Landslide

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In the mid-1970s, the Republican Party looked on the verge of self-destruction. Until 1976. A political earthquake: A cutthroat, razor-close, deeply personal battle for the Republican nomination, and the party's identity. It resurrected the GOP, remade it as a conservative party, and pulled the country sharply to the right. Landslide is the story of the closest presidential primary race in American history, what followed, and how it reshaped the political parties — opening the partisan rifts t...

Episode List

Introducing Landslide

Feb 12th, 2024 3:49 PM

When President Richard Nixon resigns in disgrace, three unlikely candidates emerge to fill the vacuum: Gerald Ford, savvy veteran of partisan wars. Ronald Reagan, fringe reactionary. Jimmy Carter, cutthroat political animal. These presidents aren't who you thought they were, and their battles against each other redefined the American political landscape. The result: the hot-button issues, the culture war, and the path to the partisan divide we live with today. For those wondering what happened to American politics and what forces have driven our current division, Landslide is essential listening, and a compelling, stunning true story.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Trust

Feb 22nd, 2024 8:00 AM

Gerald Ford had planned to retire. But in the days and weeks after Watergate, the new president looks to rebuild Americans' collapsing trust in their government. His attempts to cool partisan tempers prove poisonously divisive. A conservative mutiny brews within his own political party, and a former actor leads a challenge against him — Ronald Reagan.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Lightweight

Feb 29th, 2024 8:00 AM

The idea that Ronald Reagan can win is laughable. "Suicidal," writes the New York Times. Too extreme, too gaffe-prone, too unserious a candidate, the faded former actor has no chance to unseat the sitting president in the primaries — and if he does it will signal the end of the Republican Party. But Reagan seizes a message that entwines optimism and culture war, the power of which was not fully appreciated at the time.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The New Right

Mar 7th, 2024 8:00 AM

The 1976 Republican primary looks finished. After a string of losses to Ford, Reagan's aides prepare to concede. But a network of right-wing groups has quietly organized, drumming up anger over integration, women's rights, gun laws, and textbooks. It is known as the New Right, and it will help spring an improbable comeback that will change the battle lines of American politics.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Shootout

Mar 14th, 2024 7:00 AM

With the primaries over, the nomination hangs in the hands of a few remaining "unbound" delegates. Ford and Reagan scramble to win them over, as the battle to lead the Republican Party — and to decide its direction — comes down to a national convention known as the Shoot-Out in Kansas City. There, a series of gambits, promises, and betrayals culminates with a nominee, a conservative platform, and the modern GOP.Hosted by Ben Bradford. A production of NuanceTales, in partnership with WFAE, distributed by the NPR Network.NuanceTales: https://www.nuancetales.com/WFAE: https://www.wfae.org/landslideNPR: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510376/landslideLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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