History Lesson: Trump's Rise Might Signal the Collapse of the Republican Party, with Sean Wilentz

History Lesson: Trump's Rise Might Signal the Collapse of the Republican Party, with Sean Wilentz

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Princeton historian Sean Wilentz says that from a historical perspective the rise of Donald Trump signals the end of the Republican Party as we know it — and a worrisome new politics.

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SEAN WILENTZ:

Sean Wilentz is one of the nation’s most prominent historians. His books and commentary on music, politics, and the arts have gained a wide reputation for their force, originality, and elegance. He is currently the George Henry Davis 1886 Professor of American History at Princeton University, where he has taught since 1979.

Wilentz’s historical scholarship has concentrated on the political and social history of the United States from the American Revolution to recent times. His best-known books of history are: The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln (2005), winner of the Bancroft Prize among other honors, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; and The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974-2008 (2008). His latest book, The Politicians & The Egalitarians (2016) traces the long history of anti-partisan and egalitarian sentiment in American political culture.

Wilentz’s writings on music have focused on folk traditions and contemporary rock and roll, especially the work of Bob Dylan. His liner notes for Dylan’s album, The Bootleg Series, Volume 6, Bob Dylan Live, 1964: Concert at Philharmonic Hall were honored with a Grammy® nomination for musical commentary. Since 2001, he has served as historian-in-residence at Dylan’s official Website, www.bobdylan.com. In September 2010, Doubleday published Wilentz’s new book, Bob Dylan in America.

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TRANSCRIPT:

Sean Wilentz: The Reagan coalition was based on an alliance between on the one hand small government for big business conservatives on the one hand and the kind of cultural resentments, especially among white working-class Americans, on the other. They held those together. It was a very reliable way for the Republican Party to retain national power. I think that's come unglued. It's come unglued for a variety of reasons, 2008 being one of them because the Republicans had not much to offer their working class followers except what, more tax cuts? Cut Social Security? Donald Trump understood that. That was one of the reasons that he was able to come in and take the nomination for himself.

He understood the class aspects of all of this in a way that the Republican establishment just did not. They were coming for all the old bromides and he came along and said no, no, no. He had the tax issues – but can we can even compromise on the tax stuff. Minimum wage, maybe not such a bad idea, but free-trade, free-trade, free-trade. I'm going to be the man who can make the deals. Now, that is not the typical Republican establishment or even typical Republican line.

So he was able to move to the left, if you will. So he's on the left of the Republican Party, he's more like Bernie Sanders in many ways on some issues than he is like in the Republican Party. And at the same time he's doing all the xenophobia, the racism and all of that. So where is the center to all of that? I don't know, which is really what makes him I think, and this is where the Clinton people have to be very concerned, it makes him a very unpredictable candidate. It makes him very difficult to gauge. You kind of knew what you were getting with, certainly if Jeb Bush had gotten the nomination or if Ted Cruz had gotten the nomination, two very different people, you kind of knew what was there. With Trump, who changed position that he held at 9:00 in the morning with great fervor, can change it all by 4:00 in the afternoon. I mean this makes it – we're not dealing in a fact-based universe here, we're dealing in reality television. It's something that no political consultant I think has quite figured out.

If he becomes president will he be able to do everything that he says he's going to do? No. We do still have a constitution. If he suspends...

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