I first listened to this series on my own, then I started listening to it with my twelve-year-old son, who likes Bag Man and Ultra (and The History of Rome and The History of Byzantium). He LOVES this series, listens to it every chance he gets, to the point that he can finish Ford’s and Carter’s sentences. It’s fun to be able to confirm, “Yup, we listened to CBS News every evening at 6:30,” or (my husband), “Yes, we listened to Limbaugh in the car for hours on end.” Thank you! We look forward to a new season! (If I may make a suggestion, I think we need a good series on the Iran Contra affair. Especially after the recent revelation (confirmation) that the Reagan campaign did indeed negotiate to delay the hostage handover until after the election—it certainly sheds new light on the reasons for Bush’s pardon.)

Absolutely sensational reporting

First season was really informative and by far one of my favorite podcasts!! Can’t wait for season two!!

Can’t wait for another season!

At this moment in history, it is essential that we reflect on political cycles of the past. There is no substitute for contextualizing information to understand patterns and human behavior in its current state. It is remarkable just how formulaic narrative has become to create a landscape of division and polarization.

There’s something added to the story here with the wonderfully sourced audio recordings. While there are great written histories of these topics, hearing the source audio directly makes a big difference. Very well done.

So well done, so interesting. And so much fun to learn more about the people who were always on the news during my childhood.

So helpful to understand where we are today. Fascinating crucial history that we all need to know to impact where we are headed

This podcast is so interesting, so well researched, and beautifully executed. Even the narrator’s voice and delivery are great. Having been born in the mid ‘70s, I lived through this time in history without actually knowing much about it. This podcast has not only provided me with useful background to better understand current politics, but has helped me see shocking instances of history repeating itself - e.g. rhetoric about the Panama Canal. I am more knowledgeable for having listened to this!

If you had told me that my favorite podcast of the year would be about Gerald Ford, I would have thought you were crazy.

It’s crazy to see the connection from 40 years ago to today. Same types of people running on the same types of fear. Even using the same rhetoric with no creative spin. It reminds me of how quickly people forget or how much people can’t let go. This is great from beginning to end. There should be more seasons that connect all the dots!

Really enjoyed hearing an understanding of how history impacted the future

I love the information on jimmy carter, I didn’t know who he was today so this is the perspective I learned of him and it’s the right one

Great podcast - all the events happened before I was born, and I listened just before/at Pres. Carter’s passing. It provided an interesting perspective about his political reputation before he was became known as the elder statesman of philanthropy and goodwill. Thank you!

The initial podcast episodes are interesting and mostly focus on historical facts. Since this is NPR, they of course never use the term “Reagan Revolution” despite it being extremely popular and accepted during the historical period. The “bonus” episodes is a bunch of fact-twisting liberal whining. Don’t even bother with them.

This podcast’s history and perspective has helped me process the current political climate, the latest election, and the issues and rhetoric that has overtaken our politicians. Than you for producing this, and I look forward to the next season.

Every American should listen to this podcast as a valuable history lesson. It’s a shame what we’ve lost in my decades, how we’ve gotten here and how much lower we are going.

Easy listen. Narrating is helpful and well articulated. Takes you back in time, the voice clips of of the candidates and newscasters from that era paint the picture well. Great history lesson, and interested in find differences and commonalities to politics today.

This is very well done. Great storyline and production. Very entertaining to listen to. Presents an important timeline in American political history with some insights and background details likely unfamiliar to many - they were to me. There is the predictable hint of smugness that comes with any NPR associated production, but it does not rise to the level of unlistenable that regrettably plagues so much of NPR these days.

This series has been the best I’ve listened to in years. Great nuance and a through line to use the facts of 1970s US. Politics to understand our present…and future

This podcast goes back in time to explain - with fascinating detail - how US politics has evolved over the past 4 decades to produce our current political reality. It’s an invaluable lesson for all voters. And it’s a fun and exciting listen!

This was an excellent podcast. Hoping there is going to be a season two!!💞💞💞💞💞

Being born in 1993 I have experienced the last few decades of politics always wondering how did we get here and why things are this way? This podcasts provides context from the few decades prior to my own life in an informative and entertaining way. Funny enough I met Jimmy Carter and had a photo taken with him when I was a child at church he spoke at. It’s neat to now understand more so who he was politically and the historical impact. Favorite bit: “I know how we can get him to do it! Bananas!” - Ronald Reagan

REALLY great show in the massive sea of podcasts. Ben highlights important moments in our political history that directly created a lot of horrible realities today. Hopefully many of us can learn from this and direct future activities that reverse the course.

