Episode · The Ezra Klein Show · 2026-06-30
Ezra Klein & Chris Rufo: books mentioned on The Ezra Klein Show
What Has Chris Rufo Wrought? | The Ezra Klein Show
Christopher Rufo recommended Unmasking the Administrative State by John Marini, The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff, The Managerial Revolution, and Suicide of the West by James Burnham, and discussed Aristotle's Treatise on Rhetoric,.. Ezra Klein discussed When the Clock Broke by John Ganz.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Aristotle's Treatise on Rhetoric,.
Discussed“I think that Aristotle has a great line in his book on rhetoric where he says the truth has a tendency to prevail.”
Where to get it
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When the Clock Broke
When the Clock Broke by John Ganz is a work of nonfiction that explores the turbulent political currents and populist movements of the 1990s.
Discussed“He's got this book about the '9s um called when the Clock Broke, I believe.”
Where to get it
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Unmasking the Administrative State
Unmasking the Administrative State by John Marini is a political science text that examines the constitutional and philosophical challenges posed by the modern bureaucratic apparatus in the United States.
Recommended“The first I would recommend is a book by my mentor John Marini, Claremont Institute scholar called unmasking the administrative state which I think has helped me more than anything understand the deeper philosophical and political underpinnings of our modern dilemma.”
Where to get it
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The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams
The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff is a comprehensive biographical work detailing the life of the American founder and revolutionary figure.
Recommended“The second book that I think all conservatives should read and all liberals should read is a biography by Stacy Schiff called The Revolutionary, which is a biography of the American founder Samuel Adams.”
Where to get it
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The Managerial Revolution
The Managerial Revolution by James Burnham is a political and economic analysis arguing that modern societies are shifting away from traditional capitalism toward a technocratic system dominated by managers and administrators.
Recommended“Wrote a book called Managerial Revolution, another called the Machavelians, another called Suicide of the West.”
Where to get it
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Suicide of the West
Suicide of the West by James Burnham is a political and cultural critique examining the psychological and ideological decline of Western civilization.
Recommended“Wrote a book called Managerial Revolution, another called the Machavelians, another called Suicide of the West.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“And he's the author of America's Cultural Revolution: Everything.”
“I do think that one of the things that happened over the past decade or so and this is you know something I talk about in my first book why we're polarized is there's a huge upsurge in telling people that the right way to understand life America is all through the lens of identity groups.”