The Political Scene | The New Yorker

Dorothy Wickenden hosted the first episode of The New Yorker’s politics podcast in 2007, at the beginning of Barack Obama’s first Presidential campaign. The Obama Administration oversaw the recovery from the financial crisis, multiple foreign wars, health-care reform, and the Paris climate agreement. In Donald Trump’s first year, he has vowed to overturn Obama’s legacy on virtually every front.

On its tenth anniversary, “The Political Scene” examines how the country arrived at this unprecedented moment in its history. Ryan Lizza assesses how the Republican and Democratic Parties arrived at their existential crises, Evan Osnos discusses the emergence of white nationalism in the mainstream of American politics, Jeffrey Toobin considers the landmark cases of Chief Justice John Roberts’s Supreme Court, Elizabeth Kolbert talks about climate-change denialism, Jelani Cobb looks at how the war on truth has deepened political divides, Jia Tolentino talks about Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016 and recent revelations about sexual misconduct by powerful men, John Cassidy explains the economics of the “lost decade” and the perverse politics behind income inequality, and Dexter Filkins describes how the Trump Administration’s retreat from diplomacy exacerbates tensions around the world.

Suggested Reading

Ryan Lizza

“The Duel,” February 1, 2016
The Trump and Cruz campaigns embody opposite views of politics and the future of the G.O.P.

“A House Divided,” December 14, 2015
How a radical group of Republicans pushed Congress to the right.

“Getting to Maybe,” June 24, 2014
Inside the Gang of Eight’s immigration deal 

“The Obama Memos,” January 30, 2012
The making of a post-post-partisan Presidency. 

“Making It,” July 21, 2008
How Chicago shaped Obama


Evan Osnos

“President Trump’s First Term,” September 26, 2016
His campaign tells us a lot about what kind of Commander-in-Chief he would be.

“Little America: The Birth of A New Republican Party,” July 22, 2016
Donald Trump’s message is one of surrender. For the moment, he has camouflaged that retreat in the bunting of wounded pride.

“The Fearful and the Frustrated,” August 31, 2015
Donald Trump’s nationalist coalition takes shape—for now.


Jeffrey Toobin

“The Conservative Pipeline to the Supreme Court,” April 17, 2017 Issue
With the Federalist Society, Leonard Leo has reared a generation of originalist élites. The selection of Neil Gorsuch is just his latest achievement.

“To Have and To Hold,” May 25, 2015
Reproduction, marriage, and the Constitution.

“The Obama Brief,” October 27, 2014
The President considers his judicial legacy.

“Money Unlimited,” May 21, 2012
How Chief Justice John Roberts orchestrated the Citizens United decision.


Elizabeth Kolbert

“Can Carbon-Dioxide Removal Save the World?,” November 20, 2017
CO₂ could soon reach levels that, it’s widely agreed, will lead to catastrophe.

“Letter from Florida,” December 21 & 28, 2015
As temperatures climb, so, too, will sea levels.

“The Sixth Extinction?,” May 25, 2009
There have been five great die-offs in history. This time, the cataclysm is us.

 “The Climate of Man—I,” April 25, 2005
“The Climate of Man—II,” May 2, 2005
“The Climate of Man—III,” May 9, 2005
Disappearing islands, thawing permafrost, melting polar ice. How the earth is changing.


Jelani Cobb

“John Kelly’s Bizarre Mythology of the Civil War,” November 1, 2017
By parting ways with annoyances like facts and history, Donald Trump’s chief of staff can help his boss make white America feel good again.

“Inside the Trial of Dylann Roof,” February 6, 2017
The complicated moral calculations that followed a horrific crime.

“Protecting Journalism from Donald Trump,” November 29, 201
There’s a reason authoritarians typically begin by assailing the press.

“Trump and the Truth: Black Outreach as Campaign Ploy,” September 23, 2016
Trump’s undisguised bigotry directed at Muslims and Latinos has led many black voters to the conclusion that anti-black bigotry can’t be far behind. It’s a suspicion that Trump’s own history bears out.

“The Matter of Black Lives,” March 14, 2016
A new kind of movement found its moment. What will its future be?


John Cassidy

“Forces of Divergence,” March 31, 2014
Is surging inequality endemic to capitalism?

“The Demand Doctor,” October 10, 2011
What would John Maynard Keynes tell us to do now—and should we listen?

“What Good is Wall Street?,” November 29, 2010
Much of what investment bankers do is socially worthless.

“Anatomy of a Meltdown,” December 1, 2008
Ben Bernanke and the financial crisis.


Jia Tolentino

“Gloria Allred’s Crusade,” October 2, 2017
The attorney takes on Bill Cosby, rape law, and Donald Trump.

“The Case Against Contemporary Feminism,” February 8, 2017
Since November 9th, two main arguments against contemporary feminism have emerged in near-exact opposition to each other.

"The Somehow Controversial Women’s March on Washington" (January 18, 2017)
The upcoming Women’s March on Washington has produced fracture as well as inspiration—but that’s precisely why it feels so vital.

“Trump and the Truth: The Sexual-Assault Allegations,” October 20, 2016
Twenty women have now come forward by name with firsthand stories about Trump’s predatory behavior. Yet he remains his own most prolific accuser.

"How Men Like Harvey Weinstein Implicate Their Victims in Their Acts" (October 11, 2017)
The allegations against Harvey Weinstein are a reminder that, when a young woman is treated like an object, she is placed within an old and sickening script, one that is incredibly difficult to escape.

Dexter Filkins

“The Breaking Point,” October 16, 2017
Will Donald Trump let the Secretary of State do his job?

“James Mattis, A Warrior in Washington,” May 29, 2017
The former Marine Corps general spent four decades on the front lines. How will he lead the Department of Defense?

“What We Left Behind,” April 28, 2014
An increasingly authoritarian leader, a return of sectarian violence, and a nation worried for its future.

“The Shadow Commander,” September 30, 2013
Qassem Suleimani is the Iranian operative who has been reshaping the Middle East. Now he’s directing Assad’s war in Syria.