a speech writer for Massachusetts Senator Edward Brooke, he went to work for Senator Bob Dole, with whom he has collaborated on numerous projects over the years. Mr. Smith's first major book, Thomas E. Dewey and His Times, was a finalist for the 1983 Pulitzer Prize. He has also written An Uncommon Man: The Triumph of Herbert Hoover (1984), and The Harvard Century: The Making of a University to a Nation (1986). His Patriarch: George Washington and the New American Nation (1993) was a Main Selection of the Book of the Month Club, while his 1997 biography, The Colonel: The Life and Legend of Robert R. McCormick, described by Hilton Kramer as "the best book ever written about the press," received the prestigious Goldsmith Prize awarded by Harvard's John F. Kennedy School. In October, 2014 Random House published Mr. Smith's biography On His Own Terms: A Life of Nelson Rockefeller, fourteen years in the making, and based on thousands of pages of newly available documents, as well as more than 200 interviews. The result has been called definitive by publications as diverse as The New Yorker and National Review. Between 1987 and 2001, Mr. Smith served as Director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, Iowa; the Dwight D. Eisenhower Center in Abilene, Kansas; the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation in Simi Valley, California; and the Gerald R. Ford Museum and Library in Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor, Michigan respectively.At each of the libraries he contributed to significantly higher public visitation through major temporary exhibits, imaginative public programs, and educational outreach efforts. In addition to expanding and renovating the Hoover Library, Mr. Smith overhauled the permanent exhibitions at Reagan and Ford. In 1990 he organized the Eisenhower Centennial on behalf of the National Archives. In 2001 Mr. Smith became director of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas, where he supervised construction of the Institute's landmark home and launched several high profile programs. In October, 2003 he was appointed Founding Director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. In two and a half years he turned around the troubled project, which has since received international praise for its innovative approach to the Lincoln story. Beginning in 2006 Mr. Smith was a Scholar in Residence at George Mason University in suburban Washington, D.C., where for seven years he taught courses in the American presidency for both undergraduate and graduate students. During the same period he conducted oral history projects for the White House Historical Association, the Dole Institute and the Gerald R. Ford Foundation. In January, 2007 millions of television viewers saw him deliver the final eulogy at President Ford's funeral in Grand Rapids, Michigan: in July, 2010 he honored Mrs. Ford's request to do the same for her. Mr. Smith was instrumental in designing a new and highly acclaimed museum and Education Center at historic Ford's Theater in Washington. More recently he has advised planners of the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas, and the George C. Marshall Home in Leesburg, Virginia. A frequent contributor to such publications as Time, Life, and the New York Times, he has also been a regular guest on the PBS NewsHour, and on C-SPAN, where he served as the network's in-house historian from 2006-2014. In this capacity he organized a 2007 series spotlighting little known holdings of the nation's presidential libraries; as well as The Contenders, a fourteen week series examining presidential also-rans whose historical contributions transcended their political ambitions; and a highly popular series recognizing America's First Ladies, airing in 2013-14. To learn more about Country Over Self or to check out other episodes head to Co
- Nov 14, 202453 min
FDR's consequential presidency and Eleanor Roosevelt's intertwined career with HW Brands
Originally recorded on 09-27-2024 In this episode, Matt and Bill talk about the 32nd President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Roosevelt was in office longer than any other president and led the country through more turbulence, both home and abroad. And yet, what stands out is less Roosevelt's moral courage or altruism, and more his ability to fuse what he saw as good for the country with what was good for him politically, his shrewd political instincts, and his ability to mobilize both government and the population to get behind his vision and his policies. His wife Eleanor, one of the most politically active First Ladies, operated from a similar frame of reference. HW BrandsH. W. BRANDS holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin. A New York Times bestselling author, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in biography for The First American and Traitor to His Class. His most recent book is AMERICA FIRST: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War. To learn more about Country Over Self or to check out other episodes head to Countryoverself.com. If you have an idea for an episode or want to reach Matt directly, please email podcast@countryoverself.com Country Over Self is edited and produced by Culture Collaborative Media.
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About Country Over Self
Country Over Self: Defining Moments in American History is a short-form history podcast for Americans who want to understand the courageous decisions their Presidents have made. Author and technology entrepreneur Matt Blumberg is joined by some of America's most accomplished Presidential historians who tell the stories of Presidents who made choices that reflected a desire to strengthen the country, either at the expense of, or without regard to the potential impact on, their role, power, stature, or political party.
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