S8 Ep145: 8/8. Roosevelt's Landslide and the Realignment of American Politics — David Pietrusza — Contrary to the Literary Digest straw poll prediction of a close race, early returns confirmed Roosevelt's enormous landslide victory, securing 46 states and overwhelm

S8 Ep145: 7/8. The Campaign: Eleanor's Star Rises as FDR Welcomes Hatred — David Pietrusza — Alf Landon conducted a weak campaign that deteriorated sharply after attacking Social Security, alienating key voter constituencies. Eleanor Roosevelt, initially regarded a

S8 Ep145: 6/8. Alf Landon, the Unremarkable Candidate, Nominated by Republicans — David Pietrusza — Republicans deliberately rejected Herbert Hoover, instead considering mavericks like William Borah and mainstream figures like Arthur Vandenberg before ultimately no

S8 Ep145: 5/8. William Randolph Hearst Breaks with Roosevelt over Tax Policy — David Pietrusza — Newspaper and radio magnate William Randolph Hearst, who initially opposed FDR in 1932, became progressively disaffected as Roosevelt moved leftward and proposed substa

S8 Ep145: 4/8. FDR Deals with the Socialist and Communist Parties — David Pietrusza — Roosevelt expressed concern that the Socialist Party (led by Norman Thomas) and the Communist Party (led by Earl Browder) would siphon votes from the Democratic ticket. Due to Sta

S8 Ep145: 3/8. Social Security is Driven by the Townsend Plan and the Rise of Father Coughlin — David Pietrusza — Dr. Francis Townsend's proposal to provide $200 monthly to citizens over age 60 compelled a reluctant FDR to rapidly introduce the Social Security legi

S8 Ep145: 2/8. The Populist Challenge: Huey Long's Legacy and Eugene Talmadge — David Pietrusza — Roosevelt faced formidable challenges from both the populist left and the conservative South. Although Huey Long (representing the radical Share Our Wealth program) wa

S8 Ep145: 1/8. FDR's 1936 Campaign Begins Amid Loss and Opposition from the Right — David Pietrusza — Pietrusza's book Roosevelt Sweeps Nation details the opening phase of FDR's 1936 reelection campaign, commencing with the April death of Franklin D. Roosevelt's pr

S8 Ep144: From Harding's Success to FDR's Political Evolution — David Pietrusza — Herbert Hoover chose affiliation with the Republican Party, finding the Democratic Party either excessively radical or institutionally corrupt. Hoover's persistent inability to establ

S8 Ep144: Harding's Landslide and the Imprisoned Socialist — David Pietrusza — Socialist candidate Eugene Debs conducted his presidential campaign from Atlanta Penitentiary, where he was incarcerated for speaking against American participation in World War I. The 1

S8 Ep144: The 1920 General Election: The League and Campaign Oratory — David Pietrusza — Harding proved to be a surprisingly effective orator, earning substantial speaking fees on the Chautauqua lecture circuit despite his reputation for carefully evasive rhetoric.

S8 Ep144: The Democratic Convention: Forty-Four Ballots and the Two-Thirds Rule — David Pietrusza — The July 1920 Democratic National Convention required 44 grueling ballots to achieve nomination, constrained by the restrictive two-thirds supermajority rule. Presid

S8 Ep144: The Republican Convention and the Rise of Harding — David Pietrusza — The June 1920 Republican National Convention in Chicago failed to nominate any of the leading frontrunners, including Hiram Johnson, General Leonard Wood, or Herbert Hoover. Harding, wh

S8 Ep144: Introducing the Future Presidents: FDR, Coolidge, and Hoover — David Pietrusza — This segment introduces the remaining figures who would subsequently achieve the presidency: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover. FDR, the ambitious As

S8 Ep144: Warren G. Harding: The Available Man from Ohio — David Pietrusza — With Theodore Roosevelt deceased and Wilson incapacitated, Republicans sought a viable candidate for what they perceived as a favorable electoral year. Warren G. Harding, a small-town news

S8 Ep143: Wilson's Stroke and the League of Nations in the 1920 Election — David Pietrusza — The 1920 presidential election opened with the tragedy of President Woodrow Wilson's stroke in October 1919, leaving him profoundly incapacitated for the remainder of his l

S8 Ep142: SHOW 11-28-25 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR The Genius of Early Photography: Nadar, Daguerre, and Dangerous Chemistry — Anika Burgess — Burgess details the risky and adventurous origins of photography as a practical medium. She examines Nada

S8 Ep142: Lessons from WWII: Unleashing Private Enterprise — Arthur Herman — Herman explores the strategic tension during WWII between New Deal administrators favoring centralized government command and industrialists prioritizing private sector innovation and ope

S8 Ep142: The B-29 Superfortress and the Battle of Omaha — Arthur Herman — Herman recounts the genesis of the B-29 Superfortress bomber, conceived after General Hap Arnold consulted with Charles Lindbergh in 1939. The B-29 represented the ultimate expression of air

S8 Ep142: Henry Kaiser: The Builder of Liberty Ships — Arthur Herman — Herman profiles Henry Kaiser, the second transformative figure in Freedom's Forge. Kaiser, a road construction entrepreneur who had previously coordinated monumental infrastructure projects incl