George Packer, Adam Davidson, and Jill Lepore on Short-Term Thinking in America

George Packer talks with David Remnick about how a political feedback loop has driven the Republican Party into a policy of climate-change denial, despite the almost universal scientific consensus. Adam Davidson contrasts climate change with the 2008 financial crisis when an emergency situation forced politicians to confront a problem head-on. And Jill Lepore reflects on why our democracy isn’t well built for long-term planning: elected officials with limited terms have no incentive to ask citizens to make sacrifices. Looking back at some moments of large-scale change, Lepore argues that we shouldn’t expect elected officials to lead us; change must come from all quarters.