It was great to hear the inside story of the campaigns in 1976 and 1980. Very factual, no opinions about either party. I’m puzzled by the one-star reviews then; guess haters just gotta hate.

I learned a lot about both the Democratic and Republican Party along with at least a few reasons we, the American public, are today. It felt objective and while I did not personally fact check the evidence presented felt credible.

I really enjoyed this podcast. It helped me understand a lot about the conservative world that I lived in as a child. Eagerly waiting for season two!

Honestly, it is never ending with these people. The global elites running the Left wing of all political parties in the West including the US are constantly on the attack including rewriting our history. I lived through this history and this guy is lying through his teeth. Anyone who doesn’t see through this are the useful idiots that Communists rely on to get them to power and keep them there.

America’s current state of polarization and mistrust of government is rooted in its past going back to Watergate. If you’re a political junkie or a lover of history, this podcast is for you. Loved it and look forward to another season.

How dare conservatives want a voice and media that represent it’ values and interview its political figures. This is a sickening perspective. Good lord.

This was outstanding! Very informative and well done.

I really loved the review of the presidents that led to Reagan. I only wished they made more content. I forget to check back in knowing there’s not much material….

Informative, enlightening, entertaining and well presented! I loved this and have shared it with friends and family! Thank you for all your hard work!

Amazing insights from this show! I wait patiently for the next episodes! 🇺🇸

So well researched, and well produced. Please please make make more!! Would love an in-depth season on Reagan’s presidency.

It’s a great series with the historical clips and sound bites, not so much with the later panelists episodes. I was really turned off with the mispronunciations and malapropisms, however. “Basicer” (as in, more basic) and “magnet” instead of “magnate.” That’s sloppy and amateurish and it took away from what could be a smart and polished show.

I can only imagine the amount of work, research, interviews, reading that must have gone into this podcast. Voices of Republicans and Democrats recounting such a tight presidential race and turning point in American history that have influenced politics today. A must listen no matter what your political alignment may be.

This was a great, informative, and fascinating series. Not to miss. You will better understand the world we live in after listening to this. Please listen and help NPR green light a season 2!!!

Very informative. It gives context for much of our modern political discourse.

This came up as my family planned to go to Gerald Ford’s Presidential Center. We had previously gone to the Carter Presidential Center and found that to be insightful. As we listened to this we all just went I didn’t know that. We had to go to the Bibliography Note page for further reading. The architects of modern conservatism: Paul Weyrich and Richard Viguerie and why we are now in the shape we are in was eye-opening.

This was such a well-researched and reported podcast. I was riveted from the beginning. I was a high school and college student during this period and actually went on to work in the Reagan White House. The back story of the transition of the GOP to a far right ideology is one that needed telling. I’m no longer a Republican, for most of the reasons described in the podcast. But don’t think it’s a GOP hate effort. Bradford does a great job pointing out weaknesses in both major parties, and does so by using facts, not opinion. It’s well worth a listen.

I lived through it. My overwhelming sense was everyone wanted a complete break with the Nixon White House and it’s chicanery. Ford could have walked on water and he would still have lost because of that.

Great content, makes so much sense today, I was young when Ronny was in office but this is crazy. The man with altzheimers hid by his staff.

1976 was definitely not the closest Presidential election Two have gone to Congress plus there’s 1960 and 2016 which hung on a small number of votes

If you’re an American history buff (especially presidential history) this is a podcast for you. Well told by the narrator, no sense of bias. Lots of information, some drama. History matters! Glad NPR recognizes that and puts out such content.

I turned 18 three weeks after this election. If I was a smidge older, I would have voted for Carter (as I did for my first presidential vote in 1980). This podcast tells the story exactly as I remember it. The best show to come out of NPR since Trump became president.

Same old spin from NPR, putting their liberal take on things.

As it says in the title. A lot of work needs to be done in cleaning up the history, adding nuance to several sweeping statements, and correcting a lot of bad legal theories presented as fact. Author has a layman’s understanding of the law and it shows. While he tries to rely on experts, he sometimes does not get what they’re saying and, in others, does not seek the correct scholar for the area of law in question.

I’m an older millennial and didn’t know much about this period in American history. I really enjoyed learning about the beginning of modern politics.

Extremely interesting and well done podcast. I enjoyed listening and most importantly learning about the history of how we got to be so polarized.