A Conversation with Julian Zelizer, Author, 'Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, The Fall of a Speaker, And the Rise of the New Republican Party'

 Join Michael Zeldin in a conversation with Princeton historian, Julian Zelizer, about his book, Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, The Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party.In Burning Down the House, Zelizer pinpoints the moment when Gingrich began steering our country onto a path of bitter partisanship and ruthless politics — which culminated in the election of Donald Trump. Perhaps more than any other politician, Gingrich introduced the rhetoric and tactics that have shaped the Trump presidency.

Guest

Julian E. Zelizer

Julian E. Zelizer has been one of the pioneers in the revival of American political history. He is the author and editor of 19 books on American political history, including  Taxing America: Wilbur D. Mills, Congress, and the State, 1945-1975—winner of the Ellis Hawley Prize for Best Book on Political History and the D.B. Prize for Best Book on Congress–On Capitol Hill: The Struggle to Reform Congress and its Consequences, 1948-2000, Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security—From World War II to the War on Terrorism, Jimmy Carter, Conservatives in Power: The Reagan Years, 1981-1989 (co-authored with Meg Jacobs), Governing America: The Revival of Political History and The Fierce Urgency of Now: Lyndon Johnson, Congress, and the Battle for the Great Society, winner of the D.B. Hardeman Prize for Best Book on Congress. In January 2019, Norton will publish his new book, co-authored with Kevin Kruse, entitled Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974. Zelizer is also a frequent commentator in the media. He has published over nine hundred op-eds, including his weekly column on CNN.Com. He has received fellowships from the Brookings Institution, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, New America, and the New York Historical Society. He has just released,  “Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, The Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party” (Penguin Press) and is currently working on his next book, “Abraham Joshua Heschel” (Yale University Press).Follow Julian on Twitter: @julianzelizer

Host

Michael Zeldin

Michael Zeldin is a well-known and highly-regarded TV and radio analyst/commentator.He has covered many high-profile matters, including the Clinton impeachment proceedings, the Gore v. Bush court challenges, Special Counsel Robert Muller’s investigation of interference in the 2016 presidential election, and the Trump impeachment proceedings.In 2019, Michael was a Resident Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he taught a study group on Independent Investigations of Presidents.Previously, Michael was a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice. He also served as Deputy Independent/ Independent Counsel, investigating allegations of tampering with presidential candidate Bill Clinton’s passport files, and as Deputy Chief Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, Foreign Affairs Committee, October Surprise Task Force, investigating the handling of the American hostage situation in Iran.Michael is a prolific writer and has published Op-ed pieces for CNN.com, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Hill, The Washington Times, and The Washington Post.Follow Michael on Twitter: @michaelzeldin