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    Election Fever Heats Up

    Writer Sarah Vowell on how our leaders still crib from the Puritans. Political commentator Lawrence O'Donnell explains the power of the personal narrative even in these final days before the election. Plus, magicians and candidates' reliance on the art of patter. With the country's closer than it's ever been to a black presidency, performer Sarah Jones and linguist John McWhorter explore what it means to "sound black" in America. Finally, a conversation with Charlie Kaufman whose new movie Synecdoche opens this weekend.

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    By Kurt Andersen • Oct 27, 2008 • 1 min read

    Writer Sarah Vowell tells Kurt Andersen how our leaders still crib from the Puritans. Political commentator Lawrence O'Donnell (also a former writer for TV's The West Wing) explains the power of the personal narrative even in these final days before the election. Find out how magicians and candidates can't do what they do without mastering the art of patter. The country's closer than it's ever been to a black presidency, so we asked performer Sarah Jones along with linguist John McWhorter, to explore what it means to "sound black" in America today. Plus a conversation with director/screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, whose new movie Synecdoche comes out this weekend.

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Kurt Andersen

      Author of "Evil Geniuses," "Fantasyland," and "You Can’t Spell America Without Me"

      Culture