Episode · The Ezra Klein Show · 2025-04-29
Books mentioned on Three Visions of Where Democrats Went Wrong | The Ezra Klein Show
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Invisible Hands
Invisible Hands by Kim Phillips-Fein is a historical account of how business conservatives and corporate executives organized over several decades to dismantle the New Deal order and promote free-market ideology.
Recommended“The major part of the story is, you know, after the New Deal, and there's a great book called Invisible Hands by Kim Phillips Fine, which she really details the the push of that ideology over 40 years, a long-term plan.”
Where to get it
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The Populist moment
The Populist Moment by Lawrence Goodwyn is a historical study of the agrarian revolt in nineteenth-century America and the rise of the Populist Party.
Recommended“One is The Promise of Politics by Hannah Rent. And the other is The Populist Moment by Lawrence Goodwin.”
Where to get it
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The Promise of Politics
The Promise of Politics is a collection of essays and lecture fragments by the political theorist Hannah Arendt that explores the meaning of politics, freedom, and tradition in the modern world.
Recommended“One is The Promise of Politics by Hannah Rent. And the other is The Populist Moment by Lawrence Goodwin.”
Where to get it
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Listen, Liberal
Listen, Liberal by Thomas Frank is a provocative political critique examining how the Democratic Party abandoned the working class in favor of professional elites.
Recommended“Um, and then listen liberal. Listen liberal by Thomas Frank who wrote What's the Matter with Kansas? Who had a call to arms about the future of the Democratic Party about 10 years ago.”
Where to get it
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Destructive Creation
Destructive Creation by Mark R.
Recommended“I'll say, uh, destructive creation by Mark Wilson. was probably the most detailed book I've read about the actual mobilization during World War II.”
Where to get it
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Bad Samaritans
Bad Samaritans by Ha-Joon Chang is a provocative and well-researched critique of conventional globalization and free-market orthodoxy, arguing that wealthy nations often deploy hypocritical economic policies that hinder rather than help developing countries.
Recommended“second book I'd say is probably the second bad Samaritans by Hajun Chang, which tells the story of how a bunch of developed countries managed to go into mission mode and and develop their countries.”
Where to get it
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The Defining Moment
The Defining Moment by Jonathan Alter is a detailed historical narrative that examines President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first one hundred days in office, capturing the immense political, social, and economic turmoil of the Great Depression and the birth of the New Deal.
Recommended“And uh, the third I'd say is probably the defining moment by Jonathan Alter. It's about FDR's first 100 days and really paints a picture of his style of leadership and how he was able to do so much without legislation.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Abundance, the book I co-wrote with Derek Thompson, has been out for a month and a half.”
“Listen liberal by Thomas Frank who wrote What's the Matter with Kansas? Who had a call to arms about the future of the Democratic Party about 10 years ago.”