From the local school board to the presidency of the United States, it's become a cliché that political campaigning never ends. What's less often acknowledged is that political consultants don't just run campaigns, they run governments, too. It all started in California back in 1933 with a company that a defeated candidate for governor labeled "the Lie Factory." Between 1933 and 1955, Clem Whitaker and Leone Baxter "shaped the history of California, and of the country. Campaigns, Inc. is shaping American politics still." That's according to Harvard historian Jill Lepore in the New Yorker magazine.
'The Lie Factory' and How Politics Became a Business
Credits
Guest:
- Jill Lepore - professor of history at Harvard University, staff writer at the New Yorker, and host of the podcasts “The Last Archive” and “Elon Musk: The Evening Rocket.”